Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[terrific_surprise]

.....

I wonder if I could pull that off for my wife. :)

 

Lets face if, it men are here on Cruise Critic, it means that they like cruising.

 

Guilty as charged! :D

[terrific_surprise]

Glad to see she is not trying to spoil the supprise by prying info about the puzzle from the kid :D

 

Even though I am trying to continue maintaining some sense of mystery about the puzzle, in truth it will not reveal more than she already suspects. Nevertheless, it has become the excuse for giving her the clues, and there are still a few interesting clues that (I hope) will build her sense of anticipation.

 

When I ordered the puzzle (over a year ago now) I knew that I had set myself on a course that I would need to follow through on, no matter what unexpected events came our way -- and there have been plenty of unexpected events which would likely have derailed the whole thing if I hadn't known that she needs to "complete the puzzle."

 

But once this is all over, the puzzle itself may just be a footnote. We'll see what DW has to say about it at that point.

[olemissreb]

Things must really be busy for you! Hope they calm down soon and you can get back to your story. I really want to know how surprised your wife will be when her "Golden Year" is finally complete.

[skandls]

Miss your posts - I hope everything is OK.

[Molly Doble]

We attended a banquet last night, and DW had worn golden shoes with her outfit. This morning I slipped a golden envelope into one of the golden shoes. Then I said "I forgot to comment on your golden shoes last night."

 

"They're really uncomfortable," DW complained. "My feet hurt!" (She played right into my hands with that comment.)

 

I responded "Why? Is there something in them?"

 

She immediately looked in the shoes and found the envelope. On the front I had written "Good morning!"

 

Inside was this photo:

On the back I had written "Begin with our 26, take away 14, add 1... then put together something that sounds beautiful! – YOU add so much beauty to my life!"

 

After reading the clue a couple of times (and giving me some strange looks in between) DW shrugged and put it back in the envelope, explaining "It's too early in the morning for me to think about that one."

 

"It seems like there have been several clues lately that you have had to give some thought to," I laughed (because she hasn't had much to say after receiving several of the most recent clues), "either that, or you just didn't care." (But I'm sure she knew I was kidding about that.)

 

Hi

I am loving reading this post and and with every post I keep checking the date to see which month it was written. What an amazing surprise birthday gift you are going to give your wife. Can't wait for the rest of this story to unfold!

 

I also am very lucky, my DH surprised me last Sunday announcing that he has booked us on a cruise in February for our 30th wedding anniversary. As I have always been the organiser for all our holidays, I was overwhelmed that he did that for us.

 

Thank You

[terrific_surprise]

Sorry about my absence. I'm glad to know I was missed!

 

The last couple of weeks have been quite hectic for us, with lots of issues to deal with relating to the kids and the ministry, so it has been a bit hard to keep up with the golden envelopes. There are actually several envelopes (I think there are four at this point) hidden that DW hasn't found yet (as far as I know). But I haven't shared any new stories about opening envelopes because there haven't been any to share. Of course DW does have her cache of previously-opened clues which she keeps nearby at all times.

 

It's not that our interest in the cruise is waning. On the contrary, anticipation of the cruise is just a part of the fabric of our daily lives (for both myself and for DW, at least I think that is the case). Little things are said here and there throughout many days which relate to the cruise. And many of the difficulties we have been experiencing have made us yearn for an "escape."

 

While waiting for the next envelope-opening opportunity, I have been thinking about what to do about the puzzle. Of course she has been getting one piece at a time, and now she has over half of the pieces, so from time to time she wonders if she should try to start putting it together. I hadn't planned a good way for her to work on the partially-completed puzzle, so it could be a problem if she began working on it right now. (With years of little children in the house, finding stray puzzle pieces on the floor has not been uncommon for us.) As far as I know, we haven't lost any of the pieces of DW's puzzle yet, and I hope we can keep it that way.

 

To make things even more complicated, I have something on the back of the puzzle that I want her to be able to see. Anyway, eventually as I considered what to do about this, I think I came up with a good plan, which involves a double-sided picture frame which is easy to open. I haven't actually implemented it yet, so I'll probably explain it later after I see how it will work.

 

As the final payment day begins to start feeling a bit too close, I am also having to think about how to come up with the rest of the money. One of the ideas I have come up with actually relates closely to the double-sided picture frame idea for the puzzle.

