Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[terrific_surprise]

So did she guess it?

 

She definitely knows now that it is a cruise to Hawaii. If you're referring to her question about the January 6 photo she found on Facebook, she actually knew it was from the Sapphire Princess in Maui before she showed it to me.

 

Incidentally, she seems to think the Facebook photo was a clue from me, but I assured her that it was not. She obviously "liked" the Princess Cruises page sometime. (I knew she had done so a while back, and was concerned that it could spoil the surprises.)

 

Hopefully I'll get a chance to update more later (busy day)....

Edited January 9, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

For over 10 years, my older sister has blessed our extended family every year by creating family calendars featuring photos from all of the family members. Our extended family has experienced some unbelievable difficulties which have torn us apart over the past few years. At times it has seemed like her calendar is the only thing holding us all together. When I was sharing some photos with my sister last month, I decided to let her know about the cruise. Then it occurred to me that I could use the calendar as an opportunity for a clue.

 

So I prepared a golden envelope and mailed it to my sister, asking her to put it on the March page of the calendar (because that is when the cruise will begin). She told me that she would be putting the following photo on the March page (quoting Psalm 23 "He leads me beside the still waters"), along with some family photos.

 

When the calendar arrived in our mailbox, I put it next to the driver's seat (where my wife sits) hoping that she would open it. But of course she needed to drive, so she kept wanting me to open it! I had to keep making excuses, telling her that I was busy with other things. But when DW was done driving she would be busy with other things too... so opening the calendar was delayed for a few days.

 

When DW finally opened the calendar about a week ago, it wasn't long of course until she found the golden envelope taped to the March page. On the front of the envelope I had written "To my favorite calendar girl!" When she opened the envelope, she found this photo:

 

On the back I had written "Some of our favorite waters won't be very 'still.' – I'm so glad He led me to YOU!"

 

I was so relieved to see the puzzle piece in the envelope. Somehow I had forgotten to take note of which piece I had mailed to my sister, so I had come to the conclusion that this particular piece was lost! Thankfully, now all of the puzzle pieces are accounted for (although of course DW doesn't have all of them yet).

 

DW seemed a little surprised to find the envelope, but she already knew by this time that my sister is one of my co-conspirators in this surprise. I think it was New Year's Day when she asked me point blank "who else knows about this?" so I went ahead and revealed that I had told my sister (along with a couple of others).

 

In retrospect, it seemed very appropriate for my sister to be a part of this surprise. It occurred to me that my sister is probably one of the primary inspirations for me making this a year-long surprise process for DW. A few years ago when my sister's husband turned 50, she celebrated his birthday all year long by giving him a series of encouraging messages every day (she invited us to participate in the process by sending a message of encouragement to share with him).

 

This was actually the second "calendar clue" I had given DW during this year of clues (I don't think I previously mentioned the first one on CC). The first one was just after her 49th birthday, when I had found an old 1991 calendar (not one of my sister's calendars) which included DW's picture. I had sent DW a text message saying "you missed an Easter Egg in 1991 (well, not really an egg)" but it had taken her a while to realize that she was supposed to look for Easter in the calendar to find the clue. The clue I wrote for that first calendar clue was "Way more satisfying (and more 'Golden') than the 'Corral'!" (because we had just eaten at the Golden Corral).

Edited January 12, 2013 by terrific_surprise
additional info and formatting

[terrific_surprise]

At least three times during this year-long surprise process, I have had to go back through my list of planned clues and re-evaluate them based on recent developments. Most recently, the fact that DW now knows that it is a cruise to Hawaii makes it more difficult than ever to find interesting yet relevant clues that don't point to something she already knows. So I have decided to focus more on some interesting (and sometimes humorous) aspects of some of the points of interest we may see at the various ports. Through this process I added probably a couple of dozen new possible clues to my list, including the "Boiling point" clue I mention below (which refers to the "Boiling Pots" above Rainbow Falls in Hilo).

