This last weekend was our end of year recital for Creative Motion Studios and boy was it a blast! We all worked so hard to create an amazing show and I was so proud of my dancers! They totally killed it on stage! And the cherry on top of it all was that my mom surprised me and got to watch the show!!! Let's hit rewind for a bit so I can share how this surprise visit came about...
Leading up to the recital, I didn't know Parker's schedule so I was unsure as to whether or not he would be able to come so I held off getting tickets until he got his schedule for his current rotation. When he received his schedule he said he had the night shift starting at 10 pm the night before recital but that he would be home at 7 am to sleep and then he would come to the evening show. We have a friend staying with us right now named Nick and Parker told me to get him a ticket, too, which, if I'm being honest, I thought was really weird but I got two tickets anyway.
After dress rehearsal, I got home to an empty apartment and I went straight to bed because I was exhausted from the dress rehearsal and knew that I would need to be well rested for the long recital day ahead. I think being home alone freaked me out a little bit because I couldn't fall asleep (which does not happen to me ever!) even though I was exhausted. At some point, I did pass out though because the next thing I knew, I woke up to hear someone come into the apartment at 4:45 am. I heard the door to the apartment close and the hall light turned on and I heard someone whisper "Here's the bathroom" which really confused me. Who the heck did Nick bring home at this hour that wouldn't know where the bathroom was?? He's married so I thought it could be his wife but she has stayed with us before so why would he need to show her where the bathroom was? In my confusion, I realized that Parker was probably awake at the hospital so I texted him asking who Nick had brought home at 4:45 am. "Ding!" Parker's phone went off in the hallway so I knew it was him out there but didn't think much about him being home early because he's been let off of night shifts early before. Hearing him say "Here's the bathroom" was the kicker, though. Who did he bring home?!
So Parker came in and climbed into bed and I asked him who he brought home. He said it was Nick and his wife, Devin, but I was still super confused because of the bathroom comment and also because Nick has a key to the apartment so it didn't make sense. He made up some elaborate story about them being at a wedding and coming back here together but Nick didn't have his key since they drove Devin's car, yadda yadda yadda. But it was also 5 am at this point and I was exhausted so I just let it go and tried to go back to sleep. Parker wouldn't let me go back to sleep though. He kept talking and saying how hungry he was and by 6 am we still weren't asleep and I was starting to get mad. We had plans to get breakfast together at about 7:30 am after he was supposed to come home but he was hungry right then and wanted to go get breakfast at Cracker Barrel at that very moment! I, however, wanted to sleep because I don't do well with little amounts of sleep and it was recital day - the biggest day of the year for me. Finally, after begging me to get out of bed and convincing me to at least go get McDonald's together, I got dressed, brushed my teeth and got in the car.
While leaving the apartment complex, Parker turned the wrong way, in the opposite direction of McDonald's and said "Whoops, bad habit. I'm programmed to turn toward the hospital." So he got on the freeway to go the long way to McDonald's but then blew right past the exit and then said something about returning a volunteer badge to the free clinic at his school which is another 10 minutes away and let's not forget that it was 6:30 am and I had only had 4 hours of sleep. I was so peeved.
We took the exit for the school and then he turned into Cracker Barrel and I was SO ANNOYED that we were there. I didn't want to go to freaking Cracker Barrel at 6:30 am. We went in, sat down, and were looking at menus when suddenly I look up and there was my mom, heading toward our table, and I instantly started sobbing.
So Parker didn't have the night call, he was actually driving to Windsor, Ontario to pick up my mom at the airport. Neither of them had slept and Parker had had an energy drink on the last leg of the drive to keep himself awake which is why he couldn't sleep when he got home even though he hadn't slept at all. My mom said she was too excited so she couldn't sleep when they got home, either, so they created the breakfast plan and she drove our other car there. I had no idea and it was truly the greatest surprise ever! That extra ticket for the recital was for her, not Nick lol. It was just the best thing to share that special day with her! It was also super fun to have Parker there at the recital! He hasn't been able to come the last couple of years so it was pretty special for me to have him there this year <3.
My mom, me, and my boss/friend, Natalie. It was so fun for me to introduce my mom and Natalie!
