Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[terrific_surprise]

Our daughter ("DD#10") had been asking for several days if she could see the little tabletop "waterfall" I gave DW at her surprise 49th birthday party. The waterfall had been put away after the party and forgotten until DD#10 became curious about it. It didn't really matter to me that DW had forgotten about it, because the waterfall itself was very cheap, merely intended to symbolize the wonderful waterfalls DW would be experiencing in Hawaii. The waterfall was also supposed to symbolize other waterfalls I had hoped we would visit in this year leading up to the Hawaii cruise. I had hoped that our visits to these other waterfalls would provide a memorable setting to give her some of the golden envelopes (but unfortunately we just haven't found time to make it back to places like Yosemite like I had hoped). :(

 

DD#10 instinctively knew that when I brought the waterfall out, it would be accompanied by a little golden envelope, and was obviously looking forward to the envelope as much as the waterfall.

 

I put the "waterfall" on our dining room table, slipping a golden envelope underneath. I intended to send DW some kind of text message about finding something special under a waterfall, but before I had a chance to do so, she noticed the waterfall and the envelope.

 

On the front of the envelope, I had drawn a little cartoon stick figure who was the star of an absurd little comic strip I used to draw back in high school. The name of the cartoon figure is "The Farmer," and the greeting he gives is always "Howdy!" But in this case -- for the first time in history -- he simply said "HI." (This is actually the second time I have put "HI" on the front of a golden envelope, but to my knowledge DW has not yet connected the greeting "HI" with Hawaii.)

 

 

Inside the envelope was this photo:

 

On the back of the photo I had written (months ago): "Hawaii: It's not just a state – it's a state of mind! – YOU are always on my mind!"

 

After reading the message, DW quickly responded "so are you saying that we could be in Hawaii just by thinking about it?" (Then she went on to refer to that romantic beach I like to mentally send myself to even though we were only there once many years ago.) :o

 

"Well, um," I stumbled around for a few seconds, not really prepared to give her a good answer. "It's not necessarily like we could be in Hawaii today just by thinking about it, but there could be some places that would put us in that state of mind." What my clue is really referring to is the fact that (from what I have read on CC) it will feel like we are in Hawaii from the moment we board the Golden Princess.

 

By the way, I do appreciate the encouragement you ladies are giving me to fully disclose the Hawaii cruise to my wife. Based upon this "state of mind" clue, you may think that I am ignoring your advice -- but in actuality this clue was prepared and hidden back in September. I had thought that we were going to be away from each other for a few days and intended to send her a text pointing her to the golden envelope, but it never happened. So this week I decided to take it out of its previous hiding place and put it under the "waterfall" instead.

Edited December 21, 2012 by terrific_surprise
clarification

[Mrs.C05]

Whenever you do giver her the ultimate clue (do you have one that says "Yes, we're going to Hawaii by cruise ship!!" ????) you'll need DD#10 to have the camera ready!!!

 

If you don't mind me asking, which of your children are still at home? Obviously DD#10 is the one that's most into this surprise. Is any of the other children? Too young to understand? Too old to care? Lol!!!

[Mrs.C05]

I was going to email you, but then decided not to in case DW saw your email/checks it....don't know if you have a joint account or not.

 

Anyways, I'm loving this review and think it is very thoughtful of you to do this for her. You're a wonderful man.

[terrific_surprise]

I was going to email you, but then decided not to in case DW saw your email/checks it....don't know if you have a joint account or not.

 

Anyways, I'm loving this review and think it is very thoughtful of you to do this for her. You're a wonderful man.

 

The "terrific327" email address below is not shared with DW (until after the cruise). I think this whole CC thread will be an additional surprise I will give her on debarkation day, which perhaps will help to relieve some of the post-cruise blues.

 

As far as how "wonderful" I am, unfortunately I can't agree. It's one thing to plan an "event," it's another thing to be the husband she needs from day-to-day (I'm trying to improve, but still falling far short). Later I will explain more about why DW is the one who is truly "Terrific." ;)

[terrific_surprise]

Whenever you do giver her the ultimate clue (do you have one that says "Yes, we're going to Hawaii by cruise ship!!" ????) you'll need DD#10 to have the camera ready!!!

 

If you don't mind me asking, which of your children are still at home? Obviously DD#10 is the one that's most into this surprise. Is any of the other children? Too young to understand? Too old to care? Lol!!!

