Our 2nd Anniversary Gifts to Each Other

Let’s hop in the time machine and travel all the way to 2009 for our 2nd anniversary gifts! Looking back now, we’re amazed at how far we’ve come and are so happy with the life and family we’ve built together. We were still new to the anniversary gift giving game so it was great that year two eased us in with only one gift per category! The traditional 2nd anniversary gift is Cotton while the modern anniversary gift is China.

If you’re new to Our Present Journey, make sure you check out our page on the meanings of the anniversary gift categories. And follow us on Instagram for even more great gift ideas!

Jay to Annie

Cotton

I asked Annie to marry me while taking her on a birthday trip to Atlantic City (She said yes! LOL). During our weekend there, she went to Spa Toccare at the Borgata for a massage while I hit the tables. Overall it was a memorable trip regardless of how much money I donated to MGM that weekend! So for our 2nd anniversary, I thought she’d love a cotton robe from Spa Toccare to remember our engagement weekend. At the time they didn’t sell any products online and I didn’t have time (or a good excuse!) to make a solo trip down to AC. I called the Spa directly and told them my story and reason for wanting to buy one. Thankfully they agreed and shipped one out to me a few days later! Annie still wears it after a bath sometimes, but I’m sure she’d rather be at the actual spa.

China

Finding a good China gift was a little more difficult for me. We didn’t have a full dining room yet and I couldn’t think of anything that Annie would want. After some intense research, I came across a beautiful serving dish with Shamrocks painted around the edges. If you’ve been reading Our Present Journey for awhile you’ll notice I’ve gone back to the Irish heritage well for anniversary gifts quite a few times! The handcrafted dish was part of a “Shannon Collection” and has been a staple of our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations every year since.

Annie to Jay

Cotton

Jay and I again were sharing the same brain for this year’s anniversary gift! We have been frequent travelers over the years to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania with the Shawnee Inn being one of our favorite places. We were staying there with some family over the holidays and while Jay was trying to learn how to snowboard (unsuccessfully!) I stopped by the spa and bought him a cotton robe from the hotel. Giving each other the same gift from memorable trips gave us a good laugh, but also showed how well we knew each other! Even back then 🙂 Jay doesn’t take nearly as many baths as I do (ok, none) but he’s enjoyed wearing it from time to time when relaxing after a shower.

China

It would still be an overstatement if I said I had zero ideas for a China gift for Jay. What could he possibly need or want? I researched a ton and somehow came across the cute porcelain dish that says “I Still Do” on the bottom. Jay used to take his wedding band off when playing golf because it would “mess up” his swing. If you ask me, the ring had nothing to do with how his swing looked! But it would annoy me that he’d take it off and leave it somewhere that it could easily get lost. I thought this dish would be the perfect place for him to leave it when he left for golf, and to make sure he was reminded of his vows every time he took off his ring! Years later he doesn’t play as much golf as he used to and thankfully leaves it on now. But this dish still looks pretty on our bedroom dresser!

Thanks for reading about our 2nd anniversary gifts to each other. It’s fun to look back at our newlywed years to see what we were like and how these gifts have stood the test of time. Just like us! Only three more years to write about before we get to the big One-Five. Please follow us on Instagram for more updates and anniversary gift ideas. And make sure to check back on December 27th for our latest gifts to each other!