Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[rockabutzer]

Can't wait till the conclusion. So far, this has been an awesome story.

 

Mahalo

[terrific_surprise]

The following story happened a month ago, but apparently I became too busy to post it here. It was our 27th anniversary, and I slipped a little golden envelope into DW's wallet, which she carries in her purse. Inside the wallet is a little zipped compartment, and that's where I put the envelope.

 

A while later, I sent her this text message: "you really should unzip. ;)" I thought that this would be a difficult one for her to figure out, but she told me that she immediately knew where to look.

 

The clue I wrote inside was "Our 28th anniversary may be anticlimactic, but we will have beautiful memories to share!" (The cruise will end about 2 weeks before our 28th anniversary.)

 

"28" has always been a special number to us, because we have several special events and places that include this number.

 

The clue in this case states a sincere concern I have, that our 28th anniversary will take place during the time that we are kind of sad that the cruise is over. I hope I can figure out something special for our 28th so that it won't seem like a letdown.

[KAYEF]

I asked my daughter and SIL if they wanted to go on the cruise to Hawaii and my SIL said with so many Sea Days, he'd be bored.

We went.

Before even leaving dock, he and I were playing mini-golf IN THE RAIN on the top deck. He did EVERYTHING imaginable and when we got home he asked if we could do that cruise again!:D

 

You may find some rough waters as you cross the Pacific; take some ginger and/or pills along.

 

I apologize if this has been covered; I loved the opening long letter and didn't read many of the other posts.:(

 

We went Dec. 5th or something like that; the cruise before the holidays is VERY discounted. We rented a car in each port and "did" the island.

 

Remember, the Arizona in Pearl Harbor is a Navy exhibit and free. Don't pay for a ship's tour. Rent a car, go right after you get the car (before the line gets long) and then drive around the island, etc.

 

You will be making a MEMORY OF A LIFETIME. What an amazing husband.

[terrific_surprise]

I asked my daughter and SIL if they wanted to go on the cruise to Hawaii and my SIL said with so many Sea Days, he'd be bored.

We went.

Before even leaving dock, he and I were playing mini-golf IN THE RAIN on the top deck. He did EVERYTHING imaginable and when we got home he asked if we could do that cruise again!:D

 

You may find some rough waters as you cross the Pacific; take some ginger and/or pills along.

 

I apologize if this has been covered; I loved the opening long letter and didn't read many of the other posts.:(

 

We went Dec. 5th or something like that; the cruise before the holidays is VERY discounted. We rented a car in each port and "did" the island.

 

Remember, the Arizona in Pearl Harbor is a Navy exhibit and free. Don't pay for a ship's tour. Rent a car, go right after you get the car (before the line gets long) and then drive around the island, etc.

 

You will be making a MEMORY OF A LIFETIME. What an amazing husband.

 

Thanks, KAYEF (but if you knew DW, you would know that she is the one who is truly amazing)!

 

Regarding the ginger idea, I actually already made plans for that. :D But my plans got a bit out of hand (as you may realize by now, that is not atypical for me). I incorporated crystallized ginger with various other healthy ingredients and made a trail mix (I called it "T&T's Love Mix") for DW which I gave her on Valentine's Day. Many of the ingredients were chosen because of their benefits relating to cholesterol (which is a major issue for DW). I wasn't sure how she would like the ginger, but she loved it.

 

Here's what it looks like:

(I'm not sure if we'll bring the Love Mix on the cruise, or just the ginger.)

 

The last day of our 25th anniversary Mexican Riviera cruise, we faced extremely rough seas. Our tablemates, who are very experienced cruisers, told us that it was the worst they had experienced. DW spent much of the day in bed (but didn't want to miss going to the dining room in the evening, although she didn't eat much). Even though the cruise ended that way, she still loved it, so I'm optimistic about the sea days to Hawaii.

 

From what I have read on CC about the Golden Princess Hawaii cruise, the sea days are a wonderful part of the experience.

 

I plan for us to also rent a car in each port. DW loves to drive, and I think that the memory of driving on each of these islands will be one of the many highlights for her. I'll leave it up to DW to decide whether or not we see the Arizona, as she already saw it (30 years ago).

 

Somehow we never got around to playing mini golf on the Sapphire. I hope we find time for it on the Golden, because mini golf is one of our fun memories from our dating years.

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday I planned to give DW a clue as I headed out to the Post Office. She was in the process of counseling a teenage couple, and as I walked up she told the couple "this is my husband, we were High School sweethearts too, and we're still together after all these years, so you can make it too!"

 

I hadn't put anything on the front of the golden envelope I planned to give her yet, but after hearing what she said, I stood behind her (as she continued to talk to the couple) and wrote "To my High School sweetheart" on the front of the envelope. Then I slipped the envelope into the hood of the hoodie DW was wearing. (DW often finds herself feeling cold lately, even though this is the time of life when she should be having hot flashes.)

 

I had tried to give her the envelope the day before (Monday), but it didn't work out. I texted her a clue while I was barbecuing at a park, but I wasn't sure whether or not she had figured it out until when we were leaving and I noticed the envelope where I had put it. (She was probably too distracted dealing with the kids.) So I picked up the envelope and decided to give it a try again later. (She did ask me about the text clue later.)

 

So yesterday, after slipping the envelope into her hoodie, I headed to the Post Office. About 20 minutes later, when I figured that she would be done talking to the couple, I sent her a text "do you want to put your hoodie on?"

 

She replied "Lol...stinker".

 

Not sure if that meant that she had found the envelope, I sent her the message: "unless you're getting warm that is".

 

She texted back "Its been on and is still on..."

 

"So you're still cold?" I replied, still unsure.

 

Finally my question was answered when she texted back "Found my gold note...but still wearing it."

 

I replied "ok then i think you're warm," topping it off with a final message a minute later "no i take that back! you're hot!" ;)

 

Inside the envelope was this photo:

 

On the other side, I wrote "You may want to learn some new dance moves, but I may just enjoy watching you."

