The Big Surprise

I have a bit of extra time tonight.... and so shall record the events that occurred last weekend. About a month ago I was contemplating the idea of traveling to Arizona to surprise my mom for her birthday. The contemplation eventually turned into action, and a plan was set to make it happen. My friend Aaron, helped me with the traveling and planning part. My mom's birthday was on Sunday, March 9th. But I surprised her on Friday, March 7th. I think she was a bit surprised to see me, as I had told her I was going to be at a Conference at Salt Lake City, Utah all day Thursday and Friday. I actually was given the opportunity to go, but my supervisor forgot to turn in the application papers. So with mom thinking I was at the Conference, I gave her a call Friday around lunch to see how things were going. As I talked with her, I walked up to her door, and rang the bell. It was fun to hear her talk about needing to get the door while talking to me.
The weekend was a lot of fun. It didn't go as planned, as I was hoping to throw a party, but a lot of my other family members were down sick. Instead we went out to dinner at Manuel's. One of the things I had planned to do at the party was to play a game where I would ask the family questions about mom as a child. The one to guess it correctly would get a prize, plus we would get to know mom better. I surveyed my mom's sisters, and parent's to find out information about her. It was fun for me as I heard stories I had never heard before. Since we weren't able to play it at the party, I asked the questions at the dinner. Mom answered a lot of them, and then filled us in on more specifics. We laughed so hard with a few of the stories. It was nice to get to know my mom at a different level.
Sunday, we had a nice family dinner, and sang Happy Birthday over Strawberry Shortcake. This will be a great year for her, as she blew out all her candles with one breath. All her wishes are sure to come true.
I have such an amazing mom, and am grateful for the positive influence she has been in my life. Although she has been through many challenges, I am grateful for them, as she has shown me how to be strong and endure when problems become overwhelming. She has always been there for me, and has always been one of my good friends. Happy Birthday Mom!

Quiz time....
* What did Linda (aka my mom) do for her first presentation in Jr Sunday School. She was about 3 or 4 years old at the time? :)

*What magazine with world wide readership published a picture drawn by Linda (aka - my mom)?

*What happened to Linda (aka - my mom) when she raced to the neighbor's car with her sister Marti? (this is a cool, but gross story)