Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[terrific_surprise]

Today our youngest daughter ("DD#11") turns 7. I had been so distracted with finishing the report I had been working on that I had completely forgotten about her birthday! :eek: My forgetfulness almost messed up my tradition of having the kids surprise their mother with flowers on their birthdays, and of making an omelette for the birthday child and mother. But thankfully last night my wife happened to mention the birthday before I headed out to run some errands, so I was able to secretly go buy some flowers before we headed home.

 

As I shopped for omelette ingredients at the grocery store, I happened to notice some Spam, so I decided to make Spam not only an omelette ingredient but part of a cruise clue. It has probably been over a decade since the last time we ate any Spam, but I learned here on CC that apparently many Hawaiians have a strange affection for Spam.

 

So this morning, before I started cooking breakfast, I prepared a golden envelope with this picture:

 

On the back I wrote: "Monty's use of their favorite ingredient has been the source of endless laughs! -- You make me smile!" (This was not one of the clues I had planned to give her, but the clue only began to formulate in my mind in the grocery store last night and finally congealed this morning just before I wrote it.)

 

Inside the envelope I put a special puzzle piece, whose shape might give away the final shape of the puzzle (no, it's not a rectangle). ;)

 

On the front of the envelope I wrote "To the one who grew my favorite flower!" (because DD#11's name refers to a flower).

 

After I started cooking the omelettes, DD#11 came in the kitchen with DD#10, so I reached in my pocket and pulled out the golden envelope. "I thought you would probably do that!" DD#10 exclaimed, clearly excited to have the opportunity to see her mother get another clue.

 

"Do you have any pockets?" I asked DD#11. She didn't, so I decided to slip the envelope into the top part of the dress she was wearing (between the shirt and the dress), hoping that it would stay in place long enough for DW to find it.

 

Then I gave DD#11 the bouquet of flowers. After DD#11 gave DW the flowers, the envelope was slipping down under her dress, so DD#10 kept reaching over to pull it up (with a huge grin on her face). Soon DW noticed, and reached over to take the golden envelope. I had to get back to cooking at that point, so I didn't see when she opened the envelope.

 

As I continued cooking, I wondered to myself how long it would take DW to identify the clue with Monty Python's "Spam" skit. I don't recall ever watching Monty Python, but somehow when I think of Spam I think of them anyway. I wondered whether the same would be true of DW.

 

Then it hit me that DW often used to sing "fried ham, fried ham, cheese and bologna...." -- at first I thought this might have been a Monty Python song too (but an Internet search tells me that it is not).

 

I also wondered if DW ever experienced Spam in Hawaii during her visit there 30 years ago.

 

A few hours passed, without DW mentioning anything about the golden envelope. Usually I try not to coax a response out of her, preferring to wait to let her response happen naturally, but sometimes I have had to wait a really long time for her response. (For example, I still haven't heard any response to a clue I gave DW in early October. I thought it was one of my best clues, so I was particularly interested in her reaction, and I didn't want to give her another clue until I knew what her reaction was. After a couple of weeks, when some CC friends expressed concern about my silence, I gave up waiting, moving along to a new clue.)

 

Feeling just a little impatient after waiting a couple of hours for her reaction to today's clue, I finally asked "so did you ever open up the envelope?"

 

"Yes, thank you," she responded somewhat tentatively. "I don't understand it though. Who's Morton? Or is it Horton?" (Obviously she hadn't been looking at the clue for a while.) :rolleyes:

 

Apparently the name "Monty" just didn't register with her. That's fine with me! Vague clues like this may mean little to her now, but they will give me an opportunity for more clue-related-fun during (or possibly even after) the cruise. Maybe we'll watch the Monty Python "Spam" skit together in Hawaii while we munch on some spam musubi!

Edited November 16, 2012 by terrific_surprise
correction

[terrific_surprise]

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"! :)

 

Thanks for the Turkey stuffing idea, olemissreb! I hadn't thought of that (yet) -- although DW is typically not interested in sticking her hand inside a turkey. Hmmm.... how will I handle this?

 

Hopefully this year's turkey will be better than last year's (think charcoal).

 

(It was my fault, not DW's.)

[lostone65]

Thank you, thank you for sharing your story with us! I just discovered it this evening and I am now caught up! Please continue to share.:)

[terrific_surprise]

As I have shared previously, our life is often like a roller coaster, and the past few days have been low points, as we have dealt with some stressful situations. To make matters worse, DW and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on how to handle some things.

