if only it were that simple...: Priceless.

This weekend I managed to pull off the surprise of the century - an impromptu trip to Washington for a friend's bridal shower and my sister's graduation - unannounced! I don't think I've ever managed to pull something off as good as this.

Victim #1: Alicia
My family has known Alicia since she was like 3, which was 20+ years ago. She's finally getting hitched (yay!) and had her bridal shower Saturday afternoon. I didn't think I could make it... but then I kept getting a nagging feeling like I really needed to be there. So, with some help from Mom & Dad (Thank you!) I scheduled a last minute flight and flew in that morning. Her reaction was PRICELESS! I wish we had gotten a shot of her when she first saw me. Her mouth seriously dropped to the floor. Mission Accomplished. Unfortunately we didn't catch that on film, but here are some pics my Mom took later. Try not to get distracted by me looking half dead. I spent so much time planning the getting there part, I kinda' forgot about the looking cute part...

Me and the bride-to-be.

Alicia's Oma rubbing my magic genie belly. I'm not sure if she was granted any wishes... but maybe it's good luck at the very least.

Alicia opening our gift. It's very domestic, but adorable.

Me modeling Alicia's gift to me. This girl should be a personal shopper. I love this diaper bag. It's just big enough, but not too big. Has lots of pockets. Is neutral.. and way cute. She knows my style.

After the shower I went back to my parent's house and did one of my favorite things...

Yup, that's me napping under that uber-comfy blanket. Shortly thereafter it was bedtime.

And then it was Sunday. Time for:

Victim #2: Lynda
My youngest sister, Lynda graduated from Digipen Institute of Technology on Sunday. She had asked me months ago if I was going to come. At the time it didn't seem feasible, but again, I felt like I needed to be there. How perfect that both events were the same weekend? So, with some ultra-sneakiness on my Mom's part, we were able to secure an extra ticket to complete the surprise. The cover was almost blown when Lynda overheard my Mom talking to her friend about having an extra person in tow, but luckily she didn't think much of it after the fact. As I expected, Lynda's reaction was a lot more subdued than Alicia's, but she was surprised nonetheless. Here are some pictures from her graduation.

Me, Diane, Heather and Justine before the graduation.

The graduates making their entrance... and Lynda beaming in the middle. I can't even imagine the huge sense of accomplishment she's feeling right now.

I think this was taken when the Chairman was speaking... we were all trying to figure out exactly what he was trying to say. Very confusing.

The happy graduate. Congratulations, Lynda!

The family with our happy graduate. Right after this was taken I saw another familiar face - Sister Chambers. I chatted with her and Bishop for a minute (their son, Justin graduated as well) and then my family made our way to a deserted table upstairs. There were way too many people crammed into a small space... kinda' made me batty.

After graduation we had dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory with Tom's family (Lynda's boyfriend). We were there for almost 3 hours! But, it was great for the parent's to meet and for us to get some food in our bellies.

That was Sunday.

Today (Monday) I packed my bag, paid a quick visit to Michele and flew back home. Unfortunately I didn't have more time this trip to see everyone. I desperately need to pay a visit to Shelton to see Shannon!

For now, it's bedtime.

One more thing, on a mostly unrelated note... Tomorrow is my ULTRASOUND!!
I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl that's been residing down below. Whatever it is, it's been growing and moving. Check out my 20-week belly. Does anyone have any guesses??