SURPRISE SURPRISE!

Well...it has been an event-filled week for me. "Why?" you may ask. Well... how about a surprise trip to Disney Land!!!

It all started earlier this year. My cousin's wife had a great deal on a beautiful hotel in Orlando. Immediately the gears started spinning in my head. This will be a GREAT trip but even GREATER if we could surprise our men. Three Wives, Three Husbands, One Surprise Trip!

I'm going to make a VERY long story short here, we pulled it off.

Step 1: Get the guys to think they were treating us to a morning at the spa.
How: I enlisted the help of my fabulous parents to give us a "Belated Anniversary Gift" which just so happened to be a SURPRISE Spa party for their lovely daughter (me of course) & some of my friends.

My husband (unbeknownst to him) led the way in rounding up the fellas. In the weeks leading up to the big day they were none too happy to let us wives know that they had a "surprise" in store for us. They shared secret phone conversations & text messages finalizing plans.

We all got to the Spa, had our treatments, left the Spa & who was waiting for them outside? A Chauffeur!

Step 2: Scavenger Hunt Time! 
How:  I planned an intricate Scavenger Hunt with props (tiara's, princess wands, pompoms, super hero paraphernalia) where they had to do wacky stunts, pranks, missions & activities. All monitored & directed & videoed by their "Special Agent" Chauffeur. While we girls made our way home to do last minutes, they were running around town performing their tasks.

Here are a just a few examples of their "Missions":
•  Perform a dramatic earthquake scene in a public place
•  Stage a Kung-Fu battle on the sidewalk outside of a public building
•  Play “Duck, Duck, Goose” in a parking lot
•  Get $1 worth of gas from gas station attendant
•  Do the Macarena dance together in a public place
•  One of them pushes another in a shopping cart
•  One of them have a foot race with a stranger

Step 3: Flying High!
How: Blindfolded them for their ride to the airport. Blindfolds came off when they arrived @ the airport where we & the luggage were waiting for them.

Lessons Learned:
I can't tell you the countless hours of planning & prepping & some sleepless nights that went into this surprise. Making sure that all the bases were covered & arranging childcare for the children. We all had freak-out moments when we thought they knew something was up; freak-out moments when they started searching for "missing" clothes & items that we packed; freak-out moments when we were trying to contact bosses & ensure they could get the days off without blowing the surprise; freak-out moments when we worried that they would cop out of the missions; freak-out moments when we thought we may miss our flight.

Despite all of our freak-out moments we got the thrill of our lives. The expressions & reactions on their faces when they realized that they were hoodwinked & bamboozled; the shock & disbelief when they found out they were actually going on a flight; the sheer disbelief that we were able to pull this off without them knowing, the pictures & videos they took. All of those things...PRICELESS!!!

I've always had dreams of being whisked away...and maybe one day that will happen. But until then I will often look back at this experience with fond memories. I was giddy with delight! And don't let me get started on our Disney fun...it was the icing on the cake.

So ladies, yes, we love surprises...but guess what? Guys love them even more, so get to planning! Feel free to share one of yours!