Benjamin's Birthday Surprise (Or, Welcome to the Bahamas! Hope you brought your down jacket!)

Yes, that's right, in case you hadn't heard, I surprised Benjamin with a cruise for his birthday this year! His birthday is December 30th, and because it's wedged in between Christmas, New Years, and our wedding anniversary (the 28th), it unfortunately has a tendency to pass with little more than a nod of acknowledgement. (Benjamin swears he never wants to plan to have a child of our own with a December birthday for this reason). So this year, partly because he was turning 30, partly because I knew it probably will be the last year I'll be making as big of a financial contribution to the family, and mainly because he's just an amazing, hard working husband who deserves to have his birthday celebrated with a bang, I decided I wanted to do something extra special. I started planning in October, and somehow managed to keep the cruise a secret up until his birthday, when I gave him a card with our reservations inside. He didn't even believe me at first he was so surprised! And can I just tell you how hard it is to keep a big secret like that from your spouse! Not only was I constantly worried I would leave my email open and he'd see something from the cruise line, but I was also so excited about it every time I would work on the plans I was almost bursting from wanting to tell him so badly about the fun we were going to have!

I was so thrilled that he was so excited, and the cruise actually left on January 2 so we were flying out the very next night, on New Years Eve! I have to say it had all the makings to be pretty much the most amazing birthday gift ever.

So we rang in the New Year with a kiss while sitting in the airport in Salt Lake, spent New Year's day catching up on sleep in our Miami hotel, and jumped on the cruise ship on the 2nd, prepared to spend three glorious days in the Bahamas' sunshine, sea, and sand.

Well, Mother Nature had something else in mind for us. Did you know that it gets into the 50s in the Bahamas? Yes, that's right, it does. I had checked the forecast obsessively leading up to the cruise, including the night that we flew to Miami, and the forecast looked something like this for the days we were going to be there: 79, 81, 80. So when we woke up on day 1 of the cruise, we thought surely we had accidentally gotten on a boat for Alaska instead of the Bahamas. Because when you pack for 80 degree weather and it's 50 degrees out with 30 MPH winds, and you have to go around in your shorts and single hoodie with a brain that was all programmed for warm weather, it may as well be Alaska it feels so cold. Luckily day 2 and 3 on the islands were slightly warmer (60s), but to be honest, the whole trip went nothing like we planned as a result. As soon as I get the film from our water-proof disposable camera developed (which never made it in the ocean) I will post pictures and give a little more detail of our adventures.

Yes, the trip went nothing like I had hoped. I am not going to lie--I was EXTREMELY disappointed not to get to lounge on the beach or spend hours snorkeling, and I felt terrible that this was supposed to be a special trip for Benjamin and he didn't even get to enjoy sunshine, but overall the trip was still enjoyable in its own way (if not in the island-escape sort of way). Miles stayed home with Grandma, so there was no little boy to chase around, cook for, clean up after, entertain, etc., and although I missed Miles terribly, I have to admit it was glorious to have all that extra time to myself. I felt more rested than I have since Miles was born. I read an entire 360 page book! And remembered, yes, I DO enjoy reading! And of course it was wonderful to spend every minute of the trip with Benjamin. Between the time constraints and stress of his school and work, my work, and Miles, I have to admit our relationship has often been pushed to the back burner as far as a priority in our lives. It was so good to spend time together having an adventure where we didn't have the time constraints of hurrying home to check on Miles and the babysitter or do homework or fix dinner or go to meetings or anything else. It made me remember what it felt like when we were dating and our responsibilities were so few.

In spite of the weather, it really was the perfect way to ring in the New Year. It forced me to slow down and think about what is important to me, and where I want my priorities to be this year. Honestly, I haven't felt such clarity and commitment to change in a while (I guess all that extra rest is good for the brain and the soul). I actually have New Years resolutions that I feel like keeping! So here's to cold snaps in the Bahamas and the year 2012! And one last time, Happy Birthday, Benjamin! Hope 30 is better than the Bahamas!