SURPRISE!!

Day 55 (March 30, 2019)

Hey Big Man,

            It is not every day that I get the opportunity to do a big surprise for Dane. Normally, he is the one strutting about with all the information up his sleeve, while I am the one trailing behind him tugging on that sleeve, asking a million questions, hoping and praying one little juicy detail escapes into my hands. (I am obviously the best at handling suspense and patiently waiting for the surprise to reveal itself in due time.) But today, Lord, today was my turn to hold all them juicy tidbits of information close to the vest, and I kind of reveled in it! Today was the day my beloved got to be held in joyful suspense, and I do believe his 30th birthday surprise was worth the wait.

            As the time to leave the apartment approached, I revealed to Dane that he should dress warm. (Giving him the first clue that whatever we were about to do was within walking distance.) On our walk I had us zigzag through our townhome complex, and urban community, in a semi-attempt to throw his searching mind off the scent, but as we got near a certain four-way stop I think he was on to me. (Plus, all the little boys and girls running down the street in their hockey apparel probably didn’t help my cause much.) Within a short time, as we joined the rest of the fan-filled throng, it became obviously clear I was taking him to a Marlies hockey game. I could tell that made Dane happy, but I had one more surprise up my sleeve. As I took the tickets out to be scanned, I revealed to him that not only was he gonna get to sit on glass (a first in itself for him) but directly behind the net too. Needless to say, that part of the surprise was Dane’s favorite. (I mean, you saw his eyes light up the moment he got to his seat, right Lord!?)

            You know Lord, I have been to many hockey games but, dang, there is nothing quite like sitting on glass at a high-level hockey game. (Before the game started, I had my back to the ice, and a puck slammed right into the glass next to my head! I nearly jumped out of my skin! Dane didn’t warn me the boys had gotten on the ice, the big turd!) During the first period, we were just astounded at the closeness in which we sat to the action and the differences we felt, and heard, sitting level with the action as compared to sitting above, looking down at the players. The sounds of the puck crashing against the boards was like the reverberating crack of a lightning bolt followed by the boom of thunder as players bodies exploded against the same boards, directly in front of our faces, in a fight to reach the puck first. (Speaking of faces, it was pretty funny to see so many squished noses against the glass. Ha, it felt a bit awkward, and I just kept thinking don’t make eye contact with them because nobody really wants to be stared at while their flared nostrils are pinned to an ice pelted piece of glass. I mean, I wouldn’t haha.)

            The second period erupted in goals. Two goals were made on our end of the ice, and I don’t know who was more thrilled to see a goal up that close, Dane or me. (We are both hockey lovers.) Both goals were scored by the same player, and I actually caught one of the goals on video. (It just so happened to be a high-speed power play goal, and it was freakin’ awesome!) Honestly, I could not have hoped for better game play on this specific day. It made me so happy that Dane got to experience the exhilarating feeling of seeing multiple goals directly behind net. (But you knew the fun wasn’t over yet, didn’t you Lord!?) Because, dang, the third period ended with every single person exploding out of their seats in order to send a confetti cannon of hats onto the ice. We had witnessed a hat trick (three goals made by the same player) for the home team! It was the first hat trick I had ever seen in person and Dane’s second. Our cup had been full but with that event, Lord, you spilleth our cup over. It was a birthday for the books!

Always,

Your Daughter Kaitlan

P.S. Lord, for those dealing with mental challenges, can you please give them a day where joy fills their cup? A day packed with jubilant surprises that makes their cups runneth over because, honestly, joy is just what people need when they are feeling like they are trapped within ever present “mind fields.” Lord, fun and laughter just have a way of plucking people out of the war zone that is the mind and getting people out of their own heads. So, I pray fervently that you sneakily plan for each person, dealing with anxiety and Trichotillomania, to experience a few happy surprises in the near future. Moments where giddy laughter shifts the battle lines, and then where each person, including myself, comes to you in thanks because we all know our joyful victory was won by your love for us—a sometimes surprising kind of love that fills us all up and then bubbles over it is so great.

Thank you for reading! If you are new, this is a chronological blog series. It is best read in order. CLICK HERE for the intro.