Rhonda and I enjoyed our Valentine's Day together a day early this year. Originally, she thought that I had arranged for her sister, Laura, to babysit our daughters while the two of us ate supper at a secret location (that was the story that I gave her). In reality, I asked Laura to watch our girls overnight at her house while I took Rhonda out to eat at a new Benihana location in Plano and then surprise her with an overnight stay at a local hotel. I was going to take the girls' items over to Laura's house a day early, back a small bag for Rhonda with and have it in the hotel room before she ever knew anything about the plans. I made the hotel reservations a month in advance, worked out all the details with Laura, made the restaurant reservations, and then "Murphy" started showing up.
First, Rhonda mentioned in passing that she hoped we weren't going to a Japanese restaurant because she wanted something where we have our own table. Great, now I find this out! Then, Laura's daughter got sick a few days ago with the flu, but we were hopeful that she'd be over it in time for our kids to spend the night. Then, Rhonda made plans to go out of town to visit family on the morning that we would be waking up in the hotel! I convinced her to perhaps leave a little later in the day. Finally, the surprise plans came crashing down after I loaded the girls' items in my truck late at night to take to Laura's house the next day when Rhonda went looking for Reagan's sippy cup...in my truck. I was already asleep in bed when Rhonda came in asking why I had sleeping bags, clothes, etc. in my truck. Given all the bumps in the road, I decided to let her in on the plans so that we could communicate everything that was going on. Rhonda was very proud that I went through all this effort (still got brownie points), and now she had something tangible in her mind to look forward to. We had a great supper at Benihanas (the romantic evening made up for the group-sitting arrangement), and had a wonderful stay at the hotel (even hit the hot tub on a chilly evening).
When checking in, I reminded the hotel staff that I requested a room overlooking the pond (rather than the Dallas North Tollway), and the staffer noticed that my room was not where I asked to be. She said, "Let me see what I can do for you," and then updated our keys and said, "See if this room will meet your needs." To our surprise, we were upgraded to a two-room suite (two widescreen plasma TVs, 1 1/2 bath, two doors to enter from within the hallway, a balcony that we didn't even notice until the next morning, etc.). Turns out we both ended up with a surprise after all. It was great! Enjoy some of our photos and a video below.
Happy Valentine's Day, Rhonda (our 12th time as old-married-folks), next year it's your turn to plan ;-)
First, Rhonda mentioned in passing that she hoped we weren't going to a Japanese restaurant because she wanted something where we have our own table. Great, now I find this out! Then, Laura's daughter got sick a few days ago with the flu, but we were hopeful that she'd be over it in time for our kids to spend the night. Then, Rhonda made plans to go out of town to visit family on the morning that we would be waking up in the hotel! I convinced her to perhaps leave a little later in the day. Finally, the surprise plans came crashing down after I loaded the girls' items in my truck late at night to take to Laura's house the next day when Rhonda went looking for Reagan's sippy cup...in my truck. I was already asleep in bed when Rhonda came in asking why I had sleeping bags, clothes, etc. in my truck. Given all the bumps in the road, I decided to let her in on the plans so that we could communicate everything that was going on. Rhonda was very proud that I went through all this effort (still got brownie points), and now she had something tangible in her mind to look forward to. We had a great supper at Benihanas (the romantic evening made up for the group-sitting arrangement), and had a wonderful stay at the hotel (even hit the hot tub on a chilly evening).
When checking in, I reminded the hotel staff that I requested a room overlooking the pond (rather than the Dallas North Tollway), and the staffer noticed that my room was not where I asked to be. She said, "Let me see what I can do for you," and then updated our keys and said, "See if this room will meet your needs." To our surprise, we were upgraded to a two-room suite (two widescreen plasma TVs, 1 1/2 bath, two doors to enter from within the hallway, a balcony that we didn't even notice until the next morning, etc.). Turns out we both ended up with a surprise after all. It was great! Enjoy some of our photos and a video below.
Happy Valentine's Day, Rhonda (our 12th time as old-married-folks), next year it's your turn to plan ;-)
Nice fountain show at the Shops at Legacy.
We love Japanese food.
The bedroom with TV #1.
Living room.
Living room and TV #2.
2 comments:
Whoo-hoo! Looks like you guys had a great time!! Jason - are those some news jeans your sportin'? They look very stylish! Nice! And Rhonda - sexy mama with the red bikini!!! I'm glad y'all had a great weekend! We'll call y'all when we get home from New Zealand! Love y'all!
Yep, Rhonda convinced me to get some "cool" jeans and to go untucked more often (I'm typically a Levis guy that tucks my shirt in 100% of the time). Now, I'm the one in the family with the most expensive jeans (just call me a girl I suppose). They are Big Star brand from The Buckle.
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