I'll share more about her visit soon because this is super long but I wanted to get it all typed up before I started to forget the details.
Thanks for coming, Mom! And thanks to my dad and Parker for making it work! BEST SURPRISE EVER!
xoxo, Chelan
Leading up to the recital, I didn't know Parker's schedule so I was unsure as to whether or not he would be able to come so I held off getting tickets until he got his schedule for his current rotation. When he received his schedule he said he had the night shift starting at 10 pm the night before recital but that he would be home at 7 am to sleep and then he would come to the evening show. We have a friend staying with us right now named Nick and Parker told me to get him a ticket, too, which, if I'm being honest, I thought was really weird but I got two tickets anyway.
After dress rehearsal, I got home to an empty apartment and I went straight to bed because I was exhausted from the dress rehearsal and knew that I would need to be well rested for the long recital day ahead. I think being home alone freaked me out a little bit because I couldn't fall asleep (which does not happen to me ever!) even though I was exhausted. At some point, I did pass out though because the next thing I knew, I woke up to hear someone come into the apartment at 4:45 am. I heard the door to the apartment close and the hall light turned on and I heard someone whisper "Here's the bathroom" which really confused me. Who the heck did Nick bring home at this hour that wouldn't know where the bathroom was?? He's married so I thought it could be his wife but she has stayed with us before so why would he need to show her where the bathroom was? In my confusion, I realized that Parker was probably awake at the hospital so I texted him asking who Nick had brought home at 4:45 am. "Ding!" Parker's phone went off in the hallway so I knew it was him out there but didn't think much about him being home early because he's been let off of night shifts early before. Hearing him say "Here's the bathroom" was the kicker, though. Who did he bring home?!
So Parker came in and climbed into bed and I asked him who he brought home. He said it was Nick and his wife, Devin, but I was still super confused because of the bathroom comment and also because Nick has a key to the apartment so it didn't make sense. He made up some elaborate story about them being at a wedding and coming back here together but Nick didn't have his key since they drove Devin's car, yadda yadda yadda. But it was also 5 am at this point and I was exhausted so I just let it go and tried to go back to sleep. Parker wouldn't let me go back to sleep though. He kept talking and saying how hungry he was and by 6 am we still weren't asleep and I was starting to get mad. We had plans to get breakfast together at about 7:30 am after he was supposed to come home but he was hungry right then and wanted to go get breakfast at Cracker Barrel at that very moment! I, however, wanted to sleep because I don't do well with little amounts of sleep and it was recital day - the biggest day of the year for me. Finally, after begging me to get out of bed and convincing me to at least go get McDonald's together, I got dressed, brushed my teeth and got in the car.
While leaving the apartment complex, Parker turned the wrong way, in the opposite direction of McDonald's and said "Whoops, bad habit. I'm programmed to turn toward the hospital." So he got on the freeway to go the long way to McDonald's but then blew right past the exit and then said something about returning a volunteer badge to the free clinic at his school which is another 10 minutes away and let's not forget that it was 6:30 am and I had only had 4 hours of sleep. I was so peeved.
We took the exit for the school and then he turned into Cracker Barrel and I was SO ANNOYED that we were there. I didn't want to go to freaking Cracker Barrel at 6:30 am. We went in, sat down, and were looking at menus when suddenly I look up and there was my mom, heading toward our table, and I instantly started sobbing.
So Parker didn't have the night call, he was actually driving to Windsor, Ontario to pick up my mom at the airport. Neither of them had slept and Parker had had an energy drink on the last leg of the drive to keep himself awake which is why he couldn't sleep when he got home even though he hadn't slept at all. My mom said she was too excited so she couldn't sleep when they got home, either, so they created the breakfast plan and she drove our other car there. I had no idea and it was truly the greatest surprise ever! That extra ticket for the recital was for her, not Nick lol. It was just the best thing to share that special day with her! It was also super fun to have Parker there at the recital! He hasn't been able to come the last couple of years so it was pretty special for me to have him there this year <3.
I'll share more about her visit soon because this is super long but I wanted to get it all typed up before I started to forget the details.
Thanks for coming, Mom! And thanks to my dad and Parker for making it work! BEST SURPRISE EVER!
xoxo, Chelan
What a fun - and sneaky - surprise!
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