Tell Me Something Good – Handwritten Letters
hooooray it’s friday! i’m setting this to publish as i’m flying over 30,000 feet back to the mainland as we said goodbye to the paradise of oahu! we had lots of travel drama getting to oahu and lost out on a solid afternoon of sun and our upgraded seats, which put me in quite the mood. thankfully my husband helped me get back into a positive mindset and it was a good thing because his birthday was mere hours away.
we have been to waikiki once before and stayed at the other end of it so we were looking forward to exploring a new area and we did so at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort! we arrived after 10pm local time (2am our body clock time) so we weren’t quite sure about the view or how everything would look in the morning sun. all i really cared about at this point was laying down somewhere that wasn’t an airport floor.
those pillows were some of the best pillows my delicate and moody little head ever touched. i thought about leaving all my clothes there and just packing a pillow to take home.
the next morning we were greeted by the sun and a seriously spectacular view from our room! that mountain is diamond head behind me and obviously the ocean is pretty darn self-explanatory.
so the first part of my ‘tell me something good’ is definitely waking up to a truly stunning view!
the second and more important ‘tell me something good’ is the kindness of people from all over the world!
sometimes i look at oprah and stedman and ponder “what does stedman get her for her birthday!? she has everything!” this is how i felt about my husband’s birthday this year. yes, i am comparing him to oprah because he is of the attitude that he has everything he needs and wants. he’s not a material guy so he gives away 3/4 of things that people give him anyway. he is all about the experience and thoughtful things.
i got this idea a few months back after my husband expressed how much fun he was having writing handwritten letters to people all over the world. not sure what i’m talking about? watch his short video and he will totally send you a letter!
in the beginning of april, i posted a note on my personal facebook page and blocked my husband from seeing it (while also asking people not to tag him). i thought it would be fun for him to receive a ton a letters from friends, family, strangers, acquaintances and whoever might see the post and for it all to be a big SURPRISE! he loves surprises and i’m not very good at them so i was hesitant that i would slip up or someone else would but nope – WE DID IT!!!!
i had a limited way to reach people to get a card to him since he reads all my blog posts, can see all my social media, is on my newsletter list and sleeps in my bed.
over 50 people sent him a letter! thank you all so very very much to those who sent a letter to him – he totally cried tears of happiness! he was so so SO shocked and i was so so SO happy to spoil him with kind words from people all over the world!
i first set the card i wrote him down on the table, then pulled out a colorful bag filled with all the cards and dumped them all over!
we sat for over an hour while he read each and every letter. it was a beautiful way to start our babymoon, birthday celebration and hawaiian adventures.
thank you to outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort for hosting us and helping make his day so special! they gave us a ton of goodies so i’m going to go a giveaway next week to share some of these with you (if you didn’t read my post from yesterday, it’s about embracing all of life and contains a chance to win $100 visa giftcard!)
it’s hard to beat a location that is literally on the beach (if you stay at the other end, you have to cross a street that has super long lights but Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort is on the beach!) my husband said he wasn’t sure that his birthday next year could top any part of this:
thank you all again who sent in cards (and i know many of you would have if only you knew). you helped to make oprah’s my husband’s 29th birthday extra special and meaningful! see – he’s SO happy!
with that, please share your something good with me so i can read all the happy things when i land (and then try to recover from a short stint of a 4 hour time difference)!
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Paula Howley
May 6, 2016 at 1:30 am
SO PLEASED that your surprise worked and that he was so happy about it. AWESOME. My something good is that I went and visited an old friend Friday- she is a Strong Start teacher in our area and is the most beautiful human being ever created maybe. She and her daughter are 8 years ahead of me and they are our parallels. Her kid is like mine and I am like her so it is SO HELPFUL to talk to her. Not to mention that she is completely versed in child psychology and behavioural sciences and always has solid stuff for moms who might be out of sorts as I was that day. Plus the best hugs ever. And she gave me a little mother’s day plant to take home. 🙂
So anyway, I just love her so much that I threw a little thing up on her FB wall and already over 50 people have chimed in and it’s a little fan club for her- a wonderful outpouring of love and appreciation!
Paula Howley recently posted…I Know With My Whole Heart
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:24 am
oh man he laughed so hard at the outside of your card, paula! you are awesome – thank you for sending one (and paying international postage!)
i am so happy to hear you have such a good relationship with your old friend and her daughter too! how helpful that must be – i am glad you are able to talk with her about all things! how fun for her to get acknowledged not solely by you but also all those other people on the status! yay!
chelsea recently posted…The “In-Between” Mother’s Day
Elyse
May 6, 2016 at 4:55 am
What an amazing surprise for your husband! I bet he was beaming! I am so glad you had a great time on your babymoon!
Elyse recently posted…Trust
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:25 am
thanks elyse 🙂 he was SO surprised and that was such a satisfying feeling for me! we did have a great time, thank you!
Audrey
May 6, 2016 at 6:32 am
Scrolling through your pictures just made me realize that we NEED to go to Hawaii. Like, in order to still be alive I think I NEED to go there. It’s so gorgeous! And I’m SO glad your trip turned itself around once you arrived! How sweet for your husband to receive so much love in such a lovely place with his loving wife! Perfection!! I can’t even IMAGINE the birthday surprises you’ll plan for your future babe!!
Audrey recently posted…Sharing all the Goods This Friday!
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:26 am
seriously – you NEED to go audrey! it so tropical and literally feels like paradise and you don’t even need a passport or different currency! start planning – and if you go to oahu they have a fantastic visitor’s bureau to help you plan (more on that in another post). we can’t wait to go back and do some island hopping!
Ashley
May 6, 2016 at 7:21 am
Oh my gosh – what a fun birthday!! As if Hawaii wasn’t enough, you throw surprises in as well. What a great experience for a 29th birthday/babymoon.
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:27 am
it was definitely a memory making trip (though most are)! thanks ashley! 🙂
Sara
May 6, 2016 at 11:13 am
What a sweet idea for your husband’s birthday. I might steal it for my husband’s birthday next year!
Sara recently posted…4 Marriage Lessons I’ve Learned as a Newlywed
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:28 am
you totally should, sara! he will be blown away (and then you can read all the cards and swoon with all the nice things people say about him)!
Vivien
May 6, 2016 at 7:04 pm
Yay! Glad to hear the surprise went well.
chelsea
May 9, 2016 at 9:28 am
hoooray! thanks so much for being a part of it vivien – you rock! he said your card was extra special and meaningful so thank you!
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes
May 24, 2016 at 7:48 am
Oh my goodness – this is the best, most beautiful and thoughtful Birthday gift!!! I would totally blubber all over the place if someone did this for me. You’re an awesome wife.
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes recently posted…Why I Don’t Like the “Wedding Bod”
chelsea
May 25, 2016 at 7:56 am
i was pretty darn proud of my brain for coming up with the idea and loved his reaction even more (he totally blubbered and then bravely put it on his youtube channel) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yx9YVk_YkI