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. ;)
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