The Biggest Surprise I've Ever Pulled Off

Female Foodie Friday Vol. 13

This past week was a week for the books.

And mostly because I was able to pull off the biggest surprise ever.

Context: my parents are serving as missionaries in the Philippines. They have absolute hearts of gold and are committed servants of Jesus Christ. I admire them deeply for this, but when they left the States in June for three years, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a hard goodbye. 😢

I’m super close with both of my parents and even though I support them 110%, the truth is that they’ve been really busy, serving in a capacity known as “mission leaders”, where they lead roughly 200 young missionaries (most of them not even 20 years old) in a foreign country.

Last fall, my sister and I started talking about the idea of surprising my mom in the Philippines. My dad was totally in on it, but the timing wasn’t right.

Fast forward to the beginning of December, and the timing felt better. We decided to move forward.

My sister Corrine and I booked our tickets, my Dad confirmed that the dates worked well for their busy schedules, and before we knew it, the holidays were over and it was time to fly from Portland to the Philippines.

My mom and dad are constantly together, so planning everything and communicating with my dad felt like a secret operation.

Between the three of us, we pretty much told no one, and the closer we got to our departure date, the higher the stakes felt (even though the surprise was just the cherry on top!).

So, after weeks of anticipating and trying not to spill the beans, my sister and I met up in Seattle last Monday and flew out the next morning to the Philippines. It took two days and three flights to get there, but between the two of us we have five kids, so honestly traveling without them felt like a cakewalk.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the beginning of our long-haul flight.

My dad being the detail-oriented person that he is, thought out a meticulous plan for the execution of our surprise.

After flying into a nearby airport around 1:00 a.m., we had a private driver pick us up (previously arranged, thanks Dad!) and drive us about an hour to where my parents live, AKA “The Mission Home”. My dad had step-by-step instructions on how to sneak inside the house (complete with where to access purified water and electric converters if needed), and how to quietly slip into the bedrooms just across the hall from where my parents were sleeping.

It was all very exciting.

Everything was going to plan.

We quietly rolled and then carried (because we panicked!) our suitcases onto the porch. We found the spare key under the mat and let ourselves in. We got ready for bed downstairs, filled up our water bottles, and tip-toed upstairs and into the guest rooms. It was around 2:30 a.m. and I could. not. sleep. It was crazy to think that my parents who I hadn’t seen for MONTHS were just across the hall.

Before I knew it, 6 a.m. had arrived—this is when my mom usually wakes up. She’d “slept in” this morning, so my dad gently woke her up, told her he had a surprise for her, and my sister and I walked into her room.

She was totally and completely surprised.

There were lots of hugs and lots of tears. It was one of the most tender, joyful reunions I’ve ever experienced.

I still can’t believe we pulled it off.

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10 Things That Made This Week Great

1. Pre-Philippines, my dear friends hosted the best end-of-holidays party and we played two brand-new games that I’d never heard of. They were so fun that I ordered both for myself. This one is like charades except you can talk and make sounds, and this game is hilarious, great light-hearted fun using words.

   

2. Finally finished Ina Garten’s Memoir and I think I’m going to read it again (it was that good). Anyone else have a food memoir/book that they love?

3. Watched Fly Me To The Moon on our long-haul overseas flight and loved it. Movies based on real life are my absolute fav.

4. My sister and I brought as many good quality chocolate bars & Guittard wafers as we could pack (she was elated!), and my dad was thrilled to have Rubbermaid ice trays from back home (his only request). It’s the little things.

   

5. Trying the food in the Philippines was so fun. Some of the highlights included pancit, pandesal, lumpia, and kare kare. Grocery and market shopping in a foreign country is always a huge highlight, and the FRUIT was simply unmatched. The mangos were actual heaven in every bite.

   

   Mom showing us how the soda is often served, checking out the local culinary specialties, and hand picking the best mangos.

6. Even better than the food in the Philippines were the people. They are some of the most warm, beautiful, and kind people I have ever met. I love how family-oriented they are. I love that they affectionately use the term “po” to show respect and endearment to one another. I love how genuinely happy they are. I predict when my parents head home in 2027 there will be many hard goodbyes.

   

7. The obvious highlight of this week was spending quality time with my parents and sister. Being so far away from them and in drastically different time zones isn’t easy. It was inspiring to see them totally in their element on the other side of the world, serving tirelessly. Saying goodbye was hard. 😭 Grateful for airplanes and grateful for FaceTime.

   

8. My sister and I touched down twice in South Korea, including a 14-hour layover on our way home. We took a taxi into Seoul and had the BEST meal (thanks to my sister’s diligent internet research!) at Kyoja. There were only 4 menu items, not a tourist in sight, and it was seriously some of the best soup and dumplings I have ever had. We also had a bougie facial at Sulwhasoo in the LOTTE hotel and it was worth every penny.

   

9. Getting picked up curbside by my little family after being gone for over a week was very sweet. They gave me the biggest hugs, the biggest kisses, and of course wanted to know immediately if I had gotten them a surprise (Spoiler alert: I did! Legos FTW).

10. Celebrated my son’s 4th birthday and I can hardly believe it. Freddie was my covid baby and I feel like 2020 and 2021 were yesterday. I find it no coincidence that he’s been my easiest, most joyful, jubilant baby.

    

Beyond ready and excited for the weekend.

BEFORE YOU GO.

Help me finalize our recipe for Monday!