 

We have eight children at home today (two of whom are adults). Typically (at non-holiday times) we have six children with us on a daily basis. At 9 years old, DD#10 is the second to the youngest. I'm not sure that DD#11 (7) really understands, but I'm sure the others do. So far none of the older ones have expressed any apathy (and usually they are not shy about telling us we are all wet about our latest ideas).

 

At this point I think the biggest revelations will take place on the two days following Valentine's Day. Unfortunately(?) my plans don't call for anyone else to be with us at that point. But I definitely would love to capture the surprises on camera. Hmm... not sure what to do.... :confused:

Edited December 21, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[Mrs.C05]

Ok, so what happens two days after Valentines Day? If you already said, I missed it....sorry!

[terrific_surprise]

Ok, so what happens two days after Valentines Day? If you already said, I missed it....sorry!

 

February 16 we are booked for a "Bon Voyage Experience" on the Sapphire Princess (the ship we loved so much during our last cruise). We will get to be on board for four hours before sailaway! :D

 

I guess this BVE is a relatively new thing that Princess is doing. It seems like many people still don't know about it.

[terrific_surprise]

Charles, my Princess Cruise Vacation Planner, called a few days ago to let me know that I could once again reduce what I owe by a few hundred dollars -- but with one small catch: my deposit would become non-refundable.

 

Even though it has been over 14 months since I first booked this cruise and I am obviously committed to fulfilling this surprise, it was not easy to decide whether or not to risk making the deposit non-refundable. Over the past few weeks in particular, some expenses have arisen which tempted me to use some of the funds set aside for the cruise. :confused: But from the beginning I knew this kind of thing would likely happen, and tried to maintain the mental determination to make cruise expenses a high financial priority.

 

To make things even more difficult, for several weeks my wife has been wanting us to buy a used low-mileage van a friend of ours is selling, and I have had to repeatedly "burst her bubble" about buying it. The price of the van seems incredibly low, so it really is a difficult offer to pass up. Finally, a few days ago, I had a frank but friendly discussion with her, explaining clearly that I could get the money for the van if I cancel the surprise I am planning for her. I also let her know that very soon I won't be able to get all of the money back if I cancel the surprise, so if I intended to cancel, I would need to do so very soon. :(

 

In addition, DW has been telling me about several ideas she has for ministry projects which happen to conflict with my plans for her surprise. She has always been bursting with new ideas, so it is not uncommon for me to find it difficult to keep up with her. At her 49th birthday party, I shared a Letterman-style list of DW's "Top Ten Terrific Ideas" to give her friends just a taste of her ideas (some of which are truly amazing, and some of which, well, let's just say I haven't caught the vision yet for them). Thankfully, after our discussion it appears that she now understands the need to be careful to check with me before scheduling anything.

 

I was also relieved when she unwaveringly expressed her attitude that what I am planning is more important than buying the van, and that she does not want me to consider cancelling the surprise.

 

As I contemplated this decision, I thought about what it will be like after the cruise. All of that money we spent will be gone, and we will have nothing to show for it but some photos and souvenirs. Could it be better to use that money for something tangible, something more practical like a van? No, I quickly dismissed the thought. From the beginning this has not been just about planning something DW will enjoy in 2013, but my goal has been to make a memory that will last for the rest of her life. She will have these memories long after that van is in the junkyard, so there are no regrets to my decision to use the money on the cruise instead of the van.

 

So... yesterday I finally called Charles and took the leap of lowering the price, thus making the deposit non-refundable. Now we are just a few hundred dollars away from the final payment total, which is due the second week of January! While I'm excited that we have reached this point, I also feel like I'm on a roller coaster that is about to drop! :eek:

[skiladyldp]

I am glad you decided to go ahead with the decision to go on the cruise. My husband and I went on a cruise to Italy recently and we loved it. It was our first cruise and it was expensive. I would not trade that memory for anything.

[olemissreb]

 

As I contemplated this decision, I thought about what it will be like after the cruise. All of that money we spent will be gone, and we will have nothing to show for it but some photos and souvenirs. Could it be better to use that money for something tangible, something more practical like a van? No, I quickly dismissed the thought. From the beginning this has not been just about planning something DW will enjoy in 2013, but my goal has been to make a memory that will last for the rest of her life. She will have these memories long after that van is in the junkyard, so there are no regrets to my decision to use the money on the cruise instead of the van.

