Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Now, say that again in your best Gomer Pyle, USMC voice. Gee, am I dating myself? Nah! I’m still only 41 (for a few more days anyhow).

As I said in my previous post, we flew to VA to surprise and dumbfound my dad on his 70th birthday. We boarded the plane in ATL



which was a feat in and of itself. The self check-in didn’t work, we waited in the wrong line (the slow one) before Dave found the Medallion member line. Moved to that one, got checked in quickly, AND found out that we don’t have to pay for carseats. You see, I’d forgotten all about having to pay for your bags now. But Dave gets two free due to his Medallion status. The rest of us get squat. We only had two bags though plus the carseats so came away not having to pay anything. Whew.

Fortunately, we were then fed to the short line for security (got to love the Medallion status) and made it to our gate in plenty of time. I was worried because it had taken us an hour to get TO security.

We survived the flight, bumps and all (and we had many that I did NOT care for at all), and arrived in Virginia right on schedule.

As planned with my mom, I called my dad once we reached their neighborhood to wish him a happy birthday. I asked about his plans for the day which seemed to include working on setting up the new DVD player, watching football, and having a quiet day. Little did he know that the gift of noise was about to arrive!!

We went in the house, snuck into the kitchen, and caused the first of three stunned moments (or as dad said, the first of three heart attacks). Unfortunately, the camera was not zoomed in on his face as we came in the kitchen but here are the others




The next few hours were spent hanging around, assisting with the new DVD player installation, and waiting for my sister to arrive from North Carolina (along with her boys) and my brother from Virginia Beach. Their respective spouses were unable to join us which was a bummer but totally understandable.






It worked out beautifully that dad headed out for a haircut just before they all arrived. He came in through the kitchen while they were safely ensconced in the living room. As he rounded the corner, they all yelled “Surprise” which caused him to throw his jacket in amazement! Heart attack number two.





Little did he know that the day was not yet over. We carefully snuck around preparing for the arrival of the guests for his party. As luck would have it, he happened to be in the kitchen with me, my brother, and the little girls as my mom and sister snuck everyone into the house. Ah, and then the fun begins. As we stood there chatting, we heard the singing of “Happy Birthday” from around the corner.

He rounded the corner and saw





Heart attack number three.

The next few hours were spent with good food



visiting with cousins




and watching dad open gifts, hear poems, and share stories.



The next day, I checked out the basement and realized that yes, we had really taken over the joint as evidenced here




Saturday was spent playing pool, playing Wii, and being generally silly.






Katie learned the lesson of not to fall asleep when your brother is playing pool




We also headed for the indoor pool in my parent’s neighborhood.





I played lifeguard instead of swimming.



Who wants to be wet and cold in January?? Not me. The day concluded with leftovers, game time, and bed. I don't know about the rest of the crew, but I was tired.

After a flight delay and hanging around the airport today,



we arrived home safe and sound. We've unpacked, done laundry, some have eaten dinner, but all are preparing for the start of school. The girls and I head back tomorrow; the big kids on Wednesday. Oh how I dread tomorrow's wake-up!

Happy New Year everyone!