Need help surprising the family on Christmas

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thank you for posting the link ... I really enjoyed the anticipation of waiting for Christmas!!! Enjoy! Jan

[slk230red]

Great thread....you're very creative! Of course you have to be when you own a '71 Corvette.

 

Congrats, from a fellow '71 Corvette owner.

[LoneStarJeffe]

That was really fantastic!!! :) :) :) Congratulations on such a well planned and executed surprise gift of a cruise! Well done sir. Well done indeed.

[mechcc]

What a great surprise and enjoyed the video. Your family is lovely. Don't know how you kept it all a secret - my husband wouldn't last until Christmas Day let alone enduring all the family not noticing the present.

 

Hope you have a wonderful family cruise!

[71Corvette]

Thanks everyone. I've been thinking that RCL could market something like the talking conch shell I created. To me it would make for a neat souvenir - they'd probably sell a bunch of them.

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks everyone. I've been thinking that RCL could market something like the talking conch shell I created. To me it would make for a neat souvenir - they'd probably sell a bunch of them.

 

Copyright it ASAP.

 

Andrew

[dobiemom]

(hopefully the link works!)

You DEFINITELY get Father/Husband of the Year for this! Great job! :D

[A&L_Ont]

Sorry for the delay in getting the links up. Our son is staying with my mom thought so I finally have a chance to do this. Sadly it is 6am... so much for sleeping in.

 

My truck is a 1972 Ford f250 4X4. It is a 42,000 miles truck with one other owner prior to me. Our family has known them since the 90s. It is a Western Canadian truck, from Alberta. Parts truck came from Ok, USA. The restoration took about a year, and is very correct to original.

 

http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site2/listing/1972-ford-f-250/

 

My wife's car is a 66 Mustang convertible. We are the 3rd owners. Started as a straight 6, auto, manual drums, manual top. It now has a 289, top loader 4 speed, pony interior, manual disc brakes, power top, hidden latch seat clips for our son etc... It looked good from the start, but once we dug in:eek: it was rough. New floor pan from firewall to trunk, other pieces replaced here and there. Switched to a fibreglass shelby style hood. Looks cool and helps with cooling the engine. Used doors from on-line, NOS rear quarters on-line auction again, the only original metal left is the front quarters as they were replace in 1978 with a frame on resto, and the deck lid which is the original. Stayed with the factory white and red interior. The car was a basket case, took close to 2 years and over the original budget. It was a 20/20 car. Looked good 20 feet away at 20 miles an hour:D. It is now an amazing car. Lisa loves it.

 

http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site2/listing/1966-ford-mustang-convertible/

 

Both have been painted as though they went down on the line back in the day. Overspray correct, paint stamps, even down to the extra spray on the underside to where you can see the paint has dried and is dripping and markings on the pumpkins, drive shafts etc..

 

Hope you like them. You should check out the restorers website too. They have a 71 vette in stock as well as many other classics and modern cars. They have a show on Velocity, called Legendary Motorcar. You might have seen it this fall. They had another show called Dream Car Garage as well a few years ago, on Speed.

 

Andrew

[lauren0309]

Loved your video! What a great idea. I would definitely buy a conch shell to surprise my family. Definitely try to get it on the market so I can purchase one!

[Pack My Bags]

Tim,

Thanks for sharing this story. Not only will your family always remember this Christmas, but you have taught your children that valiant efforts make lasting impressions -- a lesson that they will follow their entire lives. You are a great dad & your family is lucky to have you.

 

I wish you & your family a happy & healthy new year with beautiful memories & smooth sailing ahead!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[janetz]

Ok, on with the story…

 

So, after sitting in the living room for what seemed like forever, my wife finally noticed the package and got up to it to check it out. She read the tag and then called over our son and daughter so they could all open it together. Amazingly she even muted the TV for which was perfect! Just at this moment I quickly reached over to turn on the camera (nobody saw me do it) and here’s what it caught (you may need to turn up the volume to hear the shell more clearly).

 

Oh, and my wife REALLY wants to get a goat as a pet for some reason. This comment will make sense as you watch the video. :D

 

(hopefully the link works!)

 

I still don’t know where my daughter came up with the comment about me saying “maybe” they’d get a cruise the prior night. I had been really tight lipped about anything cruise-related for the last couple of weeks so I know it wasn’t me that said something to her – maybe she dreamed it or something!

