My husband’s birthday always falls just days before or after Father’s Day.  This year, for his 45th birthday, I wanted to do something extra special for the greatest man in the world.  So, we planned the biggest surprise we could and somehow, kept it a secret (which is a miracle because I’m the worst when it comes to surprises).

I mentioned that I wanted to put together a picnic with lots of yummy, fresh salads.  I may also have mentioned that we would be having this “picnic” just down the street from our house.  BUT… the night before, I booked a room in a new hotel on our favorite beach and made plans for what would be the best 24 hour getaway.

While he took the kids to church, I prepared a number of different foods that included: Pesto Pasta, Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad, Caprese Sandwiches, Cucumber and Tomato Salad and a fruit tart and cannolis for dessert! I packed an overnight bag for everyone and hid it in the closet.  When they got home, I snuck the bag into the back of the car and told them to get dressed for Dad’s Surprise Day of Adventures.

They all got into the car, not knowing where we were headed. I love surprises.

When we got off of the highway, there were signs everywhere that said the name of the beach.  I tried to distract him so that it would be a surprise but eventually, he started to recognize where we were.  And although he knew where we were headed, he still had no idea that we would be staying there over night.

And then… we pulled up to the front of this incredible hotel and I yelled “WE’RE HERE!”.  When the valet opened the door, I told him we were checking in and my husband’s confused look was priceless. I headed around to the back of the car, grabbed the suitcase and he was in shock.  He couldn’t believe that I had pulled this off.  My girls couldn’t believe that I had packed their bathing suits and goggles and that we would be spending 24 hours in this gorgeous resort. Mission surprise accomplished!

The view from our room was literally the sand and ocean.  There was nothing in between us and the private beach.  It was magical. We had a little balcony with a table and chairs where I set up our little picnic. We ate and listed to the waves.  I couldn’t stop smiling.  Giving my husband this 24 hour getaway was so important.  He does so much for us and he deserved to be at his favorite place in the world.

After lunch, everyone rushed to get their suits on and they headed down to the beach.  Iyla was excited to find a shell that resembled a unicorn’s horn.  It’s the little things in life that make her happy. There were baby jellyfish everywhere so we had to be careful.  I’ve never been stung by one but wasn’t about to start.  So we decided to head to the pool instead.

It didn’t take long for them to get into that pool and it was hours before I got them out.  There was a lot of jumping, flipping and laughing.

Luckily we had plenty of leftovers from lunch to fill our bellies before getting a good night sleep.  In the morning, we had breakfast in the hotel (yum) and then it was back out to the beach and the pool while I got everything packed up and ready to head back home.

24 hours was just enough time to have some fun family time and celebrate the man of the house.  Watching him with this girls really fills my heart to capacity.  He loves them more than anything, which makes me love him even more.

We had such a great time, we are headed back to the same resort in a few weeks.  I’ll be sharing why it’s a great hotel for both adults and kids.  Stay tuned!

What were your plans for Father’s Day? Comment below and let us know!

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