I work in the oilfield which has provided my family with a very blessed life. My particular profession is called Solids Control or Closed Loop. Ive done this for 12 years now and 7 of those twelve years ive been with my current wife, Zelda.
I'm a hopeless romantic at heart so in the time she and I have shared I have made it a tradition to always bring her flowers when returning from a hitch(what we in the oilfield call a period of time that you leave home for work). I'm a stickler about keeping traditions because it was how my mama raised me so even on the few times I didn't have money for flowers I'd pull over on the way home and pick them for her.
Well another tradition I've built with Zelda is surprising her. I always feed her misinformation about when she can expect me home and I use this subterfuge to catch her unaware and make her happy with my unexpected appearance. One such occasion I was returning from Agadir Morocco and I had my lucky charm, a small stuffed pink monkey named Plepleus, that travels the world with me.
I take photos of him doing random things in my travels. When I got home she had no idea I was there so I sat Plepleus on the porch of my house and took a close up photo of him and sent it to her. Then took a few steps back to take the next photo which showed a small bit of the frame of my front door and sent her that. Finally I stepped back into the yard and took a photo of him with a very recognizable rosebush in the image with him and as soon as I sent it I heard a commotion inside the house followed by the door swinging open. Next thing I know she was flying at me showering me with hugs and kisses.
Another time I had been at a safety class in Houston Texas and we got out much earlier than usual so to lay the groundwork for my ruse I notified her that I would be attending the local strip club with the guys from the class and the teacher. She was let down that she wouldn't get to go to the club with me but wished me a good time. I live a few hours away from Houston so in no time I was home with the obligatory flowers. All the while I had continued to feign drunk texts to her so by the time I was home she had no clue. I parked around the corner and crept up to the house. I climbed in the back seat of her car, laid the bouquet in the front passenger seat, and hid myself under a hoodie. Then I texted her and told her the teacher was only just now issuing us our safety card and because the class had also involved a defensive driving portion, he would need the number on our car insurance policy. She took a fair amount of time to respond and when she did it was to tell me she would get to it in a while. Beginning to cramp because of the uncomfortable position I was hiding in, I messaged her again to tell her I needed the number right away. Just before I gave up I saw the front door open and she came across the yard to the passengers side to retrieve the insurance card and as she opened the passenger door she picked up the flowers with a puzzled look on her face. I popped up and said "you know had this been an emergency, I might have died" she jumped what seemed a full meter off the ground and began crying in joy and again showered me with hugs and kisses.
What got me on this topic to begin with is the fact that as I'm typing this I'm sitting in a plane taxiing down the runway in Pennsylvania on my way to a connecting flight in Philadelphia which will take me to my home terminal of DFW in Texas.
Update: im sitting at the bar in Philly, killing time till my connecting flight boards.
As far as she knows I'm not even leaving until tomorrow morning. I'll try to get pics of her reaction when I execute my newest surprise this afternoon. Also keep an eye out for my next post which will entail an Inception level, 4 phase surprise that involves bursting into song in a crowded public bar for her birthday.
To all you lovers out there consider my story and take this bit of advice: treat every day with your significant other like it's the first and the last. Keep things fresh and exciting. And never miss a chance to tell them "I love you'.
Now get out there and have a spectacular day.