The Anxiety of Anticipation

My daughter has never been able to wait for a surprise.  She will find a way to learn the particulars well before the planned event or holiday.  She was an adult before I learned that as a child she would unwrap Christmas presents and then rewrap them when I wasn't home.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that my own father had taught her to use a knife to slit the tape and then tape over the same spot so I wouldn't notice.

This past Christmas she accompanied her fiance' family to a family function in a town about 150 miles from home.  The family started home on Christmas Eve with plans to attend church the following morning, come home for a nice lunch and open gifts to each other.  Her fiance' reported to me that as soon as they got in the car, my daughter started moving the timeline for opening gifts.  She systematically moved it hour by hour until she had the whole family talked into opening gifts as soon as they arrived home.  Her fiance' recently bought her a gift and had it mailed to my house.  I actually hid it until he came over to keep her from unwrapping it.

We are now planning the wedding.  My daughter and I both enjoy creating things ourselves and therefore have not hired a wedding planner or florist.  We are doing all that.  I decided to surprise her by sewing satin robes for the bride and bride's maids to wear while dressing the day of the wedding.  It was supposed to be a surprise.  Yeah, right.  She found out about it.

One of the things she wanted for her wedding was a brooch bouquet instead of flowers.  Several weeks ago, she changed her mind because she felt that it would be too expensive.  I decided that I had to make it happen for her.  I researched the internet for instructions on making the bouquet and spent literally hours on ebay bidding on brooches.  Every time a package came in, I raced to get it and hide it before she saw it.  Three days ago I began creating the bouquet.  One day when she arrived home from work, she announced that she was going to buy supplies to make her floral bouquet.  I said, "I don't think you need to do that yet.  I think there are other things you need to spend your money on right now."  She said, "Okay, you are the worst liar ever.  What are you doing?"  Over the next few days she absolutely hounded me for information.  Just about the time I thought she had run out of tricks, she hit the all time high.  One night, just as I was falling asleep, she came into my bedroom.  She leaned over my bed and said, "Mom, Jesus called."  I said, "What?"  She said, "Jesus called and he said for you to tell me what you did today.  You know you have to do what Jesus says."  I said, "I'll make it right with Him tomorrow."  Finally I finished the bouquet and presented it to her.  Her reaction made all the anxiety and frustration worth it.