 

Meanwhile, her thoughts have been occupied with trying to make arrangements with our adult children to join us for Thanksgiving (and that's not an easy task with all of the transportation and scheduling issues involved).

 

With all of this going on, the timing didn't seem to be quite right for any golden envelopes (and there were few opportunities). Finally last night before we headed home I hurriedly prepared an envelope and put in on the dashboard, so that she would see it when she sat down to drive.

 

So I found this picture of some fruit art on a past Golden Princess cruise:

 

Then I wrote on the back "You may only get one chance to eat at Alfredo's Pizzeria! – I hope I have plenty of chances to tell you I love you!" (This clue relates to the fact that Alfredo's is on the Sapphire Princess, which we will visit for a few hours in February, but that there is no Alfredo's on the Golden Princess.)

 

After sealing the envelope, I decided to write on the front "To the one who drives me crazy!" That was probably a mistake. :eek:

 

She found it before I got in the van last night, and responded sarcastically "thank you... I guess!"

 

Now again, I realize that it may not have been the best choice of words, but in my defense, I did put these words in a heart (as I have drawn a heart around most of the words I have put on the front of the envelopes) and to me I thought that "drives me crazy" could have a romantic connotation. (But clearly that is not how she took it.) :(

 

In any case, I am hoping that our roller coaster will be climbing to new heights again in the next few days (although sometimes I try not to hope such things because I don't want to be disappointed).

Edited November 21, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[terrific_surprise]

A message from olemissreb gave me an idea for today: putting a golden envelope inside the turkey. I wasn't sure exactly how I would accomplish this until the last few minutes, though.

 

Dealing with the turkey is typically one of my Thanksgiving responsibilities. In particular, my wife does not want to have anything to do with the giblets (before or after cooking). Usually I cook the giblets for the meal, but today I just took them out and hid them in the refrigerator.

 

We cooked the turkey in a bag (without burning it this time, thankfully), and after taking it out of the oven I let it sit in the bag for a while until my wife said that it was about time to put it on the table. While she wasn't looking, I made a slit in the bag and slipped a golden envelope inside the turkey. I protected it by putting it in a ziplock bag, but I was still concerned that I might have damaged it.

 

When DW said that she was ready for the turkey, I opened up the bag in her presence, and then (putting on an act) suddenly acted like I was upset, exclaiming "oh no!"

 

DW picked up my cue, asking "What's wrong?"

 

"I forgot about the giblets!" Pausing for dramatic effect (and trying not to laugh), I asked DW "could you do me a favor and get that out of there?"

 

It only took DW a couple of seconds to catch on, asking with a smile "did you stick something in there?"

 

Figuring that there was no point in carrying on the charade, I laughed "I can't fool you!"

 

"You did fool me at first," DW confessed, "until you wanted me to get it out."

 

DW pulled out the envelope as she laughed "There's no way I'm going to stick my hand up a turkey's rear to get something out of there when that's supposed to be your job!"

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "From your favorite turkey!" (referring to myself, not the bird).

 

"It didn't even get burned!" I exclaimed, feigning surprise, as DW examined the envelope.

 

Once again, I failed to fool DW, who replied in disbelief "you didn't cook it!"

 

Inside the envelope (along with a puzzle piece which just happened to reveal the words "Thank you," part of a message on the puzzle) was this picture:

 

On the back I had written "I hope you enjoy the Hawaiian pudding, even if we're not in Hawaii! – I'm very thankful for YOU!"

 

"Is it like a pina colada?" DW inquired.

 

"I don't know," I replied (never having tasted it, of course).

 

I'm assuming that the Golden Princess will probably serve the Hawaiian pudding before we actually get to Hawaii. Perhaps (if, as I suspect, it is available from the International Cafe) we will enjoy some Hawaiian pudding a few weeks before the cruise during the BVE on the Sapphire Princess.

[Gaderunner]

On our first cruise I had taken care of all the arrangements and did not tell my wife. When she came home from out of state I took her to a nice resteraunt and gave her a small gift box to open. In it was a small cruise ship with a card that said "Bon Voyage" She broke down in tears and cried out loud, "What, after ten years your shipping me away! She thought I wanted a divorce, and of course our waitress and everyone around us thought I was the biggest jerk ever. Of course by the time I explained that I wasn't shipping her away but taking her on a cruise the damage had been done. I never want to see the hurt in her eyes like that again. Now we plan all our cruises together. That was ten years ago and we are still cruising together.