 

 

My MIL is like this all the time. She can't understand why we spend so much money on our vacations (some way more expensive than others). We've tried to explain that it's family time and memories made that will be worth far more than the amount of money spent, but it just doesn't seem to get through. Cherish the experience and much as you obviously cherish your wife. THAT is worth sooooooooooo much more than the money you spend and as you said will be with you both long after the van is in the junkyard and all 11 kids have been put through college!

[terrific_surprise]

As we sat in church yesterday morning waiting for the service to begin, my wife was talking to our 22-year-old son (DS#3). "This is probably the last time you will see me before I graduate," he announced.

 

With obvious disappointment in her voice, DW asked him "won't you be coming home for Easter break?"

 

Before he could respond, I leaned over and whispered "I don't think you're going to care if he doesn't come home for Easter."

 

The sadness was erased by a big smile as she quickly realized what I meant.

 

"Don't you remember," I continued, "that I told you we would probably be celebrating Easter in a bar?" (On our Sapphire Princess cruise, the church services were held in Club Fusion's bar.)

 

"No, I don't remember that," she replied.

 

"I'm pretty sure I gave you a clue about that."

 

"I don't think so."

 

Well, I checked back through my list, and sure enough I did give her the clue (though it looks like I never posted anything about it here on CC). It was in a golden Easter egg that our DS#9 gave her after this year's "egg hunt." I had also given her a separate clue back then saying "Let's make this 'Easter' special for the kids, because next Easter may not be special (for them)!" (Apparently I neglected to post this clue on CC too.) I guess that I have given her so many clues that she can't remember them all!

 

As Christians, the celebration of the resurrection is obviously something we don't want to miss. I think it was months after I booked the cruise before I realized that we would be gone for Easter, and it seemed like a big problem at the time. :( But I couldn't imagine a different sailaway date than DW's 50th birthday, so I realized that there was no way around it.

 

As a little extra bonus, during his sermon the pastor used an illustration which mentioned getting little candies on your pillow during a cruise! :)

[Blueboss]

Still following your story. I have had the same thoughts about cancelling our cruise, seems so much is needing our attention, time and money at the moment. I talked to DH about my worries and he told me I had put my kid's wants and needs first all these years, it was time we did something frivolous just for us. He's right, my world has been centered on the kids and we need to get back to being a couple again now that they are on their own but before we have grandkids. Hope you make many nice memories for you and your wife to share.

[terrific_surprise]

Still following your story. I have had the same thoughts about cancelling our cruise, seems so much is needing our attention, time and money at the moment. I talked to DH about my worries and he told me I had put my kid's wants and needs first all these years, it was time we did something frivolous just for us. He's right, my world has been centered on the kids and we need to get back to being a couple again now that they are on their own but before we have grandkids. Hope you make many nice memories for you and your wife to share.

 

I agree that getting back to "being a couple" should definitely be a priority at this stage in our lives, even though in our case the line between being "parents" and "grandparents" is blurred. Thanks for being a part of the nice memories (as these CC posts will eventually become a part of DW's memories of this experience).

[terrific_surprise]

Christmas was followed by two unexpectedly busy ministry days, including a big baby shower on Wednesday for some of our clients, so it has been difficult to find the time to catch up on the latest clues here. I had deliberately refrained from giving DW clues for several days leading up to Christmas because I had so many clues planned for this week, having planned for DW and myself to get away for a few days, hoping to get a chance to "be a couple" again before the busy year begins. Unfortunately it's not looking like that's going to happen, as I had to cancel my reservations last night, so some of those planned clues will have to be reworked. :( Anyway, I need to backtrack here and explain what happened at Christmas.

 

With so many people in our house, Christmas can become quite a hectic day. Typically we try to spread out opening the presents throughout the day, so that the kids can enjoy one set of presents for a while before they see the next set of presents. This Christmas we had three sessions of opening presents, with the last session happening at the end of the day, after it was already dark outside.

 

To make things a bit more interesting, the presents are identified only with numbers, not names. Nobody knows who will open a particular present until I announce it. Some of the presents also include an additional tag for the children to read explaining more about the true meaning of Christmas.

