Ladies – If Your Husband Wants To Surprise You, Let Him Do It [BLOG]
Especially if it's a surprise trip - trust me, WE CAN GIVE UP CONTROL ONCE IN A WHILE.
A couple of weeks ago, Pat (my husband...in case you didn't know that we're married) surprised me in our post show video. Yes, the video above was a genuine surprise - in less than 24 hours, we'd be on a plane, on a surprise trip.
Since we had missed out on our couples weekend last month, he pulled one over on me and planned a trip behind my back. I had NO IDEA. Not a clue.
After the video was done, I started to panic. What about work? What about our son? What about our pets?? WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING OMG I CAN'T BREATHE!!!
About 15 minutes later, he found me in one of our production studios, crying. I had lost it...because I didn't have control over the situation. And then, he whipped out his phone.
I was surprised at my own emotions - is it true? Can I NOT handle NOT being in control of a situation as heavy as this? Am I really that overbearing? Do I not trust my husband? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?! The first thing to wash over me was the mom guilt. We were going to be gone for 3 1/2 days, unexpectedly. I hadn't had the traditional two or three months to build up to the "it's okay, he'll be fine, we need the time away" attitude. I had less than 24 hours. And, surprisingly, that was more than enough. In fact, it was exactly what I needed - not enough time to think too much about it.
The second thing was...WHAT DO I PACK? I didn't know where we were going, although, it is July. Short of going to the Antarctic, it was likely going to be warm enough to travel without a jacket. But what did I need? Shorts? A dress? Multiple dresses? Workout clothes? Hiking clothes?? JEANS??? WHAT KIND OF SHOES???? The "old" me would've gone out and shopped and spent money I didn't have and buy clothes I didn't need. Instead, I packed what I had. And it was more than adequate. Because, like most of us, I have more clothes than I need already.
The third was...how, HOW am I supposed leave work for three days without prior notice? It was actually easier than I thought - finished my work, sent out a few emails, and voila. You can't please everybody, all the time, and there is NO SHAME in taking a few days off. Most work issues aren't an emergency, and could wait til Monday.
I didn't find out where we were going until we got to the gate at Detroit Metro.
A post shared by Pat and AJ (@patandajinthemorning) on
We ended up going to Scranton, PA for a music festival called Camp Bisco. I didn't even know WHY we were in Scranton until we got to the hotel.
It was a BLAST. We're music festival fans, and it was on the side of a mountain. With a water park. And a 5K. I loved every second of it.
Our son was well taken care of by family friends, as well as our dog. He face-timed us, texted us, and (shocker) was still alive when we got back. Our cats were still alive (albeit with one minor mishap: turning on the bathroom faucet and slightly flooding our basement. It's been over a week and we're still drying the carpet, but it could've been worse). And we still had our jobs when we went back to work on Monday.
EVERYTHING WORKED OUT.
The moral of the story is, let go. The world WILL continue to turn. Your child(ren) WILL be taken care of. Your pets WILL be watched over. You WILL have a great time. And it will ALL be fine.
Give up control. I promise, it will work out.
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