 

We have been pretty shy about dancing together over the years. I think our very first attempt at dancing might have been when we went to the dance floor on the last night of our 3 day Carnival cruise to Ensenada (and felt pretty foolish, not knowing what to do).

 

On our 25th anniversary cruise on the Sapphire Princess, we did take some dance lessons and we were inspired by an older couple at our dinner table who enjoyed dancing together daily. But we still aren't really comfortable on the dance floor. A couple of times at the banquet we attended last week, we looked at each other wondering if we should try to dance, but it never happened.

 

So I'm not sure what she thinks I mean by my "dance" clue... but what I am referring to is hula lessons. DW has often told me how she enjoyed hula dancing as a little girl, so I'm sure she will enjoy her hula lessons on the Golden Princess! (Even though after 12 pregnancies she says that she can't hula like she did when she was younger.)

[terrific_surprise]

Today our #8 is becoming a teenager, so yesterday DW and I went shopping to get him something for his birthday. On the way to the store, we stopped at the mailbox, where our mood became much more somber after we opened two huge bills (totalling much more than the cruise).

 

This kind of situation is one of the reasons I planned so far ahead for DW's 50th cruise, and have tried to keep making payments to Princess. If I hadn't planned ahead, bills like this would easily eat up the available money making it impossible for us to consider a cruise. These bills will undoubtedly cause me some difficulties and I may not get them fully paid off before the cruise, but I don't want to let this interfere with the surprise. Ultimately I trust God to provide for our needs, as we have seen Him do so many times over the years (including providing for our past two cruises).

 

Before we had received this bad news, I had intended to give DW another clue envelope during this shopping trip. I brought a blank envelope and clue photo with me, not being totally sure what I was going to write on it.

 

While we were shopping, I found a game controller and brought it to DW suggesting that #8 could share it with his siblings. I also happened to slip a little golden envelope into the box of the game controller, with the gold part sticking out just a little bit. On the front of the envelope I wrote "to the one who is more precious to me than gold," and on the other side of the photo (showing an Oahu creek) I wrote something like "will we eat the pillow chocolates or just save them?" (DW is very sentimental, so our on last cruise she saved most of the chocolates.)

 

She soon found the envelope in the game controller box, but there are a couple of other golden envelopes I have hidden in recent days (in places where I expect her to encounter them) but she hasn't found them yet.

 

As part of DW's 50th year I have been preparing a DVD for each child's birthday (including videos of the births when possible). Watching the video of DW's intense labor (literally) in giving birth to #8 makes me even more determined to do whatever I can to make this cruise a reality for her. The birth of #8 was actually one of her easier births (as she typically went through a grueling pushing stage lasting five hours or more), but even this "easy" birth is difficult to watch, so the amount of "labor" she has experienced in her life is almost unfathomable.

[terrific_surprise]

I hadn't planned to give DW a clue on Saturday, but it turned out to be the biggest clue so far. It is amazing how often things happen (without any planning from me) which seem to point to the cruise. (We are encountering many more clues than what I am writing about here.)

 

We needed to attend a meeting Saturday evening, but it was also the birthday for our #8. So we brought three of our sons (including #8) to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita. (We decided to get the passes for the three boys at the beginning of this year, and the coupons that come with the passes allow us to have several days throughout the year where we can bring the whole family, so it turns out to be a relatively economical option for a large family like ours.)

 

After leaving the boys at Six Flags, DW and I decided to have lunch. Souplantation (or Sweet Tomatoes) is one of our favorite places to eat, so I directed DW toward the Souplantation restaurant in Santa Clarita. I knew that it was near the Princess Cruises building, but I decided not to mention this to DW because I thought it might be a bit too early in the process to have a clue that points so obviously to a Princess cruise. (According to my plan, I wanted her to know by the end of June that the surprise is a cruise, but I didn't want her to know for sure that it is a Princess cruise.)

 

Unfortunately, we had some trouble finding the restaurant, so I had to call them for directions. DW heard the directions they gave, which specifically referred to the Princess Cruises building.

 

"We're by the Princess Cruises office?" DW asked excitedly.

 

"I guess so," I confessed, trying to sound surprised too. "I noticed a cruise ship in that window [a window I had looked in when trying to locate the restaurant] but it didn't say Princess" (it was a Cunard ship, and of course I knew they are the same company, but DW didn't know that).

 

As we sat down to eat at Souplantation, DW announced, "Well, now I'm 90% sure that you're taking on a cruise." And I hadn't even brought a golden envelope to give her! :(

 

I wasn't too shocked to hear DW come to this conclusion, because a couple of weeks ago she first talked about the possibility that the surprise would be a cruise.

 

But what she said next was quite unexpected: "In fact, I have suspected that you were surprising me with a cruise since the birthday party!"

 

Then she filled me in on one of the first clues she had received -- one that I didn't know about! The source of the clue was a five year old boy who was a guest at DW's 49th birthday party. DW had helped his birth mother decide not to abort him, and then helped her find a couple to adopt him. DW and I have remained friends with both the birth mother and the adoptive parents.

 

A few days before DW's birthday party, the boy's adoptive mother had asked me to let her know specifically what my surprise gift to DW would be (because I had invited the birthday party guests to chip in on the surprise). I was trying to keep the specifics of the surprise a secret from everybody, reluctantly revealing to a couple of other people that "it's a trip." But in this particular case it seemed right to tell her "it's a cruise" (without any further details). I think that she was the only one to whom I disclosed this secret.

 

As we continued to eat our salads, DW told me what the little boy said to her at the party: "he walked up to me and handed me a card, saying 'this is for when you are on the boat!'"

 

DW's revelation left me pretty much speechless. (I still didn't want to confirm or deny that it is a cruise.)

 

"So," DW gently suggested a few minutes later, between bites, "if you're not already planning a cruise, you'd better start."