 

For each of the three sessions, I gave my wife a present to open. Of course each of the presents had some kind of connection to the cruise. With all three of DW's presents wrapped in gold, it was easy to tell which ones were hers. (DD#10 in particular took obvious pleasure in declaring in advance which presents would be DW's.)

 

For the first round of presents in the morning, everybody received DVDs. (I figured that DVDs would keep everybody occupied for a while so that DW could focus on meal preparation with less distractions.) I had seen a good deal Monday on a DVD set of the first season of Gilligan's Island, so I thought it would be funny to get that for DW, even though I don't recall ever watching Gilligan's Island with her and wasn't sure how she felt about the show. I was pretty sure that the kids would enjoy it though, and I figured that the best way to get DW to see something would be to have it be something the kids would want to watch (I have several DVDs I previously purchased for DW, some of them purchased years ago, that she has never found time to watch). I had read about the location of a couple of key Gilligan's Island filming locations, so I thought that there might be a chance that we would see one of them while we are in Hawaii.

 

When DW tore the golden wrapping paper off, she responded "aww, Gilligan's Island!" So it appears that she at least has some nostalgic affection for the show. Then she noticed a golden envelope inside the DVD's shrinkwrap, exclaiming "How did you get that in there?"

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "To my 2nd favorite Christmas present!"

 

This photo was inside:

 

On the back of the photo I had written "Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue... -- I would love to be stranded on a little island with you!"

 

"Are you taking me to Kansas?" DW joked.

 

"By ship?" I responded, showing the obvious absurdity of DW's question.

 

"Well," DW continued, "you keep talking about 'over the rainbow.'"

 

DS#7, sitting next to DW, responded kiddingly "over the rainbow, is like in the sky, so you're going to fly there."

 

Then they apparently noticed the part about being stranded on an island, and began questioning what that meant.

 

"The top half is a clue," I explained, "the bottom half just includes words of love. On all of her clues I do it like that, the top half is a clue and the bottom half isn't" (although in this case I guess the second half could be considered a clue, as visits to one or two little islands are a definite part of my plans).

 

"The picture is a rainbow in the water," DS#7 continued, "so he's probably taking you on a plane that is going to crash in the water." :eek: (After that comment, I'm glad we're not flying.)

 

A few minutes later, DD#10 asked me "is Gilligan's Island stupid, Daddy?" (I'm not sure what led her to ask that.)

 

"It's kind of stupid," I confessed. "It's supposed to be funny." Then I told her that it is kind of like DS#9's humor (I think that immediately made sense to her). ;)

[terrific_surprise]

The second present I gave DW on Christmas was a digital picture frame. (It was actually a frame we had purchased some time back but it had never been used.) Of course it wasn't plugged in when she opened it.

 

Looking at the blank screen, DW said "I'm assuming there are pictures on this?"

 

After plugging it in, the pictures began to display. She immediately recognized the first photo, exclaiming "Mt. Baldy!"

 

Moments later, DW asked "are these my clues?" :)

 

"Yes," I revealed, "you don't look at your clues very much, so I wanted you to see them more."

 

"They look prettier on here," DW replied. (I must confess that bothered me a little, because I used special sparkly "white gold" paper to print her clues, but I guess they probably look better to her on the digital frame because they are bigger. But I couldn't help but think that maybe giving her a digital picture frame from the beginning would have been a much simpler way to reveal these clues.) :mad:

 

"I don't recognize some of these," DW soon confessed.

 

"I don't think you have looked at your clues for a while," I explained. I have seen DW looking through the clue envelopes from time to time, but keeping all of the clues in their original envelopes makes it hard for her to look at them much. Plus it obviously takes much more effort for her to open the envelopes than it does for her to simply look at the sequence of photos on the digital frame.

 

"Where did you get all these pictures?" DS#7 interjected, sounding a bit astonished.

"He went on a trip and took all of these," DW joked.

 

The photos on the digital frame are arranged in a somewhat logical order, attempting to approximate the order we will experience things on the cruise. When several photos of Waimea Canyon eventually appeared, DS#7 reacted "Grand Canyon... Are you guys going to the Grand Canyon?!?" :rolleyes:

 

I plan to update the photos on the frame as the clue process continues over the next couple of months, and then I hope that we will bring the digital frame on the cruise so that I can continue to update the photos as she experiences what is pictured in the various clues.

