Last weekend, I flew in to Orange County to surprise my dad, who was visiting San Diego and Irvine for work. Thank goodness for Southwest vouchers, because I was able to book, rebook, and change itineraries about three times before finally flying out on Friday, April 24th!
I had an “elaborate plan of deception,” as my boss called it– I told my dad I had to work late on Friday night because a donor was doing a site visit/reception/dinner, then emailed him earlier that day saying I had forgotten my cell phone at home and would call him after the event. Chris and I even went so far as to change the outgoing message on Chris’ phone to my voice in case my dad called him (and I forwarded my number to Chris’ number during the flight). All was well when I got to Phoenix and called my dad, who I ended up waking up from a nap. He had no idea I was pressing mute after everything I said because announcements were cycling through the airport like crazy!
When boarding time came near, I quickly said goodbye to my dad, saying I needed to get to bed because I was exhausted and had a huge headache. Anxious to get back to his nap, he didn’t keep me for long.
I landed in Irvine, hightailed it across the airport and into a cab, and called my dad from the hallway of our condo building. I said a friend of mine had dropped off the package he was waiting for (she’s taking care of our place while we’re gone) and that she didn’t ring the doorbell because I said he was asleep. He said, “Okay, I’ll get it now…go back to sleep; I know you’re tired!” I said okay and hung up…and waited for the door to open.
I heard the lock turn and waited eagerly for my dad to step out. He emerged from the door, looking down at the ground for a package. I popped out from my hiding place and said, “Hey Pa, what’s up?!” The look on his face was PRICELESS. I wish I had a video camera on me!
We had a great time that weekend. There’s really nothing like hanging out with my dad one-on-one; we haven’t done that in a while, and I think we both really enjoyed having an uninterrupted conversation at Yard House that night, him trying out the house beers and not having to worry about driving himself home (I, btw, drove for the first time in seven months, haha).
On Sunday, we stopped by the Carlsbad Flower Fields on our way down to visit family. In the 18+ years we lived in San Diego, we had never visited the flower fields. Here’s to making up for lost time!
excuse the mean mug…bright sun! :)
And for you inquiring minds, YES, I did get my Mexican food fix! Yay for carne asada fries! ;)
Tagged:
California,
family,
Orange County,
San Diego
