Surprise!!!

As you already know from reading my blog, I was able to visit my Sister Mahina in New Mexico! What you may not have known is that it was a total surprise to her! She had no idea! I had called Mitch the week before asking if it would be okay for me to come and visit... he said yes and then I asked if he could not tell Mahina about it and he said Of course!

Our family is pretty big on surprises. If its an option to keep it a secret, we always do! The baby was due on February 8th but I was hoping she would come early because I had booked my flight to be there on the 27th and leave the 8th. The morning of my flight I got a call from my mom saying that Mahina had given birth! She couldn't have had better timing! I would get to see her as a one day old baby (i've never seen or held a baby that new)!

I had a layover in LA and while I was walking off my first plane, my phone started to ring. 5 minutes earlier or later the phone would have been off and she might have been suspicious. I looked and saw it was Mahina. I should have just let it go to voicemail but I picked it up.... silly me. I was walking through the terminal to my next gate trying to sound enthusiastic while not actually listening to anything she was saying... you see I was preoccupied with listening to my background noise making sure she wouldn't here any announcements over the loud speaker giving away my location. Anytime there would be an announcment I would start coughing to cover it up. Apparently while I wasn't listening to her she asked where I was, but I didn't answer the question... I was probably thinking so hard to find an excuse of where I was that I didn't even notice that she asked!

After a while, I said I had to go because I was ready to check out at costco but I'd call her later that night. She bought it. I felt so bad and hoped she wasn't sad that she had just told her sister she had a baby and her sister had totally blown her off and wasn't listening to a thing she was saying on the phone... I felt better knowing that it was for a good cause and that she would be so happy to see me that any sad feelings would melt away as soon as she saw me standing there in real life!

Mitch and the girls picked me up at the Airport. They were surprised to see me too. Mitch had told them they had to stop somewhere before going to see Mommie and their new baby sister. 1/2 way there Nani said "we're going to the airport!" Mitch assured her that they weren't. A few miles down the road Nani said "Hey that sign says airport!" guess you can't pull a fast one on them anymore once they can read! So then she thought they were picking up Tutu Lady (my mom). Surprise its Auntie Malia!

They were so good about not saying anything when Mahina called and when they went into her room without me. I decided I would wait outside for a few minutes and then come in by myself. I knocked on the door and heard "come in" I walked in with suitcase in tow and said "I caught the first flight out as soon as I heard!"

And this was her reaction:



Mitch had gotten the camera out to "take pictures of the baby" but really this is what he was waiting for! What do you think... did she have any idea from our conversation on the phone earlier that I was coming to visit? I think not.