I pulled off a surprise for Mark's birthday. It wasn't easy, but my planning made for the perfect night. First I ordered 12 tickets to the Christian concert For King & Country. We love these guys and saw them in 2019 at the IA State Fair. Since then, they have become more and more popular, making there way onto pop and country stations singing with singers like Dolly Parton. I follow them on Instagram and enjoy their Australian accent. This time I wanted the kids to see them in concert too. I also knew how much my mom likes them and wanted her to be able to go and decided to make that an early Christmas gift. The surprise included our friends Dan & Angelia. I bought 4 tickets for them and invited them to dinner where we surprised Mark. It all worked perfectly. I asked Mark where he would like to eat in Des Moines, so he picked a restaurant he had always wanted to go to called "Splash." It was the only Oyster restaurant in Iowa. I made reservations at 5 weeks in advance. Jayden was also going to join us on her way home from Oklahoma. She literally moved out of her house, had the remaining items packed into her truck, and drove the 8 hours to Des Moines with her dog Sage. The restaurant was very nice, we had our own private room, personal waiter, and even personalized menu's that said "Happy Birthday Mark". The food was amazing and everyone was so happy to see each other. Mark was so surprised and he enjoyed every moment of the night. I told Mark that I had planned on my parents eating with us, but since they had both recently been sick, we didn't think it would be the best idea. I had one extra ticket for Jayden a +1 , because of the extra ticket Carina was able to go with my parents and could drive them home. My mom was so worried about driving after dark and late, she considered not even going. With our dinning, we didn't get parked very early and were in a major traffic cluster trying to park for the concert. We ended up getting into the main parking lot and we could see Jayden in her big loud dodge. The parking attendant told her to jump the curb and park on the grass, and that she did. She also had Sage in the truck the whole time. We got in to the event center and found our seats with 3 minutes till showtime. I am glad my parents were able to make the concert. I was really surprised at how long it did last, 3 hours. They played a ton of songs, lots of Christmas, some older songs, and some brand new ones. It was a great show. They are so entertaining and impressive. They also talk a lot about their testimony and how the ended up from Australia here and singing. before intermission, they talked of the importance of helping one child and gave the story of Compassion. We have been sponsoring Jean for several years through Compassion. In addition we sponsor Samuel through Children's Hope Chest and Raymain through The Robins' Nest. To my surprise, Luke raised his hand to receive a packet about a sponsor child. You raise your hand if you plan to sponsor. He felt led to sponsor a child all on his own. I talked with him to make sure he fully understood that it wasn't a one time payment, but every month for as long as he is able. I explained it is a big commitment and a lot of money for a kid his age. Luke did not hesitate for a minute. He told me he would have no problem sponsoring $38/ month. In fact he sponsored the $7 extra to help with extra needs. HE figures he can wash a semi each month to sponsor this little girl. Washing a truck is no little task, one semi takes 2-3 hours of washing and scrubbing with a brush. It is hard work and requires some good muscle. What makes his sponsorship even more special is the fact that he chose a 3 year old little girl. He was handed a random packet and Fatuma is only 3. I love his heart for others. That warms my heart so much and makes me proud of the young man he is becoming. At one point in the concert, dipping dots were handed down the aisle. Dan bought a cup for each of us. We love dipping dot ice cream, but rarely buy it because they are expensive. That was very thoughtful of Dan, we have such good friends. It was a fun night for all of us and an awesome concert. By the end my dad's face showed how it was a little too long, a little too late, and a little too loud.
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