But I was able to pull one off and surprise Kim big-time, with the help of my son Kristoffer.

He's always wanted a simple fishing boat.  Now he has one.

I made a plan for Kristoffer to meet me at Cabelas a couple of weeks ago, to help me purchase a boat.  And we did.  I'm decisive like that, don't have time to dilly-dally around.  A 14' jon-boat, trailer, electric trolling motor, and few accessories. I wanted it to be water-ready when we picked it up.

Saturday was the day.  I knew he had a morning commitment with church, so I scheduled the pick-up time for 2:00 at Cabelas, a 40-minute drive from the cabin.  Some of the kids and grandkids were going to meet us there, wanting to see the surprise.  Since I'm not one to lie to my husband, even for a surprise, I told him to be showered and ready at 1:15, that we were going somewhere, I was driving, and he wasn't allowed to ask questions.

He behaved himself and asked no questions, although he did give me some puzzled looks when I pulled into Cabelas.  Needing to stall for a few minutes to allow the kids to arrive, I suggested we get our fishing licenses and he thought that was a great idea.

Telling Kim we wanted to do some early Father's Day shopping, I had Kristoffer lead the way...

His wheels were turning as we walked into the boat showroom...

And I think his heart started beating a little too fast when he saw the sticker prices on those showroom boats.  "Is it already bought?" he asked.  

Yes.  But, no....not paying more for a boat than my house cost.  As our salesman Jason told him, "It's a fishing boat, man.  No one won the lottery."

SURPRISE!!!

Thankful that Dana and Emily captured the surprise moments on camera.  I was pretty proud of myself!

Jason was AWESOME!!!  He's a Henry County boy, graduating from Tri High just a year before Kristoffer.  They remembered each other...the last time they met was on the football field, Kristoffer as quarterback and Jason the opposing defensive end trying to tackle him.  Jason knows a lot of Shenandoah people and actually just moved back into our area.  A great young man and wonderful help as he sold us the boat.  He grew up doing the kind of fishing Kim loves, on quiet little lakes in a simple boat.

I was so grateful to Kristoffer for helping me with the purchase decisions.  I know NOTHING about boats!  Nada, nothing...

Case in point:  this jon-boat has a live well.  Apparently that is a big deal for a fishing boat.  I had no idea what it was...I thought it looked like a storage place.  Actually it's a place where you can let lake water fill in and keep your fish or bait alive.  Who knew?!  (Alright...probably everybody but me...)

It was an exciting afternoon and so much fun to make my man so happy.  And pull off a big...

...surprise!