Best Surprise Ever

Mike and I decided to make a surprise last-minute trip to Denver for Thanksgiving, to spend the holiday with his family. Mike’s stepdad knew, but we kept it a secret from his mom.

We left Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and arrived in Denver on Wednesday night, driving the vast majority of that time. Michaela did great, by the way, and we had a really nice time. Utah has some beautiful parts, and the Rockies are gorgeous at this time of year. Even from the passenger seat of a moving car!

It was dark when we got to Denver. We had Michaela ring the doorbell and, since Mike’s stepdad knew we were coming, he had Laura open the door. This was the result.

As I posted on Facebook, it was the #BestSurpriseEver.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. We were able to spend lots of time with Mike’s mom and stepdad, plus his grandma and great aunt, both of whom are dealing with some health challenges. We left on Saturday afternoon, which was pretty quick, but somehow it seemed like the perfect amount of time.

After a night in St. George, Utah, we drove to Vegas. Michaela got to experience the pinball museum and wandering around downtown Las Vegas and the strip a bit (her favorite? the M&M store!). We stayed Sunday night in Vegas, in an awesome suite at the Wynn.

Then it was back in the car and back on the road. For us, Thanksgiving lasted six days. Considering how much we have to be thankful for, that’s about right.