Here’s a fun fact about my relationship with KC — he is an awesome gift-giver.  If there were some sort of competition for giving gifts, KC would win hands-down.  He has this way of getting the perfect gift without you even realizing you wanted (or needed) it.  I, on the other hand, am not the greatest gift-giver.  Part of this comes from my weird relationship with money (I am pretty budget-conscious) and the fact that I grew up in a family that puts a lot more emphasis on quality time together and acts of service than actual gifts.

Case and point: one year for my birthday (the year I started blogging), KC bought me a super-fancy DSLR camera to help with my blog photography.  I… got him a gift card to Best Buy that year for his birthday.

This year for our 10 year anniversary KC got me a diamond band that matches my wedding band.  I… got him a picture of a porcupine (it’s an inside joke between us, so it’s actually very sentimental.  And I did frame it.  But, y’know… it’s a picture of a porcupine.)

Anyway, clearly you can see why Giving/Receiving Gifts was last on my Love Language list and why it was second on KC’s.

In an effort to be a better gift-giver, I’ve put together a list of a few things that I think KC (and other dudes) might like to receive this Valentine’s day:

1. Personal Training Sessions.  Obviously, this is a judgment call, because if you get this for your man it could really go over the wrong way.  However, KC started seeing a trainer a little over a year ago (and is totally obsessed with him), but the sessions are a real splurge (not cheap!) and so aren’t currently in our budget.  I do love how positive KC is after a sessions though (and the super-trim physique is just an added bonus).
2. Wine fridge.  If your man is into wine like KC is, this is a nice gift because it covers two bases — the love of wine and the love of gadgets.  KC (and most guys I’ve met) are kind of gadget-obsessed (I often don’t see the point), so getting them something specialized and digital is almost always a guaranteed win.
3. Splurge-y digital item.  Again, gadgets are always welcome in our home, at least according to KC, so I know he would appreciate any sort of fancy workout watch, new set of headphones, or random TV add-on (KC won a Roku a couple of years ago and it’s actually become a well-used piece of equipment in our house).
4. Hobby items.  KC is obsessed with snowboarding, and while getting him something for the slopes is completely outside my comfort zone (um, I’ve literally only ever been on a sled in the snow), I know he would really appreciate any effort I made to get him something nice related to his favorite snow sport.
5. Man night out (or in).  Most of the time when we go out KC is nice enough to let me pick the restaurant (and sometimes the movie, if it’s not too girly).  I know he would appreciate a date planned solely around his interests, which would probably include a stop for good beers at a local pub, dinner someplace with burgers or a giant steak, and the latest action flick (most likely starring Liam Neeson.  Because don’t they all star Liam Neeson?)  I could also pretty easily recreate this at home too — craft beer from the local liquor shop, a homemade meal of red meat, and Taken 17 (or whatever is out on blu-ray now).