Happy Birthday!

One of the things Cari has been wanting for well over a year now is a new stove. She wanted a flat top stove to replace the old coil elements that only worked sometimes. A few weeks back I mentioned I would get her a stove for her birthday. She shot back with, "You better not get me a stove for my birthday!"

Well, Saturday was her birthday. I went outside around noon to get the mail. Before I went back inside, my good friend Rick showed up in his truck. His arrival had been planned earlier in the week. He made the several hour drive from his house with our new stove in his truck. Cari came out of the house as we were taking it off the truck. Rick looked up at Cari standing at the door and gave a cheerful shout, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Cari came running down to the truck and was just about as excited as she could be. She gave Rick a big hug before running past me to see the new stove. She was really happy. I thought, "didn't she just warn me that I better not get her a stove for her birthday?"

We previously had a drop in unit that was built into the cabinet. Rick stayed to help me install the new slide in unit. It required removing counter tops, cutting cabinets, raising the floor under the stove, re-wiring, and re-installing the counters. About an hour and a half later, we had it all done. I should say, Rick had it all done. I couldn't have done it as well as he did. *THANKS RICK FOR GIVING YOUR DAY AND HELPING ME OUT!!

After the install, Cari was still beaming. I was glad that she loved it, but I was baffled. I actually had not intended to get this on her birthday. It just worked out that way kinda by accident. I let her believe that the stove was all I got her.

I have been carrying around her real present in the trunk of my car for about a week. She knew it was in there. When she saw the stove, I told her the box in the trunk was empty and was only there to throw her off. She was still thrilled. Hmm.. So much for a practical joke. I went and got her actual present out of the trunk and gave it to her.

"You didn't think I would actually give you a stove for your birthday, did you?", I asked as I gave her the box.

"I love my new stove", was her reply.