'tis the gift to be simple

what do you want for your birthday kate? i want to get you something special. actually i have in my mind a funky art piece i want to make for you...hopefully you don't read this. so much junk just penetrated my mind. once again i've been whipping around like a tornado and now i sit completely overwhelmed, so much has happened, so much is about to happen, i just need some time to STOP and think about it all. mom, what do you want for your birthday? you're kind of hard to shop for. maybe a cookbook? a piece of pottery? a puppy? i know you want a puppy..dad would kill me. well, he wouldn't kill me, but he'd be mad and it would be so funny because in roughly 48hrs. the dog would be his best friend. chris? it's your birthday soon too. what do you want? buying gifts is stressful thing to do. i'm not good at it, i don't plan ahead and usually end up waiting until the last minute and spending too much cash on a fairly thoughtless gift. do i not enjoy giving gifts because i think gift giving is silly and frivolous to HAVE to do on a certain day? a gift should be given when you find something that's right for a person, not because you have to because it's holiday or a birthday. or....is this all just how i justify myself being lazy and thoughtless? i hope not. i will focus on being more creative in my giving and less trapped by our societal norms. ahem.