We’ve been to a Newsboys concert, and we’ve been to see TobyMac. The boys loved them both. (As did the parents.) Next on the “really want to see” list was Switchfoot. But their concerts were nowhere close to us, so there wasn’t really an opportunity. After a little bit of research, the boys sort of forgot about it for a while.
But Matt and I didn’t. We checked their website every few months, just to see if taking the boys would be a possibility sometime before Asa graduated. (He’s already a junior. It’s stuff like this that we have on our “do while all the kids are still home” list. Especially since our family really enjoys music.)
Persistence pays off. While there wasn’t anything super close by, and while of course the dates of the closest Switchfoot concert hit smack in the middle of soccer season – we knew we had to make it happen.
The hardest part was keeping the plans a secret from the boys. We decided not to tell them until last minute. It was perfect!
The night before we were planning to leave, we went up to the boys’ room for prayer time. I was carrying their four lunch bags (which each included some special treats for the road and a concert ticket). We handed them their bags, and told them that before bed they needed to make sandwiches and add them to their lunch bags for a trip we were taking tomorrow. We were met with looks of confusion from all four of them – just what we were going for. :)
They started looking through their bags, excited about the food. Then one by one, they figured out what was on the piece of paper stuck inside their bags. “SWITCHFOOT!???! Are you serious??!” Yep. Tomorrow.
For the record, it’s not a great idea to spring a huge surprise on your kids if you anticipate them going to sleep anytime soon. Oh well, they could sleep on the road.
It was a great and much needed getaway. Matt was even able to visit a high school along the way to do some soccer recruiting. It’s always good to make our trips multi-purpose, right? Plus we met some friends for dinner before the show.
The concert was awesome!
Check out Malachi in the pic below. He decided that nothing less than a tie and suit coat would be good enough for Switchfoot. Yep, he traveled in formal attire all day long. :)
In case you’re wondering, Elias really does put ketchup on his ketchup. The kid loves the stuff.
It was a perfect family outing and day off from (most) responsibilities. We told the boys to enjoy their bonus day off from school – and to remember this day later in the year when they are inside doing Geometry while public school has a snow day. ;)
Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.
If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
Jill Roper says
Such a COOL surprise Laura, love it. My trip to Haiti to go and serve women at Mama Baby is almost here. I am SO excited I can hardly stand it. I wrote about it on my blog today. Much love and boy have the boys grown! Much love sweet friend
Jessica says
That is awesome. right now we’ve been doing that with the park about once a week and meeting daddy for lunch. Although I know it makes our schedule crazy the warm weather is going to be gone soon and we need to enjoy the outside as much as we can. Surprises are the best!!!
Jenny says
So much fun! Gets my wheels spinning thinking of something fun to surprise my kiddos with! ;)
Lori Alexander says
The pastor of our church is the father of the lead singer in Switchfoot. His other son is in the band also. He is the most amazing man. He loves his flock and teaches us Truth. He raised his sons to love Jesus and walk in Truth.
Dottie says
You guys rock at parenting! That is so cool you were able to surprise the boys with concert tickets. What a great memory! And I love seeing the different personalities of the boys there. :)
Cathie says
How cool. You had me at Newsboys.
My husband has a similar t-shirt. And yes, he also puts ketchup on his ketchup. I don’t make ketchup, but we do buy the organic, non HFCS variety.
Karen Dee says
I’m with Elias! I always said I only eat fries to get the ketsup to my mouth! :)
Becca says
What an awesome surprise!
Lisa says
You Guys are wonderful parents! I hope your boys realize just how lucky they are!
Blessings,
Lisa
Cara says
This made me smile, because as I read it my husband and little brother are at the show in Nashville/Franklin. Which is a big deal, because they flew all the way from Alberta to be there! Crazy? Yes. Totally worth the bond they will have strengthened when they get back? Yes. They are huge fans, and it’s my hubby’s 30th birthday “year” ;) Glad you guys had a great time…
Lindsay says
So excited to share how God has been blessing our journey with love and support of our family and friends.