It's Never Too Early for the Perfect Present

It's not even Halloween and I've already bought some Christmas presents. This is absolutely out of character for me, seeing as I think the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday sales are too early for the holiday rush. But this year I saw some presents that were perfect for some family and felt no feeling of over-preparedness as I handed over my money. (Although I must say that I wonder if this early-shopping spree is one step closer in my eventual metamorphosis into my buys-presents-five-months-early mother. Say it ain't so!)
When I see the perfect present, I kinda have to buy it
The other day I was hunting for a unique present for a unique couple. Both are writers who are super hippie-feely types. Absolutely meant for each other. Kinda like Benny and Joon. You remember them, right? (And in case you don't, here's a clip from the movie. After all, when is Johnny Depp not worth watching?)

Finding a perfect partner after a long search deserves celebrating. So I wanted to find something that would help keep my friend's love connection going from here to eternity. 

A blender from Bed Bath & Beyond wouldn't do. Neither would a gift certificate for a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (after all, it would be too hard for me to part with. Cheesecake!).
Those artsy fartsy love birds needed something that went above the standard call of wedding gift flair. I googled "unique wedding presents" hoping I would find a gift that said, "You two are perfectly quirky together. Woo hoo!"

What I found was something just as perfect as their love. A gift that I thought wasn't just great for these two writers, but for all couples looking for a different way to tell each other "I love you."

What I found was something called "Treasured Passages." It's a "letter book" that follows a really cool concept. It's part love letters, part scrapbook, and totally a great way to look back on what brought the two of you together. It's like your own personal hope chest with tools to help you make it awesome.

Treasured Passages comes as a big textbook-sized box with goodies inside: stationary, envelopes, memory pages, and tips for what to write about like, "When did the sparks first fly?" and "List ten things you love about your partner."
Then there are cards that you can fill out, send to your love, and store it in the box.

I loved this idea so much that I had to find out more about it. So I contacted the company and was like, "Tell me MORE!"
It turns out, one of the partners, Sabra, lives just a few miles away from me.
What are the chances?!
So we met up for lunch and I learned that I not only love the concept and the company, I also love the two inventors behind it.

Whitney and Sabra

Sabra and Whitney are two spunky and smart gals who have been best friends since college.
They're now both wives, moms, and rockstar business partners.

The two of them have been tied to the hip through the good and the bad. Their invention of the "letter book" came after tragedy in Whitney's life.
She was 30, pregnant, and was dealing with the untimely death of her mother to cancer. Whitney was understandably devastated, hating the thought that her mother would never get to meet her forthcoming child.

Along came baby number two - and then Whitney's own battle with cancer. She worried that her children wouldn't only grow up not knowing their grandmother, she also faced her own mortality, worrying that her kids might also grow up without their mom.

Treasured Passages - for kids!

Around that same time, Whitney discovered some old writings from her mom. Those writings were treasured passages that seemed to bring her mom's memory back to life. Thus spawned the idea for Treasured Passages.
She contacted her best friend, Sabra, and the two developed keepsakes for couples, mothers and daughters, sisters, friends, and they even have their newest addition: a letter book for kids to learn more about their family members. It even comes with its own mailbox. So cute.

"It's all about connecting with people we love in the handwritten form," Sabra tells me. "It's about connecting and making relationships better. In the end, if you don't have that, then what do you have?"

I have to admit - I had to buy a letter book for myself and my husband. This was just too good a keepsake not to have one. So in case you're up for shopping for great presents early too, I highly recommend these Treasured Passages - for you, for Benny and Joon, and everyone else.