Carl the Baker: April 2007

So, I was gone last week on an impromptu vacation. You see for the last month or so my lovely wife had been planning a surprise trip for us to celebrate my birthday in Vegas. She went through great lengths to try and keep this trip a secret but at every turn fate seemed ready to outdo her. Kudos to all of my friends who helped perpetuate the mystery even though I was getting more and more suspicious. My first clue that something was up was when I noticed on my work schedule that I only had 8 hours scheduled for the week of my birthday. Upon grilling my boss, she relented and told me that my wife had asked for me to have that week off.

I remembered that earlier in the month Colleen had asked me about where I would like to go if we could take a vacation some day, and my choice was Las Vegas because everyone I know has been there and I was feeling a little left behind. A couple of weeks passed and I began thinking that I might have had it wrong, but then a week before my birthday, my little brother dropped the bombshell. He left a message on my answering machine saying "Hey Carl, we're back from Cuba and I got those cigars that you wanted. I'm not sure if you're home or in Vegas yet. Mom told me you were going. Anyway I could only get you a couple but I think they're the ones you want. Gimme a call"

Not wanting to upset Colleen, I chose not to tell her that I knew, for fear that her confidence in her secret planning might be shaken. Then the second person to tell me was my friend George who was having a problem with a show that he is directing. He asked if I could fill in on short notice for an actor who couldn't perform the opening week of the show. He told me "I know this is last minute and that you're going to Vegas and you'll probably want to relax and not study a script". It was at that point I was sure that I was going to Las Vegas, and I told Colleen what George said. She was a little disappointed that I knew we were going. I didn't, however, know when. I kept wondering how Colleen was going to get me to the airport without me getting suspicious. I knew that I had to go to the airport the next day to have breakfast with some friends of my parents and.....wait a minute! My parents are in on the ruse.

The next morning I woke up and went along with the plans to "have breakfast" but I started noticing things. For one, my passport had disappeared from my jacket pocket, then my backpack was sitting in the middle of the bedroom and disappeared shortly after. Other things seemed to have vanished from the room as well (the Nintendo DS, my face cream, the camera, some of my clothes), but I pretended not to notice.

My parents showed up to take us to the airport on the pretence that "It's early, and you might be too tired to drive". We got to the airport, and decided to have breakfast because my parent's friends plane was "late". My dad then left the table to go find them and after a while miraculously returned with my suitcase and backpack. It was at that point I told my parents that I already knew. Oh well, I was going to VEGAS, BABY!

We stayed at the Flamingo,