[terrific_surprise]

On our first cruise I had taken care of all the arrangements and did not tell my wife. When she came home from out of state I took her to a nice resteraunt and gave her a small gift box to open. In it was a small cruise ship with a card that said "Bon Voyage" She broke down in tears and cried out loud, "What, after ten years your shipping me away! She thought I wanted a divorce, and of course our waitress and everyone around us thought I was the biggest jerk ever. Of course by the time I explained that I wasn't shipping her away but taking her on a cruise the damage had been done. I never want to see the hurt in her eyes like that again. Now we plan all our cruises together. That was ten years ago and we are still cruising together.

 

Wow! So sorry to hear about your bad experience, Gaderunner, but I'm glad that the end result is that you are still cruising together. I definitely would caution anyone considering such a surprise to consider any possible problems carefully. My own experience has not been without misinterpretations and even hurt feelings at times. I think my wife even once made a comment about me "shipping her away" -- but if she did, it was definitely with her tongue firmly in her cheek. One thing I have tried to make sure of from early in this process is that the clues often use the word "we" to emphasize that we will experience this together.

[terrific_surprise]

Like so many others, we spent much of "Black Friday" shopping, and by the end of the day we were both about ready to collapse from exhaustion.

 

I had prepared a golden envelope to give her at some point during the shopping trip, but I was looking for just the right time. Inside the envelope was this photo:

 

I wrote on the back "You can't learn your ABCs there, but you may want to shop there! – Any time with you is a good bargain for me!" (This is one of several clues I prepared relating to the Hawaiian alphabet, which does not include B or C even though the Hawaiian gift shop we will probably visit is called ABC for some reason.)

 

I left the front of the envelope blank until just before I gave it to her. Eventually, after looking at so many sale prices advertising the deep discount percentages for the day, I wrote on the front "100% off!" (I figured that the double-meaning of this message would remain hidden for a while.) :p

 

Our grandson is obsessed with Angry Birds, so when we were at a toy store, DW of course ended up looking at the various Angry Birds items.

 

I had tried to discretely put the golden envelope on various items before she noticed. She finally noticed it on an Angry Birds baseball cap.

 

She seemed to enjoy looking at the picture, studying it a little longer than usual. But her only response to the message on the back was a sarcastic "can't learn my ABCs, huh? Ooooo-kay!"

[john160]

I could never come up with this many clues. Congrats on keeping this alive!

[terrific_surprise]

When I learned that a college buddy of mine was going to be on Hawaii Five-O last night, I knew immediately that I not only had to watch, but had to use it as an opportunity for a clue. We hardly ever watch TV anymore (and I hadn't even realized that there was a new Hawaii Five-O series until I heard about my friend's role), but of course DW was interested in seeing my friend again.

 

Unfortunately a bad antenna, (which our son had to hold on to tightly throughout the program) combined with a lousy TV signal that seemed to go bad anytime DW moved, finally frustrated her to the point where she just went to bed (exhausted after a long day of ministry). :mad:

 

Maybe I'll still get her to watch Hawaii Five-O on the computer later. I doubt that the story line would interest her, but at least they do provide some scenery shots along the way. And that great theme song of course (I should have put that on her CD, but that would have probably been too obvious).

:rolleyes:

[terrific_surprise]

Today we had the opportunity to eat at Golden Corral, so I thought that it would be a good opportunity for another clue. Before going to the restaurant, I had prepared this picture:

On the back I wrote "Will you dance with the fountains when you get to the end of the red line?" Then I put it in my pocket, leaving the front blank until I later decided what to write on it.

 

While we ate, I happened to mention a dream I had last night. My dream involved some unknown disagreement with my wife. She responded by telling me that she dreamed about being on a cruise ship, needing to get to the kids but not being able to do so.

 

When she left the table for a while, I took the envelope out and wrote on the front "To the woman I dream of being with" (or something to that effect). I decided to slip the envelope into the napkin holder, so that the envelope would be exposed when one napkin was removed. (I also had to remove some extra napkins she had under her silverware, to make sure that she would need to use the napkin dispenser.)

 

When she returned to the table she noticed a piece of stray food on the table, so she took a napkin out, immediately noticing the envelope.

 

"So," she said as she read the front of the envelope, "I guess you like to dream of being with me, even when we're not getting along?"