 

A few days ago, both DW and I were speaking at a public meeting. I had prepared a golden envelope for the occasion, featuring this photo:

 

On the back I had written "Over the Rainbow, it may get really hot! We may even go over the Boiling point! -- I think YOU are really HOT!"

 

While I sat next to DW, waiting to be called to speak, I had not yet written anything on the front of the envelope or decided exactly how I would give it to her. When she was called to speak, I quickly took out the envelope and wrote on the front "Most Beautiful Speaker Award." Then I inserted the envelope next to her seat, so that she would see it before she sat down.

 

I was called up to speak immediately after DW, so I left my seat just as she was returning to hers, but I still the opportunity for a quick moment of satisfaction as I saw her face when she noticed the envelope.

 

The only thing I recall her commenting upon was the puzzle piece I included in the envelope. "Yea!" she exclaimed "an edge piece!" Now that she has most of the puzzle put together, she seems at times more interested in the puzzle pieces than in the clues in the envelopes (which was how I had hoped it would be when I first began planning to give her puzzle pieces).

[terrific_surprise]

Friday was the final payment deadline for the March 27 cruise! It was a bit of a nailbiter for me to be able to get it done in time, but somehow I did it! Of course I thought it would be good to inform DW of this development, and to do so in the form of a golden envelope.

 

It just so happened that we found ourselves in Santa Clarita yesterday, having the opportunity to eat again at one of the favorite places where we have eaten throughout this yearlong process: the Souplantation restaurant which just happens to be in the Princess Cruises building.

 

As I watched DW looking through the hanging flip cards at the table which advertise various promotions for Souplantation, I got an idea of where I could hide the envelope. So when DW got up from the table to get more food, I flipped through the cards and found a way to suspend the golden envelope between two of the flip cards. The flip card behind the golden envelope advertised Souplantation's cookies, so I knew that I would say something about the cookies to get DW to find the envelope.

 

Toward the end of the meal, I went up to get myself some dessert. Conveniently, the featured dessert happened to be lava cake! When I returned to the table, I said to DW with a wink "would you like a bit of lava cake? By the way, it's a clue!" I knew that lava cake wasn't really DW's preferred dessert, but she seemed to enjoy her bite, at least for its symbolic significance.

 

Later I brought a plate of snickerdoodle cookies (DW's favorite) to the table, and nonchalantly said to DW "do you know how much it costs if we just want to buy these cookies?"

 

"It's $1.99 for a dozen," DW answered quickly. For a moment I was afraid that she wouldn't even look through the flip cards, but then she grabbed the flip card display and turned it around! Now the cookie card was on the back side of the display, and I was afraid that the golden envelope would fall where she wouldn't see it. I was relieved when it stayed in place until DW had flipped through to the cookie card.

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "From your 'secret'(?) admirer in the Princess bulding."

 

DW pretended to be thinking about who could have put the envelope there. "Hmm, I wonder who that could be?" Opening the envelope, DW saw this photo:

 

"Are those pineapples?"

 

"I think it's a fruit cup with macadamia nuts," I replied.

 

"Yum!"

 

On the back of the photo I had written "It's all PAID IN FULL (well, except for the tips)! If we cancel we will lose a lot of money! – You are worth every penny (and much more)!"

 

Although of course DW doesn't know how much it all cost, she took this in with an appropriately somber tone, recognizing the finality of this declaration. "Well, I guess no matter what happens, we just will have to go through with this." She seemed to be thinking seriously about the little unexpected events which seem to happen to us so often.

 

Finally she said "thank you!"

 

As a reflex, I replied "you're welcome." Then I caught myself! I had prepared myself mentally for this moment, telling myself that I wanted to reply "you're worth it" instead of "you're welcome." (Several months ago in our text conversations I had started a habit of replying "ywi" when DW would text a "ty" to me. When I first sent her "ywi," she really thought it meant "you're welcome, idiot!" :eek: But she seemed much happier when I had explained the intended meaning.)

 

"Oops!" I corrected myself. "I meant to say 'you're worth it!'"

