A Valentine’s Day Surprise

Y’all, there is absolutely no good way to describe the past week of my life! I was literally rendered speechless by what Will did and even now, 11 days later, I’m still reeling from the shock and surprise of it all.

He surprised me with a trip to Europe on Valentine’s Day!

We had blocked out the long weekend months ago with plans to capitalize on the free Monday and celebrate Valentine’s Day in style. After all, we were living in different states last year so we really wanted to enjoy ourselves this year. I assumed we were heading to Steamboat and carefully packed according to the list Will gave me. I didn’t even question him when he suggested I take my wheeled suitcase to deal with the long walk from the car to our hotel; Will always thinks of every detail so of course he wouldn’t want me carrying a duffel too far!

The first shock came when we arrived at our friend’s house to drop off Tally. I thanked Caryn for watching Tals for the weekend and loaded her up with the dog bed and food and toys {Naturally, Tals doesn’t travel light!} However, when I moved to leave, Will was like, “Actually, Caryn is taking us to the airport.” WHAT?!

My brain was spinning as I tried to figure out what in the world Will had up his sleeve. Where were we flying?! To San Diego to visit his parents? But then why all the cold-weather clothes? I knew Will was like a bear trap and wouldn’t offer me any answers, so I just willed the car to get to DIA faster so I could figure out what the plan was. I was crazy with curiosity!

Caryn dropped us at the airport and I eagerly followed Will inside, knowing that I was about to get some answers. Y’all, you can only imagine my surprise when he walked up to the Icelandair check-in counter; we were going to Iceland! Are you freaking kidding me?! Will knew that the Northern Lights have been on my bucket list for years and we had both read that 2014 was a great year for viewing them. So, that’s what we were going to do!

IMG_3610

For the first time in my life, I could not get any words out of my mouth. While Will checked us in for the flight, I just stared at him in total disbelief. How in the world did he manage to pull this off without me knowing a damn thing?!

We walked through the airport and I bombarded him with a litany of questions. How?! When?! Did he have my passport? Was this for real?! But, as I soon found out, his surprises for me weren’t done yet! Just before we reached security, he turned to me and explained. Yes, we were going to Iceland to celebrate Valentine’s Day…but we weren’t going there first. We were spending the next five days in Paris before heading north and wouldn’t be returning to the States until February 23!

Paris. Iceland. To celebrate both Valentine’s Day and my 32nd birthday {on March 1}. Oh my gawd!

If you know me in real life, you know that I am quite the talker and can typically find words for any situation. However, this was a whole ‘nother ballgame! In my life, no one has ever managed to surprise me in the way that Will had just done and I couldn’t figure out how to express both my shock and gratitude. Words seemed so insufficient, you know?

So, instead, I just continued to stare at him in disbelief as we went through security, shaking my head and smiling while he laughed at my bewilderment. We were going to Europe!

********************

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever experienced or pulled off?

34 Comments

  • Reply @ginabegin at

    That man o’ yours. Give that fella a Hi5 from his omnifriend. I have always loved you two together and this just confirms the awesomeness of the duo. 🙂 Happy, happy!

    • Reply heather at

      Will do 🙂 And yeah, he is pretty freaking spectacular!

  • Reply Krysten at

    Holy moley this is freaking amazing!!! Can’t wait to hear a.l about this trip!!

  • Reply Erin (Running Tall) at

    Shut the front door! This is awesome!! Can’t wait to read about your trip!

    • Reply heather at

      Thanks! We have plenty of photos so stories are comin’!

  • Reply Kate at

    Holy sh!t! That’s freaking amazing!

    • Reply heather at

      You took the words right out of my mouth! I’m still reeling 🙂

  • Reply Dave Sandel at

    Doesn’t Will know you can see the Northern Lights from MN and WI? That’s the same as Paris and Iceland, right???

    P.S. Is this your real life? 😉

    • Reply heather at

      Ha, well, we didn’t have any luck in Alaska so maybe he decided that international was the way to go 🙂 And seriously, I’ve been asking myself that same question a lot lately. I can’t even begin to explain how fortunate I feel these days.

  • Reply Sarah Z at

    Oh my goodness! That is an incredible surprise. I hope you two had an excellent time (and that you hit up Rue Montorgueil while in Paris)! What a great story to have 🙂

    • Reply heather at

      I have no idea what that is so I think we missed it!

  • Reply Christy at

    Amaziiiiiiing! Can’t believe it!

    • Reply heather at

      You and me both, sister 🙂

  • Reply Kelly @ Cupcake Kelly's at

    Amazing! I have heard great things about Iceland from friends, I can’t wait to read your recap!

    • Reply heather at

      It was absolutely wonderful– no other way to describe it. So beautiful and the people were ridiculously friendly. We’re dying to visit in the summer now!

  • Reply Ja @Ja on the RUN at

    have fun!!!

    • Reply heather at

      Ha, thanks, but we returned on Sunday 🙂 But we did have a great time!

  • Reply Will @ SKINourishment at

    OMG that is just awesome!!!

    My biggest surprise (which seems like peanuts to this) was my Dad’s 60th birthday party. We have 30 family members and a carefully arranged plan so he had no idea. I love surprising people, it’s so much fun!

    Looking forward to the photos and stories of the trip!

  • Reply Denae at

    Great story! I got the chills and teared up while reading!

  • Reply Rachel @ Betty LIVIN at

    Wow! You just made a ton of women super jealous! That’s so incredible! Can’t wait to hear about your travels!

  • Reply Steve at

    I vaguely remember while crashing with you guys, that he said something about renewing your passport or something…maybe I’m not right but I remember it that way. If true, he’s a sneaky sneaky dude.

  • Reply Beth B. at

    This. Is. Freaking. Amazing!!!!!

  • Reply misszippy at

    That’s just the coolest! Will deserves boyfriend of the year status for that one.

  • Reply GiGi Eats Celebrities at

    Tears just streamed down my face!! You are SOOOOOOOO lucky to have found Will! Seriously sounds amazing!

  • Reply Natalie @ Free Range Human at

    I’m speechless! Who knew people actually did things like that in real life? It sounds like a movie! I’m sure you had a great time, and I can’t wait to hear all about it!

  • Reply Lynn Baumgartner at

    That is so awesome! Will is definitely a keeper.

  • Reply Caroline at

    Omg! This is the kind of thing you see in the movies 🙂 Will sounds amazing!

  • Reply Courtney @ Don't Blink. Just Run. at

    What an amazing surprise. He’s a keeper!

  • Reply Kayla at

    Awwww! I was wondering where you’ve been! You’ve been very MIA for a little while!!! I’m so happy you found such a sweet, loving man to make your wildest dreams come true!

  • Reply Laura @losingrace at

    So freaking awesome, congrats I am really happy! You deserve big things!

  • Reply Meredith @ DareYouTo at

    WOW I got chills just reading along! Can’t even imagine a surprise like that–what a sweetie! Congrats, what a gift experience.

  • Reply Paris: Part I - Just a Colorado Gal at

    […] you can imagine, I was beyond bewildered as we walked through Denver’s airport. I still couldn’t believe it: how in the world had Will managed to pull off such an amazing […]

  • Reply Colorado: Five Most Romantic Outdoor Spots - Just a Colorado GalJust a Colorado Gal at

    […] mountains back in 2013, honoring my love for the Rockies. However, after last year’s surprise European proposal, I have a newfound love for February […]

  • Reply Just a Ball of Happiness -Just a Colorado Gal at

    […] in short, life is grand! I’ll start recapping our Paris and Iceland trip later this week, but wanted to explain all of that first. I’ll leave you with the Pharrell […]

  • Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.