I can hardly contain my excitement all day. I'm stuck in a Branding: Increase Retention and Recruiting education class, but counting down the hours until I can begin a surprise attack on Chris.
It actually began 3 months ago before his birthday. I was thinking about what I might do that would be special for him. His favorite thing is golf…so I decided to take him to the US Open. It is (was) in San Diego this year at Torrey Pines, and being that I lived in San Diego for many years, I was thrilled for a weekend visit. I emailed his boss to tell him the plan, and booked all the reservations and tickets. Today months of planning would be realized.
4pm I race out of the training to get home and meet the driver picking up myself and the luggage. I put the US Open ticket, his hat; sunscreen and golf vest into a bag to give him for the big reveal. The driver and I load up, and head for downtown. At the same time Chris’ boss was calling him into his office to let him know he needed to shut down his computer, pack his things and go down to the lobby. Chris of course freaked out, and thought that he was fired. He was assured that he was not being fired, and that it was a good thing he was leaving for. Here is where his anxiety begins. He headed back to his desk, and I call his cell phone to tell him I am downstairs waiting for him. He peppered me with questions because he was freaking out “Why are you here?”, “What are you doing here?”, “Did you win something?” After convincing him to come outside, he saw me standing next to a town car and was totally confused.
I push him into the car, hand him the bag and order him to open it. When he sees the tickets his face goes into total shock. He asks if I am coming with him, and when we are leaving. When he hears me say, “yes”, and “right now”….I could see the total discomfort pass across his face. I could tell he was having this internal dialogue:
“Oh dear…right now…I wouldn’t have worn this for the plane, or this watch, it doesn’t match…I was going to mow the lawn on Saturday…now when will I do that…I wonder if she remembered about the dog…where are we going to stay…how much is this costing”…etc. Until he can look in the suitcase he will worry about what I brought for him to wear.
San Diego from the Air
We get to the airport, check in, board and head to San Diego. The flight is short, and uneventful. When we land and head for baggage my phone rings, and it's our ride. My best friend Val is waiting at the curb. As we drive Chris begins to relax. Once we arrive at Val and Brian’s…he is immediately handed a beer (great work Brian) and he starts to enjoy the surprise. We eat dinner and catch up with the happy couple. This is the first time that Chris and Val’s husband Brian are meeting. They hit it off, and Val and I are thrilled. Chris also has a chance to look into his suitcase, and even though I didn’t pack all that he would have chosen, I'm given kudos for a good job. After a few hours (and beverages) we head to bed.
And that’s only Thursday!
(Val and Brian)
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