"SURPRISE!!!"

God I love my family. We're all about SURPRISES. Anyone, surprising everyone, everywhere. Just this past March, I took my 2 and a half year old on a plane from Sweden to Halifax to surprise Dad for his surprise 60th birthday party.

Background Break: My little guy has more stamps in his passport than most people I know. He was eight days old when he flew from Halifax to Toronto. He was a month old travelling to Montenegro. 8 months old travelling to Canada. 1 year and some odd months travelling to Canada. Almost 2 years travelling to Canada. Add a few trips to Sweden in between and then to Sweden for good in January and then to Canada again for the SURPRISE. Phewf...This time, he and I went solo with no back-up. Despite the lovely Heathrow airport losing his bag for 3 months, it was a great trip. That child has air travel in his blood and the best part of any trip. Blessed or what?

So my parents went to visit my younger brother and his wife out West (from out East) for a couple of weeks. Bro sent me a pic last night of our cousin, his wife, my folks and the two of them. Only the pic also featured my aunt and uncle. SURPRISE, they showed up from Ontario to surprise my cousin AND my folks. Just one example in a long family history, on both parent's sides, of surprises.

Here's a few more:

• Flew home for the 60th. Bro said he couldn't get vacation. I believe him. SURPRISE: He flew in for just 3 short days for the party.
• Flew home for a visit from Montenegro after bro moved out West. He hadn't met his nephew/Godson, who was now 8 months old. Bro said he couldn't get vacation. I believe him. SURPRISE.
• How many Christmases did hubby and I decide at the last minute to pack the car, and the big dog at the time, and drive the two days from Toronto to Nova Scotia...SURPRISE.
• I show up quite unexpectedly in Ontario to surprise my parents and then we ALL surprise same Aunt and Uncle.
• My Dad has 16 brothers and sisters.I can't count the number of surprise birthdays, anniversaries and out-of-town relatives showing up surprises.
• My Aunt Jeannie always says she's not coming and always shows up...SURPRISE. The biggest surprise is when she doesn't.
  
• Had a close family friend dress up as a drunken Santa to SURPRISE my parents on their doorstep..they almost called the cops.

And these are just the surprises I remember. But isn't it just great? Whether you're the surpriser or the surprisee...what great memories you're making together as a family. Whether's the surprise is YOU, a thoughtful gift, an impromptu date for you and your honey, fixing that leaky faucet or coming out of the closet, I urge you all to surprise someone in your family today.