 

Then, looking at the picture, it seemed like she was trying to jog her memory, asking herself repeatedly "Where is this? Where is this?"

 

"You don't recognize it?" I responded nonchalantly, obviously implying that it is something that she should recognize.

 

She mentioned several bridges, starting with the Golden Gate Bridge, but she quickly told herself that each guess was wrong.

 

This bridge of course relates to the cruise, and it is a bridge that we have been near and on several times, so I am glad to see that she has not yet realized what bridge it is. This is not the last clue I have planned about the bridge, so I hope that it will remain a mystery to her -- at least for a little while longer.

 

Surprisingly, she made no reference (yet) to the "red line" in today's clue. That was an important point of discussion in relation to a previous clue, so I really expected her to talk more about that. Maybe it will come up later.

 

After a while the Golden Corral put out some "Golden Delicious Shrimp," and I joked with her that I should have used that for a clue (because I kid her about being a "shrimp," while she insists that she is just "average").

 

Meanwhile, the previously planned "Hawaii Five-O" clue is still on hold. Maybe I will have to re-work that one. We'll see....

Edited November 28, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[terrific_surprise]

When my wife was about 9 years old, she and her mother lived for a while at the Aloha Motel in Glendora, California. It was one of the most difficult times in her childhood. Her father had just abandoned them, and they could no longer afford their house payments. Her mother could only scrape together enough money for very basic meals. (Glendora's Aloha Motel has now been torn down, but I still wonder why such substandard establishments use the name "Aloha.")

 

Yesterday I prepared the following clue for DW, which she will eventually realize relates to her days at the Aloha Motel: "The sad place is gone, and many memories have faded. But its happy name remains, bringing many new memories you will soon cherish. – I cherish you!"

 

(That last phrase is something I often say to DW. If there is a cherry on the top of a dessert I am eating, I will give her the cherry while saying "I cherish you!")

 

Here is the photo I used for the clue (obviously unrelated to the Aloha Motel):

 

On the front of the golden envelope I wrote "Worth the wait!" I inserted the envelope into a small ziplock bag. Then I took a canister of whipped cream and sprayed a small stack of it on a plate, using the whipped cream to prop up the envelope. I added more whipped cream on top, until the envelope was completely covered.

 

At this point, unfortunately, my plans went a bit awry: I couldn't find a cherry! :(

 

With the whipped cream melting away, threatening to expose the envelope, I hastily grabbed a grape and put it on top.

 

Then I presented the plate to DW with the words "I think you're 'grape'!"

 

Flashing me a smile revealing that she already figured out what I was up to, she quickly found the envelope in the whipped cream and pulled it out. I don't think she even tasted any of the whipped cream. When she took it out of the plastic bag, I was glad to see that the envelope had not been damaged by the whipped cream.

 

Obviously deep in thought as she silently read the message on the back several times, she kept her thoughts to herself, commenting only on the message on the front of the envelope. ;)

[terrific_surprise]

This morning before church I happened to notice our red-headed nine-year old daughter (DD#10) drawing colorful hearts on some poster paper. Eventually I learned that she was making a card for her mother (although today was not a special occasion).

 

About 30 minutes later, DD#10 came to me asking "Daddy, can you put one of your golden envelopes in here?" I briefly considered ignoring the request, because I needed to get ready for church. But I decided not to miss the opportunity.

 

Looking through my list of ideas, it wasn't too hard to figure out a clue to put on the inside. But figuring out what to write on the front took a little more time. Sometime back I had looked up some Hawaiian words and had jotted down that "ehu" refers to a redheaded girl and "nani" means beautiful. So I decided to write "nani ehu makuahine" (intending for it to mean something like "the beautiful mother of the redheaded girl"). But after reading a bit about Hawaiian grammar I'm pretty sure that I got it wrong, and that perhaps it might not even make sense in Hawaiian.

 

Anyway, I hastily picked this photo:

(I try to keep 6-12 pictures and puzzle pieces on hand at all times so that I can be ready to give a clue if the opportunity arises.)

 

On the back I wrote "You will lose a few hours along the way, but you will get them back! – Every hour spent with you is a gain in my book!"

 

After sealing the envelope and giving it to DD#10, I needed to hurry and get ready for church, so I didn't get to witness DW's reaction to opening the envelope.

 

But on our way into church, DW said "I have no idea what you wrote on that envelope. You could be cussing me out for all I know!"

