Two weekends ago we packed a few overnight bags and drove to Stockton, California after Chad got out of school on Friday afternoon. It was a pretty last minute trip and we are super bummed we didn’t get to spend time with more people, but we went solely for the purpose to support a good friend of ours. When we lived in Stockton, we found some incredible people who became our second parents. We spent Sundays after church at their house, Chad lived with them for several months, we both stayed with them during surgeries and sickness. They were our California parents (since our families are in Nebraska and Washington). We grew incredibly close to them and their kids. Kari is my best friend and was my Maid of Honor at our wedding. They have changed our lives & impacted us in a way that I could never really even hope to put into words. They are some of the first people we call in times of trial, and truly consider them family. Kari sent us a message that Rich was directing his last play and that they were trying to round up everyone to surprise him at his last show. Chad and I both looked at each other & knew we just had to make it work.
Before we picked Chad up at school, we stopped at Walmart to stock up on road trip snacks. I let Presley pick out several things for herself & she was so funny when I told her to pick out 3 things. She ran around super fast, “sessy dis one, no, yes, no, ooh cool” and ended up picking Kit Kats, Purple Peeps & some Cars Apple Juice. It was so funny to watch her carry them up to register and put them on the belt. Such a big girl lately.
About halfway through the drive there we stopped to let Presley run around and to grab some dinner. We found a big unlocked grass area and Presley got to play with some ladybugs and loved picking little flowers (weeds)
The drive is about 10/12 hours straight, so with a Toddler it is just a tad more. Thankfully Presley took a pretty good nap and fell asleep around 10pm, so only half of it was spent entertaining her. One of us drove, while the other sat in the back with her. We arrived about 2 am on Saturday morning and snuck in a few hours of sleep before Chad headed out golfing with his best friend Fred & Presley and I had a morning filled with bunnies, food, playdates and lots of time with the Fairbanks.
Saturday night we headed into Stockton to surprise Rich & eat before we went to the play Bye Bye Birdie. Seeing his face when we walked in made everything worth it. There is nothing better about surprising someone. We brought Jocelyn with us (she is a baby whisperer) because Presley absolutely loved her. She was such a doll & helped us with Presley so much. She said to me, while we were packing up for the play, “Uhm, if you want – I can come with you to help you with Presley….”. Sold girl. Sold. Her parents wouldn’t let us bring her to Arizona with us though, darn.
We were nervous about how Presley would do during the 3 hour play – but she surprised us. It was a sold out show so we offered to sit on the floor right in front of the stage & it ended up being perfect for us because Presley danced around the ENTIRE show. I am not kidding. She absolutely loved it. At the end of every scene, she would say “More dancing, more singing”. She would try copying the dancers and during a slow song asked Chad to pick her up to dance. We were holding back laughs the entire time because we were so happy and impressed with her. She would clap like crazy after every scene & even ended up bowing at the end with all the performers. It was amazing.
I’m so sorry if you tried to get ahold of me to meet up – I feel so bad that we couldn’t fit more in, but we will definitely be back for an entire week later this year & we will make sure to schedule LOTS of playdates and catch up time with all y’all.
Camille says
Your daughter looks so adorable. You all look like you had a blast! And yes, there is nothing better about surprising someone (a good surprise. lol). Your family looks really lovely.