Skip to main content

Tuesday Time to Tackle: Surprise Reunion


Hee hee hee.  If all goes as scheduled, by the time you are reading this, my mom will have had a wonderful surprise.  The planning began about a year ago, but I think my dad has been dreaming of this for about 5 years. 


Five years ago, my sister invited my parents out to her house for Thanksgiving.  She lives on the opposite side of the country from my parents, my brother, and I.  Unbeknownst to my parents, my brother and I (and our families) were also going to be at my sister's house for Thanksgiving.  

My parents were delighted, as were my siblings and I.  We couldn't believe that we actually managed to keep the reunion a surprise.  We giggled like little girls the whole weekend.  (My brother might not be OK with that description, but it's pretty accurate.)

About a year ago, my dad mentioned to us kids that he wanted another surprise reunion, but that he wanted to be in on the planning stage this time.  Thanks to Facebook messages, we were able to plot and plan.  My dad told my mom he wanted to take her to Yellowstone, and that he would take care of all the details.  Mom usually takes over any task of organization, but she let my dad plan.  We found a place that would accommodate our group and made our reservation.  

I'm writing this ahead of the actual event (I'm not sure how reliable my internet connection will be), so what follows is the plan:

My siblings and I will meet at the cabin the night before our parents arrive.  On Saturday (my mom's birthday!), my parents' kids and most of the grandkids will show up at Old Faithful at the same time my parents are there.  We're hoping that Mom will be so distracted anticipating the eruption, that she won't notice us coming up behind her.  My dad, ever the photographer, will set up his camera to hopefully capture the moment that she realizes we are there.  

When I went to my parents' place in July, I really did go to help them, but the ulterior motive was to help keep Mom's radar down.  It had been about a year since I had seen my parents; it would never cross Mom's mind that I might see them again in just a couple of weeks.  

Not only will we be celebrating my mom's birthday, but this year is also the year of my parents 50th wedding anniversary.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate. 

I imagine we will all be giggling like little girls.  

Have you planned a surprise party?  How did it go?

 photo visiting2_zps6d4521f3.jpg

 photo ThankfulThought4_zps7d9599c2.jpg
Thanks for my parents, and for family reunions.

 photo signature3_zps16be6bca.jpg


Pin It

Comments

  1. Oh, I love this! I'm giggling like a girl with y'all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What fun!

    I hope everything came together the way you planned and that the moment is captured in the photographs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful celebrations...have a great time!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your Mother is just going to be thrilled! When we were much younger I surprised my little sister by coming home for Christmas -- I was sitting on the couch when she came home from school! Best surprise ever! Your surprise will be just as great.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is just a wonderful idea, and I know your mom is going to be thrilled! Can't wait to hear all the details.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My parents have been on 6 missions and have made many friends and some now "adopted into the family" members. My parents had their 50th anniversary last year, and one of our "adopted family members" Jom (pronounced like Chom) came all the way from Thailand. They were so surprised to see him. It made the celebration all that more special.
    Another time when my dad was turning 70 I fly up to Oregon (we live in Utah)and surprised him... he is my step-dad but I've always felt he was/is my dad... and couldn't believe I made all that effort just for him! Makes me tear up to think of that again. Family... it's/their worth every effort we made! Hope you have a wonderful time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Last Two Weeks

  Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, as viewed from an overlook I apologize for not commenting on your blog posts this past week; John and I took a vacation to Yellowstone National Park, leaving behind our computers and, to a large extent, cell phone service. We escaped the outside world and just spent time in nature. Though we have friends near Yellowstone (who we love to visit) we made this trip just about us, so please forgive us if we were nearby and didn't stop by. The crowds were minimal (though we did mask up whenever we passed someone on the trails) and we spent our days hiking, taking photos, and watching geysers erupt. Today, we are back home and back to work, and, in the case of my computer, back to old shenanigans like not letting me import my photos. (I was able to add the above photo by using blogger on my phone, but that isn't my preferred method.) I want to write about Yellowstone and have photos I want to share, but will leave that for another

Ten Things of Thankful: December is Here!

  A small snowflake ornament made of clear melted beads hangs on a Christmas tree The rhythm of time passing should not surprise me--after all, that is our experience here on earth--and yet I find myself constantly amazed at how another week/month/year has come and gone. In a blink of an eye, we are now in December and the Christmas season. I love Christmas!  1. I'm thankful for decorations. The tree is up, lights are hung, nativities adorn the house. Stockings are hung in anticipation of little ones visiting. Someone asked me this week what my tree looks like. I'm a sentimental tree decorator. I didn't even realize until not that long ago that some people have themes for their trees that are anything other than "a hodge-podge of ornaments made and collected over the years, each with a history that brings memories flooding back." At this point in my life, I have more ornaments than tree space, so not every ornament goes up each year. I always find room for the sma

Ten Things of Thankful: Even in Times of Uncertainty

  A railroad switch point on the tracks at the Golden Spike National Historic Park There is a lot I don't know. I don't know who will lead the United States for the next four years (at the time I'm composing this post, that hasn't been determined yet.) I don't know when covid cases will stop rising in my state and start decreasing. I don't know how challenging situations will turn out. There is much uncertainty in life. Living in limbo-land is hard. It's emotionally exhausting. It can be immobilizing. My body seems to think chocolate is the answer, but I know that isn't a long-term solution. What do I need in times like these? I need to REMEMBER . 1. R esilience. People are resilient. I am resilient. I'm thankful for resilience. 2. " E ach Life That Touches Ours for Good." So many people, both those I know in "real life," and those I have only met virtually, have taught me, encouraged me, and been examples to me. I'm thankful