Surprises!

So this past Sunday I was talking with some friends and we started talking about how great a trip to California would be for our long weekend! We got excited and I started planning starting with talking to my parents about it. My parents gave the ok and my Dad asked several questions- if Mom knew, if my sister was going to join me, what the reason was.... I said, no probably not- I had previously brought it up and she said they didn't get school off (but I don't know why she cared- she only has class Tuesday through Thursday...) Anyways, I said I'd ask again. Well she said yes and so we decided that since Mom knew I was coming and it was her birthday- we would at least surprise her by not telling her Carly was coming. So we started planning. My Mom tried talking me out of it. The other people ended up not making it for various reasons, and we found substitutes who ALSO had to decline in the end. At one point my Mom was talking to Carly- we have a Valentine's Day tradition: we write love notes to each other. My Mom was reminding Carly to do hers and she asked how we were going to do it this year. My brother sent his early in an email and we'll send him the responses on Monday through email. And my Mom said she'd conference call me and Carly. Then she called back and was like, actually, I should probably tell you- Jamie is coming down for the weekend if you want to come. To which Carly said, "No, I think that's dumb to spend that much time in a car just for the weekend." But she had already said yes. I only told my Dad that Carly was coming, and although I told other people I was coming home I didn't mention Carly. Carly told Katie though- and I personally am surprised she kept that secret.

So our journey- we took off from Provo after I got off work on Friday. My Dad texted and said that Mom was going to call me and that Carly needed to be quiet and if she asked for names of people driving with me- to make them up. So my Mom called and Carly was silent. It went well. My Mom didn't ask for names- instead she asked where they were all going- if we were dropping them off or if any were spending the night, being picked up from somewhere.... So I was like, "Yeah, I'm dropping two of them off cause they're on the way, but the third one is from Santa Barbara (one of the places one of the original people was from) and his parents are just planning on picking him up from our house when we get there." Apparently my Mom bought it. I got a text a few minutes later that said, "WOW. Jamie's such a liar." I was like, weren't we supposed to?

So, we continued driving and then we got into the neighborhood and we pulled off onto a side street. At Katie's suggestion, we put Carly in the trunk- she curled around the back side of her suitcase and was holding onto mine. We drove the rest of the way home and I called to tell my Dad I needed help with luggage and Mom needed to help too. When my Mom came out she was like, "Really? You need help with your luggage? What did you bring?" I just said junk. So I popped the trunk and we walked around to the back. I lifted the lid and my Mom screamed. All you could really see was Carly's head above the suitcase. I didn't REALLY need help with my luggage- we just wanted to surprise her. :) My Mom said she was happy she was home- but had been thinking Carly was the smart child for NOT coming home. :)

So that left Cassie and Julie who still didn't know Carly was home- because there was a cousin sleepover at Grandma's. So Carly and I decided we would go. Cassie called to say she was there and safe, for my parents' benefit and I said for her to let me in when I got there. Carly asked if she should go around back, and I said yes (there was only a slight problem- I meant around the back of the car and then just sneak into the house after me. She thought I meant back yard.) So we went inside and I'm waiting for Carly to come in the front door which Katie and I left unlocked. Sam came running out of the kitchen and I asked what he was up to. He said he just thought he heard knocking- so I went out in the garage and tried to whisper to Carly that the front door was open- but she couldn't hear me- wrong side of the house. I came back inside and Sam had fallen to the ground, hiding from any view of a window. I asked what was going on- he had just about everyone else crouched on the ground with him. He said, "Someone's outside! It looks like Carly but she looks like this!" (Then he pulled his eyes out- asian style- you know what I mean) It didn't click for him because he thought Carly was in Idaho. Then Carly popped against the window really quickly. Everyone heard it, but I think I was the only one who saw it. Cassie asked if Carly was there and I said "No, I thought she was still in Idaho but I DID see someone against the window." Meanwhile Katie and I are headed to the door that leads from the backyard into the kitchen. Later Cassie said she thought we were retarded- "We had seen some random crazy person outside and we're just CALMLY walking to the door to let the complete stranger in." Katie lets her in and Carly jumps in saying "SURPRISE!!!" Katie and I start busting out laughing and once Cassie and Sam realized what was going on, they joined in too.

So we spent the night and the next morning I woke up and went to go see Marissa and Emily and Grandma- who were all asleep when I had gotten there. Marissa decided to play shy and then ran down the hall saying "SCARY!" When she came back I asked if I was scary cause I didn't have makeup on. She said no, and i was like, "Oh, cause I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and I got scared- I would've run away, if it were possible". She laughed.

So this started my wondrous morning- followed by a cousin breakfast at Eggs and Things with Grandma. My Grandpa approves of my new major- he says no matter what I do, writing skills will help. "Even an accountant should know how to write".

After cousin breakfast we came home briefly before getting ready for the beach. We went as an individual family- Mom, Dad and sisters to Leo Carillo and climbed all the rocks. (Little trivia: 50 First Dates was filmed mainly in Hawaii- with the exception of ONE scene, filmed at Leo Carillo when we were there camping with some family friends. My Mom had been walking back from the beach when a friendly man "waved at [her] as if [she] should know him." It was Adam Sandler- with his dog in the back seat. We went back and watched part of the long process. We probably stayed for over 2 hours combined- for a mere 30 seconds to a minute of the movie...) Walked through the tunnels- or crouched through one of them. We took pictures, ran from the waves, checked out the tide pools and saw SO MANY starfish! Among other things- but we were surprised at the amount of starfish specifically. Such a lovely drive- Kanan on the way there and Decker Canyon on the way back. I LOVE being home!! "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!"

And the day's not over yet- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!