Lucky In Love

First of all, I have to thank my talented sister Jenn for another beautiful blog design! I'm really liking this new winter design, it must be tough to be so talented. :)

Right after the first of the year, I said there were a lot of things that I needed to catch up on and write about on here.

Then, this past Sunday night we met with our couples group. We've been splitting up the men and the women and the men are reading For Men Only and the women have been reading For Women Only. These have been great books that have brought about a lot of great discussions about our husbands/wives and the opposite sex.



This past week we discussed the topic of romance. This is one topic that I've always felt very lucky in. As in, Caleb is incredibly romantic and he continues to surprise me and plan things to sweep me off of my feet. Please understand, I'm not tooting my own horn here because I know that the romantic things that Caleb does for me are not a reflection of who I am, but who he is and the lengths he goes to to show how much he loves me.

I simply had to share the amazing job that Caleb did with giving me one of the best birthday surprises ever! It was seriously one of the best and most romantic nights of my life.

It started with the Thursday before Christmas. My birthday is right after Christmas and we were going to be out of state then so Caleb knew in order to plan this it would have to be done before Christmas. Anyway, the Thursday before Christmas around lunch time Caleb handed me a box and said "Happy Birthday!" He went on to tell me that I needed to go and shower (we had taken Elliana swimming that morning) and I couldn't open the box until after I was finished showering. He also said to kiss Elliana goodbye- she was sleeping in her crib. I gave him a funny look and then did what he told me to.

After showering, I opened the first box. Caleb and Elliana were already gone. There was a bite-sized Baby Ruth in the box (my favorite) and a note that explained that I was going to be going on a little scavenger hunt that would lead to more surprises. The note told me to go to the basement, pick out one of our suitcases (the note said I would know which one), bring it back upstairs and leave it on the bed. My next note would be in the suitcase.

Sure enough, I went to the basement and found a suitcase with another Baby Ruth sitting on top. I took the suitcase upstairs and read my second note. This note had the key to our safety deposit box with it and it told me to go to our safety deposit box at the bank where I would find me next clue.

So, off to the bank I went and I got into the safety deposit box. In the box was my third note and a $10 bill. The note said that my next clue would be at the Starbucks across the street and I couldn't spend the $10 until I read the next note.

With a huge grin on my face I drove across the street and walked up to the Starbucks counter to ask for my next note. Inside the note told me to buy a non-perishable dessert for us to share (we love mint-milano cookies) and a magazine. It then said to drive back home and pack one dressy outfit, one casual outfit, a swimsuit, something to sleep in, all of my toiletries, and something sexy. ;-)



I was so excited at this point! I did as the note said and Caleb was waiting for me when I got home. He didn't say much except that he was so excited, that he had been planning this for a long time, and that Elliana was safe and happy with his parents for the night. We packed up quickly and drove off.

We headed to Denver and ended up at the Hyatt near the 16th Street Mall. Caleb was a little stressed about the time and I couldn't understand why. When we arrived at the hotel, Caleb turned to me and said, "We're running a little late so you need to go straight to the spa. I scheduled a pre-natal massage for you". Let me just say that the massage was heavenly! It was just what this very prego woman needed.




After my massage we had just a few minutes to hang out in the room and check out the hotel and then Caleb said it was time to get dressed, in our dressy clothes. Because of the location of the hotel, we were able to walk everywhere we needed to be that night. We walked to Maggiano's (a very nice Italian restaurant) and had dinner there. We've had a gift card to Maggiano's for a looooong time and kept saying that we needed to use it up. The dinner was amazingly delicious. On a side note, if you ever eat there, the portions are HUGE and two people can easily share a meal.



Keep in mind that with each surprise, I didn't know what was coming next. Caleb was again a little stressed with the time and I couldn't figure out why. We walked as quickly as our legs would carry us to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and Caleb surprised me with two tickets to The Nutcracker! Believe it or not, I had never been to The Nutcracker before. The performance was amazing, I absolutely loved it!



After The Nutcracker, we got some Starbucks and walked back to the hotel. The next morning we slept in, had a quick breakfast, and picked Elliana up from his parent's house.

So, this was by far one of the best surprises/ birthday gifts Caleb has ever given me. It was one of those nights that you don't want to end (aside from the fact that I couldn't be away from my daughter too long).

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the night. I really wish I did. So I just added some of the best pictures of the two of us from throughout the year.



I just had to brag on my husband because he seriously is so thoughtful and so romantic and I feel so lucky to be his wife. No, our lives aren't perfect and neither is our relationship. We have disagreements and fights from time to time just like any other couple, but he is my best friend and I feel so loved by him and every day I'm so thankful that God brought us together.



Now, how to surprise him? I've been thinking long and hard about this one. Let me know if any of you have surprised your husband with an amazing surprise.