You all know I’m a planner, right? Not just by trade, but in everything I do. I plan events, plan dinners, plan when I clean, plan when I sleep, plan when I do something fun, plan when I do something not fun. I’ve had the occasional spontaneous moment, but my daily life is planned out to the “T.”
I don’t, however, have a long term plan for my life. Some people have five year plans or ten year plans. I don’t have that. Obviously. We did not plan to get pregnant five months after we got married. It just happened. I just have my 8:00 to 5:00 time planned out.
Because I like to know everything that’s going on, I am impossible to surprise. I hate surprises. I don’t like to be caught off guard and if I get in a car I like to know where I’m going. Sure, it may seem fun or romantic to say, “You’ll see when you get there.” Not for me. I want to know and I do a really good job of finding out. Just ask my husband and my mom. Todd still tries to surprise me, but my mom has given up.
My mom likes the idea of surprising me, but if she buys something for me she’ll call and say, “I bought something for you, but I’m not telling you what it is.” I’ll do my usual routine of saying, “Tell me, tell me, tell me.” But I’ve learned to let it go because I know that she can’t stand not telling me anymore than I can stand not knowing. So she always ends up telling me. She secretly doesn’t like surprises either.
If I buy something for someone, I can’t stand to wait until the time that they’re supposed to receive it. I always call and it takes everything out of me not to deliver the gift immediately so they can open it or just tell them what it is. I can keep a secret, though, and won’t spill the beans if a surprise party is planned for someone. I just don’t like to be the one to plan it!
Am I the only one that doesn’t like surprises? I guess if I don’t know that a surprise is coming and I am truly surprised, I love it. It’s just hard to surprise me without me suspecting that something’s going on.
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
HATE surprises, but like I’ve always said I am an anal, OCD, organization freak. I need to know what is going on at all times! Heck I practically ruined our proposal because I wouldn’t cooperate with Mr. M and his surprise haha.
I just updated my blog with all my birthday surprises. However, I do have to say that I don’t like being surprised if I know there’s a surprise taking place. Like I don’t just say, “surprise me with something” or “let’s go, surprise me!” I, too, am very to-the-last-detail oriented. Organized. Anal. OCD. Borderline crazy organized! If I know something is being planned I can’t let it go until I figure it out.
I’m with you two – HATE THEM!!!! I suppose I can be put in the control freak category too!!
I hate surprises … especially when I know I’m going to “be surprised.” Just tell me and let me prepare! That being said … I’d love a surprise delivery of flowers today!
I wish my boyfriend would surprise me. Flowers. Candy. Something! Can your husband please call my boyfriend and tell him I’m dying to be surprised? Seriously? LOL
I could post this exact blog on my page and it would be true word for word for me. I hate suprises and I love to plan. My upcoming bachlorette party is a suprise and it’s driving me nuts to not know what is going on.
Too funny! I do not like surprises at all! A long time ago my ex threw me a surprise party and I nearly burst into tears. lol
My hubby just asks me what I’d like for my bday–easy for him and makes me happy, too.
I love surprises and I hate them. Is that possible? If I am going to be pleased with the surprise I love a surprise. If I am going to hate the surprise I hate them…I also require time to prepare my fake love reaction….
I’m a a huge planner!! Seriously it’s a problem. Glad to know I’m not the only one.
I’m not a fan of surprises either and it’s probably because I’m also a total planner. I was worried about that when I got pregnant because everyone told me that you will constantly be surprised with a new baby and things will go off schedule but I think I (we) are handling it just fine. I’ve only been really surprised a few times…my surprise birthday party a year ago and when my husband proposed…and i loved both surprises!
You just described me to a T! I am the same exact way…I hate surprises and love to plan. I’ve even gotten to the point that I will ask around and find out what everyone is giving me for Christmas before Christmas. That way I’m not surprised and know what I’m getting. Thankfully, my husband has learned to not try surprise me anymore.
i love surprises…the true surprises were you have no earthly idea. no hints, no teasers nothing and you are truly surprised. my husband teased me for weeks before we got engaged by saying “i got you something, but i’m not telling” and would wave the receipt in my face. i couldn’t stand it and ended up snooping. some could say i ruined my own engagement, but it wasn’t ruined, he pulled a fast one on me and it ended up being a great moment regardless.
Okay – I love Katie’s response “I love surprises and I hate them”! Isn’t that so perfect?
If I know that someone’s trying to surprise me, or has bought me a gift – it drives me nuts! I am also a planner.
But I love it when someone can truly catch me off-guard and really surprise me! That’s how my husband proposed – at a surprise engagement party with our families and friends there. I had NO CLUE. It was the best surprise ever!
I am also an ocd planning, color coded list maker! And I also can’t stand a surprise. Even before Maija arrived I tried to make lists and plan out all the possible scenerios of going into labor. Good afternoon, my name is Elin and I have a planning problem.
I, too, hate surprises! I did ruin our engagement because I asked wayyyyy too many questions and figured it out!
I love them but not really
i guess i like the idea of them! but i am such a freak about having to know what’s going on when where and why, i usually can sniff it out and figure it out 
ha
I actually love surprises, but man am I feeling you on the whole ‘lack of a life plan’ thing. We won’t even buy concert tickets for October “just in case” we’re living in a different state by then. We talked about what happened if we got pregnant (not that we are trying or have plans to try any time soon, but as you know, things happen) and decided that it would probably mean it’s time to craft a life plan. Or not.
I like surprises. My husband tries really hard but I’m really really good at figuring things out. He hates it and complains that he can never surprise me with anything. The only time he was ever really able to surprise me was in college when he made a surprise visit for the weekend.
