Surprises

Unlike how unsurprising it is that this is a rarely updated blog, we’ve actually experienced some pretty pleasant surprises and unexpected adventures throughout the fall season. Generally, I’m not a fan of surprises. Maybe I should be more specific. I wouldn’t turn down an all-expenses paid trip to somewhere warm, but if the waitstaff at a restaurant comes to my table with a cake and a dissonant version of “Happy Birthday”, I’m probably going to wish I was on that vacation and not at that table (but a hearty thank-you to friends who have made this happen on my behalf!). Good thing the events that occurred this fall were delightful and didn’t make me want to shrink from sight.

If you recall our wild ride home from Camden, the seas were quite choppy due to the hurricane that had meandered its way up the coast. By the time it reached our beaches, most of its fury was spent but we had seen predictions that the waves could reach heights of 8-10 feet. Never wanting to get caught in those conditions on a boat didn’t stop us from witnessing it from land. One of the perks of home schooling is that we can spontaneously decide to go to the beach any day– school books optional –and so a field trip ensued.

With the sun shining brightly on our adventure, Ellie, James, Caleb, and I drove out to Jennes Beach. Though the waves were crashing fast and furiously, they were not the height of the hype. It was still pretty awesome to see the spindrift and listen to the roaring of the waves compete with the blowing of the wind for which could be the loudest.

It was the boys. The boys were the loudest. While we’re on the topic of loud, this brings me to the next surprise. Once back home from our beach excursion, we were preparing to leave again for the girls’ volleyball tournament. Before heading out, there was a mid-afternoon knock at the door and a voice called out. My brain took longer than I’d like to admit to process that the unexpected, though slightly familiar voice I heard from across the house belonged to Jake! Jake was home! What a total but completely welcome surprise to have him walk through the front door for a surprise weekend visit! I have waited four years for that kind of moment and I was so touched that it was pulled off to perfection.

Many of you would be familiar with the role parents play as taxi drivers for their children. Said children, who seem to be involved in every club, sport, class, job, and group known to man, always need to be driven to certain locations between the hours of “I need a fourteenth cup of coffee to be awake right now” and “The sun went down; I can’t go out”. But are any of you familiar with the ol’ “my daughter is old enough to drive the two of them to the gym for warm-ups beforehand, but I also have to be where they are in time for the game, so now all the vehicles are at the same place anyway” routine? That’s the stage we’re in now, but it is wonderful to watch the girls thriving in the hobbies and sports they love. Finishing first in their division and then third overall at the tournament made for an exciting season and some cool photos that I “borrowed” from someone else.

Jake’s surprise visit home this fall was one I had secretly coveted for four years, but this next surprise really was an astonishment, especially given the fact that I was directly involved in it. After Java’s passing, Danny and I were mostly agreed that we were done with pets. Having our hearts broken once was enough for us, plus our lives are quite busy most of the time and starting fresh seemed unwise. The way I deferred the decision was to tell the kids that we could get another puppy if one should happen to just fall in our laps. If the situation was so obviously clear, if a particular canine was available, and if we were in a position to own it, then we could do it.

If by “fall in our laps” I meant hours and hours and weeks and weeks of scouring the internet for an available puppy nearby at the right price, then yes, one just happened to fall in our laps. We were only going to look at this puppy. We weren’t going to bring this puppy home. We were waiting until the spring, at the earliest, for the puppy to “fall in our laps”…

Everyone, meet Vika!

Our lives, and laps, are full, which makes a great segue into Thanksgiving weekend. November 27, 2025 happened to be both Thanksgiving day and Jake’s 21st birthday, so it’s a good thing he wanted a full turkey dinner for his birthday supper. Once he got over the shock of there being a new puppy in the house (we hadn’t told him about her until he came home on break), I shocked him again with an amateur cake that definitely looked better as a real shoe than it did as an edible replica. Aside from food that may have had more heart than looks, the weekend was filled with the usual noise and banter and magic that can only come from eight people and a puppy living under the same roof.

Now, as far as I know, there are no more surprises on the horizon. But I guess I’ll never know, will I?

p.s. I’ve never been to the Bahamas 😉