 

We're having a little ministry gathering for breakfast this morning, so hopefully I will be able to find a chance to give DW an envelope there. (If I can break away from this computer!) Stay tuned....

Edited October 23, 2012 by terrific_surprise
clarification

[terrific_surprise]

Before heading out to a little ministry breakfast we were having yesterday morning, I decided to prepare to give this photo to DW:

 

On the back I wrote "Shall we pay a visit to the Royal Palace?" I wasn't sure what to write on the front of the envelope, so I just left the front blank and put it in my pocket. I had thought of trying to find an interesting way to give it to her during the breakfast, but I became preoccupied with what we needed to say to our supporters who attended the breakfast.

 

After the breakfast was over and we finished talking to our supporters, we needed to pay the restaurant. But then I remembered that I hadn't given DW the envelope yet. So I took out the envelope and wrote on the front "to my favorite hostess" and then I slipped it into the circular top of a wire cardholder at one of the tables. (The cardholder is typically used to display some kind of advertising for the restaurant, but it was empty.)

 

On her way out the door, DW asked me "can you deal with the bill or do you need my help?"

 

"I think it would be best for both of us to be there," I responded. :cool:

 

The restaurant wasn't actually open yet (they let our group in before their official opening time) so we had to wait for a while before anybody was at the cash register for us to pay. After we finally paid, I momentarily forgot about the clue I had left and we headed out the door together. As we talked outside with some of our supporters who were still gathered there, I realized my mistake. But when we had exited the restaurant, the door had locked behind us (because they were still closed)! So we were locked outside while my clue was still inside! :eek:

 

Noticing my anxiety, DW inquired "what's wrong?"

 

"I think we left something inside!" I exclaimed, not needing to put on an act.

 

Eventually I discovered a little doorbell and rang it to get the staff's attention. When DW and I went back in, I just pointed to where the envelope was, not wanting to waste any time. DW exclaimed "ohh!" with a smile and picked up the envelope and headed back outside. "It's a good thing that the waitress didn't find that first," DW said, "she would have thought 'wow, what a flirt! What's that guy up to?'"

 

It was a few minutes later before she had a chance to finally read the clue (because our supporters were still around). After reading it, she had that puzzled look I love to see on her face, inquiring "so are you taking me to London to visit the Queen?" (Great, that's exactly the response I was hoping for.) :D

 

Later in the day we took our kids to the dollar theater which was showing Ice Age Continental Drift. The movie had an unexpected cruise connection, during which one of the characters said to the other "why are we kissing?" and the other character responded "because cruises are romantic!" (The actual scene is quite a bit funnier than it sounds here.)

 

On a side note, I opened my email this morning to find an unexpected little gift from Charles, my Princess Cruise Vacation Planner: a $200 price drop! Thanks for the nice surprise, Charles! (Charles wished me "happy anniversary" last week, because it has been over a year since I booked the cruise.) :)

Edited October 24, 2012 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday DW called me in tears, telling me that she had just gotten off the phone with our #3 son. The way her voice was trembling, I immediately thought our son must have experienced some terrible tragedy. But DW explained that she was only sad because he told her that he had called earlier when he was coming through town, thinking that we could have had a quick visit, but she had not answered his call, and now he was back at college. I think it has been four months since we have seen him.

 

A little while after that, while DW was talking to someone else, I managed to slip a golden envelope into a little cardboard house which is supposed to be a donation box (but which is actually almost always empty).

 

Then I left for a few minutes to run an errand, and sent this text message to DW "You can't take it to the bank but you might want to add what is in the poor house to your cache."

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "To my tender-hearted hero." Inside was this photo:

On the back I had written "She made headlines in the icebergs of Antarctica, but now she frequents a much friendlier (and less controversial) environment."

 

(This was a clue I had come up with a while back, but I wished that I had it on hand when we were watching "Ice Age Continental Drift" the day before, because the movie includes a "cruise" on an iceberg!)

 

When I returned, I saw that the cardboard house was open. DW was clearly pleased that she had understood the text clue, exclaiming "I actually found it right away -- I knew right where to look!" :)

 

Then she started to tell me about several things that had just happened. I think that there had been a couple of important conversations and there were issues relating to our kids that she needed to tell me about. But it all kind of ran together in such a way that she knew that I wasn't understanding what she was saying. She has been so overwhelmed lately with so many details on so many issues (many of which are very emotionally draining) that it has been hard for us to find time to fully communicate about all of the really important issues. So unfortunately at times like this the cruise clues are not always important enough to find their way into the conversation.