I am the same way; it is hard to actually surprise me. I actually posted a story about it yesterday
You and I are so much alike!!!!!
I’ll be honest…I have only been surprised once in my entire life. It was when my husband proposed. But it wasn’t really a surprise because I knew he had the ring (I just didn’t know which day he was going to ask me). I’m not sure if I would like really being surprised. I mean, what if I made a bad face or something?! Ha!
“Because I like to know everything that’s going on, I am impossible to surprise. I hate surprises. I don’t like to be caught off guard and if I get in a car I like to know where I’m going. Sure, it may seem fun or romantic to say, “You’ll see when you get there.” Not for me. I want to know and I do a really good job of finding out. Just ask my husband and my mom. Todd still tries to surprise me, but my mom has given up.”
I am exactly like this. I will do everything to find out what it is. I actually ruined a surprised bday party that my parents where going to throw for me because I asked asked all of my friends about it so many times. I finally got enough info out of them to figure it out. I felt bad in the end, because they ended up canceling it (and we did something else). But I can’t help it!! The best thing for me is not to know anything. Once I have an idea about it, I will do everything to figure it out.
I can very rarely be surprised. I am such a planner as well that any time I suspect something is going on, I usually pester until I figure it out. And then I’m always disappointed that I ruined the surprise for myself.
i love them!
i remember the day todd was proposing. you called me about to die not knowing and what to wear, etc. i was at work and i went in the back room and talked to you forever! thinking you knew everything that was going on. you had it nailed though. your parents were indeed there, ha!
Um, i actually laughed out loud at your post… why, you ask?
because every bit of that (well, except for the getting pregnant 5 months after getting married part) is me. to a T.
right down to the gift giving part…
Am I the only one who was waiting for you to tell us what your surprise was?
I have a love hate relationship with surprises.
I hate surprises. I get mad anxiety. If Ryan tells me you’ll find out when we get there, I start to freak! ha ha, I guess I am really a freak.
I’m exactly like that. I have my entire days planned, and I hate surprises!
My boyfriend tries to surprise me all the time, but I usually figure it out or he just gives up and tells.
I’m the same way!! For years I’ve drilled into my husband no surprises ever- no surprise gifts, no surprise parties, and PLEASE not a surprise engagement (particularly a PUBLIC SURPRISE- I’d probably have died of anxiety over that one!). I just don’t have it in me to keep any surprises, either. Glad to hear I’m not alone!
I hate surprises as well.
I HATE to be surprised, I ruined my 16th birthday party, I used to look for all my birthday and christmas gifts, and I pretty much knew when my proposal was coming!! I’m soo bad but I just can’t stand surprises, I need to know what’s going on at ALL times- good to know I’m not alone.
Ha! I can relate to so much of what you said in this post! About a year and a half leading up to our engagemtn I would try to figure out what Luke was going to do, and he would say “just let it be a surprise” it was SO hard for me!
Nope I hate surprises. I like to plan. How can you plan accordingly if you are missing details? Even my 13 year old knows I will tell her as soon as I buy her something. I can’t stand it around Christmas time. I usually shop right before for this very reason.
I HATE surprises. I’m such planner and want things just “so” if at all possible. The thought of a surprise party seriously makes me sick to my stomach!
Not me…I love surprises! That doesn’t mean that I’m not nosy and I don’t try to figure them out, though! As a kid, I always searched through the house for Christmas presents, and in high school I was able to find out about a surprise party my parents were throwing for my birthday. When I do get truly, 100% surprised, I love it!
I’m a planner, as well-no surprises for me please…Well, when my husband brings home flowers just because -I LOVE that! But as for surprise trips, parties, people coming over, going out-I NEED to plan/have a plan. I’ve been a planner for as long as I can remember. It makes me happy, what can I say?:)
Am I the only one who thought this was going to be another pregnancy announcement? = )
i just found your blog a little while ago and i must say i adore it! thanks for giving us a peek into your life!
i am totally with you on the suprise thing. i drive my husband crazy by always trying to guess suprises. it’s totally the planner in me that just can’t let it go!
hate surprises. I like to know what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, and how it’s going to happen. I always tell people their gifts and then ruin their surprise. I can’t help it. It’s the OCD in me.
HATE surprises. i picked out my birthday present {a new coffee table} months ago and even though my b-day is still a few weeks away, my mom has already had it delivered because she knew i would annoy her to death about it. glad i’m not the only one!
I am with you on that one. Growing up our dad would love to surprise us and it would drive us all nuts. Nowadays if the surprise comes with a gift receipt I’m usually okay with it. My mother was the complete opposite, she’d take us to pick out what we wanted then when she would wrap the gift up and put it under the tree and we knew exactly what we were getting.
I must admit that I’ve gotten a couple sweet surprises lately. One of which was an arrangement of lilies delivered to my house with “When you least expect them” written on the card. I love fresh flowers so I’m always hinting for Mr. A to get them for me. It wasn’t for any particular occasion so I was truly surprised. Another time he sent me flowers when he sent some to his mother for her birthday.
I am also a habitual list maker and planner. I need a small notebook/ planner and pad of post-its on my desk and in my purse at all times.
I love surprises! I hate KNOWING there is a surprise, because then it drives me crazy. But a spontaneous, unexpected surprise is always fun.
Hope you’re having a fab weekend!
I love surprises IF I don’t know one is coming. Evan goes to GREAT LENGTHS to keep my Christmas and birthday presents from me – I won’t try and look for them, but I’ll nag him and try to break him down and fish for clues. He had to put up about 100 smokescreens to keep his proposal a secret!
I am the same way…if someone can pull of a surprise for me, I love it. But it only has happened maybe one time. I always know something is going on and I will do dectective work to figure it out
pull off a surprise I mean