 

"Well," I confessed, "it's possible that I didn't write what I meant to write, so you could be right!" :o

Edited December 3, 2012 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

On Sunday night, DD#10 noticed me typing on the computer, so she asked what I was writing about. I decided to go ahead and read her what I wrote, because she was such an important part of the story. "But you can't tell Mama about this, because it is a secret!" I insisted.

 

After I finished reading it, she asked "can you read me another one?" And then another, and another. After skipping around for a while to find posts where I mentioned DD#10, she said "I want you to read me the other ones too, even if I'm not a part of it."

 

Eventually DS#9 came by to see what we were doing, but DD#10 shooed him away, telling him it was a secret.

 

Along the way, DD#10 of course wanted to know what the various abbreviations meant, and especially seemed to enjoy learning that DW meant "Dear Wife."

 

After I read a dozen or two posts to her, she began falling asleep, with the CC stories substituting for her bedtime story. (DW was already asleep in her bed when all of this happened.)

 

On Monday, DD#10 asked if I could read some more to her, but I didn't have time (and didn't want DW to overhear). Later DD#10 irritated me a bit by announcing "Mama! Daddy is writing a story about DW!" But then she started talking about another "DW," who is a character on the PBS kids show Arthur.

 

My DW seemed distracted at the time so hopefully she's not too suspicious yet, but the prospects for keeping what I have written here secret until after the cruise are not looking too bright at the moment.

[skiladyldp]

I look forward to your posts. We recently returned from our first cruise and since I did all the planning I know how much planning you have been doing. My husband could never plan a cruise or a surprise event. Great job and your wife is so lucky to have such a romantic thoughtful husband.

[terrific_surprise]

When I saw a link on CC to their sister site, Independent Traveler, I decided to write a review of our August trip to Morro Bay/Avila Beach (which served as an approximate halfway point in this yearlong surprise process). If you already read what I wrote here in August you will see some things repeated, but I do provide some photos not shown here previously.

 

Here is my "Aloha from Morro Bay" review:

http://www.independenttraveler.com/trip-reviews/aloha-from-morro-bay

[terrific_surprise]

Time to try to catch up a little on what has been happening with the golden envelopes.

 

I needed to staff a ministry table at a church on Sunday, while my wife needed to be at our church with the kids. The fact that we would be away from each other for the day gave me an opportunity to give her a clue about an envelope I had hidden over two months ago. (I had thought in September that we would have been away from each other more, but it hadn't worked out that way.)

 

High above the bed, she has two stuffed animals: a mother panda and a baby panda. I had placed a golden envelope between the mother and baby (symbolically near the mother's "heart").

 

On the front of the envelope I wrote "Wherever you are, you're close to my heart!"

 

This photo was enclosed:

 

On the back I wrote "Would you really want to embarrass ourselves in front of a bunch of people we don't know? – I love when you make me blush!"

 

(This clue relates to the fact that I know that DW would love to be called upon during the cruise to be in one of those ridiculous marriage game shows, somehow relishing the opportunity to share embarrassing information about ourselves. :o I, on the other hand, would prefer to pass on such an opportunity, thank you. :rolleyes: )

 

Saturday night before I left, she had been talking to me about some study she had just read reporting that cells of a baby have been found within the mother many years after the baby was born. As I left, I said "my heart 'pandas' for you like a mother's heart for her baby."

 

DW responded "See, you have some of your mother's cells!" (My mother often refers to pandas, but I actually hadn't even thought of this before DW mentioned it.)

 

In the early hours of Sunday morning, as I was busy preparing literature for the ministry table, I sent DW this text message: "Remember my heart pandas for you like a mother's heart for her baby."

 

A few hours later, while it was still dark, she sent this text reply "I thimk I know what you mean...will look when its lighter ;)"

 

A couple more hours passed before I receive her reply "Got your 'clue'...you have my heart :)" (Decades ago, she first talked about symbolically "giving me her heart," while I symbolically gave her mine, so that her heart was in me and mine was in her.)

 

That was the first clue I had given her in several days. I had made some additional attempts to watch Hawaii Five-O with her last week (and give her the related clue) but it never worked out. After the last rejection of my Hawaii Five-O offer, I finally kiddingly said to DD#10, "I guess she just doesn't like Hawaii." But I guess DW had a valid point when she responded that just because she loves Hawaii she doesn't need to love a crime show based in Hawaii.