 

She went on to say that the "pillow chocolates" clue I gave her on Friday also led her to the conclusion that it is a cruise.

 

Struggling to restore some element of mystery to the conversation, I said "I think there are probably some hotels that put chocolates on people's pillows."

 

"Maybe cookies," DW countered, "but not chocolates."

 

A few minutes later, DW got right to the point, unashamedly asking "so....

 

"Are we going back on the Sapphire Princess?" :eek:

 

"Well, that may be a 'yes and no' or it may be a 'no,'" I responded. "That remains to be seen."

 

(That answer may not make sense to you if you have read this entire thread, but it is true. There are many aspects of my plans which have not yet been revealed here. :cool: Of course those plans may or may not work out.)

 

"So you really haven't made any plans yet?" DW asked, beginning to sound a bit concerned.

 

"I'm not sure how much you really want me to reveal," I said. "I could tell you everything if you want me to, but I think it's better for now if we wait. We still have a lot of time."

Edited June 4, 2012 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

It has been a difficult week, and we have faced some ministry setbacks which threaten to interfere with the cruise surprise, but we are pressing on.

 

During yesterday's lunch hour, DW and I stood out in the hot sun listening to great messages from speakers regarding the heritage and future of USA. I was just a bit distracted during the first few minutes, though, because I had a plan (to figure out a way to slip her another golden envelope, of course)!

 

I had a clipboard with me to take some notes, but little did DW know, I wasn't just writing about what the speakers were saying. I had brought an envelope, puzzle piece, and photo, but I had not yet found time to write anything on them (and I wasn't even sure what I was going to write).

 

But looking at my attractive wife standing in her scrubs out in the hot sun gave me an idea. So as DW listened attentively (not paying attention to what I was doing), I pulled out this photo:

 

Turning over the photo, I wrote: "On our way to a place without a 'C'". This was intended to be a very oblique reference to the Hawaiian alphabet, and I will probably have more clues later relating to letters which are missing from their alphabet.

 

On the front of the envelope, I wrote "To someone who is HOT -- even in scrubs!" Then I sealed the envelope.

 

Now for the tricky part. How do I slip this to her without letting her notice? I had already thought of putting it into one of the large side pockets in her scrubs, but would she notice me slipping it in there?

 

So I waited for an opportunity to slip it in when DW was looking the other way. It took a couple of failed attempts (where DW looked back too soon and I had to quickly pull it away), but I finally got it in without DW noticing.

 

Now I was finally able to concentrate on what the speakers were saying.

 

After a while, I asked DW for her phone so that I could take a picture of something. Reaching into her left pocket, the same pocket where I had put the envelope, DW pulled out her phone and handed it to me, without noticing the envelope.

 

Finally, when we were walking away after the end of the event, I told DW "I think you 'left' something!"

 

DW looked back for a moment, but then (probably looking for her phone) reached into her left pocket, finding the envelope and saying "how did this get in there?"

 

When we got to our van, she opened it up and looked at the picture. Almost immediately she said "this looks familiar -- is this from Carnival?"

 

Playing stupid (but probably not in a convincing way), I replied, "what carnival was that?" But I knew what she meant, of course.

 

"The Carnival cruise, of course," DW replied. "This looks like the place where we could get free ice cream all day long."

 

"I don't remember that," I replied honestly. "I remember the pizza place from Carnival but not the ice cream place."

 

I was a bit frustrated that DW so quickly identified this clue with a cruise, because I had thought that this particular clue would not be so easily identifiable. But it is obvious now that the first thought in DW's mind now is always a clue's possible connection to a cruise. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised in this case that the clue led her to think of Carnival and not of Princess, because it is still a long time from when I hoped that she would realize that it is a Princess cruise (in spite of my unintentional clue at Souplantation last week)!

 

As she put the clue away, DW discovered something else I had hidden over a week ago -- but I will have to explain that later. I have a lot of work to do!

Edited June 9, 2012 by terrific_surprise
clarification and formatting

[whatsup6897]

I'm enjoying this thread very much. Well done.

[terrific_surprise]

Part of my original plan in giving DW clues to the cruise throughout her 50th year was to give her a place to put the puzzle pieces so that they did not get lost. That was the intended purpose of the shiny gold box I gave her at her surprise 49th birthday party.

 

Although we are only about 20% of the way through the clue process, it had already become a bit of a problem to keep everything in the box in the past few weeks. Instead of just keeping the individual puzzle pieces in the box, DW has kept each envelope intact, with the clue photo and puzzle piece inside, but I had planned the size of the box based upon what would be needed to hold all of the puzzle pieces. Nevertheless, even if she had only been keeping the puzzle pieces in the box, it has proven to be a bit impractical, because it is easily opened and the pieces could easily be spilled out (especially with curious children around).

 

A few weeks ago, DW expressed concern about whether the box would be adequate to hold everything (although I had already noticed the problem). So I gave her a clear banker's bag to keep everything in. It certainly is not as nice as the gold box (and lacks the symbolism) but it is much more practical, with a zipper to keep everything safely inside.

 

 

After moving all of the clues into the clear bag, DW asked me if I could go through the clues to see if she was missing anything. I was glad that she asked! (After spending many years developing programs for the inventory industry, it is part of my nature to want to keep track of stuff.) :rolleyes:

 

So about a week and a half ago, I sorted through all of the clues and puzzle pieces, comparing them with the spreadsheet I have been using to keep track of them.

 

 

I did discover that two of the envelopes are missing, but I don't think that they are permanently lost (based on my notes regarding when and where I gave them to her, I have reason to believe that they are still around somewhere).

 

Before giving the clue bag back to DW, I decided to slip in an extra clue envelope that she hadn't seen yet. On the front of the envelope, I wrote "to 'miss' X" (where X was her maiden name).

 

I put this photo inside:

 

The photo is intended to represent the full moon which will greet us on her birthday as we sail away, but it also reflected DW's amazement over the recent "super moon."

 

On the back of the photo I wrote "I will let you drive (28% of the time)!"

