Downsizing? Be Sure to Tell Your Children...A Funny Story

I commented on Karen's blog about downsizing, and I decided to share the story with everyone.  You may need a chuckle.  Has Your High School Senior Just Graduated ? Now Might Be A Great Time to Move !  I hope I did the link correctly.

In 1965 I left for Western Carolina University in the NC mountains.  Back then, it was a 7 hour drive from college to home and freshmen were not allowed off campus during the 1st quarter.  For some reason, the dean allowed us to leave for one weekend before Thanksgiving and I decided to surprise my mother with a visit.  I caught a ride home with a boy that lived in a nearby town.  He pulled up to my house and I grabbed my suitcase, ran up the steps, pushed open the door and yelled, "Surprise".  I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.  The people stared at me and I stared back at them.  "Where is my mother?"  I'm upset; they are upset over this strange girl in their house who didn't knock.  After everyone calmed down and someone explained that they had just moved in but didn't know where the previous tenants were, they did agree to let me use their phone.  Thank heavens, Mom didn't change the phone.  I was crying and she was laughing, trying to explain that they wanted to surprise me with the new home.  Of course, she came to get me, and thanked the people for not shooting me (remember this is the South).  What a surprise for both of us!  That story has been told so many times about moving and not telling your children the new address...the story gets funnier every year at the reunion.  My mom was so proud of that house.  She was the first one in her family to own her own home.  It costs $9,000 in 1965 and she lived in that home until 2005 when she developed alzheimers.