My parent's zoomed off for the weekend road trip style to celebrate this day. Before they left we secretively did this to their car - complete with pop cans attached to their back bumper and paper white wedding bells hanging from the two outside mirrors:
My parents have two vehicles. A Suburban that is parked in their driveway all the time, and a Toyota that is parked in the garage more times than not. I needed to know which vehicle they were planning to take on their road trip and somehow weaved it into a conversation with my mom. They would take the Toyota. Great. Now our job just got a little harder as we'd have to find a way to get that car on the driveway the night before they left.
This is what I wrote to my dad via email: Don't ask questions - don't share this conversation - do not park your Toyota in your garage tonight - have your Toyota parked with front windshield facing the street tonight. Send me a note that you got this message - then just remember as you were told - follow through with the direction - but otherwise forget this conversation.
My dad replied: Ok, except one small issue. Who's going to handle your mother when she takes Splash out in the morning and the Toyota is missing? Will the EMT's be standing by? :)
My reply: That ... will be your issue ... My issue is that you just play lazy tonight and never move the car into the garage, and don't let her move it into the garage. =)
My family headed over there after 10pm on Thursday night and upon arrival we saw that the Toyota was not in the driveway. Sigh. He either forgot, or he's waiting before he heads to bed to park it outside - which could be at any hour of the night! So now what?! We parked across the street along the wooded side with our lights off, and a peek-a-boo view of their garage through the island of trees separating their house from their neighbors.
We were trying to figure out how to remind him, with out getting my mom involved. As we sat pondering, their very good friend and neighbor came out of his house, carrying a flashlight, walking across his lawn towards our car that is parked the opposite side of the street. Oh man!
My hubby got out, introduced himself, and shared the story of what we were doing. Talk about a great Block Watch Neighborhood!!! I didn't even know they could see us, or that they had been watching. HA!
Eventually my hubby called my dad, told him to say it was the wrong number, but that he needed to follow through this his directions. I could hear my dad chuckling as he said "Sorry, you've got the wrong number." So cute - and moments later we saw his garage door open, and the Toyota backing up ...
What a fun night - the kids were enjoying every second of suspense!!
Moving forward, upon arrival to their Anniversary Suite my parents were to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers from us too. Adding little surprises throughout their vacation to remind them how much we love them, how we are very grateful for their marriage, and for their legacy of building a strong family through their strong marriage.
I asked my mom over an email this week, "What were you doing on this day fifty years ago?" I love her reply. I love thinking about my mom as the young bride, about her family support, and about my dad and what it must have been like starting their life together. Not knowing truly if they would celebrate fifty years in the year 2011 together. Anything could have happened. But God happened in their life, their love, their family.
Beautiful.
I love you, Mom and Dad!
Happy 50th Anniversary!
From my mom:
As I remember we had a house full of relatives and one thing I remember was Aunty Maud saying she thought Susan's dress would be cute with little swoopy scallops around the bottom and we went out and bought tiny flowers and she "scooped" up the top layer of very thin pink fabric. It was so much cuter. It was also very hot. Like really hot, but that wasn't unusual for August. It was 104 degrees on Sunday for our 4:00 wedding. Fri night was the rehearsal dinner.
I don't remember any big catastrophes, but I know my parents did a lot of food prep on Saturday because the wedding dinner - that we didn't attend - was after the wedding at our house. My father seemed extra nervous, but so happy to have so much family around all at once. It was a great story time and what he didn't have to tell Willene's father filled in. He was full of it and a lot of fun. And there were little kids everyone kept trying to entertain or take some place. A lot of relatives stayed in motels or hotels, but were at our house all the rest of the time. I was probably the oblivious bride and everyone put up with me.
It rained Sunday morning - in Spokane that means a few sprinkles and cloud cover that lasts 20 minutes. Aunty Maud and Aunty Margit each told me separately that it was Norweign good luck to have rain on the morning of your wedding. If they each made it up they were on the same wavelength. And 50 years later, I'd say it's true.
4 comments:
This all brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful story! I love the humor of the situation where you were stalking your parents' home, and I really love your mom's tale of the day 50 years ago. Congratulations to them on this major milestone and also congrats to you for being such a thoughtful, interesting daughter! Your entire family is so joyous, creative, selfless, and FUN.
What a fun thing you and your family did to your parents' car. What were your mother and father's reactions the next AM? Did they call you after they saw the car?
Loved the story you printed from your mother's email. 104 with no A/C and getting ready for a wedding. I just can't imagine it.
Awww, Thanks, Mary Kathryn!
Yes, Tina, they did call - giggling with excitement as they thought it was pretty great. Called back later to say they received A LOT of car honks, thumbs-ups, and some rolling down their passenger window to yell out a congrats. =)
That must have given them lots of chuckles from the reactions of others. It was a great idea.
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