Edited December 28, 2012 by terrific_surprise
clarification

[Blueboss]

Going to have to look into a digital picture frame. You just gave me an idea! Put all our cruise pictures on it and be able to look at them anytime. I ususally make a picture DVD of our trips, but we rarely play it. I like the picture frame idea. Thanks!

[terrific_surprise]

Going to have to look into a digital picture frame. You just gave me an idea! Put all our cruise pictures on it and be able to look at them anytime. I ususally make a picture DVD of our trips, but we rarely play it. I like the picture frame idea. Thanks!

I also made a DVD from our 2010 cruise, but it too has rarely been played. The nice thing about a digital frame (in my case at least) is that I can keep updating it!

[terrific_surprise]

The last present my wife opened on Christmas was a frame with two photos in it (one on each side). She apparently doesn't realize it yet, but this will become the home for the puzzle I have been giving her piece-by-piece throughout the year.

 

As DW prepared to open it, DD#10 said "Watch, Mama, you're going to be like 'ooh! ahh!'"

 

DS#7 rudely responded to his sister, saying "You don't even know what it is, so shut up."

 

"So!" DD#10 countered "I know one of the things that is in there..." hesitating a few seconds before she added "... I think." I'm sure that what DD#10 meant was that she thought there would be a golden envelope inside.

 

When DW tore off the wrapping paper, here is what she saw:

This is a photo I took of DW at Puddingstone Lake on Valentine's Day (the day which served as an opportunity for the first revelation of some early hints about the coming cruise). Puddingstone is also a place of some of DW's childhood memories (to which we added our own romantic memories this year). I thought that the water background (even though obviously a cruise ship would never sail there) would serve well for the puzzle, especially because it serves as a symbolic tie to the beginning of the clue process. I enhanced the photo because DW's face was dark in the original (and for other reasons which have not yet been revealed).

 

Upon seeing the front photo DW responded (kiddingly, I think) "Thanks, but I'm not sure I really want a picture of myself. I'll have to give it to you."

 

DD#10, who was looking at the back side of the frame, interjected "there's a picture on this side too."

 

Here's what the frame looks like from the back.

 

 

When DW saw this, she asked "is that Oahu?"

 

"No," I laughed, "Oahu is quite a bit bigger than that." (In a sense she is right, though, because these islands are right off the coast of Oahu. DW visited Oahu about 30 years ago, so I wonder if there is any chance she saw these islands.)

 

This frame was originally black. But of course I couldn't settle for that! I had to paint it gold (giving it several coats to try to hide the black). Nevertheless it looks like some of the paint will probably come off. But the symbolism will remain.

 

When DW held the frame up to the light, I was sure that she would see the golden envelope hidden inside, but apparently she didn't. Very soon (hopefully in the next day or two) I expect her to find it, as she begins to realize that this is more than just a couple of pictures in a frame.

[terrific_surprise]

Friday was our firstborn son's birthday. His birth was such an ordeal, with a long labor ending with five and a half hours of hard pushing, finally ending with an emergency cesarean. After that he was in NICU for 10 days, due to breathing problems because he was a month premature (he was born on our 8 month anniversary). All of her labors were difficult, but his was probably the hardest on DW.

 

DS#1 is now 27 years old and lives about 6 hours away from us, so sadly we couldn't see him on his birthday this year. We didn't see him and his family on Christmas either, so DW really misses him.

 

With DS#1 so far away, I was all by myself when I gave DW the bouquet of flowers (something I try to do for every one of our children's birthdays). Inside the flowers was a golden envelope, which DW didn't notice for a few minutes.

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "To a Mama who misses her firstborn son."

 

Inside was this photo:

 

For some reason DW kept looking at it sideways, trying to figure out what it was. Eventually I had to say "if you look for the horizon it might help," and then she turned it up the right way, soon saying "well, obviously this is a ship!"

 

On the back of the photo I wrote "Go West Young Woman! – I have been so blessed to be a small part of your many labors."

[Mrs.C05]

I love hearing about these clues. I really hope she puts it all together soon and she figures it out. Then she can have the excitement we all do, with planning a cruise, what to wear, excursions, etc.

[terrific_surprise]

We were able to get away just the two of us for New Year's Eve (because of the plans my wife made a few weeks ago)! Usually over the years she has tried to focus on making New Year's Eve fun for the kids, but I broke the tradition last year by taking her away for the day (which I had planned as the opportunity for giving her the very first golden envelope). DW did leave some games and snacks for the kids so it sounds like they had a good time without us.

