Success

It's always fun getting presents or doing something nice for Jason. He is so appreciative and excited, it's infectious.

Friday afternoon before Jason came home from work, I went to the drug store and bought a roll of red wrapping paper. I cut it into about 6 inch wide strips and used the strips to fashion a giant bow to put on top of his new car. I put the bow in the car along with a roll of scotch tape, and parked the car in our guest parking down the street.

Zeke woke up at about 1:30 in the morning coughing and crying, so I got up and gave him a bottle with his medicine in it. Once I got him back to sleep, I went and got the car and put it in our driveway, and taped the giant bow to the top. I wrapped up the keys and put them in a gift bag.

I then went back to bed and proceeded to have anxiety dreams that Jason hated the car and was mad at me for buying it. I'm such a freak.

Jason got up at about 5 and looked like he was getting ready to go for a surf. He went outside and was standing by the driver's door of the van, but hadn't seen the car because it was on the other side of the van, so his view of it was blocked.

I ran after him like a dork saying, "hey, hey, what are you doing, where are you going??"

He looked at my like I was insane and said, "I'm going surfing."

"But you can't leave yet!! I need to give you your birthday present."

More "you're kookoo" looks. "It's 5 in the morning. Can't it wait?"

"No no no no!! You'll see it! Come inside."

He looked confused but shrugged his shoulders and followed me back into the house.

I handed him the gift bag, and when he unwrapped the little bundle with the car keys inside, his eyes got wide and his mouth dropped open. "Whaaat??? Are you serious?"

I smiled. "Come on out and see your present."

My greatest regret about this whole incident is that I didn't think to grab my camera before running downstairs, because the look on his face was priceless. We walked around the van and there was his new car, all wrapped up in a bow. I think he was in a bit of shock. He kept saying, "no way!" and "I can't believe it!"

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? Baby, I love it. This is the best birthday present anyone's ever given me."

The euphoria continued all weekend. We drove the new car to run errands and to go up to the North Shore for a barbecue with some friends, and he gushed the whole time. He gushed about the money he would save on gas, how comfortable he would be not commuting in the van, how he didn't have to drive home from work in his underwear to stay cool because he now has air conditioning. (And yes, he really does that. He wears boxer briefs, so it's not like he's parading around in tighty-whities, but it was always a bit jarring when he walked into the house every afternoon in his skivvies.)

Yesterday when we were driving home after a lovely day in the sun, he turned to me and said, "this is the best birthday I've ever had. I'm so happy. Thank you, sweetie."

I love it when a plan comes together.