My husband’s job sometimes takes him away from home. He doesn’t like going; the kids hate when he goes. Having FaceTime and Skype has been a godsend, letting my husband say goodnight to the kids, share silly stories about the day and just spend some time together even though they are distances away.
On his last trip my husband arrived home after the kids went to bed and he would be gone again before they really woke-up; not a very happy homecoming for everyone.
In stepped Hallmark with a solution: their Memory Keeping Recordable Frame ($29.95 Cdn).
When visiting the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach when visiting Hawaii for the first time earlier this year, one of our best vacations to-date. The folks at the Outrigger took a great family photo of us, including me (which is rare since I’m usually the one taking the photos). Giving their dad a copy of the photo to take with him on trips is a nice idea, but the recordable frame added a whole other dimension. Each one of our three kids recorded a line that had some connection with our trip and with them personally; a line that would resonate with my husband and stir-up pleasant memories of our vacation. The kids loved recording their lines. The set-up was easy and they could keep re-recording until they were happy with it (the recording is only 10 seconds long). Once happy with their recording, there’s a lock button on the back to avoid re-recording over the audio by accident but it also means you can add a new photo later with a new recording.
I thought my husband would like the frame when I gave it to him but I never expected his reaction; he cried! The picture was nice but hearing the kids saying their vacation lines (Aloha dad! Let’s go to the beach! Surf’s up!) brought tears to his eyes; tears of joy.
The recordable frame now sits on his desk, in his office. When he’s having a rough day or has to work late he just plays the frames audio (a button at the top of the frame). And it travels with him too.
We give gifts on birthday’s and anniversary’s and other special occasions, but sometimes the best gifts come out of the blue, based on everyday life.
The folks at Hallmark sent me a Memory Keeping Recordable Frame but this post is solely my thoughts, something that occurred spontaneously from a moment in my family’s life.
You may have even been one of the lucky ladies to have received a pink rose from one of these charming guys. But don’t be fooled ladies, Ken is off the market.
