Best Gift Ever!!!

Some background...I, personally, do not like to receive gifts. Period. Some people just say that, not me. I like to give gifts, but getting them makes me uncomfortable. Maybe, because I do not like surprises, I like things planned out and expected. I realize I sound quite boring, and that must be what my husband thinks too, because he tortures me at Christmas! He will talk for weeks about how he has my gift picked out, repeating, "Honey, you are gonna love what I got you" or "I can't wait to give you your gift".  If he is going to get me something, maybe it could be something I have been eyeing at the store, but just can't make myself splurge...ya know, a pair of boots, new purse, kitchen stuff...so this year, I made a list for him.  It had genuine items that I really would like to have: new salt & pepper grinder, hands-free soap dispenser, kitchen rugs (nice ones), small pearl earrings since I lost one of mine (they can be fake-BECAUSE I LOSE THEM!), warm boot slippers.  ANY of those would have been fine. He just looks at my list and says, "Nope, I got ya covered." I was thinking, "You really should look at my list, if you are gonna spend our money on me, USE THE LIST!!"

Anyways, there was a lot of last-minute sneaking around, by Billy and the kids.  I couldn't imagine what they could get for me that wasn't on the list...I even reminded Blake to tell Daddy to just get me some pearl earrings if he wanted to get me a "special something"...and he did! Along with the most awesome gift he has ever surprised me with...


I was handed a tiny square, obvious wrapped jewelry box, by a super excited Taylor. She said, "Oh, Mommy, open this...it's just what you wished for!" I was surprised to find no pearl earrings inside, but instead, a tiny homemade card with a seashell on the front. It was a shell from our last beach vacation that was pretty much, a flooded wash-out, The card read: Anna Maria 2014...oh, he must have wrote the year wrong...NO HE DIDN'T...because inside it read, "Pick a date, our next family beach vacation awaits, courtesy of Sullivan Travels.    All I could say was, "Really?!?!?!?"

I was about to start crying, but then he and the kiddos brought out a hand made picture frame around one of our beautiful beach sunset pictures! It was decorated with the shells that we found on Anna Maria last year. The sand dollar that Billy found with his pinch-toes, while swimming was front and center with 4 perfect little clam shells on each corner. He even drove to my dear "artist" friend, Karen's house, and asked her to paint the "Anna Maria" on it! The other sweet thing...my new pearl earrings were attached in the holes of the sand dollar!  I can't believe that they did this for me...a thoughtful hand made memento, the chance to spend quality time together....this truly was The Best Gift Ever!