(I know these pictures aren’t the best, but they are what I can lay my mouse on right now…and better to post with “eh” pictures, then not post at all, LOL!)

SO proud. Some of you know my daughter is in nursing school (FAR away, just saying!)

She is officially half way through!

SO incredibly proud of her.

As a result of her fast paced nursing school she has obtained multiple jobs near school (FAR away from home, JUST saying!!) . I know these jobs will help her keep her new knowledge fresh and she is earning her own way this summer. I also know that in so very many ways the jobs will benefit her, on many levels. With that said, at some point in March or April her MOM (me, lol) realized this would be her first birthday away from home. Seriously. Ever. EVER! (Do you hear the panic starting?) She has a June birthday so she is usually home from school for it. Now, don’t get me wrong, she has a wonderful family support system there, but, really, ok, fess up time, this would be her first birthday that I didn’t get to see her. Since she was born. She is pretty independent and it would probably be fine…for her. For me? Not so much.

So my Sister In Law Suzanne (if she had a crafty blog, I would certainly link to it here) and I started scheming. We planned and told lies and half truths. We worked VERY hard at keeping a BIG secret. Armed with a NEED to be there, other family to also visit with and two plane tickets that had to be used…well, we had to do things like make sure my daughter took the four days off of work, without telling her why, and explain why I would be virtually unavailable to her by phone ALL day on the 9th, and her brother would be too…It was SO crazy…but…

The results of all of the  lies and schemes?

On the morning of June 9th my son and I boarded a plane bound for Louisville.

We landed on the same evening and were greeted by my brother (Bill) my Sister In Law (Suzanne, yeah, the super amazing quilter one without a crafty blog), and my two awesome nephews W & M.

We stopped for dinner before making the two hour drive back to the area they live in (which is where my girl goes to school)

We spent some great time visiting.

My daughter’s actual birthday is the 10th. The plan (from her point of view) was that she was going over to her Aunt and Uncle’s house and that the boys had all kinds of surprises planned for her. So she had to have precise timing and “knew” the boys would probably jump out and yell surprise. Imagine her PURE shock when her brother turned and very nonchalantly greeted her and then I peeked my head around a column and said hi. It was truly, amazingly priceless. I don’t even have the words to explain how happy it made me to be able to be there.

Even sitting here typing this, almost a month after it happened, it still makes me so happy!! The SUPER bonus to all of this is that we actually got to be there for my Sister In Law’s Birthday too!! The entire thing was just so amazing!