 

"I need to find time to sit down with you and try to make sense of these clues," she said momentarily, as we quickly changed the subject to some other urgent matter we needed to discuss. (I'm not sure that I actually want to find time to discuss all of the clues, because she has already figured out more than I intended for her to know.)

[terrific_surprise]

I was shocked to see this thread moved today, thinking for a moment that it had been deleted altogether. :eek: I do hope to share this all with DW (probably after the cruise) so I'm glad to see that it all appears to still be here.

Over a year ago, when I first booked the cruise, Charles (my Princess Cruise Vacation Planner) happened to mention the Bon Voyage Experience. That made my imagination go wild (not the only time this has happened over the past year :o ) and I decided to make a BVE part of the surprise process. Seeing that the Sapphire Princess (the ship we fell in love with last time) will be in Los Angeles on February 16, I decided to make the BVE part of an extended Valentine's Day celebration.

 

Only one problem. It was way, way too early to book a BVE. I tried to push back my apprehension ("what if they stop offering the BVE?" "what if they are all booked up before we book our BVE?" etc.) and just patiently wait.

 

Finally, yesterday my waiting was over and I booked the BVE! I intended for it to function as the big revelation of the surprise, but it probably won't work that way, since DW already has most of it figured out.

 

In fact, it is possible that she might not be pleased when we have to leave the Sapphire Princess before sailaway. It's possible that she might think that this four-hour experience is all that I have been building her up for, and that she might be disappointed.

 

In any case, February 16 doesn't seem that far away, so it is definitely building my sense of anticipation! :D

Edited October 26, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[olemissreb]

It's Halloween!!! Did you dress up as a "golden envelope"? :)

[waterbugohio]

It's Halloween!!! Did you dress up as a "golden envelope"? :)

 

What a great idea.

[terrific_surprise]

It's Halloween!!! Did you dress up as a "golden envelope"? :)

 

I must confess that I didn't dress up as anything last night -- I just went as myself. The four youngest kids had nice costumes we bought several years ago depicting various animals, so we have gotten our money's worth out of the costumes by passing them along from child to child over the years. We had several costumes not even used this year (the smaller ones) because our youngest is almost 7 now. (With all the years of having children of practically all sizes, it seems very strange to have the small costumes go unused.)

 

I didn't even think of dressing up as a gold envelope. Frankly, I'm kind of glad I didn't, because if I had thought of it I probably would have gone to way too much trouble (as you can probably tell, that is my tendency). :rolleyes:

 

Anyway, I did have a special "Halloween" clue (one I had been planning for quite some time) that I finally got to use. We don't appreciate the dark side of Halloween, and my wife doesn't really like anything related to "witches" (although I think she has no objection to something like the Wizard of Oz), so I thought it would be funny to give her this clue: "Admit it! You love being under the spell of this 'Witch'!" The clue was on the back of this photo:

 

As our kids went around collecting candy last night, I looked for a someone dressed as a witch who could be my co-conspirator, but I never found someone suitable. Eventually I decided to go a slightly different direction with the clue, writing on the front "To my favorite treat!"

 

After the kids were done, I was going to conspire with DS#8, but he went back to see DW too quickly, so I decided to rely once again upon my always-eager DD#10. I put the envelope in her candy bucket and told her "tell Mama to pick out one thing. If she picks a piece of candy, tell her to pick again, until she gets the golden envelope."

 

Apparently DW picked the envelope first, so DD#10 didn't need to give up any of her candy (although I think she willingly shared some)! :)

 

As expected, DW did say something later about not liking witches, but I assured her "you definitely like this witch." I thought maybe she might think that the photo represented the witch, but she didn't say that (and that's not quite correct).

 

 

 

Incidentally, I'm relieved that some of you have found this thread again. I'm not sure how much I should (or can) say, but quite candidly I was giving up on posting on this thread after it seemed like I had been banished to "CC Siberia" (at least that's what I call it) and assumed that with the lack of a redirect you all had lost contact with me. :( Now that it has been moved again to Cruise Rituals (where perhaps I should have put it to begin with) hopefully we won't lose track of each other, but that last scare caused me to create a special email address terrific327@gmail.com, so if I go away from CC again for some reason feel free to contact me there.