 

For a few days it had looked like we would be unable to get away due to financial issues, and I had to cancel my separate reservations (which would have extended our getaway with a couple of extra days leading up to NYE). But DW wanted to make sure that her plans didn't fail, so to help pay for gas she gave me some extra money she had stashed away.

 

On our way to the hotel room, I surprised her with a set of DVDs of the second season of Fantasy Island. When she wondered why I didn't get her the first season, I told her that there was a good reason but I couldn't explain it yet. (The reason is that it looked like Wailua Falls might not be featured in the first season, and seeing Wailua Falls was an important connection to a key clue I planned to give her for NYE.)

 

In the hotel room, I read through the list of episodes on the DVDs, and DW chose one she wanted to watch. When I started playing it, she excitedly exclaimed "I recognize this place! Some of your clues are from this place, especially the waterfall, right? Are you taking me to Fantasy Island?!?"

 

Surprised by her reaction (which I thought could nullify the impact of the next clue I planned to give her), I distracted from the beginning of the episode by immediately picking up the digital picture frame, looking through the photos I had given her, trying to determine which of the clues she thought looked like the Fantasy Island scenes. After showing her several of the waterfall clues I had given her, she eventually agreed that none of them actually showed the Fantasy Island waterfall (though she still thought that it looked like the same place). Or maybe she was just trying to shut me up so that she could watch the show. ;)

 

The episode she decided to watch happened to feature Wailua Falls several times (not just in the introduction), and as an unexpected bonus, it even included the Hukilau song. At the end of the episode, she continued to say that I was taking her to where Fantasy Island was filmed. So I replayed the closing credits, freezing it on the frame where it says "Filmed at the Burbank Studios," joking "so I guess I'm taking you to Burbank?"

 

Later that night, as midnight approached, I was wearing a "Happy New Year" hat. As we kissed at midnight and wished each other a happy new year, I whispered in her ear "I'm getting tired of keeping things under my hat."

 

DW immediately reached for my hat, finding (as she no doubt expected) a golden envelope underneath. Inside the envelope was this photo of Wailua Falls!

 

Of course DW immediately realized that this really was the "Fantasy Island waterfall"!

 

On the other side I had written a clue which linked to my other recent rainbow clues (quoting the lyrics of Over the Rainbow): "'...And the dreams that you dare to dream really DO come TRUE!'" followed by "I wish you smooth sailing and delicious dreams in 2013."

 

The front of the envelope featured the message "to your most TERRIFIC year yet, 'maika'ino.'" I intentionally misspelled "maika'ino" (trying to spell it somewhat phonetically) not wanting DW to realize (yet) that it is Hawaiian.

 

Several months ago I began calling her "maika'ino" instead of the usual nickname I have called her over the years. I had come up with this by searching for a Hawaiian way to say "terrific." Many years ago her dad used to call her "terrific" (which is also related to her real name) so this seemed like the perfect Hawaiian name for her. I just hope I have been pronouncing it right (and that it is not an inappropriate use of the Hawaiian language). DW of course wonders what it means, but she says it sounds beautiful.

 

Hopefully this special name will remain with us not only during the cruise, but throughout the rest of our lives as a permanent reminder of the "terrific" surprise cruise to Hawaii.

Edited January 2, 2013 by terrific_surprise
image fix

[terrific_surprise]

The past few days have been too busy to post updates here, as we have been dealing with a funeral for a baby at the same time as a birth of another baby (among other things).

 

New Year's Day was an important day of revelation for the surprise process, as I chose that day for my wife to begin putting the puzzle together, and she also found several additional clues along the way. On New Year's Eve DW had been surprised to see that I had brought the framed picture (the one I had given her on Christmas) to the hotel room. "That's a nice picture," she said as she looked at it again, "but I wish it could have been a picture of both of us."

 

"That could probably be arranged," I gladly responded. I had planned to remove the heart-shaped cutout in the middle of the picture, but I had wondered if she might be offended when she learned that this would mean that she would be removed from the picture! Now I knew that wouldn't pose a problem. :)

 

Pointing to the little table where I had placed the picture frame, I said "this table would be just the right size for you to use to put the puzzle together."

 

"But will I have to take it back apart?" she asked.

 

"No," I replied, "I'll find a place for it. Or you may figure out where to put it."

