Planning a Surprise [Adventure]

[Adventure 172]

If there's one thing I take delight in doing, it's planning a surprise for someone. My entire life I wanted someone to throw me a surprise party (never happened). I dreamt of it as a child. Hoped for it. But alas, it seems my fate is to be the planner of surprises.

My middle child turned eighteen in 2020 during quarantine. They took comfort in the plan that we'd have a big birthday celebration in 2021. That seems to not be so much in the works, nevertheless we've got something in store.

Our kids get to choose what we do on their birthday - from food to fun and everything in between. Austen's plan was food and games and movies. 

I got their younger sibling and their sister and my parents in on the plan, and it went down as follows:

1. Grandparents went in on a major gift for Austen and I ordered it and had it shipped to their house, already in a gift bag. 

2. Grandparents agreed to host the surprise.

3. Onyx agreed to go with the story that he was planning something for Austen's birthday celebration that requires Austen to leave the house for a couple hours. Austen and I, upon "learning" this, decided it would be a good time to go to Costco to get shrimp cocktail and snacks. Upon further discussion I asked if it would be ok to pick up some stuff for Camp as well. Austen agreed. Perfect!

4. Mal and Fynn would, the day of, insist on also going to Costco. We would leave just before 11:30AM, which coincidentally is the time the Chinese restaurant from which Austen wanted to get dinner opens. 

5. As soon as we drove out of sight, Jim (who stayed home from work) would place an order for pick up at Wang Palace, load the rest of the kids in the car, and go to pick up the food. After picking up the food, Onyx would text us to let us know the food had been acquired and they were headed to the grandparents' house, parking and waiting up the hill from their house if they arrived before us.

6. Receiving the text from Onyx, I would tell Austen, Mal, and Fynn that the grandparents locked their keys in their car and therefore themselves out of their house and we needed to swing by and let them in to get their spare car keys before going home. 

7. Mal would then text Onyx upon our arrival at the grandparents', and hopefully my saying that I needed to use the bathroom before we go and asking Austen, Mal, and Fynn if they wanted to grab a soda before heading out would urge everyone into the grandparents' house. 

8. Jim, Onyx, etc. would then arrive with the birthday meal and eventually Austen would be surprised with the gift they have been saving up for.

The question is...did the surprise adventure turn out as planned? That's an adventure story for another time...