 

I hoped that DW would notice the "missing" clue soon after I gave the clue bag back to her, but she didn't. Even when I gave her other new clues, she just slipped them into the other side, apparently not looking at the clue I had put in the front!

 

Finally on Friday, when she was putting away the recent "scrubs" clue, she noticed it!

 

After reading the clue, she immediately responded "well, I guess I'm not driving if I am on a cruise ship!" No need to think things through, she got right to the point I was driving at!

 

"So," she continued, "you just decided that 28% sounded like a good number?" (As I have mentioned previously, 28 is a special number to us for various reasons, including our anniversary date.)

 

"Actually," I explained, "I figured it out mathematically and that's what it came to!" (This is based upon the number of Hawaii ports, assuming that we will rent a car in each port, and assuming that DW will always drive as that is almost always her preference.)

 

"Maybe we'll have 28 children," DW quipped. :eek:

 

Where did that come from?! DW is full of surprises!

 

"Well," she clarified, "we could adopt."

 

I think she's kidding.

 

But I'm never really sure.

[BananaAnna]

terrific surprise - I'm truly enjoying following along with your story!

 

everybody else - am I the only one that has noticed they're sailing on the Golden Princess?

[terrific_surprise]

terrific surprise - I'm truly enjoying following along with your story!

 

everybody else - am I the only one that has noticed they're sailing on the Golden Princess?

 

:D Yes, BananaAnna is quite right that the "Golden" Princess is the inspiration for all of these "golden" clues (and of course the fact that I am calling DW's 50th her "golden" birthday is really just a part of the scheme to reveal the ultimate "golden" surprise).

 

DW already realizes that all of the gold symbolizes her 50th. But I wonder when DW will realize where all these "golden" clues have truly been pointing? Quite possibly not until the day she sets foot on the Golden Princess (unless she finds CC first :eek: ).

 

In any case, it's truly gratifying to know that you are enjoying this experience along with us! :)

[Mom2B&Z]

:D Yes, BananaAnna is quite right that the "Golden" Princess is the inspiration for all of these "golden" clues (and of course the fact that I am calling DW's 50th her "golden" birthday is really just a part of the scheme to reveal the ultimate "golden" surprise).

 

DW already realizes that all of the gold symbolizes her 50th. But I wonder when DW will realize where all these "golden" clues have truly been pointing? Quite possibly not until the day she sets foot on the Golden Princess (unless she finds CC first :eek: ).

 

In any case, it's truly gratifying to know that you are enjoying this experience along with us! :)

*Like*

This is a great story, glad you're letting us share the adventure with you!

[terrific_surprise]

(There is not really anything new revealed here, so feel free to skip reading this if it looks too long.) :o

 

I'm waiting for DW to find three clue envelopes I have hidden in recent days. My methods are kind of evolving as the process of revealing the cruise continues, and one of the things I have decided to do more of is hiding clues that she might not find immediately. In some cases I have sent her text message clues about the location of some of these envelopes, but I guess she hasn't realized they were clues. In one case I had to go back and remove the envelope (it was in a public area and I didn't want someone else to snatch it). But in general I figure as long as I can keep track of where I have hidden the envelopes, hopefully they won't be lost.

 

As DW becomes more Internet savvy and more cruise-conscious, the likelihood of her stumbling upon CC (and this thread) increases. Because of that, I have decided to avoid mentioning anything DW hasn't discovered yet. Earlier in this thread I had thought I might tell those who are following about some of my future clue plans and see how you think things would come across, but now I wouldn't want to risk letting DW know more than I want her to if she reads this. If she does read this, she will already know some things I didn't want her to know yet (such as the Hawaii destination and the Golden Princess ship) but there's nothing I can do about that now. :(

 

By the way, I had previously expressed concern (possibly bordering on paranoia) that the recent Golden Princess drydock had invalidated some of my previous clues. Apparently I was wrong about that, as some things posted on CC were apparently incorrect. (Imagine that, ha! :rolleyes: )

 

In particular, what I thought was the Godiva Chocolate store (but is really "Vines") is reportedly still on the Golden and apparently still looks the same. It may or may not be selling Godiva Chocolates when we arrive, but that's no big deal. Skywalkers is also apparently unchanged. From what I can tell, the only change on the Golden I may need to be concerned about is the carpet. I do have one or more carpet clues (believe it or not) but I haven't given them yet, and I probably won't unless I come across some post-drydock photos here which confirm their previous appearance. (If anyone notices post-drydock photos of the Golden Princess I would appreciate the tip.)

 

Speaking of photos, when I look back over this thread, some of the photos I posted are gone, but others remain. Does anyone who is experienced with CC know why this would happen? (Maybe the moderators removed some photos?) I do hope to eventually show all of this to DW of course and it would be nice if my original photos were intact. Otherwise I need to figure out some way to save this thread (with the photos) as I go, preferably saving an electronic version and not needing to printing everything out.

 

I have read some threads here on CC complaining about members posting too much information. I wondered if some of them may have been complaining about me (especially when some lamented the endless pre-cruise details), but it seems to me that those who don't want all of these details are free to skip on to another thread. But I hope that those of you who are following along with what I am writing here feel free to tell me "TMI" if I am telling you things you really don't care to know (such as what the Golden Princess carpet looks like :eek: ).

 

Based upon the comments I have read here (with a little reading between the lines), it seems to me that most of those who are following this thread are women. I guess that shouldn't be surprising, but I'm curious to know whether any men are reading. Or did I lose all of the men at "11"?

 

(Children, that is.) ;)

 

Quite candidly, I do sometimes wonder if I can sustain the excitement of this process for another nine months. I'm trying to "give it all I've got," which might at some point mean that I may "run out of gas." But I guess we'll discover what happens about that together.

[terrific_surprise]

A few days ago I slipped a gold envelope into a pocket of DW's folded pants. My expectation regarding what she would wear turned out to be incorrect, so it took her a couple of days to find it.

