The Romantic.com

Building Anticipation

PUZZLED?

submitted by: Tamara Woerner

 

Last year, for my husband’s birthday, he asked to go to a favorite restaurant at the beach, about 1 1/2 hours from our home, for our family celebration. I desperately wanted to get a hotel room so we could spend the night down there as a treat, but it was spring break weekend, and the rates were simply more than our budget could handle at the time.

However, one week later, the rates would drop dramatically. I finally decided to book a room for the following weekend. Since my original plan didn’t work out, I tried to figure out how to “present” his beach weekend as a birthday gift on his birthday, without blowing the surprise of whisking him away the following weekend.

I went to the website of the hotel and “cut and pasted” several pictures and formed my own collage. Over the collage, I typed a Happy Birthday love message. I laminated it, then cut the picture into free-form puzzle pieces. I made lots of tiny pieces to make it difficult!

I divided up the pieces into 8 cards, being sure not to put too many that fit together into one envelope. My husband received a birthday/I love you card every day from his birthday until the following weekend. Each day, he eagerly put the puzzle pieces together to see what the “gift” would be.

He received his last envelope just after work on Friday. The bags were packed and waiting in the car. As soon as he finished the puzzle, we were on our way and he knew just where we were going! He was thrilled, and the puzzle definitely created anticipation! We had a great weekend at the beach!