Edited January 14, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Around Christmas time, my wife had almost reached the bottom of the container of "Love Mix" trail mix I had made for her earlier this year. So just before New Year's Eve I filled it up with a fresh supply. She noticed it on our New Year's getaway, but it was a couple of weeks before she realized that I had hidden a golden envelope deep inside.

 

When DW finally pulled the golden envelope out, she read what I had written on the front: "To the one who inspires my 'love mix.'" She didn't say much about the photo, but she seemed confused by it:

 

What I had written on the back seemed to add further to her confusion: "We will greet her together with the sunrise – I enjoy sharing mornings with you."

 

When she was sitting in the driver's seat just after New Year's Day, I had informed her that she was within inches of three clues. This was one of the three clues, along with the one she found in the calendar. She still hasn't found the third clue.

[terrific_surprise]

The ministry my wife and I lead had its major annual fundraising event earlier this week, and typically my preparations for such an event require my focused attention for almost 24 hours in the days leading up to it, so I have been too busy to post anything here. Nevertheless I did find time (due to some advance planning) to give DW some golden envelopes.

 

A few days ago DW and I met at Golden Corral to go through some of our final plans for the event. She had brought a notebook where she had written her proposal for the final event agenda, so while she got up to get some food I slipped a golden envelope into the notebook. On the front of the envelope I wrote "To the one I love to plan with (and for)."

 

Soon she returned with her food and flipped through her notebook pages until she found the agenda page -- and the golden envelope. Flashing me a beautiful smile, she opened it up to find this photo:

 

"So we will go to see this waterfall?" she asked.

 

"I sure hope so," I replied. "But it will all be up to you. Imagine that we are at Yosemite and we could stay there for a few more hours, or we could drive on to Lake Tahoe. We might decide that we would rather spend our time in Yosemite and skip Lake Tahoe." (The scenario I was painting here was reminiscent of our honeymoon, which involved both Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.)

 

With a mixture of anticipation and apprehension she asked "Will I have to hike very far to get to the waterfall?" I had asked her to marry me after I got her to hike to the top of Vernal Fall, so her question was quite prudent.

 

"I think it's an easy hike," I replied.

 

On the back of the photo I had written one of my longest clues: "As our beautiful Sapphire crosses the Bay of Smokes, returning from the land of your dreams before heading back to the land of our memories, will it be a day of disappointment or fulfillment? – You fulfill my dreams." I thought that this clue would lead her to the conclusion that we will be cruising again on the Sapphire Princess (hoping that this would help delay the revelation of our Golden Princess destination as long as possible). However, she made no comment, but appeared to be deep in thought. She hasn't said anything thus far to indicate that she believes we are going back on the Sapphire Princess.

 

We will see our beloved Sapphire Princess again for a few hours on our Bon Voyage Experience on February 16, when she returns from Hawaii ("the land of your dreams") before heading out to the Mexican Riviera ("the land of our memories").

 

After lunch, we headed over to a nearby store where DW finally used some of the gift cards she had received at her 49th birthday party. She wanted to buy shoes and clothes to wear at our fundraiser, but I think she plans to bring them for the cruise too (as I think we had both intended to devote these gift cards to cruise clothes). Coincidentally, the store also happened to be selling large tote bags with a flowery design and the message "Aloha! Hawaiian Islands"! DW thought I somehow planned that. :D The bags were on sale for only 99 cents, so DW joked that we might want to buy some extras and sell them for a profit on the cruise (but we only bought one).

 

Later at another store I bought some Hawaiian-themed bath items when I saw that they were marked down in an after Christmas sale. When I gave them to DW a few minutes later, I confessed "I guess lately I'm a sucker for anything Hawaiian."

 

DW laughed "As long as you don't bring home a hula girl!"

