Atlanta, GA
This past weekend I had the privilege of helping my daughter plan an awesome birthday surprise for her husband of 7.5 years. Words can’t describe how fun it was to help her come up with an idea that would bless him, and give them both a memory they would cherish for the rest of their lives.
Plan A was to drop all the kiddos (they have three 5 and under) off at their pre-arranged locations. It would be the first time she would leave their 7 month baby girl with someone over night. But she was ready!
Next she would have a friend drop her off at her husband’s office at 4p. where she would go to his boss’ office to wait for him to walk in for a “meeting.” Yes, Tracy had called his boss at the beginning of the week asking for his help in pulling off this surprise. He was more than willing, and actually excited to be a part of making this happen.
A perfect plan…except…
His boss e-mailed her to let her know plans were made to give all employees the holiday weekend off beginning at 3p. on Friday.
Tracy called me to tell me the bad news. It wasn’t going to work as planned. I told her not to give up, but to go to Plan B. The only problem? There was no plan B…yet.
We talked it through and worked out another way to make it all work. Tracy was determined to do whatever was needed to spouse-nap her husband. And she did it with flying colors!
She arrived at her husband’s office building realizing she had no idea what floor his office was located. (Seth was at a new job which he started only months before and she had not been there.) She took an educated guess and arrived on a floor full of closed doors. She didn’t know what to do. So she texted her husband. She asked him to come to the 7th floor elevators to find part of his birthday surprise. When he asked why, she just said, “Trust me!” When he came, he found her standing there, and he was confused. She said it was time to leave, but he said he had an important meeting with his boss.
She said, “That’s me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m your meeting. Your boss set that up so you wouldn’t leave the building until I arrived.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I’ve planned a surprise for you, and this is just the beginning.”
Thus, began a fabulous night away for the two of them. We were thrilled to get texts letting us know the surprise was going off without a hitch!
We are sure this is a night they will both remember for the rest of their lives. Surprises are like that. They have staying power in our memory.
Have you ever spouse-napped your husband/wife?
If not, why not make plans to do so this year! You’ll make a lasting memory, but be prepared with a Plan B. Most surprises never go off as originally planned, and many of us give up and spill the secret. BUT those who go to plan B learn how much the surprise was worth the effort.
Valentine’s Day is next month. What surprise could you plan for your spouse that would make them say, “What?” We challenge you to go for it. And then, let us know what you did, either Plan A or B.
Let’s celebrate the privilege it is to do the unexpected. Our spouse, as well as our marriage is worth it!
The Romantic Vineyard 
So fun! I spouse-napped David for his favorite dinner on the beach! Soooooo fun! We still talk about it! 🙂 Post-triplets though…might be a while before another surprise. 🙂
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Oh you can plan “at-home” surprises on a regular basis, and I have a feeling you do! The season of life dictates the degree to which we can bless our spouse in this way. As long as the heart is there to do so, you’ll be fine. The three littles won’t be little forever. 🙂
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I planned a ‘Garden of Eden’ surprise night once. Husband did know some of the plans, but I had a large hatbox- I filled it full of things for that surprise. I set it out in the room and told him to stay out of it and that there were surprises in it for the weekend. The B & B was already very romantic with a large iron bed, gas fireplace and tub for two. I packed candles, wine glasses,silk roses, etc. Made the room look like the Garden of Eden. I was to be his Eve. ( The innkeeper even asked what’s in the box. 😉 He said, ” I don’t know, but am excited to find out. ” We read scripture ( SOS), had an early lite supper and turned in early to turn up the heat. So don’t be intimated if you can’t make the whole thing a surprise, but make a semi-surprise. He still tells people about the ‘surprise!’
Another idea is rent a cabin, that has alot of romantic extras. Double up on gifts, like we have combined birthday and mother’s day and his bday. Take some easy items along, burn a cd of your romantic songs. They even have a dvd that’s a roaring fire. Take a laptop and romantic movie. Have some plans for him that night that he won’t forget. 😉 Or even make it a themed weekend. ( Italian, French, Colorado Mountain) One of my friends said she was going to surprise her husband in the deer blind sometime. Just make sure he’s alone. 😉
If you get friends to help you, or allow your spouse time to finish up what they are doing at work, that also works. I had a friend give him a letter with instructions, he was to finish work and then come home. Where I had some things already packed and the weekend planned. We stayed at a cabin in the woods, where we had a golf cart to ride. He loved it !
