A Most Unexpected Surprise

Ha ha, as if there's any such thing as an "expected surprise"?...

A few weeks ago as The Wife and I were sitting at home waiting for friends Lacie and Leland to come over to watch one of our shows, Lacie called saying maybe The Wife and I should head up to my home neighborhood to watch it at her parents' house instead.  Our initial thought was that it was getting a little late, and we should just watch it separately and get together to catch up next week.  Then she said she really thought we should just make the 25-minute trip up to watch it with them, and it took me just a few seconds to even realize that the phone had been handed to someone else...

It was my own little sister and longtime BFF Elise!!!

It was such a huge surprise, I really have no idea how anyone was able to keep it a secret from the most of us, especially the aforementioned friends who we see quite regularly!  She had been planning a trip back home with her little poopsie (though not quite so little as when I last saw her!) to visit and just so happen to be in town for a beloved cousin's wedding day.  She had a great time revealing herself to everyone in the family, sometimes by leaving her baby on the doorstep of someone's house and calling from the nearby bushes, saying she had sent a package that had arrived and should be picked up, and sometimes by Mom just walking into a relative's house holding the visiting little one.  Everyone was completely surprised.  We had such a nice long visit with her, and we spent a lot of time up at Mom and Dad's house hanging out with her and Penny, watching movies, going out to favorite restaurants, getting in a small but intense game of laser tag, and even visiting Grandma in Logan (more details on that event to follow).

My, how you've grown!  We took these pictures while we were waiting for our newlywed cousin to emerge from the temple.

We take a picture like this at every wedding lately (our own or someone else's, apparently).

Sisters do as sisters should.

I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a glamorous photo with my exquisite wife.

But perhaps the most remarkable byproduct of Elise's visit back home was this incredible music video.  The whole thing started out as an attempted reunion of the talents behind the now famous One Day More music video made some five years ago (I was involved in a directorial and cinematic capacity, not as one of the actors), and a recreation of it.  It was decided that rather than just remaking the old music video, especially since not all original parties were present, we should do something completely new.  After a quick vote, we decided on Mika's poptastic Grace Kelly, and the rest, as they say, is history.  You can see the result below.  My nephew was really excited to report that he watched it twice and that it already had close to 100 views (this milestone has now been reached!).

I love how the still preview photo is of me and Leland flexing.  We are so manly!  Much thanks to Elise, the true mastermind behind this project, for her direction and inspiration.  This is definitely her brainchild, and we were so glad to see it uploaded ever so quickly.  (By the way, her latest cinematic masterpiece can be seen here.  Oh those babies!!!)  Oh yes, and we certainly missed Jeff.  The music video (and visit) could only have been improved by your involvement.

 

We had a great time, Elise!  Hopefully we'll be able to make a trip back east to visit our various family there sometime soon, but we family here at home are always ever so glad to welcome visitors (especially if they bring their wee ones...).