 

(Actually I had hoped to find a hula girl -- just a little one, to symbolically dance on the dashboard -- as we have coincidentally encountered such hula girls as unplanned clues several times during this past year, in odd places like Mt. Baldy and Morro Bay. )

 

I playfully reminded DW that the "Little Brown Gal" song that she loved to sing as a child says that it's not the "islands fair," the "balmy air," nor the "tropical sea," but the "little brown gal." Of course as far as I am concerned, DW will be my "little brown gal." :p

[terrific_surprise]

A few days ago, we drove to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up the speaker for our organization's fundraising banquet. As a result, we found ourselves on Century Blvd. and on Imperial Hwy. (again), two of the streets which are mentioned in Randy Newman's "I Love LA" song (which is one of the key musical clues on the Fanfare CD I gave my wife on her 49th birthday).

 

We were hungry and we had some time to kill, so I directed DW to a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant on Century Blvd. I was disappointed to see that it was closed, but Panda Express was nearby and DW enjoys their food, so we ate there instead. At the end of the meal, DW found a message (something about a surprise at the seaside) in her fortune cookie which she was convinced that I somehow put there.

 

The hours before a fundraising event always seem to fly by, as I am dealing with an overwhelming array of last minute details. As I finished my preparations, I intended to get a golden envelope ready, hoping to find a way to present it to DW at the banquet. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my golden pen! Although every clue has been written in gold ink (and I have already run four golden pens dry during this past year), I seriously considered writing a clue in blue or black ink. :(

 

But then I remembered that I had prepared a golden envelope a few weeks ago that had never been given to DW. It was the clue I planned to give her in connection with the Hawaii Five-O show I never got her to watch. So I grabbed the "Five-O" clue and headed out the door to the banquet hall.

 

Our event was running on a very tight schedule, so I knew I was running a risk of being criticized if I took time during the event for something personal like giving DW a clue. Nevertheless I couldn't resist the opportunity, especially because I had just recalled that this banquet room had a significant connection to the history of our relationship.

 

After presenting an award to someone, DW had just sat down to the right of the podium as I rose to speak.

 

"Thirty five years ago," I began, "a girl talked to me at a winter camp asking me to take her friend to our church's 'Sweetheart Banquet.' That banquet was held in this very room. Afterwards, I was more interested in getting to know the girl who had talked me into taking her friend to the banquet. As you may have guessed, that girl is now my wife.

 

"I never did take the girl who would become my wife to one of our church's Sweetheart Banquets, and I'm not sure that she has ever forgiven me for that. So I'm giving her this little award, hoping that it might help to make up for that." Presenting DW with the golden envelope, I continued "As some of you know, she is turning 50 this year --"

 

Several people in the crowd booed me for daring to mention her age. :mad: I thought it was common knowledge (among her friends at least) because of the big deal I had made of her 49th birthday party. Oh well, I guess I can't seem to avoid offending people.

 

"I have been surprising her throughout the year with a series of clues which she now realizes are leading up to a trip. If any of you are willing to help cover for her when she is gone on the trip, please let me know." Several people later indicated their willingness to help. So taking this time out of the banquet for the golden envelope actually ended up having a positive result for the organization.

 

With the clock ticking away, we had to rush on to the next part of the agenda, so DW didn't get a chance to open the envelope until after the banquet. On the outside I had written "(Almost) Five-O!" I had forgotten what I had put in the envelope until I saw her pull out this photo:

 

On the back I had written "At the end of the day, the Patter will give us (too) much to plan our day by. – My plans all focus on being with you."

 

Some of her friends were looking on as this happened, including one friend who knows exactly what this is all about, but they all seemed perplexed by the clue.

 

As the day drew to a close, DW began humming the Hawaii Five-O theme, so she obviously got the connection. :)

 

The fundraising event had been DW's idea, and I had been opposed to it, being too overwhelmed with other details. But due to the success of this event, it appears that worries about ministry finances won't be weighing us down when we are on the cruise. (During our last cruise, it was necessary for me to spend time on the Internet dealing with a ministry financial crisis, so I'll be thankful to DW for helping me to avoid such frustrations.)

Edited January 26, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Our DS#9 turned 12 this week, so I made a special breakfast for him and his mother. When I make breakfast I like to do a good job of cleaning the kitchen afterwards, and I was still in the kitchen cleaning when DW came in to make lunch.

 

Sounding a bit frustrated that I was in her way, DW said "Do you realize that you are obsessed?"