 

In the meantime, I have missed out on posting some other recent clues, so I will try to post more updates here later.

[cruisemama5]

I really am enjoying hearing about your surprise for your wife! Can't wait for the rest of the story!!

[terrific_surprise]

Another clue I had planned months ago was the one scheduled for today, because today is "All Saints Day." The clue I had planned to write for today simply said "Happy All Saints Bay!" which is actually a reference to the bay at Ensenada, Bahía de Todos Santos. (But an internet search, if she ever does it, might lead her to Brazil!)

 

This is the photo I used for the clue:

 

Early this morning, I had fallen asleep on the couch working on the computer, and DW walked by, probably thinking I was still asleep. When she walked through the room, her presence literally sent chills up and down my spine. Immediately I knew what to write on the front of the envelope "To the one who thrills me just by walking into the room!"

 

We had a quiet conversation before the kids woke up, and one of the things she happened to mention was a beach we had visited once about a decade ago (our most romantic beach memory, at least to me).

 

Later, after the kids had been awake for awhile, she came back to sit next to me on the couch. A hoodie I had been wearing was next to me, where she intended to sit, so she asked "is there something under there?" I'm not really sure why she asked that, but in fact I was hiding the golden envelope there under the hoodie, waiting for an opportune moment to give it to her. So of course, her question created the opportune moment.

 

When she opened it up and looked at the picture, she said that it looked like that same romantic beach she had mentioned earlier! (That was pure coincidence of course -- I couldn't plan such a thing.)

[olemissreb]

OK I'm just going to have to subscribe to this thread so I can keep up with all the moves! I hope the move to Cruise Rituals is it's last! Please don't give up on it. I'm sure you've inspired someone out there to surprise their spouse!

[terrific_surprise]

Around the time I gave DW the "All Saints Bay" clue, she said something like "you are sure going to a lot of trouble for all of these clues."

 

"I know," responded, "you probably are thinking 'enough clues already, lets get on with the surprise!'"

 

"How much longer do I have to wait?"

 

I thought of a quick answer with the potential to help restore the element of surprise: "It's kind of an anniversary thing."

 

"Oh," she responded with a disappointed voice, "I have to wait that long?" (Our wedding anniversary is at the end of April, but she doesn't realize that I was actually referring to a different anniversary.)

 

Trying to lift her spirits, I then said "It's really not as far away as it seems." (I hope it doesn't sound like I am being cruel -- I'm just hoping that she will enjoy being surprised as much as I will enjoy surprising her.)

 

We go through two very intense times of ministry annually (basically corresponding to October and March), and when I first began planning the cruise I knew that we would have to go through four of these intense times before the cruise. As we are about to finish the third of these four intense times, I explained to DW that from my perspective it seems much much closer now.

[terrific_surprise]

OK I'm just going to have to subscribe to this thread so I can keep up with all the moves! I hope the move to Cruise Rituals is it's last! Please don't give up on it. I'm sure you've inspired someone out there to surprise their spouse!

 

I'm glad you're still along for the ride, olemissreb! (I too hope that this move was the last!)

[greenie082756]

I just want to tell you how your story, as you are telling it, stays with me daily. Thank you..I enjoy reading it. You are a thoughtful husband.

My DH and I were planning on going to Hawaii on the Star in Oct. 2013 to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary but our plans were changed. My husband came home from work a few weeks ago and said that we could not go in October. Boy, did my heart sank.:( He surprised me and said that he looked online and thought we should go in April instead. April 2013 I ask? Yep!:D For him, that was a big leap! I usally do all the planning and this time he sat with me as we made the reservations. That felt really nice.

Please keep it going!

[terrific_surprise]

I just want to tell you how your story, as you are telling it, stays with me daily. Thank you..I enjoy reading it. You are a thoughtful husband.

My DH and I were planning on going to Hawaii on the Star in Oct. 2013 to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary but our plans were changed. My husband came home from work a few weeks ago and said that we could not go in October. Boy, did my heart sank.:( He surprised me and said that he looked online and thought we should go in April instead. April 2013 I ask? Yep!:D For him, that was a big leap! I usally do all the planning and this time he sat with me as we made the reservations. That felt really nice.

Please keep it going!

