Confessions of a Shopaholic: The Wedding Registry

As a young girl (okay more like last year), I looked forward to the day I would get to register for wedding presents. It's like a shopping fanatic's dream come true! Just zap everything you've wanted but could never afford. Then cross your fingers and hope that someone will be generous enough to contribute just a little bit to our dream house:

Then in February, Jeng and I embarked on the registry adventure and it wasn't as easy as I thought. I kept looking at price tags and second-guessing our choices as being too extravagant or excessive. (Old habits are hard to break.) And for once, Jeng was encouraging me to just pick stuff without looking at prices. So I quickly got used to the idea and now my favorite phrase is, "Add it to our registry!". Maybe I've gone overboard now but I leave you to decide. So without further ado, here are our registry links:
• Bed, Bath & Beyond: Use those 20% off coupons they always send!
• Macy's
• Amazon.com

After you browse through the links, our tastes might be obvious. Or you might just think we're crazy for actually wanting a $138 knife and $670 pot & pan set. While its true that we're a little crazy, we have also lived far too long with hand-me-down, half-broken cookware. After taking a knife skills class and trying to make high-end recipes in low-end pans, we want to legitimize our culinary pursuits by getting professional-grade tools that will literally last us a lifetime.

Besides our love of cooking together, you might also notice some other trends in our selections that are very reflective of our hobbies/interests:
- Wine & Tea: I was a Booth Wine Club co-chair. Jeng and I are graduates of the Cakebread University class of 2009. I am also a proud participant in the tea-drinking trend. Needless to say, a lot of accessories are involved with the love of such beverages.
- Local, organic, 'green' things: It started out as me just becoming an 'eco-snob' but now Jeng happily carries canvas bags whenever we shop, proudly lugs around his Sigg, and quickly accompanies me to the local farmers market. Now we're saving the planet one little organic product and compost bin at a time.
- Technology: Jeng used to carry two laptops to work with him every week. (And his commute is often a 2-4 hour plane ride.) His work lifestyle combined with his Silicon Valley homegrown nerdness ensures that he is the epitome of 'early adopter' for little handy devices. (This commercial is the story of his life.) I'm along for the ride and I don't resist much. (Except for the night vision goggles which are just ridiculous.)
- Travel: I blame it on my name. There are just too many places to see and too little time. Plus with Jeng's travel status, why not?

Wedding registries and presents can be an awkward ordeal. We are grateful to have all our friends and family at our wedding, especially those who have to spend time and money on travel. While we enjoyed populating our registry, we don't require or expect everyone to buy everything on our wishlist. Your presence will be the best present of all. :)