I love shopping online, but what a pain if you're trying to surprise the wife! If you check out ANYthing on a website, then it, or another brand of it, now shows up on every other website you go to! I've tried the 'private' browser, sometimes it works, most times not.

This year the wife asked for something specific, it's big and not cheap. I've been doing my best to make her think I've totally forgot about it Problem is, this thing and every competitor's model is showing up everywhere on the computers around here, and I keep seeing them on her iphone! Only reason I'm not too worried about that is, she used her phone to show me what she wanted, so hopefully she thinks she's the reason for all the ads for them.

So I orders up one, and I arrange with some inlaws to have it shipped to their place. Wasn't sure where to go from there exactly, but I decided the only way to get it out of their hair was to rent a storage unit nearby. It's too big for 2 people to lift into the back of my truck, so I decided to rent a trailer. Then one of my kids tells me he's looking to sell or give away his little trailer, which is low enough to load up easy.

So the other day I make some excuse to leave for awhile, I pick up the trailer, head to the inlaws, we got it loaded up and tied down, and off to the storage unit I go.

Now I'm really happy, everything is working perfectly, shipping worked out, a trailer to haul it with and not have to give it back couldn't have worked out better, and it's under wrap only 1/4 mile away till Xmas morning. No "if you see a big truck honey, don't look!" stuff to spoil the surprise.

So I get home all pleased with myself, and the wife waves an envelope in my face and says, "so why did you rent a storage unit?"


--if the internet won't spoil the surprise, Murphy's Law will always find a way...