 

Thanks, greenie! Kudos to your husband, and congratulations to you both! :)

[terrific_surprise]

I had planned at some point to give DW a mathematical clue which would result in the answer 14 (representing the number of nights on the cruise). Last Sunday was our DS#4's 21st birthday, and he had just passed an important test (including lots of math I had helped him study for) in the 95th percentile, so it seemed like a good time for my math clue. Unfortunately, it was early in the morning while it was still dark as I thought of the exact formula to write for the clue, and I guess my brain wasn't functioning too well.

 

So here is the clue I wrote: "(((49-21)*11)/2)-10 – It all adds up to more LOVE!" (I put the entire formula under a square root symbol, but I don't know how to post it that way here.) The numbers in the equation were significant: DW is currently 49, DS#4 is 21, etc. Apparently I spent too much time thinking about the significance of the individual numbers and got too sloppy on my square roots. Considering the fact that my degree was in math, I should have automatically remembered that the square root of 144 is 12 and not 14! :eek:

 

Anyway, I put that clue on the back of this photo:

 

Then I wrote on the front "to the mother of my favorite 21 year old," put in a puzzle piece and sealed the envelope. Then I put it in a very special place:

 

When I had been looking for something in the attic a few days earlier, I had come across a little stuffed bear in a basket along with a deflated "It's a Boy!" balloon, and I had realized that it was what DW received after the birth of DS#4, so I took it down planning to use it as a centerpiece for the 21st birthday breakfast. I had hoped to reinflate the balloon too, but that didn't work out. So I put the golden envelope under the teddy bear in the basket, and placed it on the table early in the morning.

 

As I cooked omelettes for DW and DS#21, all of the sudden my math brain kicked into gear and I realized that the result of the formula in my clue was 12 and not 14! :eek: I considered taking the clue out and trying to redo it, but I was already in the middle of cooking so I decided to just let it be.

 

When she sat down for breakfast, DW immediately recognized the significance of the teddy bear and basket (even before she saw the deflated balloon), but it took her a while before she saw the envelope under the teddy bear. As she opened the envelope, I had to immediately tell her that she would need to add 2 to the end result. Of course DS#21 quickly came up with the answer being 12 (considering the way I wrote it). Eventually she realized the significance of 49-21=28, as she was 28 years old on October 28 when she gave birth to DS#4. (As I have mentioned previously 28 is a very special number to us, as it represents our anniversary, etc.)

 

DW enjoyed her omelette so much that she asked me if I could make another one for her sometime soon. I planned to do so yesterday, but things didn't work out quite like I had planned (I'll explain that later.) :(

 

Later I plan to edit this clue a bit (in addition to adding 2 to the result). I plan to add "nights of," so that the last part reads "It all adds up to more nights of LOVE!" But I didn't want to make the meaning of the number 14 quite that obvious yet. :cool:

Edited November 4, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typographical errors

[terrific_surprise]

I wanted to write about a clue I gave DW today, but first I guess I need to back up and write about what happened Saturday. As I wrote last time, I had intended to make an omelette for her on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, she had a horrible headache and felt nauseated throughout Friday night and Saturday.

 

I did ask her in the morning if an omelette sounded good, but the thought of it obviously repulsed her. All she could eat was a spoonful of yogurt.

 

Finally in the afternoon I knew she was starting to feel better, because she offered to make me something to eat (the kids had already made their own sandwiches). I said "I could still make you an omelette if that sounds good." It took a little convincing, but finally she gave me the go ahead, and I headed to the kitchen.

 

While I was fixing the omelette, our DD#10 came in the kitchen and said "I asked Mama if you could help me make a surprise, and she said it's up to you, so can we make cupcakes?" I've never made cupcakes before, so I was reluctant to do so, and I had my hands full with making breakfast. I never actually said yes, but I didn't say no either, so eager DD#10 began pouring the cake mix into the bowl.

 

After I finished cooking the omelette and potatoes, I brought the food to DW, along with some "tropical juice" I had given her and DS#4 on his 21st birthday. I served the food on plates made of transparent pink glass. I had intended to bring a golden envelope with the breakfast, but between DD#10's cupcake preparations and my own cooking tasks I hadn't had a chance yet. By this time it was about 3 in the afternoon.

