Ann's 60th Birthday Surprise Carnival Cruise! [2017]

As a surprise for my mother-in-law's (Ann) 60th birthday, her kids and their spouses (Joe & Aspen, Gina & Deon, Kim & Wes, Will, and Rose) pitched in and booked a cruise for her and their dad, Ed. It took months of planning and scheming to make sure everything was just right. Ann's twin sister, Jan, even got on board (pun intended), despite currently going through chemo, and secretly booked the same cruise with her husband, Merrill, so they could celebrate together! #womb2tomb It was hard to keep it a secret - especially since Ed had to figure out a way to get them passports without giving away the truth. Since Ann's kids live in different states (WA, UT, CA) and we couldn't all be together to tell her the good news we worked together to produce this announcement video when it was time to finally spill the beans! Ann does so much for others and is continually selfless, giving, kind, loving, and caring. Ann & Ed moved out of their home to stay with her parents to help care for them as they aged. Ann's father, William, passed away recently due to complications from cancer treatment and Ann continues to care for her mother full-time. We thought a cruise was an ideal gift because it's a fun, relaxing, and we believe in investing in experiences more than things. Ann loves nothing more than seeing her family (5 kids, 6 grand kids) together, teasing each other, helping each other, laughing, and making memories and we wish we all could've gone on the cruise to celebrate along with her it just wasn't feasible (my wife is due to give birth to our 3rd son in a few weeks, etc.). But, seeing Ann's reaction, tears of joy, and smiling face in the pictures she's shared with us while cruising is more than enough. We hope you enjoyed this video. Share is if it makes you smile. And say happy birthday to Ann (and Jan) in the comments! ******************* SIDE NOTE: Ann and Jan's kids and grand kids (even the WA & UT kids), also planned to surprise them at their first Port of Call - Catalina Island - for birthday brunch and a day of activities on the island. However, due to "operational considerations" made by Carnival Cruise Line their planned stop at Catalina got bumped back one day. Unfortunately, this meant we missed seeing the birthday girls. Catalina was suppose to happen on a Monday and everyone had to get on flights and back to work on Tuesday. #adulting So... all the kids went to Catalina on Monday sans the birthday twins to make the most of it and celebrate in their honor. You can see the postcard-esque pic they took and sent to Ann/Jan to let them know we tried but had fun anyway here - https://www.instagram.com/wrdinc ******************* SECOND SIDE NOTE: We found out that the reason the port of calls were shuffled was to make sure crew members could attend the funeral of the ship's former captain who recently passed away from cancer. #sad Definitely puts things into perspective. We might have missed seeing ourAnn/Jan at Catalina but we'll definitely get to see them when they get home. Condolences to the crew and family of the late captain. Music by Kevin MacLeod Gregorian Chant Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Nowhere Land Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Bright Wish Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Beachfront Celebration Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/