Surprised by The Coming Home......

As I said in the last post,  the coming home from our getaway deserved a post of its own. 

While we were packing up to leave, Chuck got a phone call.  I heard him say hi to my sister......then the rest of the conversation was a lot of "okay" and "uh yea" and "alright"......and I was saying "what?" and "tell me" and "give me the phone."  It was my sister and he looked concerned and I was getting worried.

Finally, he gives me the phone and my sister tells me she needs us to swing by her house when we get back in town because her father-in-law is giving her husband one of his hunting guns and she needs us to hide it until Christmas.  I say, "can't you just hide it under your bed?"  She says, "we have to clean our room tomorrow."  I say, "Okay."  (Makes sense to me because maybe they are rearranging and he will see under the bed???)

This sister doesn't ask much of me.  She's the giver.  And if she needs me to do this for her, then sure.  We can do this.  It's not on our way........but sure we can swing by her house....on the southwest side of the city.  We live in the far northwest side.....a 50 minute drive away.  But sure we can do this for her.

So we finish packing up, eating breakfast, checking out, and heading over to The Hill Country Galleria for a little shopping.  After a couple of hours, Cameron left us to head back to College Station.  She had a major project to work on.  Kiss, hug, bye....call us when you get there.

On our way out of town, we drive through downtown Austin and through the University of Texas campus.  And then back on the road to home.

At about the place we would need to exit to head towards my sister's, I say I think we should go home first to check on the dogs, the house and the mail.  We can unload the car, then head over there.

We get home and make the quick turn around to get back in the car to head to my sister's.  I call her and we discuss maybe eating out somewhere.  Mexican or Italian?  We can decide when we get there.  Fifty minutes of more driving.  And we pull up to her house. 

We walk in.  Everything appears normal.  I head into the living area.  Normal.  I turn the corner and see her table fully set for dinner.  My nephew asks, "Have you seen our bathroom?"  I follow him to it...but I am still trying to process the visual of the set table.

 OUT.   JUMPS.  AND.  YELLS.  CAMERON. 

Cameron who left us early to go back to College Station.

  Cameron who had text me that she was "home."

SURPRISE!

My sister and Cameron apparently had planned this all week.  A surprise dinner party.  Guests included my sister, her husband, her two sons, and us.  Steak and chicken,  twice baked potatoes, green beans, Caesar salad, fruit salad and pumpkin pie for dessert. 

The gun?  Never happened.  Just the story they came up with to get me over there.  My brother-in-law?  Kept saying all night, he really wanted that gun for Christmas. ha.

What a pleasant surprise.  Of course, I felt a little "off" all night.  I mean, I fell for the story.  And I was questioning my radar....how could I not have picked up on anything? 

I think I know.  It wasn't me.  My family can lie.  Really well.

I got my camera out but not until after the dinner.  I asked the kids to get on the stairway for a group shot of the cousins.  Somehow the dogs were invited to be in the group shot.

 By the way, that furry trouble in those pictures?  His name is Asher.  He's not even one year old yet.  Asher has trouble with boundaries. 

The dog on the bottom?  That's Tipper.  She makes a great cushion, apparently.

Help.

Oh, don't feel too sorry for Tipper.  She has boundary issues, too.

Meet Tipper, the lap dog.

Dear Sister, Brother-in-law, Nephew 1, Nephew 2, Husband, Daughter 2 and Son:

Thanks for the surprise!  The icing on the top of the cake......the cake being my wonderful birthday week.

You fooled me.  And I would like to say that's not hard to do.....but it seems it's easier than I thought.

You made my birthday very special.