 

I put this photo inside the envelope:

 

On the back, I wrote "We may encounter some interesting animals, but they will disappear after the showers!

 

DW has asked in the past if there is a relationship between the photo and what is written on the back, and I have assured her that they are unrelated. However, in this case I thought it would be fun to put these two "animal" clues together, because they are referring to two different types of "animals" she may encounter on the cruise.

 

From what I have read here on CC, we can't necessarily count on having towel animals on the cruise (apparently it depends upon the steward), but it still made for a fun clue.

 

After the clue on the back I also wrote "It's fun to watch you with animals!" DW has been a little too friendly with animals in the past, such as when we were near Monterey on our honeymoon and she wanted to feed the squirrels.

 

After she ran out of food, the squirrels didn't want to give up:

 

It took her a few years, but eventually she learned to heed the "don't feed the animals" signs -- most of the time. ;)

 

When DW found the clue, she thanked me for it, but she didn't say much more (because I think we were heading out the door).

 

But yesterday afternoon when we were by ourselves for a while, she brought it up again, saying "the carved fruit is from the cruise, right?"

 

(She seemed to be implying that it may have been a photo I took on our previous Princess cruise.) I replied, "hmm, I don't think so." (I think I found the photo on CC, like most of my clues.)

 

"Well it's either a cruise or a really nice hotel. Maybe I'm just seeing everything from cruise-colored glasses, but to me it seems like every clue is about a cruise," she responded. "Like I told you before, if it's not a cruise, I'm going to be really disappointed."

 

"Well, like I already told you," I replied, "I definitely don't want to disappoint you."

 

"So where are you getting all of these pictures," she inquired. "Do you just look for new pictures every day?"

 

"Actually," I confessed, "I found most of these pictures last September or October, but I am adding a few new ones along the way."

 

I'm kind of tempted now to try to give her a clue that would not seem to fit with a cruise. Is that cruel? :rolleyes: After all I still want there to be a little bit of suspense. :D

[terrific_surprise]

This week DW volunteered to help with the snacks at our church's Vacation Bible School, and I was helping with some of the kids. Lately I have been trying to have one or two clues on hand (in my wallet) so that I can take advantage of any opportunity which may arise. So I pulled out a clue envelope and quickly wrote a message on the front (because the insides had been pre-prepared).

 

While DW wasn't looking, I slipped the gold envelope under the tray where she was serving the snacks. Rather than writing something "cute" on the front of the envelope (as I have been trying to do), I had decided to put "a treat for ______" and her name on it, just in case someone else found it first. I didn't want to risk someone else walking off with her envelope!

 

I put this photo inside:

 

On the back, I wrote "We will have a nice little place on Baja – unless plans change."

 

(I wanted her to think of Baja Mexico, of course, but in reality Baja is our deck on the Golden Princess.)

 

About an hour later, when it was our group's time for snacks, DW looked at me from across the room and mouthed the words "thanks for 'Baja."

 

I had thought that this clue might contribute just a touch of ambiguity which might make her wonder if the surprise is really a cruise. In reality I think it's clear that we're too far down the road for her to conclude anything else, but to me a little ambiguity at this point just makes the process more interesting.

 

Later she grinned and asked "so how are we getting to 'Baja'?" (Her question obviously implied to me that she figured that our mode of transportation would be a cruise ship.)

 

;) "I think we'll be walking," I replied, trying to throw her off just a bit.

 

After a long pause, I continued "well, at least part of the way." :p

Edited June 16, 2012 by terrific_surprise

[redheadinlove]

I can feel that this is going to turn into a beautiful thread of beautiful stories -- all because of a wonderful husband doing something so sweet for his wife. I have had 2 cancer surgeries and both cruise critic and planning memorable vacations with my family and friends has gotten me through some low times. My husband is also a wonderful man. He knows how much I enjoy cruising and spending time with my family and friends that he works hard at side jobs just so we can travel. Just today I got home from work to a note on the counter (he had woke up from 6 hours sleep, spent 7 hours at his side job and is now at his 'real job' for another 9 hours). His note said - "Good day, more $$$$ for your trip". Gotta love these wonderful men!!

My fiance is much like this. He's working long hours, little sleep, not much time together or with his our new daughter, not just to provide for us (I work too) but also so we can have a wedding and honeymoon we will love. He'd be happy going to the courthouse but it would break my heart. So, while he's only required to work 5 days, he works 7, just so we can have our wedding next year.

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday morning DW surprised me with a delicious breakfast, including an omelette and potatoes.

 

Our #10 brought me upstairs for the surprise, presenting me with a Father's Day card she drew (along with signatures from everybody else).

 

After a while, DW went back into the kitchen to work on something, so I pulled a pre-prepared golden envelope out of my wallet. On the front I wrote "to the one who made me a father!" Then I slipped it under the plate.

 

When I finished eating, DW came to take away my plate and found the envelope underneath, exclaiming "What's this?"

 

"It's your tip," I replied with a smile.

 

She opened up the envelope to find this photo:

 

The photo did not seem to impress DW. "You know I'm not crazy about popcorn," she said.

 

"You'll love this popcorn," I insisted.

 

On the other side of the photo I had written "Drive in, walk in, or swim in, a movie with you is always a pleasure." (Obviously I decided this time to associate the written clue with the photo clue, even though I have said previously that the two are not generally related. I didn't want to allow myself to start becoming obsessive about finding written clues that must relate to each photo clue, but I still may do so in a few cases.)

 

We have had many enjoyable movie experiences over the years, and although our favorite drive in theater is now torn down, every few years we take the kids to a drive in movie which is a couple of hours from where we live. (The movies used to be much more fun when it was just the two of us, but they still make a good memory!)

 

DW read slowly "Drive in... walk in....

 

"Swim in?"

 

I had hoped that she might not immediately identify this clue with a cruise, but it wasn't long (probably less than a minute) before she said "so I guess they show movies by the pool on the cruise ship?"

