My Favorite Gift of Christmas, 2010

John outdid himself this year.  Actually, everybody did (seeing as both Mark and Johannah have jobs and earn their own moola).  I know Christmas isn't supposed to be about the gifts, and this year we really tried as a family to do a lot of things for a lot of people.  However, Christmas morning for us IS about the gifts.

After we spent the better part of two hours unwrapping everything (one gift at a time, I might add), oohing and aahing, and just generally smiling a lot, John pulled out one final gift for all of us.  He had me open it.  Although it was a large box, it hardly weighed a thing.

Upon pulling off the box top, I was amazed to see a certificate, announcing to "Larisa, Mark, Johannah and Gloria" that we would be taking a cruise in March of this year.

I don't know why but I started crying.  Yes, crying!  I'm not sure John has ever kept any kind of surprise from me, but this big of a surprise?

Too, I could hardly believe that John included the kids in the gift.  He's always trying to get me to take a trip alone with him, and I'm always game, but I feel bad leaving the kids, especially considering they will all be out of the house in just a matter of years.

This isn't just any cruise.  It's a 7-day cruise of the Caribbean and Mexico with stops everyday at a different tropical destination.  Too, John told us that we could all get certified for scuba diving before the cruise and could then dive in several cool locations.  AWESOME!

He got us two rooms on the ship.  Unlimited food.  Did I mention sunshine?  By the time March hits here in central PA, we are more than craving a few rays of the sunny stuff.  We all ran into the family room and watched the DVD to see all the details.  We can hardly wait!

Now we just need to reserve the dog sitter....

And learn how to scuba dive...

And lose a couple of pounds before I need to put on a swimsuit again...  :-)

Thanks, my honey!