 

When she said that, I immediately thought of giving her a golden envelope with "To my obsession" written on the front. ;)

 

I decided to hide the envelope under the little desktop waterfall I had given DW for her 49th birthday, but I didn't get around to putting the envelope together and hiding it until the end of the day, when DW was really tired.

 

As we stood together in the kitchen, I pretended to be upset with myself, exclaiming "I forgot to clean under the waterfall!"

 

DW didn't take the bait, even after I enlisted DD#10 to help get her to look for the envelope. :(

 

In the morning I told DW "I guess you don't care that I forgot to look under the waterfall."

 

This time she went to look under the waterfall and found the envelope, with this photo inside:

 

On the back I had written "If the huge black walls don't scare you away, you will find a beautiful place where many vow to remain faithful. – My love for you is no secret!"

 

"So," DW sarcastically responded, "I guess cleaning isn't your obsession?"

 

(Actually, it really isn't. With all these years of a house full of children, I can't say that we have ever really achieved cleanliness.)

Edited January 27, 2013 by terrific_surprise
punctuation etc.

[terrific_surprise]

For over a year now I have been making a list of things to bring on the cruise, and one of the key items on that list is a waterproof camera. Unfortunately, our waterproof camera stopped working a few months ago and I recently learned that it is probably not worth repairing. But a few days ago I noticed that the latest model of that camera was on sale, so I convinced my wife to go with me to look at it. I focused on the fact that we sometimes need a waterproof camera for ministry purposes, but I also told her that it would be good to have one for the cruise.

 

I was planning to give DW another "rainbow" clue, so before we headed out to the store, I picked this picture:

 

(For months I had another photo of Rainbow Falls ready to give DW, but I had never given it to her because my original plan had been to give her the various waterfall photos in conjunction with visits to California waterfalls, and most of those visits never happened. But when I realized a few weeks ago that I should look for photos of Hawaiian rainbows, I of course had to find a Rainbow Falls photo that included a rainbow.)

 

On the back I wrote "When we find the Rainbow connection, perhaps you would enjoy lavish lavosh?" I tried to think of an appropriate love message to write at the bottom, but I ran out of time while trying to decide on the best thing to write, so I left the bottom blank and slipped the golden envelope into my pocket.

 

When we got to the store, DW got in a conversation with someone and happened to mention that she has 11 kids. "Wow," the other person exclaimed, "you look too young to have that many children!" While that conversation was taking place, I stood behind DW's back, taking out the envelope and adding a message saying something like "I love you, young woman!" Then I wrote on the front of the envelope something like "To the one who puts the fun in my photos!"

 

When we finally found our way to the camera section, I noticed that although our broken camera was black, these cameras are now available in other colors, one of which is gold. (Ok, it's really more orange, but in my mind it's gold.) So I slipped the golden envelope on the top of the "gold" camera package.

 

DW was interested in other camera models for a while, and I worried that I might have to go back and retrieve my envelope. But eventually DW decided to look at the "gold" camera and when she pulled the box off the shelf she immediately saw the gold envelope.

 

My cryptic message didn't warrant a comment from her, but it did warrant a nice kiss. (I'll gladly settle for a kiss from DW any day!) :p

 

I have been trying for years to get DW to go to Rainbow Falls in California, but because it is in "Devil's Postpile" she doesn't want to go there. So recently I announced to DW "one way or another, I'm going to get you to Rainbow Falls!" Will she discover Hawaii's Rainbow Falls before the cruise or will it be a surprise?

Edited January 31, 2013 by terrific_surprise
color fix, added closing note

[terrific_surprise]

No golden envelopes (yet) today, but I just had to share today's cruise-related mishap:

 

My "Dear Wife" and I at a conference manning a table for the ministry we lead. I have an external monitor connected to my computer, and we have a ministry video playing repeatedly on the monitor. Meanwhile, my main computer screen is free for other activities.