We talk about semi-surprises all the time! And smaller ‘date night’ at home surprises are fun too!
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Great ideas, Michelle! I’m sure your husband like the “and they were naked and not ashamed” part of your Garden of Eden Date night! Lol! Very creative! We’re so glad you’ve shared these ideas with us! Thank you!!!
Blessings,
Debi
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Yes Debi, it’s such a reward to see our children loving their spouses and taking time out of the ‘business of life’ to make them feel special.
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That is so cute and so neat that you were a part of it too.
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Thanks Sharon! It is nice that our daughter seeks us out for ideas. She’s watched us do fun things like this her whole life. Now it’s fun to watch our married children do the same. Love it!!
Blessings,
Debi
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Pingback: Get Your Romance On | The Romantic Vineyard
Jenni and I have both done this for each other. So fun!!
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Scott,
And you do an excellent job of inspiring others to do the same! We’d love to hear more from you on this topic!
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On our way home from church a couple days before my birthday, my husband handed me a card that said, “Happy Birthday, you’re surprise starts now! we are leaving for Portland in one hour, everything is taken care of!” And it was! All the ways down to the kids school conferences, and his mom was on her way to watch our kids as we pulled into the driveway. I wasn’t sure what to do, I almost didn’t believe it… But off we went for what was the BEST birthday ever!
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Jeannette,
What a great way to have a surprise birthday!! I love how he made it seem so spontaneous, but in reality took lots of stealth planning. So fun and romantic!
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Isn’t it music to your ears to hear : ” Let’s go, everything is taken care of. ” That would be so romantic !!! How blessed you are. 😉
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Michelle,
You’re right on what a blessing it is to hear those words. And it goes both ways. We, as wives, can bless our husband in this way. It’s been our experience that surprises breed more surprises. Someone has to go first. Have you ever planned a surprise for your husband? We’d love to hear! If not, it would be a fun challenge to try.
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Yes, I recently did the ‘Garden of Eden’ post. And then surprised him with a ‘Cabin in the Woods’ one as well, where he had a golf cart to drive all weekend. Yes, I do wonder what inspires the surprises back 😉 ??? Any ideas ???
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Michelle,
That’s right! I’m sorry I didn’t recall, my brain is stretched thin lately. I LOVED your Garden of Eden date.
I’ve discovered that in most marriages there is usually one more prone to planning such surprises and the other just doesn’t think that way. That doesn’t mean they can’t. Have you tried talking about it? He may not have thought about reciprocating. We have a Get Your Romance Challenge coming up in Feb. that maybe you could plan to do together. Maybe take turns with the weekly planning.
Another great resource for him would be to follow Scott Means’ blog: Journey to Surrender. He excels at surprising his bride and Jenni (his wife) has written a couple of posts describing in detail what he planned and how it blessed her.
I hope these ideas help. If not, let’s keep talking. That’s why we’re here.
Blessings,
Debi
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Can I chat with you email ? If not that’s ok, will check out that post, maybe it would he helpful. Thx so much. 😉
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Do you know what his ‘surprises in detail page’ would be under ?
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I’ve sent a request to him for the link. I couldn’t find it either. I’ll forward it when I hear from him.
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Thx so much,
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How sweet, Debi! Yes, I’ve spouse-napped my husband but didn’t know it was called that (now that I know, I’ll use that word all the time). I just spouse-napped him recently for his 41st birthday. And the very first stop was his Saturday workout class where I’d filled the room with 30 of his closest friends and family who all did spinning with him. It was the first time the fitness studio had ever hosted a surprise birthday party but something tells me they’ll be doing alot of them because everyone had a blast (and he said it was his best birthday ever).
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Never been spouse-napped—not yet anyhow. Sounds like a fun idea!
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Kim,
Maybe you should go first. He’ll never forget it, and neither will you! 🙂
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