(She was) Surprise(d)!

Some of you may know that today is Earth Day, but from hereon in, Earth Day will be your reminder that it’s J.’s birthday. Happy Birthday J.!

If you recall, two months ago I arranged for the perfect present for J., but I was worried I’d never be able to keep the secret. Well, I did it, thanks to the ongoing support of my secretive friends. J. had no idea. Unfortunately, to get to the happy ending, I must first remind you of our break in that now dates back a few months, and the loss of our jewelry. The easiest way for the Bad Guy to make off with our jewelry was to throw our jewelry boxes in my pillowcase and run out the door with them.

A few weeks after our break in, we happened upon the incredible Alberta Craft Council store in Edmonton, where we both spotted a gorgeous wooden box with two drawers. J. took a special interest in said box, fondling it and opening and closing the drawers. Her subtlety was not lost on me. Unfortunately, this box had already been sold.

So when we got home, I did a bit of internet searching and found the names of the woodworking artists who had crafted the box, Jean-Claude and Talar Prefontaine. I emailed to ask them if they could make a similar box for J. They happened to live in Calgary, so, unbeknownst to J., we discussed the box and the required date and they went to work.

In the meantime, J. and I had been purchasing little bits of jewelry here and there, not to replace what we’d lost but so we’d have something to wear if the occasion arose. We’d bought a few random adornments, storing them in a makeshift wooden box, but at some point a real jewelry box became necessary. J. saw some nice ones she wanted me to look at so off we went, although I did drag my heels a bit. When we got to the store, I convinced J. to buy the smaller and cheaper of two possibilities since a larger, emptier one would just remind J. of her losses. Can you believe I pulled that off without suspicion? Neither can I.

So this morning, on J.’s birthday, while she was in the shower, instead of falling back to sleep like I usually do, I raided my careful hiding place and transferred all J.’s jewelry into this beautiful piece of art. Then at approximately 6:58 a.m., the precise time for earring selection each morning, J. ambled over to the dresser only to discover her gift.

I kept the secret! She was surprised! It almost killed me to hold out but it was worth it. I think she likes it, but you’ll have to ask her. I may not have a lot of funds now that I’m not working, but I still have taste. You can judge for yourself.