 

"I don't remember any movie screen by the pool on our cruise," I responded honestly (MUTS was not yet installed on the Sapphire Princess when we were on it in April 2010). Then I gave her a plausible non-cruise explanation for the "swim in" reference (which is probably not appropriate to explain here). :o

 

For several weeks we had planned to use some Father's Day coupons to get the whole family (minus some of the adult kids who couldn't make it) into Six Flags Magic Mountain, so that's why DW had to give me my Father's Day breakfast a day early. Unfortunately, we may not make it to Magic Mountain today because several of the kids are sick. :(

[terrific_surprise]

My fiance is much like this. He's working long hours, little sleep, not much time together or with his our new daughter, not just to provide for us (I work too) but also so we can have a wedding and honeymoon we will love. He'd be happy going to the courthouse but it would break my heart. So, while he's only required to work 5 days, he works 7, just so we can have our wedding next year.

 

Happy Father's Day to your hardworking fiance, redheadinlove! If you happen to find yourselves on the Golden Princess on March 27 next year, look us up. Maybe DW would babysit for you (it's probably already obvious that she loves babies)!

[KKB]

Absolutely love this!! Whether she figures it out or not...it is a wonderful journey (and will end with an even more wonderful journey!)

 

I planned a trip to Pebble Beach for DH's 40th...the cost of the room & golf round made me ILL (I mentioned to my mother we could have cruised for a week for that price!! We literally were gone less than 72 hrs) At one point he asked if we were going to Phoenix? Vegas? Pebble Beach? (WHAT??!!:eek:--I had only mentioned he could golf there). SO one evening a couple weeks before when I was out I had a friend call & claim to be from Hilton Head resorts to confirm....did we want 2 doubles or one king...any special requests. He did NOT mention this that evening so I KNEW it threw him--perfect! The day before departure there was a huge ice storm from Missouri to WV & DH began to panic that we would miss connections. On the way to our hotel the night before I said--stop worrying, we aren't going to Hilton Head (GOTCHA)

 

Of course as we checked in the airport in Omaha, & the clerk said "2 to San Francisco" DH says "Where on earth am I going to golf in SF?" DARN CLERK responds, "Well, Pebble Beach of course!"--NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But still a wonderful surprise & a wonderful trip--worth every penny.

 

Keep it coming--I'll be following!

[redheadinlove]

Absolutely love this!! Whether she figures it out or not...it is a wonderful journey (and will end with an even more wonderful journey!)

 

I planned a trip to Pebble Beach for DH's 40th...the cost of the room & golf round made me ILL (I mentioned to my mother we could have cruised for a week for that price!! We literally were gone less than 72 hrs) At one point he asked if we were going to Phoenix? Vegas? Pebble Beach? (WHAT??!!:eek:--I had only mentioned he could golf there). SO one evening a couple weeks before when I was out I had a friend call & claim to be from Hilton Head resorts to confirm....did we want 2 doubles or one king...any special requests. He did NOT mention this that evening so I KNEW it threw him--perfect! The day before departure there was a huge ice storm from Missouri to WV & DH began to panic that we would miss connections. On the way to our hotel the night before I said--stop worrying, we aren't going to Hilton Head (GOTCHA)

 

Of course as we checked in the airport in Omaha, & the clerk said "2 to San Francisco" DH says "Where on earth am I going to golf in SF?" DARN CLERK responds, "Well, Pebble Beach of course!"--NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But still a wonderful surprise & a wonderful trip--worth every penny.

 

Keep it coming--I'll be following!

'Wow! Id love to keep such a surprise for that long!

[terrific_surprise]

Absolutely love this!! Whether she figures it out or not...it is a wonderful journey (and will end with an even more wonderful journey!)

 

I planned a trip to Pebble Beach for DH's 40th...

 

Thankfully (for our budget) I'm not into golf -- but if I were, Pebble Beach would definitely be at the top of the list! We love the 17 Mile Drive (that's where those squirrel photos I took a few posts back were taken).

 

It definitely sounds like you are a kindred spirit, KKB! I think the thing I love best about such surprises is the look on DW's face... so having a long, drawn out surprise like this just gives me more opportunities to see "that look"!

[terrific_surprise]

Yesterday DW and I went to see The Lucky One at our local dollar theater. We loved The Notebook so I guess that hooked us (but after seeing it we both agree that it's no Notebook, but it was still worth seeing).

 

We found our seats in the dark theater as the first few scenes rolled, and I slipped a gold envelope into the cupholder between our seats. I hoped that I could manipulate things to have DW "discover" it just at the romantic peak of the movie, but she found it a couple of minutes earlier than I intended (but it still worked as one of those "how long has this been there?" moments when I love to see DW's reaction).

 

On the front of the envelope I had written "To the one whose smile makes me feel like the Luckiest Man in the world!"

 

DW tried to look at it in the dark theater, but gave up and watched the rest of the movie. Outside in the light afterwards, she opened it up to discover this photo:

 

On the other side of the photo I wrote "You will share your adventure with thousands (at least most of it) – but I look forward to the moments only the two of us share together!"

 

A couple of weeks ago I had hidden a gold envelope under a package of macaroni in the cupboard. Then I had sent DW a text "macaroni for lunch?" But she had other plans for lunch that day, so she didn't find the macaroni clue until a few days ago. As we all sat down to enjoy her macaroni creation I had actually forgotten that this meant she should have found the clue, but she mentioned it a few minutes later.

 

On the front of the envelope I had written: "To the most delicious cook in my world!" This photo was inside:

 

 

On the back I had written: "Room cleaning! Twice a day! Wherever you are, clean or messy, I want to be there!"

 

Last night at the grocery store I pointed to a product with "Golden" in its name and kiddingly said "maybe we should buy that!" (DW knew that it was a joke as it was something we would never buy.) But her response kind of shocked me and made me literally laugh out loud (but also made me nervous)!

