Alicia's Birthday

So close!

I have never been able to surprise Alicia in our whole marriage. Birthdays, anniversaries, whatever, she always picks up on my plans. Today my surprise was staying home from work when Alicia thought I was gone. The plan was to get picked up for the bus just like usual then walk back home, sneak in the house and wait somewhere hidden until Alicia left to take Emily and Ethan to school. Then I would decorate the house and surprise Alicia with her present.

Everything went according to plan except for one thing: I sneezed. I was in the storage room downstairs sitting on a stool in the dark and a sneeze came on. I desperately tried to stop or at least muffle it but there was no stopping it. It wasn't a notably loud sneeze but Alicia happened to be down in the basement at the time and she told me later that she heard me and knew that something was going on.

Dang it!

But she played along anyway. When she arrived home from dropping the kids off I had party decorations up and a gift on the living room end table. When she stepped towards it to read the gift note, I slipped out of Claire's room with spray confetti in hand and surprised her (a little).

My gift to her was a day of shopping. She was given money to go get a new outfit (something she desperately wants). So we went out all together to shop for groceries, then we had a birthday lunch at Texas Roadhouse. And finally this afternoon, Alicia got herself a new outfit complete with accessories.

To wrap the day up we had a birthday angel food cake then a movie night with the kids and two of Alicia's favorite candies (Yorks, and Milk Duds). Alicia told me later that this was her best birthday so far.

If the surprise wouldn't have been thwarted, I bet you it would have been even better.