A Surprise Like No Other!

I love a good surprise.

Last week, with the help of my friend Jody, we pulled off a fantastic surprise for our kids. I'm still in shock over the fact that we did in fact get the job done without ruining it ourselves, but we DID it! Yay! (patting self on the back)

A couple of months ago, Jody told me that she and the kids would be visiting her parents early in the summer. That visit would bring them about half the distance between us and where they currently live. My mind raced-surely there could be a way for a mini-reunion with some planning. When I broached the idea with her, she jumped on board and loved the idea of keeping it a secret from all the kids-hers and mine.

Last Thursday morning, I put bags that I had packed in the middle of the night in the car, pulled pillows out from underneath their heads (seriously!) and added them to the trunk as well. I woke my sleeping children, urged them to hurry and get ready-that I had a surprise for them.

At last we were on the road. The girls were completely stumped as to where we might be going. I was loving it!

Jody and I had agreed ahead of time to meet at a Chik-fil-A just off of our final exit. The girls and I arrived first and having talked to Jody, I knew that they were on their way.

Figuring that with my luck, I'd be in the middle of paying for our lunch while Jody and the kids walked in and miss out on seeing their faces and getting photos. I decided to delay ordering anything and stalled . . . trying to anticipate how excited the girls would be when they saw their friends. I took the girls to the restroom. I perused the menu. I commented on the weather as I continued wandering towards the windows in search of Jody's vehicle. I even asked the girls if they'd like to play in the indoor playground for awhile, to which Cassidy's immediate response was a vehement "NO!" The girls told me that they simply wanted to order food and get back on the road so that they could reach their surprise destination. I panicked. Surely Jody would be here soon.

I feigned a headache . . . wandering around Chik-fil-A with my head in my hands, peeking out every so often to glance at the door. I got up, debating (out loud) whether we should go to the car for ibuprofin or to put something in my stomach first. Finally, I saw the familiar vehicle pull into the lot. I watched our friends get out and I grabbed the girls, telling them I'd decided to go to the car after all. As we all pulled on doors from opposite directions, we met in the entryway. Cassidy and Rachel were the first to realize what was happening, followed by the younger girls. I will never forget it for as long as I live!

BFF's . . . Rachel and Cassidy share a hug!



Mackenzie made sure to show Miss Jody the new gap in her mouth. I didn't realize until seeing this photo, that Jody was snapping a photo of it as well.


Once we got back to Jody's dad's house, the kids started to put up tents for the evening's camp out to take place in the back yard. Rachel's Girl Scout skills were put to the test. (Sadly, the camp out only ended up lasting about an hour or so before the girls traded their tent for beds indoors that night.)



After setting up camp, Jody's dad treated us to a night at the ball game. The local minor league team was playing and we headed for the ballpark. Here, the kids pose for yet another photo for us.



Poor Hannah was so tired by all of the excitement, that she fell asleep-even though it looks like she is awake. It would seem that Mackenzie's young friend is one to sleep with her eyes partially open. What I like best about this photo is the remains of her dinner on her lap. Jody and I were cracking up.



The next day, Jody drove us around her old stomping grounds. As her friend, it was great to be able to put things together in my mind from past references to the house she grew up in to where her grandmother currently lives. She also drove down the famous "Double Dip" in town-two very steep hills that come one right after another. I pity the people who live in that area during wintertime. In a snow storm, there's no driving on the Double Dip. Period.

In usual fashion, our kids started telling us that they were hungry not long after we left the house that morning. We stopped for lunch here . . .




I (heart) you, Sonic!!!

Of course, we always love a good playdate at the park, so we took our food to go and set up a picnic here . . .


had a great time on the playground for a few minutes and finally decided to head back so that we could get on the road to go home.



After getting the car loaded up, we had another round of hugs and headed for home. A great time was had by all!


Gregg and I had been in touch during our lunch and he informed me that we were heading into bad weather. (Oh goody!) He rerouted me, putting me on course to perhaps get home a bit sooner rather than later. With storms ahead, I was grateful for the possibility of getting home a little earlier. We made it 2/3 home before we hit anything too severe. As the sky continued to get darker and the lighting began appearing in the darkness, I turned on the radio. Severe weather was forecast for the area we were currently traveling in, specifically for travelers between mile marker 161 to 199.

We were at marker number 163.

As a quivery voice asked from the backseat "when are getting home, Mommy?" I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Cassidy could bury herself in the map and (hopefully be too distracted to look out the windows) get the hang of it enough to let me know how many more exits until the one that would ultimately lead us home. As the lightning was touching down in the fields next to us, Mackenzie would comment here and there. "Ooh . . . that one was bright!" and "Wow, Mommy . . . it's so close to us!" Yes indeed, it was close. Too close for comfort. We finally made it to mile marker 200 and I sent up another silent prayer.

Finally, after an agonizing wait for a rest area in the midst of traffic being at a standstill due to road construction, ANOTHER re-route home and rain coming down sideways for the last 20 miles of our trip, we made it to our back door. The girls were exhausted, as was I. Gregg and I tucked them into bed after which I wandered into the den and burst into tears from the sheer relief of getting home safely. Praise the Lord.

In spite of all the detours, delays, and bad weather, it was great to see these faces all together again!

Thank you Lord, for safe travel and for good friends. Amen!