{Surprise}

Brandon and I have been friends with the Bennett family for almost five years now. Sadly Bill, Karyn, and their two beautiful boys moved away from us about a year and half ago. We have missed them terribly and wish that Minnesota weren't so far away.
Bill came up with the most thoughtful idea for Karyn's 30th birthday--he asked if he could use his frequent flyer miles to fly me to surprise Karyn for her birthday. He asked me in January and her birthday is August 11th. It was SOOO hard to keep it a secret! I remember Karyn calling me about an hour before I left for the airport on Tuesday night and I freaked out. I tried to keep it cool but was so nervous that she had found out some how.
Anyway, I flew in on Tuesday around midnight and Bill, (who constructed an elaborate story about how a family from church needed him to give their daughter a blessing) picked me up. When we arrived at her house my heart was pounding. I wanted SO badly to wait to surprise her until her actual birthday (which technically it was being that it was one in the morning)...but anyway. I left my suitcase in the car and we crept up the stairs. Bill showed me to the guest room (I didn't even turn on the light...I just crawled right in bed) and then Bill came back to my room to get me at 6am so I could surprise Karyn.
I was SO nervous and excited to see her reaction. I tip toed into her room (it was still dark outside but light enough that you could see) and crawled into bed with her and said, "Happy Birthday!" She squealed, then laughed, and finally cried. "What about your babies!?" she said. I told her that I came to play for three whole days (Bill had to leave town on Karyn's birthday--so I was there to keep her company) and that my boys would get some good daddy time while I was away.
It was such a fun few days (they ended all too quickly, of course). Bill treated us to pedicures, we had lunch dates, Karyn got a babysitter for the boys two of the three days so we just played and played. We went and saw Eclipse...eh ehm twice, ate Paradise Bakery cookies and ice cream every night, sat on the couch and talked about everything from child rearing to home decor. It was such a refreshing break for me and SO much fun to be with Karyn and her babies.

This is us the morning I surprised her looking bleary eyed and sleepy. Keep in mind it was about 6:45am--and neither of us had a good night's rest. She was worried about her husband out in the middle of the night (picking me up from the airport--I mean, helping a family from church). And I had had maybe four hours of sleep myself.

I made her German pancakes for breakfast while she opened her presents.

Wowzers! Look at the basketball under my shirt?! haha.

This is us on Karyn's birthday (after lunch, Eclipse, and pedis).

Is there really anything better than freshly lotioned, massaged, and painted toes (french pedicure is my very fav)? I think not.

This is me and little Henry the morning I left to the airport to go home. He is such a LOVE bug!

THANK YOU, BILL FOR SPOILING ME AND YOUR WIFE! :)