A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Chris's friend Jon up in PA. He said he was approached by one of the girls in Chris's youth group, and she wanted to do something nice for Chris, because of everything he does for them. She wanted to surprise him with me! I was already planning on going up for Valentine's Day weekend, so I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out, but I gave Jon my cell number and told him to have Sierra call me! She came up with this brilliant idea to tell Chris that she was applying for a job at a local Italian restaurant downtown, and needed him to meet her at the restaurant to talk to the owner as a reference. So they set the time for Friday night around 6pm.Now usually, I get to PA around 9-10pm on Fridays, depending on when I get off work. So I took the afternoon off and left Portland around 1:15 pm. It was SO nice to make the drive in the daylight... Hwy 101 around the Hood Canal is absolutely beautiful!!! I miss so much when I'm driving at night! Plus, I saw my first bald eagle... I was so excited!!! Anyway, I emailed Chris earlier that day and told him I probably wouldn't be able to leave until 4:30 or so, because I got in so late that morning. Well, he called to check in with me around 4pm and of course, it was the worst possible time. I told him that I had just left and was just getting through Vancouver, but in reality, I was going through the mountains and totally lost cell service. The call dropped and I stressed about how I would ever explain that one!! He eventually got back through and we chatted for a bit, and the crisis was diverted. Thank goodness! That is, until he called AGAIN at the worst time! It was around 5:30pm and I was actually at the restaurant in the bathroom!! I told him I had to make a quick stop, but then he had to go and ask where I was... I'm SO bad at lying!!! I could feel my heart beating faster, as I tried to figure out what time it was and where I "might" be if I was actually on the road. I'm not quick. I just wanted off the phone before I blew the surprise! At that point, someone started knocking on the door and I was afraid he would hear the other people in the restaurant, so I told him I had to let him go so I could check out and get back on the road.
I headed up front and let the hostess know I was there for my reservation, and I chatted with Sierra a bit before she took her post outside to wait for Chris. He was supposed to meet her at 6pm, but as the minutes went by, we all started worrying that he forgot!! :-) Sierra called him a couple of times, but he didn't pick up because he didn't recognize the number. She finally left him a message and he immediately jumped in the car and rushed over!! Luckily PA is a small town, so it only took him a couple minutes to get there! I got thumbs up from Sierra and her dad when they saw his truck drive by, and a few minutes later Sierra was leading Chris back to the table where I was sitting. His look of confusion was priceless!! LOL!!! Sierra handed him a wad of cash that she had collected from some of the other kids in the youth group and she left us to enjoy a wonderful dinner together!!
It was the sweetest thing ever!!! And comical at the same time, because I don't know how many times he brought up the fact that he couldn't believe he got fooled!!! Especially when he thought back to all my nonsense, and realized that nothing that I said all afternoon added up!! LOL!!! So the night was definitely a success!!! It still makes me swell up with pride when I think about it! Just the fact that his kid's think so highly of him, and would want to do something like that for him... it's a beautiful thing!