 

"What are you taking me on, the Golden Venture?"

 

That's probably an obscure reference that few will understand, but it is something that DW and I discussed often back in the nineties. The Golden Venture was a smuggling ship carrying Chinese refugees which ran aground off of Queens New York in 1993, resulting in the incarceration of the refugees. The conditions on board the Golden Venture were reportedly horrible, so it was definitely not a positive reference.

 

The thing that made me nervous, though, is the fact that DW is already thinking that "Golden" could refer to the name of the ship! It looks like she is well on her way to discovering more than I wanted her to know (because it is only one step away from her realizing that the Golden Princess cruises to Hawaii).

 

I had considered taking DW to the Princess Cruises office in Santa Clarita today, as we are bringing the kids to nearby Six Flags Magic Mountain (as kind of a late Father's Day celebration, because they were all sick on Father's Day). But I think I won't do that now. It's too likely that she will hear of the Golden Princess, and its destination! As far as I know, she does not yet realize that there is a ship named the "Golden Princess" -- and I want to keep it that way for a little while longer!

Edited June 20, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typographical error

[terrific_surprise]

It has been quite a busy week, both for cruise-clues and for the other aspects of our life, which at times has made the cruise plans seem like a fleeting dream. Of course, in the greater context of our lives, our two past cruises have been kind of like a brief dream, but part of the reason for my whole year-long pre-cruise plan is to try to make the dream last a little longer, and to weave it into our daily reality instead of making it seem like a kind of other-worldly experience.

 

I think I probably mentioned earlier here DW's childhood fascination with Mt. Baldy, which towers over the San Gabriel Valley where she was born and raised. The very first photo clue I gave her was actually a photo of Mt. Baldy, which I gave her when the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve 2011/2012.

 

The relationship in my mind between Mt. Baldy and the cruise was triggered first by this photo, which I think I found somewhere on CC.

It was taken by someone departing on a Princess ship from San Pedro, with Mt. Baldy framed by the bridge which towers over the cruise port. That triggered my imagination to consider what we could see from Mt. Baldy, including of course the ports where our two cruises began but also including Catalina Island, which DW and I fondly remember as the first stop on our first cruise.

 

So all along, my plan to reveal the cruise involved a trip to Mt. Baldy (which she had previously only seen from a distance). Although some of our best memories involve some difficult hikes, DW has found these hikes to be more and more difficult with the passing decades, probably because of a circulation problem she apparently inherited from her mother.

 

As I considered bringing DW to Mt. Baldy, eventually I discovered the nearby ski lifts. When I learned this week about the annual Mt. Baldy "Summer Solstice Trail Trek" I knew that this would be my best chance to get DW as close to Mt. Baldy as possible. The Summer Solstice Trail Trek package cut off several of the most difficult miles of the hike, with a four-wheel-drive van shuttling hikers from the top of the ski lift to the part of the trail which is closest to the mountain, and a trail guide leading the group to the top.

 

Before heading up the mountain, I directed DW to an Acapulco restaurant. "So," she contemplated, "you're taking me to Acapulco?" She was obviously referring to the city, not the restaurant, adding "that's pretty far away."

 

After lunch, I suggested that we drive up to Mt. Baldy. As DW navigated our way up the switchbacks, she stated emphatically "I do not want to drive down this road in the dark!"

 

When she said that, I was glad that I had not purchased tickets for the Summer Solstice Trail Trek, because watching the sunset from the top of Mt. Baldy is part of the package, which of course would mean that we would have to drive down in the dark. I had intentionally refrained from pre-purchasing the tickets, because I wanted DW to make the final decision on whether or not she could handle the hike. If she decided against the hike, I figured we could be content with the view from the ski area.

 

As we pulled into the ski lift parking lot, I began to explain what would be involved in the hike. Just then one of the trail guides pulled his car up next to us. Overhearing our conversation, Scott (the guide) encouraged DW to go for it. "It's two and a half hours of putting one foot in front of the other, but it's an E Ticket ride," he enthusiastically explained. It just so happened that Scott had an extra ticket that he offered to sell to us at a discount, so that was enough to convince DW to give it a try.

 

"If it's too much for her to handle," I told Scott, "we can just turn around, right?" I said this mostly for DW's benefit, so that she wouldn't feel obligated to push herself too hard.

 

We had never been on a ski lift before, but Scott showed us what to do. From his seat in the chair in front of us, Scott explained more about the hike as the ski lift approached the top. "The view from the Devil's Backbone is amazing," Scott exclaimed.

 

DW cringed at the mention of the Devil's Backbone. "I wish you hadn't told her about that," I told Scott, cringing at the thought of how DW would react.

 

"This may be a very short hike," I thought (because the Devil's Backbone is the very first part of the hike).

 

"He has been wanting to go to the Devil's Postpile for years," DW explained to Scott, indicating her resistance to the idea.

 

The ski lift ends at the "Baldy Notch," where the view was stunning, in spite of the haze which obscured the view of the metropolitan area below.

 

Scott pointed out Catalina Island on the distant horizon, exclaiming "on a clear day you can even see the ships!"

 

Scott took a picture of DW and myself at the Top of the Notch Restaurant, with the top of Mt. Baldy hidden in the background.

 

Apparently the lure of getting to the top of Mt. Baldy was enough to get DW to dare to step over the Devil's Backbone. After an uncomfortable ride in the shuttle van which bounced all over the dirt road and threatened to fall over the precipice, DW stepped out with a surprisingly positive attitude, ready to ascend to the top.

 

The view over the Devil's Backbone was truly breathtaking -- for me, at least -- with Cajon Pass and the high desert to the right and Los Angeles and the islands to the left. But DW focused straight ahead. (That was probably just as well, considering the steep dropoff to each side of the trail!)

 

She later compared it to childbirth: "When they were telling me to look around at the beautiful view," DW explained, "it was just like when I was in labor and they said 'look at your baby.'" She was working too hard to care about the beautiful view.