 

DD#10 saw me pull out the golden envelope and pen and begin writing a clue, and exclaimed "let me see! Let me see!" She responded "ooh! pretty!" when she saw this photo:

 

On the back I wrote "How about a game of shuffleboard? Or will we run out of time? -- I love playing games with you!" (I plan to reference this clue at the end of the BVE, because I doubt that we will take the time to play shuffleboard during our four hours on the Sapphire Princess.) I put a puzzle piece in the envelope, sealed it, and then wrote on the front "To the one I love -- in sickness and in health!"

 

Soon DW called me in, having left some of the omelette and potatoes for me to finish. After eating the rest of the potatoes and most of the omelette, I slipped the golden envelope under the plate and told DW "I want you to have the last bite."

 

She immediately saw the envelope and opened it, and said "you're sweet" after reading the message. DD#10 was watching this of course, and said "you should start putting the puzzle together!"

 

DW responded "no, not yet, I don't want to lose any pieces."

 

By this time, DD#10 had put the cupcakes into the oven, without my help. For the most part I had been too distracted to pay any attention at all to what she was doing. All I ended up actually doing was cracking the eggs. I really expected these cupcakes to be a major disaster, but they were quite delicious!

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday afternoon, DW was involved in an intense counseling session with a couple. I happened to pass by several times, catching bits and pieces of what she was saying. As usual, I was impressed not only by her wise counsel by the insightful questions she asked.

 

The session lasted well over an hour, giving me plenty of time to put a clue together. I had noticed that for some reason someone had dropped off some (manufactured mass-produced) cookies, so I thought it was a good time for a cookie clue I had been planning. So I wrote "Warm cookies - cold milk - every afternoon!" on the back of this photo:

 

On the front of the golden envelope, I wrote "To someone who speaks words of wisdom!" After the clue was ready, I went back to wait for the counseling session to finish so that I could give it to her.

 

"Let me get my 'wheel of fortune,'" I heard DW say to the young pregnant girl toward the end of the session. (The wheel DW was jokingly referring to is used to calculate the approximate date that the baby is due to be born.)

 

After the couple left, we sat on the couch talking to each other, with the 'wheel of fortune' between us. I slipped the golden envelope under the wheel, then said (trying to sound nonchalant) "you probably should spin that wheel again." ;)

 

With a disturbed look on her face, DW picked up the wheel. Her expression quickly turned to relief when she saw the golden envelope, exclaiming "I thought you meant that I might be pregnant again!" :eek:

 

We didn't have any cookies and milk during our Sapphire Princess cruise, so she may not immediately associate this clue with the cruise. I'm not sure if this is something new Princess began doing in the past couple of years, but the only reason I know about it (like many of my other clues) is CC (of course).

Edited November 6, 2012 by terrific_surprise
clarification

[terrific_surprise]

At DW's surprise 49th birthday party in March, one of our friends had taken some foamboard and made it into a card for everyone to sign. After the surprise party, our friend had taken the card home to make it look nicer. We had forgotten all about it until Tuesday night, when DW had planned a party (in conjunction with the election) and our friend happened to bring the big "birthday card" to give it to DW.

 

Unfortunately DW was too distracted, as it became more of a prayer meeting than a party. So on Wednesday, I decided to bring it to her so that she could finally read what everybody had written to her over 7 months ago. Below the little note I had written months ago on the card there were a couple of inches of blank space, so I decided to try to use the extra space for a golden envelope. Using a knife, I cut into the foam in the middle between the two sides. I was trying not to damage it, but I was not entirely successful.

 

After inserting the envelope inside the foamboard, I brought it to her to read. After a while, when she was done reading what everybody had written to her, she handed it back to me, expecting me to put it away. But she hadn't found the envelope yet, so for a couple of minutes I just kept holding it with the bottom part of the "card" pointed toward her, hoping that she would see the golden envelope.

 

Finally she saw it, scolding me (kiddingly, I hope) by saying "you messed up my card!" She pulled out the envelope where I had written "Happy 49/50 birthday" on the front.

 

"Why does it say 'happy birthday'?"

 

"Like I told you before," I replied, "I'm celebrating your birthday all year long!"

 

She pulled the little card out of the golden envelope, reading these words "With no more than 40 hours on the ground, let's make the most of every minute! – My love for you is NOT minute!"

 

This photo was on the other side:

 

"So is this our destination?" she asked.

 

"Hopefully!" I responded.

 

Referencing that same romantic beach she had mentioned on All Saints Day, she asked "So we're going to spend 40 hours there?"

 

I wish!

