a southern view

So I totally hate surprises.

But being the surpriser, now that is my turf. I do love pulling a surprise over on someone, but oftentimes, I just about blow it. I get so excited in anticipating the surprise that I just want to tell them about it ahead of time.....which, I know, would be a bit counterproductive.

When I told my friends and family that I was taking the girls on a surprise trip to North Carolina to see their Daddy one last time, they all asked when I was going to tell the girls that. My response: "When we get there."

And, to my credit, I kept the surprise.

I packed after the girls were in bed at night, and then I hid all the suitcases. I tried to think of everything possible to cover my tracks. When we got home on Thursday after school, the girls noticed that we were home a lot earlier than normal. I told them that was because we were going on an adventure. Naturally, then it was 20 questions. "Who is taking care of the pets?" "Where are we going?" "Do I need to pack anything?" "Wait--do I get to miss any school?"

My answers were sparse, but I did tell them that we wouldn't get to our destination that night, so we'd have to stay in a hotel. Their mouths dropped open. McKinley said, "Wow....I've never been to one of those before!"

This trip has been full of firsts.

At about 10:00 on Thursday night, we stayed at a shady little dive in Grayson, Kentucky. The girls, however, were delighted. "This is just like our own little house!" Reagan cried out. "I never want to leave!"

But at about 8:30 the next morning, we did. The girls saw the mountains (actually, after having vacationed in Colorado many times, I think those are technically hills, but whatever) for the first time. "Look, guys, real mountains!" Kennedy explained.

By the time we passed the sign that said "Welcome to West Virginia", Kennedy told me that she was now certain that we were NOT going to Grandma Sandy's house. I asked her why that wasn't clear when we left the state of Indiana. The only road trip my girls have ever been on is to Goshen, Indiana, to see my side of the family. We were most definitely not in Goshen.

Each of the girls did incredibly well in the car. Kennedy handed me money out of my wallet for each toll we had to pay. She helped me stay un-bored by telling me in detail about each book she read on the trip. The girls were thrilled to occasionally open up small gifts from Grandma Sandy, things to keep them occupied. Surprisingly, the "Mom, where are we going?" questions ceased. They were content.

Virginia came and went, and in the afternoon, I found myself in North Carolina. I smiled to myself. What was I doing, taking my family on a pretty much spur of the moment trip across the country? I've always wanted to be spontaneous, but the logical, organized, planner side of me shivers at the thought. Yet, I did it.

The GPS said my ETA was 5:35 pm. I texted Aaron (while at a gas station, don't worry) of my plan.

At about 5:50, we pulled into the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel. I called Aaron's cell phone, but I pretended it was the hotel's front desk. I explained who I was, said I was here for the night, and that I needed someone to come out to help carry in our luggage. While we waited, the girls looked around, wondering why were were where we were. Disney World wasn't in sight. But then out walked their Dad.....and my surprise was up. They jumped in their seats, just a little excited.

Friday night -- We ran down the road and picked up pizzas for supper, eating in the hotel room. The girls snuggled with their dad, told them all about things from the past 2 days, and then later took a bath in his bathtub.

Saturday -- McKinley woke Aaron up with a kiss and whispering, "Dad, you're 31 now." Happy birthday to you! Aaron fixed us scrambled eggs in his room for breakfast. Kennedy noted that he was making her breakfast for the first time in her 8 years of life. Again, another first :) We then left for a short, personal, guided tour of Camp Lejeune. It's safe to say that the girls were basically unimpressed. My favorite part of the tour was this:

When Aaron drove up to Onslow Beach, the girls suddenly perked up. They'd never been to a beach before (we told them that the lake at our last camping trip didn't quite count). Needless to say, they were excited. Reagan and Kennedy headed straight to the water's edge. McKinley was so caught up in all the s

eashells on the sand, that she didn't even have time to notice the pounding waves. We watched seagulls, pulled off socks and shoes, waded in the water, made piles of seashells, smiled, and didn't want to leave.

That night, we went out to Red Lobster for Aaron's birthday dinner.

Sunday -- We slept in, nibbled on some things in the room for breakfast, and then headed out. Our planned destination: the Lynwood Park Zoo. Hard to believe, but Jacksonville, NC, had a zoo in town. Their website listed a pricey admission, but it sounded like fun. When we drove up to the address that the GPS gave us, we weren't quite sure what to think. It was a podunk spot, next to a trailer, and a rickety little ticket booth. It was back in a neighborhood, and apparently this was the zoo, hidden back in the woods. Wow. Plan B.

Bowling. The GPS listed a bowling alley just a few miles away. Off we went, and at the given address, we found a house. No bowling alley. Plan C.

Lunch. We finally scored on this one. A little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant, but the food was good, and the service was great.

Hopefully the rest of the day will go without fail. Voyage of the Dawn Treader at the base theatre (read: free!). Supper will be in the room tonight, since we ate lunch out. Who knows what tomorrow will bring :)