 

I guess I got a little bored with the conference, or I'm a little obsessed with CC (or both). In any case, I decided to check up on CC while sitting behind our literature table. But I accidentally hit a key that made the main Cruise Critic website appear on the monitor where the ministry video is supposed to be playing. :eek:

 

DW happened to be looking at the monitor at the time, so she asked "did you mean for that to be on the screen?"

 

I didn't realize yet what I had done, so I nonchalantly asked "what's the problem?" Once I turned the monitor around, :eek: I quickly pressed a couple of keys to get CC off the screen.

 

"I thought maybe that was a clue," DW laughed.

 

I think I probably turned beet red at this point.

 

"You're just lucky that I didn't take advantage of the situation," DW chided me. :rolleyes:

 

She has no idea just how lucky I was. She probably thinks I was just checking cruise prices or something. (Unless she already knows all about my CC postings and is just putting on a good front.)

 

Can I possibly continue to keep my CC postings a secret until the cruise? Probably not unless I exercise a little self-control.

 

Right at this moment DW and I are still manning the literature table, and she is just two feet away from me, yet I am brazen enough to post this anyway, so maybe I'm too addicted to CC to exercise enough self-control. ;)

 

Time will tell.

[Mrs.C05]

I'm still following and enjoying the clues you're giving your DW. I hope you do a review when you return.

[olemissreb]

so maybe I'm too addicted to CC to exercise enough self-control. ;)

 

Time will tell.

 

Welcome to CC Addicts Anonymous! :)

[nyfarmgirl]

Your wife is a very lucky lady. It is obvious that you cherish her just the way a Christian husband should. I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts and pray that you both have the time of your lives and that everything back home runs smoothly while you are away.

[terrific_surprise]

Your wife is a very lucky lady. It is obvious that you cherish her just the way a Christian husband should. I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts and pray that you both have the time of your lives and that everything back home runs smoothly while you are away.

 

Thanks for the encouragement and prayers, nyfarmgirl. Believe it or not, I tend to be a glass-half-empty kind of person, seeing all too often how I have fallen short of what a Christian husband (and a Christian in general) should be. But I definitely do cherish my wife, and I'm sure she knows that even when I fail to act like it.

[terrific_surprise]

I think the key to the success of this process of giving an extended series of clues is balancing planning with spontaneity. (That's probably also one of the keys to a successful cruise.) I have planned many potential clues throughout the past 18 months or so, and I can see now that quite a few of them may never be used. They function like a menu I can choose from, just as some of these clues I am giving my wife will also function like a menu she will be able to choose from (sometimes literally). But on days like today, I have the liberty to throw away the "menu" and just fly by the seat of my pants.

 

As we walked into church this morning and I saw that it had already been decorated for Valentine's Day, I felt a strange mixture of anxiety and anticipation, as it suddenly hit me that this is the last time we will be at our church until the biggest part of the surprise happens (we will be out of town next Sunday)! The pastor began his sermon by asking "who here has ever had a broken heart?" As hands went up around the room, he acknowledged that we have all experienced broken hearts -- and that we have all broken God's heart many times. The pastor went on to preach a beautiful sermon about having faith in those times of brokenness, illustrating his point with

(which I couldn't help but applaud, even though I'm not typically an Oprah viewer).

 

As the pastor was preaching I couldn't help but think of how I have broken DW's heart so many times over the years, and how she has continued to have faith (in me, in God, in our family, in our ministry) even in the midst of the pain. I decided at that point that I would take advantage of this sermon as an opportunity for giving DW a golden envelope.

 

So when we got home from church, I grabbed a golden envelope and hurried to get the clue ready. On the front of the envelope I wrote "To the one whose heart I have broken -- and who still 'loves me most'!" (DW's standard reply when I say "I love you" is "I love you most!")

 

Inside the envelope, I put a photo of a "Love Boat Dream" dessert:

 

Although I had originally planned to give this picture to DW on Valentine's Day, I decided that today would be a good opportunity to start getting her to look forward to what will happen on Valentine's Day (and the days to follow). On the back of this mouth-watering photo I wrote: "While Pastor Rick's encouraging message is still fresh in our minds (and before he does it again), may you be overwhelmed as fountains of love overflow for you, unlocking many mysteries!"