[terrific_surprise]

My wife likes to take our offspring on a special little vacation when they turn 21, but our #4 son turned 21 a couple of weeks ago during a time that we were too busy to get away. This past weekend, she wanted to finally have the "21" celebration with him, but I was still too busy dealing with a huge amount of paperwork, so they had to go without me.

 

Before they left, I located a little golden envelope I had hidden over a month ago at home. I had expected that during our intense fall ministry time, she would be at home without me at some point and then I could text her a clue that would lead her to the envelope. But that opportunity never came, so I decided to reassign the envelope to a new hiding place in a compartment of her wallet.

 

They left on Friday, and by the end of the day (before I even had a chance to text her a clue) she had already mentioned that she found the envelope. On the front I had written "I miss you!"

 

Inside I had placed a puzzle piece showing the blue sky near the horizon, along with this photo:

 

On the back of the photo I had written "It might be a disappointment when we reach our final destination – YOU are my favorite destination!"

 

After they returned on Sunday, I continued to be snowed under with paperwork, so she left me at home on Monday. But I had ministry responsibilities to deal with, so she had to come back for me Monday night. I filled a large suitcase with my paperwork, and we headed off together in our van.

 

A while after we left home, she switched from the radio to listen to the CD I had given her on her birthday. As "Fanfare for the Common Man" played, I continued going through papers (struggling to meet an important deadline). "Is this music bothering you?" she asked.

 

I closed the computer, deciding that I could afford to take a few minutes away from my papers to talk with my wife.

 

"No," I responded, "I like it... but I'm not sure if you do."

 

"I'm just trying to figure out what it means," she explained, seeking to justify her apparent lack of enthusiasm for some of the musical selections.

 

"Don't think too hard," I suggested.

 

"What did you do, go to a travel agent and they just threw in this music for free?"

 

I just smiled and changed the subject. (It seems like she would know that I didn't get it from a travel agent, because the CD has her name on it. But I have told her several times that I didn't actually pick out all of the music, so perhaps she does think a travel agent is somehow responsible.) :confused:

 

Today I walked up when she was sitting in the driver's seat of the van. "Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve?" she teased.

 

"Yes," I joked, "I plan to spend it with the most beautiful woman in the world."

 

"Sorry to disappoint you," she countered, "I already made plans for you to be with me." :)

 

I found this discussion of New Year's Day to be quite thrilling, because I had given her the very first golden envelope (without a puzzle piece) at midnight as 2011 became 2012. (That first clue was "May 2012 bring us to new heights, filling us with great anticipation for the next chapter in our journeys! I love you!")

 

I had hoped that we could plan a special way to welcome 2013 together, but I hadn't yet figured anything out, so I was glad to hear that she already made plans, and that her plans (I think) involve just the two of us.

 

"Maybe I'll give you another little New Year's surprise," I kidded. :rolleyes:

 

Apparently my smile gave away my thoughts, as she shot back "so I'll be 68 when she turns 18?"

 

She never had said much about the "I miss you" note, but as we talked, I saw her putting it in the clear plastic banker's bag where she has been keeping all of the envelopes I have been giving her.

 

"You probably need to take inventory of these envelopes again to make sure that I haven't lost anything," she said.

 

"So," she continued, "how many more of these notes am I going to get? Will I need another bag? Am I three-fourths of the way through?"

 

"No," I confessed, "you are actually probably not quite two-thirds of the way through."

 

"So should I start putting the pieces together?"

 

I said that it was up to her, but that it might actually help me take the "inventory" of the pieces if they remain in their original envelopes, because I have a list of which piece belongs in each envelope.

 

"Is there some kind of special message I'll see when I put the puzzle together," she asked.

 

"Yes, I guess you could say that."

 

"Is there a certain meaning for each piece that is in each envelope?"

 

"Ha!" I laughed, "I'm not quite that obsessive about this!" Nevertheless, I went on to explain that certain pieces took on special significance because of her reaction to them, so in some cases I have indeed chosen a particular piece for a particular occasion.

 

(Well, I wanted to take a little break from my ongoing project to update the ongoing saga of the golden envelopes, but I took much longer than I had intended. Back to work! Once I finish this report I can hopefully think clearly enough to plan some new clues.)

Edited November 14, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[olemissreb]

Praying life settles down for you soon. With Thanksgiving just a week away, you have much to be Thankful for and at least one golden envelope to "Stuff like a turkey"! :)