Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Gary's Clever Gift-Giving Skills

I could tell many stories about how humorous and creative Gary is with gift-giving, starting way back to our very first Valentine's Day together, over seven years ago. Often times there's some form of prank, followed by a cleverly planned, generous surprise.

This year for my birthday, knowing he'd be miles away on February 18th, Gary had to plan ahead even earlier than usual. He sent me this photo on my birthday - a photo he'd taken nearly 3 weeks prior, pointing to the hiding place where he'd tucked away my surprise.

So I opened my email on Thursday to find this picture, along with instructions to find my gift. The box was tucked up high on a shelf we rarely use in our closet. If you're wondering what was inside, it was a great new outfit he bought at REI along with some "fun money," which I am gratefully going to spend on a long-overdue trip to the hair salon. Something I haven't done since last November ~ my hair needs help!

So when Gary gets home on March 2nd, I'll be "fancied up" with a fresh new look and a stylish new outfit.

It has been a long month without Gary here, but the boys and I have gotten lots of help and support from friends and family. Gary calls at least once or twice daily, we see him and his artistic camera work on TV several times a day on our local news, and he's been making special personalized video clips for the boys and me to enjoy online.

He's putting in long work days, getting up by 3:00 a.m. each morning, then taking the train from his hotel to the media's work station in Vancouver (where he's spotted several familiar faces like Matt Lauer, Lester Holt, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, etc...which is pretty cool). His days include getting live shots with our local anchor woman/reporter, Carolyn Holly for the Morning Show here in Boise, then traveling all throughout the city and surrounding areas to gather human interest stories with her, and then editing these incredible stories to help bring the Olympics closer to those of us watching from miles away. So from 3 a.m. until he returns to his hotel between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. -- he's putting in some long hours.

Just a few of the things they've seen and done, then turned into fascinating stories to inform viewers on the Olympic atmosphere include: skiing at Whistler Mountain, riding a zip line over a crowded plaza in downtown Vancouver, riding a ferry out across the bay to a fresh fish market where they tasted sea urchin roe, venturing across a suspension bridge, tasting hemlock needles, flying over the mountains, sea, and city in a float plane, visiting the Vancouver Aquarium, sea-kayaking, and much, much more.... It's a real treat for the boys and me to see all their adventures on TV. We look forward to hearing more about them when Gary gets home one week from today! ☺

Gary -♥- THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful, creative, thoughtful birthday gifts! ♥ We can hardly wait to welcome you home soon! We love & miss you.

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