Surprise!

Not a picture of THE surprise face, but this was funny candid. I would loved to seen my dad's face when he saw our car in the driveway though, next time I need to have hidden cameras to capture such priceless faces

2 weeks ago, Brad text me at work asking if I could get off early the following Wednesday (Oct 6). He told he was going to try and get thursday and friday off. When I asked him why, he told me that we could go and surprise my parents! Awesome idea. So we both got the time for this impromptu trip. Then the weather decided to play a funny joke on us.

You see, we seem to have a knack for driving to Sacramento whenever there is a huge storm. Like Memorial Day 2009 when we drove through a snow storm over Donner pass. Fantastic!

So when the news all of a sudden started talking about this rain/snow storm coming through, I just wanted to laugh. The storm was supposed to be leaving California Wednesday and coming into Utah Thursday. So Brad started to check the weather over the pass like crazy. The storm then seemed to move faster then planned so when we started our journey Wednesday at 4pm, we drove through rain in Utah, a little snow in East Nevada, and then clear skies. Caltrans kept reporting no chain control over Donner pass, so it was looking like our timing paid off!

At 11pm we crossed in California, passed the fruit patrol, and Caltrans still was not reporting chains. Then we hit Truckee. I hate that city so much, cause there was chain control. It was snowing, and not sticking cause it was so wet. It was now 11:30 (CA time), and I wanted to punch the guy who told us we HAD to put chains on. Hello! We are from Utah! No one puts chains on, especially when there is no snow on the ground!

So we pulled over and put the chains on. By we, I mean Brad. He is so wonderful. I was trying to help, but it was cold, the metal was hurting my hands, I was exhausted, and had started to cry. Turns out I was also low, so I sat in the car eating and crying, while my wonderful husband messed with the chains. So we finally get past chain control and are moving at a speedy 30mph. Woohoo! Then the whole line of trucks stops. No one was moving. We were stopped for an hour on top of the mountain. Brad was once again prepared and had loaded some Dino Rider episodes onto his phone (it's an old 80's cartoon show that Brad loves). I tried to sleep, but I just couldn't fall asleep, plus I was still made at the situation. We finally started to move again. After 3 hours, we were able to take chains off. Yup 3 hours! Normally, it takes tops 2 hours to get from Reno to Rocklin. This time it took 4!

So we showed up at my parents at 3am PCT. I had been up for 23 hours. I have a key to my parents still, but Brad was worried we would wake my parents, so he insisted we be ninja quite. I was failing at this ninja quiteness. Brad was concerned my Dad would come after us with a bat. Our work friends were concerned by Dad would hear us and shot us. I however, know that my parents have slept through very loud slumber parties, that my dad does not own a gun, and that Brad and I were much closer to the bat then he was. So we slept downstairs on the living room floor.

In the morning, my dad got up early to go running. Now, my dad is not the most observant person. He had to come downstairs and practically walk right by/in front of us to go out the front door. He didn't notice us. It wasn't until he got outside and saw a car parked in his driveway. He started to flip out wondering who had the audacity to park their car in his driveway. Then he saw the Utah plate and went "What?!" He came back inside and finally noticed us. I heard him stand there for a few minutes. Then he went upstairs and woke up my mother. My dad is quite, my mom is not. We heard here screaming from upstairs. So down they came laughing and shocked. I had text my mom the day before telling her I really wanted her to buy my awfuly annies and mail it to me (it's an awesome breakfast place). So when she came downstairs she said, "You sure did come a long ways for breakfast!"

The breakfast! Yum! Can't beat apple cinnamon french toast like this!

We had a fun few days in Rocklin. We went to Awful Annies, Buffalo Wild Wings, BJ's Brewery, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Marine World), saw The Help, and went to the newly re-opened mall. Oh and I went to my friend Tamie's house and hung out with her and Katie for a bit. It was fun, the drive not so much. But at least the drive back was okay. And I was kept plenty busy with cutting my fabric for my halloween wreath.

Needless to say, I told my Dad that I would not mind it at all if they moved to Nevada so they were on the right side of the Sierras.