 

She excitedly agreed that this would be a good time to put the puzzle together, explaining "there were too many distractions before" (as if she needed to explain why she hadn't already tried to put it together).

 

Opening up the clear banker's bag where she has been keeping all of the golden envelopes, DW began the process of removing the puzzle pieces from each envelope. She seemed to savor the process, not just quickly removing the puzzle pieces, but taking the time to carefully review every clue. A few times she got so involved in reviewing the clues that she even forgot to remove the puzzle pieces (until I reminded her). By the end of the day it was clear that she now understands that it is a cruise to Hawaii -- but I was glad that a few clues still seemed to be mysterious to her. For example, when she re-read the "Easter in a bar" clue, she speculated "a sand bar?"

 

When she said that the fountains I show in some of the clues look like the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, I replied "no, but it kind of relates to those fountains."

 

"I think I've already figured out what is happening here," she said after reviewing about 20 clues. First she explained that she could tell that the puzzle was going to be shaped like a heart. Then she announced "That last piece looked like you, so I think the puzzle is going to go in that picture frame, and that's why you cut that (heart) out."

 

"You're pretty smart," I grinned.

 

 

Looking at the clue I had given her on DS#7's birthday, she asked if we would miss his birthday again, reporting that he has already been asking about it. (His birthday is two days before our anniversary, and we had missed his birthday on our last cruise.) Thinking that it would be best to relieve her concerns, I told her that we wouldn't miss his birthday this time.

 

"So we'll be all done by our anniversary?" she responded with just a hint of sadness. "I thought you were going to take me away and we were never coming back." (It almost sounded like she wasn't kidding about that.)

 

"Who knows," I answered, "there may be surprises I don't even know about yet."

 

Looking at the "space station" clue again, she said "I have no clue what this one is."

 

"If you did," I responded, "I would be amazed."

 

She still didn't understand the clue about the animals disappearing after the showers. (I sure hope our steward makes some towel animals so that I can have fun finally revealing that one to her!) ;)

 

She identified some of the Kauai clues (probably correctly) with Fantasy Island. Other times she thought that some of the seaside photos showed places we have already been, but she eventually shrugged, concluding "I guess there are a lot of places like that, with water and rocks and sand."

 

I knew that the photo which shows a distant view of Mt. Baldy behind a bridge had finally hit the target when DW asked "Is this from the cruise ship area looking at Mt. Baldy?"

 

None of the pieces fit at first (I had planned it that way) so the first part of the process was frustrating. Actually most of the process was probably frustrating (in a way) for DW. After all, she was putting together a puzzle without knowing what it was supposed to look like. :p "I don't usually like puzzles," she said at first, but clearly she liked this one. Several times I tried to help her see where some pieces fit, but she wanted to do it herself, insisting "let me do it!"

[terrific_surprise]

About a month ago, DW had asked me to go through the envelopes and make sure that none were missing, and she also asked me if it might be a good idea to number the envelopes. I had done so a few days later, but apparently she hadn't noticed it. After numbering all of the envelopes and putting them back into the clear banker's bag, I inserted a new envelope into the middle of the envelopes she had already opened. On the front of the envelope, I wrote "To my #1 girl!"

 

She didn't see the envelope until she was taking the puzzle pieces out of the envelopes on New Year's Day. "Did I not open this," she asked, "or did it just get resealed?" I explained that it was in fact a clue she had not seen yet.

 

Inside was this photo:

 

On the back I had written "I look forward to finding out what you can do with four strings! (I anticipate something beautiful) – You are so beautiful to me!" (The last sentence was quoting the lyrics of one of the songs I used for the video I had made for her 49th birthday.)

 

Her response was just what I had hoped for: "A string bikini?" (I was a bit surprised that she didn't recoil at the suggestion.)

 

Soon she came across the "Dave and Faline" (Elua) clue again, sounding just a tad irritated as she asked "who are Dave and Faline and how do you know they will be teaching us anything?"

 

"They may teach you how to use your four strings," I winked.

 

"So is it a ukulele?" :eek:

 

Wow, she caught on to that one more quickly than I thought she would! Later I told her more about Elua and why they are supposed to be such a highlight of the cruise (I even decided to reveal that Faline goes by the name Leialoha).