 

Believe it or not I was pretty nervous as they opened the present. I was mostly worried that the shell wouldn’t work like it was supposed to, but was also a bit nervous that my wife wouldn’t appreciate my large purchase without her consent. My nervousness must have been distracting me because I totally forgot the cruise brochure was under the picture frame. :rolleyes: This led to that goof on my part which annoys me a bit but whatever – nothing’s perfect. Otherwise my plan worked perfectly and got exactly the reaction I wanted. My wife was totally blown away and my daughter was nearly speechless for about 5 minutes after they opened it. As for my son, well he just loves an excuse to jump around and throw stuff in the air. LOL All in all it was a great surprise!

 

I think they were all dumbfounded when they opened the present, especially my daughter who was noticeably quiet through most of the video. After I turned off the camera they continued to get more and more excited and started asking questions about the ship, where we were going, etc. Come to find out all three of them later told me that they all almost started crying when they opened it – I guess that means they really liked it. :D

 

Last night as we put the kids to bed I was amazed at how excited they still were. We sat upstairs and talked about what they were thinking as they opened the gift, the talking shell, their reactions, and the upcoming trip for nearly an hour. As I said goodnight my son gave me the tightest and longest hug he’s ever given me (it must have lasted for a solid minute) and my daughter said it was the best Christmas ever and that she was going to take the shell to school for show and tell. My wife told me she was completely shocked not only at the gift, but at the fact that I was so tight-lipped about it.

 

One thing is certain - this is one Christmas we’ll all remember forever! Admittedly, I'm pretty proud of myself for pulling this off. :cool:

 

So there you have it, my Christmas surprise from start to finish. I couldn’t be happier with how it all worked out, and the fact that I managed to get it all on video! Years from now I know we’ll look back at this video and smile, realizing it was the beginning of a very memorable family vacation!

 

Thanks again to all those who provided me with ideas and encouragement, your thoughts and comments were truly appreciated!

 

Tim

 

THAT was wonderful! :D

[vondofife]

That was fantastic. Made me smile. :D

[cruisinfreedom09]

I am a latecomer to this thread but wanted to chime in and say that I love the talking shell idea!! Brilliant! I know this will be a Christmas to remember for your family!! Happy cruising!

[71Corvette]

Sorry for the delay in getting the links up. Our son is staying with my mom thought so I finally have a chance to do this. Sadly it is 6am... so much for sleeping in.

 

My truck is a 1972 Ford f250 4X4. It is a 42,000 miles truck with one other owner prior to me. Our family has known them since the 90s. It is a Western Canadian truck, from Alberta. Parts truck came from Ok, USA. The restoration took about a year, and is very correct to original.

 

http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site2/listing/1972-ford-f-250/

 

My wife's car is a 66 Mustang convertible. We are the 3rd owners. Started as a straight 6, auto, manual drums, manual top. It now has a 289, top loader 4 speed, pony interior, manual disc brakes, power top, hidden latch seat clips for our son etc... It looked good from the start, but once we dug in:eek: it was rough. New floor pan from firewall to trunk, other pieces replaced here and there. Switched to a fibreglass shelby style hood. Looks cool and helps with cooling the engine. Used doors from on-line, NOS rear quarters on-line auction again, the only original metal left is the front quarters as they were replace in 1978 with a frame on resto, and the deck lid which is the original. Stayed with the factory white and red interior. The car was a basket case, took close to 2 years and over the original budget. It was a 20/20 car. Looked good 20 feet away at 20 miles an hour:D. It is now an amazing car. Lisa loves it.

 

http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site2/listing/1966-ford-mustang-convertible/

 

Both have been painted as though they went down on the line back in the day. Overspray correct, paint stamps, even down to the extra spray on the underside to where you can see the paint has dried and is dripping and markings on the pumpkins, drive shafts etc..

 

Hope you like them. You should check out the restorers website too. They have a 71 vette in stock as well as many other classics and modern cars. They have a show on Velocity, called Legendary Motorcar. You might have seen it this fall. They had another show called Dream Car Garage as well a few years ago, on Speed.

 

Andrew

 

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I spent the entire weekend in the office trying to get in front of a project deadline...

 

You've definitely got a nice couple sets of wheels. Sounds like you've had them restored very nicely. Bet the driving season for them is pretty short up in your neck of the woods though.

 

I can totally relate to your 20/20 analogy. After 30 years my car was bastardized in more ways than I could ever have imagined. :rolleyes: It sure makes the restoration take a lot longer, and cost a lot more!

 

The link you sent has some real nice restorations on it, I spent quite a while just looking around.

 

Tim

[71Corvette]

Thanks again for all the kind words everyone, they've been very humbling. When I shared my story I did so because I thought it was pretty cool - I wasn't expecting to be nominated as "father of the year". LOL :D

 

I'd love to try and market something like this but something tells me RCL wouldn't appreciate my efforts. :D

 

Happy new year all. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

[A&L_Ont]

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I spent the entire weekend in the office trying to get in front of a project deadline...

