The thank you notes will never end...I think that's a good thing, though

Brad decided that he LOVES this whole getting married thing; partially because he thinks I'm awesome and fabulous and partially because of the gifts. He's a big fan.

Our friends and our parents' friends have been over-the-top generous. We had 7-ish showers, and our Bed, Bath, and Beyond registry was almost depleted by the end. We've gotten gobs of cool stuff (and multiples of some- the returning/store credit thing is really great, too!), and it's been really humbling and sweet.

We've gotten our fair share of dishes (17 place setting of Fiestaware, folks) and towels and kitchen supplies (those have been fun to play with). We've also gotten a cool assortment of "fun" and "different-in-a-good-way" kinds of gifts. I thought some of them were straight-up genius. Given that, I thought I'd share some of them with you (please note that I am in no way diminishing the value of our other gifts- we needed things like towels and sheets! I just wanted you to know about the good ideas I wouldn't have thought of):

1. Kroger gift card. A college buddy of Brad's gave us this unexpected and extremely handy/useful gift. With a combination of coupons and our $30 Kroger card, my $50+ grocery bill came down to $12.47. I'm a fan.

2. Date night gift! This was from my bff, Kat. She gave us gift cards to Outback and Red Lobster. Heaven knows we wouldn't be going there out of our own pockets (or maybe it should be "pocket" singular, now that we're married and have things in common...?) without her. Her card was cute; it said that she realized we probably needed something like a blender or toaster but that she thought date nights would be better. I wholeheartedly agree! (besides, we already got two blenders and a toaster).

3. Game night in a bag. One of my college roommate's parents actually got us this: Boggle, The King's Speech, and a box of microwave popcorn. LOVE it! Thanks, Sills! (Your note is forthcoming.)

4. Handy, man-gifts. Roommate (daughter of the aforementioned parents), Molly, and her husband gave us some work/handy gifts that Brad was super excited about: outdoor extension cord and some really nice Command strips. Thanks, Mols!

5. Picnic paraphernalia. Another college roommate, Amanda, and her husband gave us a picnic basket outfitted with plastic cutlery and place settings. I'm SO excited about it! Can't use it any time soon in Jackson, though. The forecast this week is for daily thunderstorms. Boo.

Woo hoo!

6. Home Depot gift card. Another buddy of Brad's gave us this. We've already used it for extension cords/surge protectors, wood glue, fertilizer, and a garden hoe. We are living it up.

7. My aunt gave us some of the most thoughtful series of gifts that we received. In memory of my grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-aunt, she gave me items for our house that were important to each of them. On behalf of my grandmother, she gave us pie crust shields. My grandmother made the world's best (and I'll go to the mat on this point) pecan pies. She taught me her secrets, and I'm looking forward to making some this year. On behalf of my great-grandmother, she gave us a "good, sharp knife" (which I've used MANY times already) and a rolling pin. On behalf of my great-aunt (to whom a good-smelling house was vitally important) a fancy candle (that I've already used daily). Thank you, Auntie!

8. Additionally, Auntie and her family gave us most of the crystal serving pieces that we've received. All manner of serving dishes, platters, and bowls. They're absolutely beautiful, I have no doubt that she scored them for a fantastic deal (an extremely important and revered skill in our family), and every time I use them, I'll think of her.

This is only a fraction of our crystal pieces. Hopefully, you'll see these making appearances in the future.

9. Brad's mom gave us several gifts that she put a lot of consideration into and that have already been very useful to me. One that I've been using daily this week is a good, solid, wooden tray (like the kind you would use for breakfast-in-bed). Her card that came with it asserted that she knew it wasn't very attractive looking (it's actually not unattractive, fyi) but that she thought it would be useful. It has been!

10. Best gift: OUR WEDDING! It was the best ever. Thanks, Brassart parents! We love you.

Maybe this list will inspire some of you in future wedding-gift ideas. There are many more great ones that we've gotten like the super-fun print casserole carrier (Breanne, I feel like that would be right up your alley!), the matroshka-shaped salt and pepper shakers (that was also bff Kat; she knows me REALLY well), the dinner napkins that have our Spode Christmas china pattern on them (Thanks, Ms. Angela!), the nativity set (even though we got married in June. Thanks, Mrs. Twila & co.! I love it!), and the rolling cooler (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).

Kat's matroshka shakers from World Market hanging out with the matroshka measuring cups from Anthropologie that Amiee got me (apparently, Kat had planned on getting me these a while back...only to find out that Amiee beat her to it. Amiee has it coming, I believe).

I might never get through all the thank-you's that need to be written, but I'm thoroughly enjoying each and every gift. And the friends that sent them. :)