 

As I sealed the envelope, DD#10 told me that dinner was ready. Before going to the table, I made a quick side trip to the driveway, where DW's Bible was sitting in our van. I turned to John chapter 11 (the text of today's sermon) and slipped the golden envelope between the pages. Then I hurried to the dinner table. Although our family rules forbid texting from the dinner table, I couldn't restrain myself, breaking the rule (apparently without anyone noticing) by sending DW this text "I wish you had brought your Bible to church ;)"

 

DW apparently didn't have her phone on hand during the meal, but she saw my message a few minutes after the meal, sending the simple reply "Hmmm." We had to hurry to another church meeting, and by the time I got to the van DW was already reading the clue, so she found it pretty quickly. On the way back to church, she talked about how this clue broke the mold of what she had come to expect from my clues, saying "I thought you had all these clues pre-planned and you just decide what to write on the front."

 

"Well," I replied, "I do have plans, but I make adjustments along the way. And what I did today was an adjustment.

 

"Unless," I kidded, "you think I told the pastor what to preach!"

 

"Is that why you liked his sermon so much?"

 

I think the mention of Valentine's Day has DW really wondering about some things now, because in recent years "Ash Wednesday" has marked the beginning of a fast for us. (For us that has never meant that we starve ourselves, but we do make radical changes to our eating habits, typically deciding in advance what our personal rules will be for the fast.) This year Ash Wednesday falls on the day before Valentine's Day, so that is a bit problematic.

 

"What are we going to do about fasting this time?" DW inquired tonight.

 

"Our fast will begin slow," I responded, explaining that we would delay the fast for a few days.

 

I have known for a long time that the BVE plans would infringe upon our usual fasting time, but I decided that this would be a good way of giving DW a big treat, and something bigger to look forward to, before the weeks of intense ministry which are expected to follow (which will conclude just before the cruise begins).

Edited February 4, 2013 by terrific_surprise
clarifications

[terrific_surprise]

I was so worn out last night that while my wife was sharing some important information with me, I fell asleep on the couch. She lovingly brought me a blanket and let me rest. About 4 am, she woke me up, reminding me "don't you have a lot of work to do?"

 

I reluctantly got up and prepared to get some work done. When I finally had the computer in front of me ready to start working, I noticed that it was 4:28. (Because our anniversary is 4/28, DW and I sometimes exchange messages of love, often by text, when we notice that the time is 4:28.)

 

During our conversation last night, at some point DW had said something about not feeling beautiful. (I replied at that time that she is beautiful inside, where it really counts, but that she is also beautiful outside.) So at 4:28 I sent her this text "I look forward to celebrating many 428's with you, my beautiful wife."

 

A few minutes later I suddenly realized something, and sent DW another text: "I also look forward to celebrating 2/14 with you (did you realize that 214 is half of 428?)" Just another little clue helping her to anticipate Valentine's Day.

 

She responded "Another sign!" (We have often talked over the years about all of the "signs" that showed that we belong together.)

 

Some of you may be wondering why I am on CC if I have so much work to do.

 

Good question! :o

Edited February 5, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[Arcticcat]

Ya you should just tell her already. To much drama, its just a cruise bud!

[cruisemama5]

No he shouldn't. I bet she is loving this. I know I would.

[Arcticcat]

If he was talking Bora Bora or something like that, that would be a cruise. Princess actually offers one there. Hawaii My GF and I looked into it, and it is 75% at sea just to hop on each island for a day each. Hardly worth it. We opted to do two cruises back to back, better bang for your buck, see lots of the carribean, and your not at sea forever lol.

[Mrs.C05]

Arcticcat, she knows she's going on a cruise. She figured it out with all the clues.

[Arcticcat]

Arcticcat, she knows she's going on a cruise. She figured it out with all the clues.

 

 

Ya we discussed the cruise options among us and made a decision together... No drama, the real romance is what happens on the ship lol

[terrific_surprise]

To much drama, its just a cruise bud!