 

You've definitely got a nice couple sets of wheels. Sounds like you've had them restored very nicely. Bet the driving season for them is pretty short up in your neck of the woods though.

 

I can totally relate to your 20/20 analogy. After 30 years my car was bastardized in more ways than I could ever have imagined. :rolleyes: It sure makes the restoration take a lot longer, and cost a lot more!

 

The link you sent has some real nice restorations on it, I spent quite a while just looking around.

 

Tim

 

Tim, I am glad you liked them. Driving season here is May to late October maybe November. We live on gravel so rain is an extra hindrance. We also live in the snow belt, off the great lakes.

 

I don't know if you made it to their special car section, under the inventory listings, as they have some great ones. When ever I am at their shop they always have some cool stuff going on. They are building 2 cars for a guy in Saudi Arabia, they have been shipping quite a few Caddies to a Russian client who is opening a Cadillac museum in Russia, and usually prepping to head off to a SSCA race on any given summer weekend. You would love it there.

 

Owen is put to bed, today is my 41st birthday, and the guests have left. A quiet night for us. We cruise on Allure this Sunday so organizing and packing tomorrow, office Thursday, and drive to the airport Friday, fly Saturday. A busy week in a good way.

 

Hope your work project is behind you, or at least you have a good start on it. I read on your car site that you are an engineer. When you get to Oasis structurally you will love it. We did the All Access Tour, and you should try to do it. A bit costly but from behind the scenes it will blow your mind. Up on the bridge you can access all the fire control panels, and drill into the information that tells you the relative humidity in in any specific room through sensor in the rooms, to the temperature in that room as well. Design of the ship architecturally amazing. The engine control room is cool as well. I think I could actually run the tour. I am frequently in construction projects in long term care so design, security in building monitoring, and actual appearance of the end project mean a great deal to me.

 

Now on your car project I was thinking with all the work you have done on the Vette do you want to keep it white? You have been so thorough with the restoration to paint it a different color it will effect the end product with the financial collector aspect. I think it would look amazing in white with the red interior. If green was the original interior you could always switch it with not to much effort, but a repaint is way bigger and cost prohibitive down the road. I would guess that you will have her till well after the kids leave for college so at that rate she is a keeper in my books. Take a second look at Lisa's car. The fresh white paint with the red looks amazing, not that red with black wouldn't. :). Just giving something to think about, after all your not painting tomorrow. The most important thing is to build it how you want it, and from your pics that is exactly how I see you doing it.

 

Andrew

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks again for all the kind words everyone, they've been very humbling. When I shared my story I did so because I thought it was pretty cool - I wasn't expecting to be nominated as "father of the year". LOL :D

 

Happy new year all. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

 

Enjoy it as you have less than a hour left.

 

Happy New Years to you as well.

Andrew

[leaveitallbehind]

Enjoy it as you have less than a hour left.

 

Happy New Years to you as well.

Andrew

 

Happy Birthdaty and Happy New Year!

 

Enjoy Allure - sure that you will.

 

Mike

[daisylizzydog]

Great story :) My kids are teens now and still love to cruise. The memories we have made are priceless.

[KPfromCT]

Do you want to adopt me?:o:o Excellent story!!! The video brought a tear to my eye...and you have a beautiful family!!!! Enjoy your cruise!!!!

[sender_name]

Nice work! Well done! As a father this is the kind of moment you point to when people say "I'm never having kids...they ruin the fun..."

 

No, they make the fun! Congrats! I'm sailing with the family on allure in Feb and can't wait!

[A&L_Ont]

Happy Birthdaty and Happy New Year!

 

Enjoy Allure - sure that you will.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike,

 

Hope you and your family had a great Christmas and Happy New Year! I surprised Lisa with a trip to Vegas for Christmas. Nothing booked yet but most likely July is when we will go. We are thinking Sunday to Saturday. When we get back from Allure I will look you up and ask you a few questions as if I remember correctly you are there frequently.

 

Have a great week, at least it is a short one.

Andrew

[leaveitallbehind]

Thanks Mike,

 

Hope you and your family had a great Christmas and Happy New Year! I surprised Lisa with a trip to Vegas for Christmas. Nothing booked yet but most likely July is when we will go. We are thinking Sunday to Saturday. When we get back from Allure I will look you up and ask you a few questions as if I remember correctly you are there frequently.

 

Have a great week, at least it is a short one.

Andrew

 

Glad to help if I can - have a great cruise!