How to properly commemorate an unconventional year in an unconventional marriage?

Eric and I are fast arriving upon our one year anniversary. We've never really done the anniversary celebration thing before. As a practical matter, we could never agree on when to start counting because of all the various, shall we say, interruptions, in our courtship. In retrospect our various breakups seem quite modest considering we first began dating in high school (that was over seven years ago!) and spent a year 3,000 miles apart.

Secondly, I'm terrible with dates. I can only remember birthdays if they are logged in my date book. Some people celebrate the date they met, their first date, first kiss, and so on and so forth, but this would never work for Eric and I. He has a memory like an elephant, but I could never manage it!

So this is our first, official, indisputable celebration of us as a couple and it is going to set precedents for the rest of our married life to come. We'll be flying back to Minnesota on the actual day (which I think quite fitting after this whirlwind year), but I"m still racking my brain trying to think of cool traditions to begin.

I mean, champagne is obvious, and of course the cake, and maybe a night in a fancy pants hotel, but what else? I was thinking it would be sweet to read our vows to each other again, maybe adding some addendums like "I promise to put my pants away instead of balling them up in the corner." or "In my continuing efforts to be a better wife, I will cook something besides spaghetti".

As far as presents go, paper is the traditional gift for the first wedding anniversary. I'm all about picking and choosing traditions, but there is something so quaint about this one. Aluminum is the traditional gift for ten years. I had to laugh at that. Imagine the delightfully strange story behind the origins of this list. Its not like aluminum really says "10 Years honey!" to us in 2007.

Anyway, I doubt I'll follow those antiquated suggestions through all our years together, but a paper gift, I can do. I found this beautiful poster by Masha Dayans and I'd love to get it from him, but don't know if I will get it for him. It doesn't seem like something he would desperately want, does it? (Imagine his face as he unwrapped it! It would be too funny.) He's always been tough to buy gifts for.

Instead, I'm working on a wonderful surprise something that I think he'll really love, something we can look at together in twenty years and smile at. Its no small task keeping it under wraps since he's always around. He definitely knows something is up, but hasn't figured it out quite yet.Think I can keep a secret from him for a whole month? I'm not very confident...