Surprise!!

We came up with the commemorative ornament idea our first Christmas after we married.  In our second year of marriage, we'd had Caden in May and then moved to a new apartment mid-November.  In the hustle and bustle of a new baby and apartment, we forgot to get an ornament until it was too late.  Seeing as we used a fire poker as our Christmas tree that year, it's not hard to believe we weren't really in the right mindset for ornaments.  We realized our mistake on Christmas Eve night.  After I had gone to bed, heartbroken, Randy searched our home for supplies to surprise me Christmas morning with our ornament.

It has remained one of my most favorite because of what it took to get it on our "tree."

We still do not have our Master Bedroom put back together yet.  We went in to order carpet for it on November 20th.  Because of a few mix-ups and ball dropping, we had to go in a few days later and order another carpet.  We found one that was similar to our original decision and paid for it on November 24th.  They told us it would either be on the truck for November 30 or the following week on December 8th.  And then the 9th, and then the 11th.  Each day it pushed out our holiday decorations, as our piano room, where the tree is supposed to go, is full of all of the furniture from our Master Bedroom.

After yet another delay, I was heartbroken.  I didn't want to go another weekend without our tree up.  I'd wrapped all of our presents, but they had to be stacked nice and neat in our bedroom since there wasn't a place for them in our house.  While talking to Kimberly, Randy heard me complain to her that it just didn't feel like Christmas in our home, and I wasn't sure when it would.  I finished the call and came out to find Randy's surprise, which meant just as much to me as that ornament did on Christmas morning 2001.

He'd cleared away the couches and set up our tree in the only available space in the whole house, just for me.  It may not be the most perfect place, but it is perfect for me.  We spent the next two hours trimming our home for the holidays.  It's not as decked out as I usually do, but it's perfect for this year.  

One thing about Randy: His surprises make extraordinary out of the ordinary because they come from his massive heart.  He shows me in the most simple yet meaningful ways how much he loves me.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.