 

Over the past few days I also had some big ups and downs related to cruise planning (specifically, rental cars). For a while it seemed like all my rental car plans were going to fail, and my heart sank when I realized that without a rental car we would be unable to reach many of the clue-destinations. :( Thankfully things eventually worked out, but I think I still may look for alternate plans in a couple of ports. (A word to the wise: if you need a rental car for a Hawaii cruise, book early. Some days are apparently booked a year in advance!) I had delayed booking the rental cars because I had thought that I would need to pay something up front, but thankfully I was wrong about that.

 

I have also spent a great deal of time working on the frame I plan to give DW for Christmas, which will become the home of the puzzle. After finding what I thought was a perfect solution online, I received no response from the vendor after repeated messages. So I began shopping around in local stores. Because the puzzle will require a 12"x12" frame, my options were very limited. I found some possible solutions at some of the big discount stores, but they still didn't seem to be quite what I was looking for. Finally I decided to check out Michael's craft store, expecting to pay higher prices than what I had seen in the discount stores. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices at Michael's were actually substantially lower than the discount stores (with a much bigger selection for me to choose from).

 

Eventually I settled upon a scrapbook frame, but because it was black, I of course decided to paint it gold. I have had to give it several coats of paint to get it to look right. In addition, I am trying to make other alterations to the frame to accommodate viewing the puzzle from both sides. Whether or not I will be successful remains to be seen, but at least if I ruin the frame it won't cost much for another one!

Edited December 11, 2012 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday morning we had another ministry breakfast, so I was setting up a literature table, which included a new pamphlet I had just created. Between two stacks of literature, I found an empty space where I placed a golden envelope.

 

DW has been feeling miserable, having come down with a cold a couple of days ago. Knowing how sick she felt, I was quite amazed to see her emerge before the breakfast, looking immaculate in a red dress she had apparently found in a bag of clothes somebody gave us.

 

So I wrote on the front of the envelope "To the pretty girl in the red dress" (hoping that this wouldn't create an embarrassing situation if one of our supporters showed up in a red dress). Thankfully, DW was the first one to look at the literature table, and within a few seconds she picked up the envelope, looking at me with that "you did it again" smile I have come to enjoy throughout this process.

 

"Oh, I see that you noticed the new literature," I kidded.

 

This photo was inside the envelope:

 

On the back I had written:

"Is it red-blue-white (with a jack in the corner), or green-red-yellow? Or both? – When I'm with you color me HAPPY!"

 

The written clue, of course, has nothing to do with the colors of the dessert in the photo. It relates to the official Hawaiian flag, and to the traditional flag that some Hawaiians reportedly prefer. I'm guessing that this clue will be way too obscure for her to figure out before the cruise.

[terrific_surprise]

One of my duties with the organization my wife and I lead is to write a monthly letter to update the supporters. Before preparing to mail the letter, I typically let my wife read it first (because she is officially the "chairperson" of the organization, so her word is final). So yesterday I wrote a draft of a donor letter and brought it to DW for her approval. I had folded the letter in half, with a golden envelope hidden in the fold.

 

On the front of the envelope I wrote "To my favorite 'charity.'" (I planned to remind her that "charity" means "love" if she asked why I called her my "charity," but she didn't ask.) Inside was this photo, the first of several Hawaiian rainbow photos I now plan to give DW:

 

On the back I had written "Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby. – Your breath is my favorite lullaby." This clue primarily functions as a lead-in to another clue I plan to give DW soon. She is crazy about rainbows, so I should have thought of using rainbow clues long ago, but the connection between rainbows and Hawaii didn't occur to me until recently.

 

DW was busy talking to some volunteers when I brought her the letter and envelope, so I didn't get to witness her reaction to opening the envelope (though she did later thank me for it).

 

I wondered if the "lullaby" reference would cause her to connect this clue to La Isla Bonita, which happens to be the first song on the "Fanfare" CD I had given to her at her 49th birthday party. The song refers to a "Spanish lullaby," and DW refers to it as if "Spanish lullaby" were its title. (Neither of us are Madonna fans, so she probably hadn't heard the song much before she listened to this CD.) I chose the song because it seemed to somehow (in my mind) include San Pedro, Hawaii, and Ensenada, along with embodying the spirit of the cruise with lines like "I prayed that the days would last, they went so fast."