 

I almost thought I detected a hint of disappointment in her voice as she said "So it's not a string bikini, huh?" (Ok, maybe that's just wishful thinking.) :rolleyes:

 

Looking at some of the other (seemingly obscure) picture-clues I had given her, she asked "are these murals on the wall of the cruise ship?" Was she really catching on that fast, or did she just decide that this was a good time to let me know what she had concluded long ago?

 

When another fountain clue resulted in another Bellagio reference, I responded "it's a very familiar place that you've never really experienced before."

 

Eventually I decided that I should show her how to open up the puzzle frame (because she had been putting the puzzle together on the outside of the glass). I opened up the frame and removed the heart-shaped photos from the middle, forgetting for a moment that I had hidden another envelope in the middle.

 

"Oops," I winced "I should have had you do that!"

 

I handed her the envelope, where I had previously written on the front "To someone who is beautiful - inside and out!"

 

Inside was this photo:

 

On the back I had written "As you put it all together, don't forget to stop and smell the nanu (is it remyi, brighamii, or mannii)? -- You are my favorite fragrance."

 

DW scowled. "Stop and smell the manure?" :eek:

 

Reading it over again, she realized her mistake, explaining "I really thought it was 'manu.'" :o

 

Throughout this yearlong surprise process, I had been spraying the puzzle pieces with gardenia fragrance, because it is DW's favorite. Unfortunately the fragrance didn't linger as much as I had hoped. Eventually DW did notice a lingering hint of gardenia, but it didn't turn out to be quite the clue I had hoped for.

 

(DW had given me a new Bible on Christmas, inserting notes in some key places, and apparently she too had sprayed her notes with gardenia fragrance, but I hadn't noticed it either!)

 

In any case, I'm sure that we will notice the scent of the gardenias in Hawaii, even if the gardenia spray didn't last that long.

 

As she put the puzzle together, she eventually began to realize that it was a photo of the two of us on the Sapphire Princess just before sailaway, with the familiar bridge (which has appeared in several clue photos) in the background. She didn't say a word at this point, but pulled me toward her as her eyes filled with tears, hugging me tightly for a while.

 

Eventually when she found her voice, she said "I'm going to have to top this somehow for your 60th. I'll have to start planning now!"

 

I thought that our New Year's getaway would also be a good time to start packing for the cruise. I had brought a separate suitcase to the hotel which included clothes DW has purchased over the last few months (which she asked me to put away for the surprise trip). We didn't get a chance to go through them as much as I planned to, but at least we started the process. I hope that we will complete our packing before Valentine's Day.

 

As we drove home from our New Year's getaway, I explained that there were several additional clues within a few inches of where she was sitting, but as far as I know, she still hasn't found them.

Edited January 5, 2013 by terrific_surprise
typo

[terrific_surprise]

Friday was the 30th anniversary of Kilauea's current eruption, so I decided to use the opportunity for a clue. DW had bought a plastic filing wallet which she suggested we should use for keeping track of receipts this year, so I inserted a golden envelope into the wallet. Then after we ate out with DS#4, she found the envelope when I asked her to show me where I should put the receipt.

 

The photo I used had nothing to do with Kilauea:

 

On the back I wrote:

"After three decades (today) this eruption is still going strong! – I love you more every day..."

 

She furrowed her brow as she read the clue, then looked at me as if she was about to say something, then re-read the clue. Finally she asked "so something happened on January 3, 1983?" She followed up this question with comments about our personal relationship (which had been rekindled on July 3, 1983 after a long hiatus). When I planned this clue I had thought it would be funny if she jumped to the conclusion that somehow this date related to our relationship. :D

 

Earlier she had asked "are we going to Maui?"

 

I answered her question with more questions: "would you like to go to Maui? Which islands are better?"

 

"I've already been to Oahu," she replied "and Oahu is more commercial. But I don't mind going to Oahu, or Maui, or the Big Island. Any one of the Hawaiian Islands is fine with me!"

 

"Hmm..." I pretended to try to think it over. "It's so hard to decide. Maybe we could just go to them all -- even some you've never heard of."

 

This morning she showed me a photo which she had found on Princess Cruises' Facebook page, asking me if I knew where it was. I told her it looked like somewhere we had been in California, but she said that it is where the Sapphire Princess is today -- in Maui. With her following Princess on Facebook now I'm sure she will be figuring out many more of my clues.

Edited January 7, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[Mrs.C05]

So did she guess it?