For over 10 years, the somewhat mischievous thought has floated through the heads of both Sidney and I. Whenever my parents and siblings left Myrtle Beach (when we still lived there) or when Sid’s parents left Spokane, we always held out a long shot hope that perhaps their stay would somehow be extended. Well, for the first time since we started dating, the improbable happened…TWICE!

We were blessed to have an incredible (and extended) visit from Sid’s parents.

The summertime visit from Sid’s parents was so fun and enjoyable that fate felt the need to continue the good times for several more days. Due to the CrowdStrike incident, my in-laws’ Saturday flight was canceled and re-scheduled for Tuesday. At about 11:30 p.m. on Monday, we found out the Tuesday flight wasn’t happening either. It took a Wednesday night flight on a different airline for Sid’s parents to escape our grasp 😉. The extended stay gave us about 108 extra hours to truly appreciate how nice it was to have our kids’ “east coast grandparents” under our roof.

Thanks to CrowdStrike, Sid was give more time to enjoy extra laughs with her dad.

Before I mention some of the special moments we had with Sid’s parents, it is worth noting how their trip coincided with historic events. Sidney and Brenda Mathis arrived on Saturday, July 13, and attended my nephew’s birthday party that afternoon at the YMCA. While watching their grandkids splash in the facility’s pool, news broke that Donald Trump had been shot. The following weekend, President Joe Biden would announce that he would not seek re-election. Needless to say, while we spent many nights playing board games at the kitchen table, the faint background noise of a news broadcast was usually audible from the living room.

What a blessing it was to host Sid’s parents during summer in Spokane.

And to add even more context to their visit, it was really hot. Like 100+ degree hot for several of the days they were in Spokane. But here is the crazy thing: my in-laws said it didn’t feel nearly as nasty as Myrtle Beach even though the daytime highs in South Carolina were routinely 15 degrees less than Spokane. They were pleasantly surprised that even with the extreme temperatures they could still depend on mornings and evenings that cooled down to the high 50s and low 60s. They didn’t miss the suffocating humidity and nagging rain of the Grand Strand one bit even though we reached temperatures that are uncharacteristic for the Inland Northwest.

Because it was so hot, we spent a lot of time around water. This photo shows Beau hanging out in the boat we rented while Sloan, Sid, and Mr. Sid are visible splashing around in Lake Coeur d’Alene.

So although my in-laws’ July 2024 visit will always be remembered partly by unprecedented historical moments and intense heat, the memories made over the past 10 days could have easily stood on their own.

The moment Sloan and Beau saw “Gami and Dada” after they got off the plane at the airport.

We picked up our special cargo on an early Saturday afternoon. Sidney took her parents out to lunch while I drove the kids up north to their cousin’s birthday bash. After they ate and dropped their luggage off at our house, my in-laws joined us at the YMCA pool. “Gami and Dada” marveled at how their grandkids had progressed in the water, kicking off a solid beginning to what would be a memorable visit.

It felt awesome for all of us to re-unite again.

The following day, the six of us ventured across the state line to Idaho for the Post Falls Festival at Q’emiln Park. We visited vendor booths, ate delicious festival food (my father-in-law ordered a massive elephant ear), watched the kids play on inflatables, and admired the Spokane River. This particular day would also begin the many evenings of kitchen table games that included favorites such as Phase 10, What Do You Meme, and Speed.

Now that is what I call an elephant ear! The Post Falls Festival was a lot of fun.

When Monday rolled around, Sloan and Beau spent time exclusively with their grandparents as Sid and I returned to work. They played with each other, went to the park, and even exercised together. Yep, Sloan and Beau were invited to accompany Sid’s parents on their daily walk.

Mr. Sid and Beau playing “What Do You Meme?”

Once Wednesday arrived, Sid was off work for the week. She took everyone to the Southside Aquatic Center, a beautiful swimming oasis on Spokane’s South Hill. They had so much fun that they would return the following day as well.

That next day, Thursday, proved special beyond just the pool. After I finished work that evening, the six of us traveled up north to my parents’ house. It was there that we ate steak in the dining room followed by strawberry shortcake on the back porch. But again, it wasn’t the food that made it a memorable night. Rather, it was the rare opportunity Sloan and Beau received to be around their four grandparents at once. I know my children don’t realize the significance of how unbelievably cool that evening was but one day they will. After dessert, we all walked across the street to the park and enjoyed being in each other’s company. It really is heartwarming how well my parents and Sid’s parents get along.

Sloan and Beau spent Thursday evening surrounded by all their grandparents.

On Friday, I did something for the first time. In a spur of the moment act, I decided to take off the afternoon by putting in notice just a couple hours prior. But how can you blame me? Sid came into my home office around 10 a.m. and said they had rented a boat on Lake Coeur d’Alene and that she would love for me to come. We traveled back to Idaho, ate at an awesome local hamburger place, and then hit the water. We cruised for several hours while making several stops to jump into the water on another triple-digit day. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

Beau “drove” the boat for “Dada” while we were on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Saturday morning was tough. Beau and I left the house for a church engagement followed by a birthday party. We gave our farewell hugs and expected to come home later that afternoon to just Sid and Sloan. But as I said at the beginning of this post, CrowdStrike had different plans. When we arrived at the house after the party, Gami and Dada were waiting for us after returning from the airport about an hour prior to our arrival.

Thanks to fate, Sloan got to spend a few more days with both of her grandpas in town.

Even though we had so much fun during their scheduled week with us, it still felt like a second chance to bond even more. That afternoon/evening we played games and hung out with an even greater appreciation for the extra time we had together. On Sunday we just relaxed, followed the Joe Biden news, played more games, and then had a chicken bog dinner that my parents attended…another chance the kids had to be around all four grandparents!

Sloan and my mother-in-law had the chance to make cookies together.

When the new week started, it was back to work again for Sid and me. This allowed my in-laws to have several more hours with just them and the kids. By the time the work day was over, we were back to what had become the norm during the evenings: games, puzzles, and laughs. Sid made a pork loin dinner on Monday that capped about 10 straight days of delicious food. Before we went to bed, the kids said their goodbyes again as we prepped them that Gami and Dada would be on an airplane by the time they woke up in the morning. But then it happened again shortly before midnight…Brenda received a notification from Delta that their flight was canceled and, just like that, Sid had her parents through Wednesday night. We all said, WE’LL TAKE IT!

My mother-in-law and Sid work on a puzzle last night.

Tuesday and Wednesday were both nice and low key. My in-laws played with the kids outside, took them to lunch at McDonald’s, made a trip to the Dollar Tree so Sloan and Beau could purchase them gifts (the idea of my children), embarked on a Target run, and more. At night we played cards, watched “Big Brother,” and ate ice cream. Eventually, the kids and I had to say goodbye for the third time 😔…

Sidney dropped her parents off at the airport this evening so they could catch their midnight flight. CrowdStrike wasn’t going to extend their trip a third time. But it was okay, because even though it was still sad, we were all so grateful that not only did we maximize our scheduled week together but we also got some bonus time none of us were expecting. We feel blessed that we had the chance to host our two very special visitors and we are already counting the days until we get to see them again. Don’t Blink.