 

Speaking of the Fanfare CD, it seems like her appreciation of most of the music is growing. (I think there are probably still a couple of selections that neither of us are too thrilled with.) She takes the initiative to listen to it more often now, asking questions about the songs from time to time. Usually my answers are too vague to be helpful, but from our discussions I think she has figured out a few things.

 

A few weeks ago as we listened to the song Mi Ciudad on the Fanfare CD, I made the mistake of telling her that I had found an English translation of the lyrics. "It refers to a city hidden in a lake," I explained to DW. Then before I could stop myself I verbalized my thoughts: "I wonder where that could be?"

 

Sounding truly surprised, she shot back "What do you mean you 'wonder where that could be'? Aren't you the one who picked out the song?"

 

"Not exactly," I confessed, realizing that my blunder revealed too much. :mad:

 

"Did someone else help you pick them out?"

 

"Not a person."

 

"What do you mean 'not a person'?" :confused: (My vagueness was not appreciated.)

 

So I decided to go ahead and offer this disclosure: "They pretty much all relate to a location."

 

"Is that a past, present, or future location, or all three?" she inquired.

 

"I guess all three, but mostly future."

 

Another day as we traveled down a highway listening to the CD, she asked me "is this music bothering you?"

 

"No, I like it," I responded. "Do you?"

 

"I'm just trying to figure out what it means," she replied, sounding a bit frustrated.

 

"Don't think too hard," I advised her. :p

 

"What did you do," she asked (apparently thinking that she had stumbled upon something significant), "go through a travel agent and they just threw this music in for free?"

 

"Nope." :cool:

Edited December 18, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typos

[Mrs.C05]

Man, this is a great story! I cannot wait for the final surprise. Seems as though there have been a few close calls though, but you handled them very well! I am subscribing to this to keep following.

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

[olemissreb]

OK so with just about 3 months left from today, when are you going to tell her that you are cruising to Hawaii? You've got to give her some time to plan her wardrobe and shop if necessary. :)

[terrific_surprise]

Man, this is a great story! I cannot wait for the final surprise. Seems as though there have been a few close calls though, but you handled them very well! I am subscribing to this to keep following.

 

Definitely some close calls! As to whether I have handled them well, I guess that remains to be seen. I think she may know more than she is letting on, but is just playing along with the process.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't wait for the final surprise. (Although after over a year of planning now I'm getting a bit anxious wondering if I have enough time to get all of the final details just right.)

[terrific_surprise]

OK so with just about 3 months left from today, when are you going to tell her that you are cruising to Hawaii? You've got to give her some time to plan her wardrobe and shop if necessary. :)

 

It has been several months since she first told me that she has figured out that it is a cruise to Hawaii, although I have had some clues since then that have tried to throw her off the scent a bit. I think she probably knows, but is just enjoying the "game." But when she talks to me about it, she says "when the thing you're planning happens..." and not "when we're on the cruise to Hawaii...."

 

If any of you ladies think I am making a mistake by not giving her an unambiguous statement that we are cruising to Hawaii, feel free to let me know. I do realize well that as a man I don't always read her signals right. :o

 

Regarding shopping for the cruise, we have already done so several times (primarily using gift cards her friends gave her on her birthday). Believe it or not, nine months after her birthday party she still has gift cards she hasn't used. :mad: I've probably tried to get her to go shopping for cruise clothes a dozen times or more but it is really hard to get her to take the time to go shopping for things for herself (although she enjoys shopping for things for others).

 

I do plan to make sure we have our bags packed sometime in January -- or at least by Valentine's Day, when bringing the packed bags with us will be an important part of the BVE surprise I am planning. I suspect that the BVE will be a bigger surprise than the actual cruise. :cool:

[Mrs.C05]

Just a thought, but why not fill her in where you're really going a month or 2 beforehand so she does know what to pack, buy, bring, etc.? As a woman, I would want to know so I can plan my outfits, make a list, make sure I have everything, etc. I wouldn't want it sprung on me, let alone have my bags packed for me.

 

I don't know what she has planned for you two for NYE but that could be a NYE date --put together the puzzle and put all the clues together. If she's dreamed of going to Hawaii with you, and I were you, I'd want her excitement, joyfulness, anticipation to fill up the room/house.

[skandls]

I also vote for at least a month to anticipate and plan for the cruise. Its fun to look thru the closet and decide what 'new' things I want to buy. Also let her look at the ports she may find something she really wants to do.