The Big Surprise aka How Dave is a big Fat Liar

Sometimes there are just no words for how surprised you are and how wonderful that surprise is.  And, what a big fat liar someone or someones can be.

My husband has been talking about his elk hunting trip with my brother for months. He got his ticket to Denver packed his gun and off he went.  I received a text saying my brother picked him up and then a text saying he wouldn't have cell signal on the ranch he was going to for the hunt. That is pretty common in Alaska, so I didn't think a thing about it. Four days later I got a text saying he was back from the hunt and getting ready to fly home. No elk, it was unusually hot and they just didn't see any elk moving on the property they had permission to hunt on. Nothing unusual about any of that.

During that time I talked to my mom on the phone. I talk to her a couple times a week. And I checked in with my dad and mom in Arizona, again nothing unusual. My brother in law came and took me to dinner one night while Dave was gone, just a regular week. Dave got home and we continued on with our regular routine.  I left for a work trip, I got home, same stuff another day.

On Friday I texted Dave that we should go camping.  It was cold at night, but it hasn't snowed and stayed yet and we could enjoy the cool evening with a campfire.  Then I started thinking about how I just got home, and I'm headed out again next weekend so I texted and said no, we should stay home.  Dave replied that we should stay home because he was going to Tazlina to help our friends, Danny and Donna and family, pull in the fish wheel.  Made sense, and Danny was picking up his 4-wheeler this weekend so Dave didn't have to pull the trailer down.

So, Saturday morning came, I met a friend for coffee (now that Donna has abandoned me to live closer to her grandchildren, other friends have stepped up for coffee dates, I must have been really pathetic), I went to the grocery store and I came home.  My brother in law stopped for coffee and I was just sitting down for lunch when Dave texted me from the front yard.  Danny and Donna had just arrived and he wanted me to come outside to help load the 4-wheeler.  I looked out the window and there were like 8 people in the yard, but I needed to help...o.k.  I put my lunch away and went outside.

This is what happened when I went to "help" Dave load the wheeler.

You can see how happy I am to be the one person out of the 8 people out there that had to step on the corner of the trailer ramp.  Everyone had their phones out and I couldn't figure out why, also I hate getting my picture taken. And then when Dave asked me if I had it, like I can't step on the corner of the board, and I'm the one who has to do that?  Then Danny tells me that it may not fit, so I turn to look at the empty trailer to see why the wheeler won't fit.  Oh my, I was so shocked I can't even put it into words, there was Grandpa's truck.

Unloading the truck.

So, the elk hunt was a ruse.  Dave flew down to Denver and my brother did pick him up, but they drove to Montana (the cell silence for 4 days so they wouldn't slip and give it away) and met our friends Danny and Donna and loaded the truck into D&D's trailer.  Dave and my brother drove back to Denver and Dave flew home.  Danny and Donna drove the truck, along with some special family treasures, back to Alaska.  To add to the deceit, Dave had posted pictures of his elk hunt on his Facebook page, turns out he was just crouching next to some bush in my mom's front yard.

Dave "hunting" 

Now, when I talked to my mom on the phone, Dave was sitting next to her and she never breathed a word.  My dad and mom knew about this plan and I had spent a couple days with them when I went to Arizona for work, and they never let on about any of it.  Apparently, everyone knew, the girl that cuts my hair, all our neighbors, everyone Dave works with...and I never had a clue.  And of course everyone had to stop by to see the truck and laugh about how they knew about this for months and I was in the dark.

I was a little emotional the whole weekend, we did get it to run for about 15 seconds, but we have a lot of work to do, that truck sat for about 8 years or so.  I was gone last week for work and Dave got the garage rearranged and the truck in the garage for the winter.  We have a new winter project.  I can't wait for next summer when I'll be driving my grandpa's truck.

Dave and I agreed that we are done with surprises.  We are too old and my heart can't take it anymore!

2 years ago:  Pumpkin cheesecake with Praline Topping and the Cake Drop

3 years ago:  Fruit Cake Martini and Early Christmas Shopping

5 years ago:  Autumn Fruit Tart and an Attitude of Gratitude

October 15, 2018  Sunrise 8:44 am  Sunset 6:27 pm  Temp. H 46/ L 26˚F