 

Our guide and hiking group patiently waited whenever DW needed to catch her breath. We made it over the Devil's Backbone and past Mt. Harwood, but as we approached the final ascent, about a half mile from the top of Mt. Baldy at an elevation of about 9500 feet, DW decided that she had reached her limit.

 

Although I had looked forward to the 360 degree view from the top, I was actually somewhat relieved with DW's decision. Seeing her struggle with each step, I began to agonize over what could happen if she pushed herself too hard. In addition, I was apprehensive about the thoughts of making our way back down over the loose rocks on the Devil's Backbone in the dark. And to make matters worse, it was already becoming surprisingly cold.

 

DW encouraged me to leave her there and go on to the top, but I wouldn't even consider it.

 

The rest of our hiking group went on without us, while the guide stayed with DW and myself as we made our way back down. The guide took us back down to the Notch in a pickup truck, which was much more comfortable than the shuttle van. A hula girl mounted on the dashboard bounced violently from side to side as we descended on the dirt road. (I resisted the temptation to say something to DW about the hula girl, afraid that I could give away more than I intended.)

 

I had prepared a golden envelope to give to DW at the top of Mt. Baldy, but with DW's difficulties on the trail, it never seemed to be the right moment. But as we waited at the Notch restaurant for the post-hike barbecue dinner (which was part of the Solstice hike package we had purchased), DW overheard someone say that cell phone reception could be obtained by walking over a nearby ridge.

 

After being out of touch with the kids for several hours, DW wanted to let them know that we would be coming home late. As we walked toward the ridge, I tried to nonchalantly throw the golden envelope on the ground ahead of her, but instead my feeble attempt to be sly just made DW laugh.

 

She picked up the envelope, on which I had written "from your Old Baldy." For years my family has ribbed me about going bald, insisting that I have a bald spot. While I'm either too dense or too vain to admit that I am going bald, I couldn't resist putting that on the envelope.

 

Opening up the envelope, DW viewed the photo of Mt. Baldy from the cruise port. On the back I had written "From the place of your birth to the place of your dreams!" While we hadn't quite made it to the point where we could look down over the "place of her birth," I think DW understood the symbolic meaning of what I wrote.

 

We enjoyed looking down on the lights of the cities below us as we ate our dinner at the Top of the Notch while being warmed by the fire. Then we finally made the chilly but beautiful descent down the ski lift to the parking lot.

 

That's only part of the story I intended to write here, but I have already taken much more time than I intended to write this. Hopefully I can write a bit more later about a couple more important clues, including my most synergistic clue yet, which unintentionally led DW straight to Princess!

 

As we made our way back home, I asked DW to tell me honestly if she regretted the hike.

 

"It definitely was not a pleasant walk," DW confessed, "but I'm glad I did it."

 

"No hill for a climber," she concluded, parroting something her father used to often say.

 

I'm hoping that the final payoff for this mountain climbing experience will happen at the port on the cruise ship, if the skies are clear enough to allow us to see Mt. Baldy from there.

Edited June 24, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo

[terrific_surprise]

As I have previously explained, I have deliberately tried to avoid making it seem like the various aspects of the cruise-clues I have given to DW relate to each other. So the circumstances surrounding where and when the clue is given usually are not related to the content of the photo, which usually does not relate to what is written on the back or on the outside of the envelope.

 

But for the most recent clue, some synergy seemed appropriate. The setting for the clue was San Antonio Falls, just below Mt. Baldy. On the morning after DW pushed herself to the limit by attempting to hike to the top of Mt. Baldy, I was a bit unsure whether I should try to get her to the waterfall. But I had the clue ready to go, and according to a website I found, the hike to the falls was really "more like a stroll on pavement."

 

So DW agreed to the hike (based upon the website description, which failed to emphasize the fact that it is uphill all the way). Eventually DW got tired of believing the people who passed by who claimed that the waterfall was "just around the corner," so she asked me to walk ahead and come back to report to her how much further she needed to go.

 

Of course, I was glad to do so, because that gave me the opportunity to find a place to plant a little golden envelope! :D

 

I discovered that the waterfall really was "just around the corner" at this point, and after hiding the envelope between some wooden posts, I encouraged DW to go the additional 200 or so paces to see it.

 

When she arrived there, I encouraged her to sit on a rock which was adjacent to where I had hidden the envelope. It took her a couple of minutes, but eventually she spotted it.

 

On the front of the envelope, I had written "To the one whose hair is more lovely than a flowing waterfall." Inside was this photo:

 

DW said that the photo looked similar to the waterfall where we were standing. (I had thought of the same thing, although the amount of water flowing over San Antonio Falls appeared to be much less than its maximum level.) I was a bit nervous about the waterfall-based clues, wondering how soon she might discover their Hawaiian location, so I was relieved that this photo made her think of a California waterfall.

 

On the back of the photo I had written "Champagne waterfall?"

 

After reading the clue, DW responded "it must be a Princess cruise, because Princess has the champagne waterfall!"

 

"I thought that all cruises had champagne waterfalls," I replied, but probably not in a convincing way. (Come to think of it, maybe there wasn't a champagne waterfall on the Carnival cruise.)

 

Another clue I had given DW a few days ago was a photo of a beach scene, where I had written on the back "Will I have the guts to sing you a karaoke song (if I get the chance)? You're definitely 'Still the One'!"

 

While I love to sing privately for DW, one of the few times I have had the courage to sing publicly for her was on our Carnival cruise, when I sang "Still the One." I don't remember whether there were any opportunities for karaoke on our Princess cruise, so this is one clue which may not be fulfilled.

 

This afternoon at church, we had to answer the question "what is one thing you would like to do which you have never done before?"

 

DW answered "go to Hawaii or Europe!"

 

Later I asked her "why did you mention Hawaii? You have already been there!"

 

Looking into my eyes, she exclaimed "but I haven't been there with you!"

Edited June 25, 2012 by terrific_surprise
typo