I've Got Another Confession To Make...

My name is Stephanie, and I am a registry stalker.

It started out simple enough.  Matt and I started our first registry about nine months ago last November.  A little early, but I am incredibly picky and change my mind about every ten seconds.  I wanted time to pick what I loved, then pick something else, then pick something else, and finally go back to what I originally loved.  I needed time, space and options.  I gave myself all three.

And then my first shower arrived.  All of my friends came, my family was there, there was food, there was booze, what more could you want?  It started a new crazy in me that I had no idea was there.  For months when I checked the registry it was to tweak it.  Delete what was no longer in season, what I no longer liked, what I felt I no longer needed, and what I couldn't wait any longer for and had already bought myself.

But then June arrived and there were things on there that we no longer needed because someone else had bought them!  I was getting presents!  (Correction: we were getting presents.  Hard to remember sometimes.)  People were actually buying what I had asked them to.  (Again, what we had asked them to.)  I loved it. 

You would think that it would make the shower boring knowing what I was getting ahead of time, but you would be wrong.  The reasoning is two-fold:
1. I hide my stalking from my future husband.  He has no idea that I check it regularly so in the hopes of hiding this from him, I did not tell him that I already knew everything that we were getting.  This caused him to be very surprised and excited about each thing we opened.  While excited, I was not exactly surprised.  So Matt covered the surprise aspect I was missing.

2. Knowing everything ahead of time, but not who bought what, created a whole new element to gift opening.  It was fun to figure out who picked out which gift for us.

Up until this month I thought this was normal and did not think twice about it.  By my stalking has reached almost unreasonable levels.  I check it everyday now.  And I'm still making changes. 

Every once in awhile, I get on there and that beautiful number under the already has column goes up one.  And I rejoice.  The fact that I won't get to use these gifts for another couple of months doesn't matter to me.  The fact that someone has already bought us the beautiful stainless steel Cuisinart blender that we picked out has gotten me through the last hour at work.  I can imagine what it will be like to be needing a little blender and to be able to pull that beautiful piece of art out of the cabinet.  And I will rejoice then too.  For now, the thought of my future kitchen is enough to get me through.  I don't need the real thing.  Yet.

One final reason I need to be a stalker (or, one more justification for doing it):
I was looking at our Crate and Barrel registry today and realized that almost ten different things we had picked out are no longer available.  These include, but are not limited to the beautiful paisley placemats that I was so excited to convince Matt to put on the registry.  In all seriousness, I teared up when I realized that they are no longer available on-line or in any store near anyone I know well enough to call up like a crazy person and ask them to go pick up for me.  They're gone.  I am devastated. 

And had I not been stalking, the wedding might have come and gone with those placemats still on the registry, tricking anyone who dare attempt to buy them for us.  You are welcome.