Never Take Him for Granted

         

By: Samantha S. Daviss

I know every girl has an awesome story or two to tell about their man and how he surprised her with something, or bought her something she never even expected; but my husband did one of the most romantic things I have ever received…and that was my most favorite thing to do in the entire world, and that is to travel.

He surprised me with a trip, recently. Our stars had aligned and apparently Congress had passed another bill allowing this to happen, and that was the gift of us having a few days alone together. So we knew we wanted to go somewhere, but he insisted on handling all of the arrangements. So I put my Type A personality to the side, and relinquished all duties. It was kind of exciting.

I knew we were going somewhere, but I had no idea where. I figured since we both love the Texas Hill Country so much, that we would jump in the car and head south for a few days. Taking in some wineries, maybe climbing Enchanted Rock outside of Fredericksburg, all the great stuff we love doing down there.

But I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know; I was having more fun not knowing, than I was wanting to figure it out. All he did tell me was to pack a swimsuit and a sun dress or two. Now immediately our minds go to the beach…and that makes the most sense, but in Texas that could just be the staple requirements to beat the Texas summer heat.

So the night before our trip, I threw a few things in a bag, and I was ready to go. We headed north towards the airport, so this was already shaking down to be a different trip than I anticipated. We typically fly out of Love Field, because we love Southwest Airlines so much; but we zipped right passed the Lemon exit and headed up to DFW (Dallas/Ft. Worth) airport.

I still had no idea where we were headed. He dropped me off at the curb and handed me my boarding pass to get through security, and it was a DFW to San Francisco boarding pass. So of course I was thrilled with that. It is one of our most favorite cities. But it was funny, the first thing that crossed my mind was that I was going to have to buy a sweatshirt or something upon arrival; since the temperatures get a little chilly there; and I totally packed wrong for San Fran.

So the flight was great and we arrived safely in San Francisco. As we got off the plane he told me he was hungry so I suggested going to grab a bite at Fisherman’s Warf. But he lingered around the terminal area for a while…I was a little perplexed. Then I asked “We aren’t leaving the airport are we?” He just grinned. At that point I realized we had another flight to catch.

We sat around and ate and had about a two hour lay-over. Soon he told me it was time to board again, still having not the faintest idea of where we were headed, I got to our gate, and at that moment the sign for our destination flashed up…and it said “Los Cabos”.

I lost it…I just turned and looked at him and said “Thank you! Thank you for doing this, and thank you for loving me this much; I’ve never had this before.” So like two girls we are both standing there hugging one another in the terminal, he is smiling with a tear or two in his eyes; but I am bawling like a big ol’ baby! It was that ugly cry, you know, where your entire face wrinkles up and no amount of makeup can make you look pretty.

And I wasn’t crying for the destination, although I adore Cabo San Lucas, it is gorgeous; I was crying over the thought, the effort, and the amount of time he had to put into this trip to make it happen without me having a clue.

That is what romance is to me. It’s that old cliché … “It’s the thought that counts”. And that is so true for me, I don’t care what we do, what we have, or where we go…it’s just the fact that you thought about me, what I might like to do, and making it happen.

I was married once before, and never felt special in his eyes. I know that seems kind of sad to say, but I never felt like I was of importance to him. But I feel so blessed and protected with my husband now, that I know I am always on his mind; along with the kids too. We are his number one priority and I have never felt that before.

We live such a crazy hectic life, between his work schedule and the kids’ activities, that sometimes it is so important that we just take a time out together. Whether it is to the local coffee shop to chat, or a nice tropical vacation to really reconnect and “date” again; never taking each other for granted or our love for one another for granted is imperative in our relationship.

Always, always remember, you fell in love with that person for one reason or another; so keep that reason alive on a daily basis. You have to work really hard at marriage, it is not a one way street, and it is and always will be a team effort.