 

If he was talking Bora Bora or something like that, that would be a cruise. Princess actually offers one there. Hawaii My GF and I looked into it, and it is 75% at sea just to hop on each island for a day each. Hardly worth it.

 

Ya we discussed the cruise options among us and made a decision together... No drama, the real romance is what happens on the ship lol

 

Frankly, I'm surprised that there haven't been more detractors like this. I suppose there are likely many who would share your point of view, Articcat, but most of them probably stopped reading this thread long ago.

 

Before this process even started, I knew exactly what DW wanted: a cruise to Hawaii. So there was no need to discuss it.

 

While the Golden Princess Cruise to Hawaii only includes four days on the islands, from everything I have read on CC it is a full 14 day Hawaiian experience (in fact, some on CC complain that it is too Hawaiian). I have read even seasoned cruisers on CC say that the Golden Princess cruise to Hawaii was their favorite.

 

Regarding the drama of this yearlong clue process, I am surprised that CC readers have not already grown tired of it. Certainly there are much more practical things on CC one could read. :rolleyes:

 

As long as my wife remains interested in receiving the little clues, they will continue. In truth the presentation of the golden envelopes is often not very dramatic. Sometimes they are flops, and I have tried to truthfully report that here. And our daily lives are often filled with drama that far eclipses those little envelopes. (I do hope that those envelopes have given DW something to hope for in the times of really negative drama our family has experienced.)

 

And I wouldn't necessarily recommend that anyone else go through a yearlong clue process like this (long ago I came to the conclusion that three months would be ideal). Nevertheless, I knew when I set out on this road that I would need to follow it to the end.

 

And even if CC readers tire of this thread, I will continue, because in truth this thread is like a long love letter to my wife, and it will be a present to her at the end of the cruise (perhaps as a kind of antidote to the post-cruise blues) to help her relive this past year (and to learn some behind-the-scenes facts she never knew about what happened with the clues). If nothing else, to be reminded of my love.

 

So (unless the powers that be at CC tire of the drama) you may just have to skip on past this thread in the future if it is too much for you.

 

Unless someone is blessed to live on a cruise ship all year long, at some point the cruise must end and we must get back to real life. But is there a way to extend the joy of cruising to the months before and after the cruise? That is what I am trying to accomplish. That may be an impossible task, but it is sure fun trying.

Edited February 6, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[TNGALOHA]

Terrific, Many of us have enjoyed and lived this time thru your posts and hope that you don't stop telling this Fabulous story. I and many others only wish we could have husbands as thoughtful as you!!!! Keep up the good work and God Bless.

Gerry

[cruisemama5]

Terrific, Many of us have enjoyed and lived this time thru your posts and hope that you don't stop telling this Fabulous story. I and many others only wish we could have husbands as thoughtful as you!!!! Keep up the good work and God Bless.

Gerry

 

I agree!! I think this is a great idea and a great build up to this cruise. Different people like different places Articcat, and different people enjoy different things about cruising. I LOVE sea days, my husband not so much.

 

I think this is a very romantic gesture to the cruise. She knows that it is a cruise, probably pretty sure where she's going. I personally would love this. Even if I had it all figured out, if my DH had was doing this and he ahd a year's worth of clues planned, I would want him to do the WHOLE thing. I absolutely love this idea.

 

I think the OP is a very romantic man doing this for his wife! WAY TO GO and keep it up!!

[Arcticcat]

I agree!! I think this is a great idea and a great build up to this cruise. Different people like different places Articcat, and different people enjoy different things about cruising. I LOVE sea days, my husband not so much.

 

I think this is a very romantic gesture to the cruise. She knows that it is a cruise, probably pretty sure where she's going. I personally would love this. Even if I had it all figured out, if my DH had was doing this and he ahd a year's worth of clues planned, I would want him to do the WHOLE thing. I absolutely love this idea.

 

I think the OP is a very romantic man doing this for his wife! WAY TO GO and keep it up!!

 

Just a question, where does th Dh Ds DD come from? This is the only site I seen that Dear is used???