Tick Tock

No, this is not a quote from the second book of the Hunger Games. 
And it ain't no Ke$ha either.

Friends, this is the sound I heard coming in when I got home from work. 

The Superman built me a clock.

Yes, I repeat, BUILT me one. From scratch.

No batteries, wiring, solar panel.

It runs on the weights.

I am in love.

With him and my birthday surprise.

And he made it out of wood.

Really, these pictures don't even do it justice.

You simply must see it in person to really appreciate it.

I almost cried when I first saw it.

Over sixty hours of work on this baby.

All of it for me.

There is not one present I could think of that would make me feel so loved.

Second most impressive point is he kept it a secret for months.

This Superman is horrible at keeping things from me.

The worst.

But this one, he got sooo very close to having me completely surprised.

Unfortunately, about two or three days before it was finished I spoiled it.

I came home without giving him warning and he was in the garage.

I didn't peek.

I just parked in the driveway and waited with my hands over my eyes.

Then I got out when it was all hidden.

Except he practically leaped at the little trash can.

Of course this made me look to see what was inside.

I saw the pattern for one cog.

That's it.

Then he kept asking if I knew what the surprise was.

I figured a clock because I love them and have a wall full of them.

I had no idea how elaborate it was.

I had no idea what it looked like.

I had no idea how long it took him to build.

I was in every fiber surprised when I saw it for the first time.

He couldn't wait for my birthday, so he gave it to me early.

As you might be able to see, he didn't have the weights working quite right.

Those are his ear protectors hanging from one weight.

I still loved it, and loved that he couldn't wait to show me.

I love my Superman.

PS. It is the natural looking one, not the Roman Numeral one. Just in case you wondered.