Keeping a Secret - Part 2

After 40 hours in NorCal, Lil Major and I boarded a train heading south. Agnes and I were about to set our plan in motion. The time had come for our annual Buddy trip, and I was going to be there!

Our last trip was a year and a half ago. I flew out for that one, too...just not as a surprise. But, I did have a surprise when I got there...I announced my pregnancy! And this year, I was going to surprise everyone by just being there! (Hmm...what should I do next year?? hee hee)

Agnes and I plotted and decided that she would pick me up from the train and we would head up to the mountains a day before the other girls would arrive. That would give us time to get settled with our 2 boys before the chaos and craziness and fun of the Buddies arrived. We made it up the hill fine (well, with a little pit stop for a sour tummy), got settled, took a walk (in the rain), ate a yummy dinner and woke up the next morning bursting with excitement. We just had to wait for them to get there!



And then we waited...and we waited...and we waited. See, mobilizing 6 girls is hard work. They were to arrive in 2 groups -- one mid afternoon, one late afternoon. But, the shops were calling one car load, and a baby slowed down another. And in the end, everyone was late, and Agnes and I were about to explode!

FINALLY, the first car arrived. Agnes met them in the garage holding a baby...but it wasn't HER baby. It was Lil Major! How long do you think it took them to realize what was up?

One girl said, "Oh, he got a haircut."

Agnes said, "No, he didn't."

One girl said, "Hmm...oh, he must look different with a pacifier?"

Agnes said, "He doesn't use a pacifier." (but this baby had one in his mouth!)

Agnes said, "And this isn't my baby!"

AND THEN, everyone was talking at once, they figured it out, and we were hugging and crying, and it was so fun! No one had a clue. We'd pulled it off! And 2 hours later...we repeated the SAME scene again. Same questions, same confusion, same screaming and hugging. Ahh. This was home. My Buddies.

We had a fabulous weekend. We ate too much food (we always do). We brought WAY more food than we would have needed for 20 girls (there were 8). We played games (games that got quite heated and competitive...I remember one SCREAMING match across the table over a round of Nertz...we all love each other still). We talked LATE into the night. We took pictures. We opened gifts. And the time went way too quickly.

Our friendships have withstood many many years, and there are many many more years to come!



part 3 still to come...