During car rides, most kids ask, “How long until we get there?” but not my brother, Josiah, and me. Our parents did not tell us where we were going, how long the car ride would last or what we were doing.

A few months ago, my parents told my brother and me they were taking us on a mystery trip in November. They only told us what to pack and the weather forecast of our destination.

Friday morning, I got ready, finished packing and hopped into our van, and we took off into the unknown. My dad bought a little stuffed reindeer as the prize for  the child who guessed the correct city first and why we were going. As the car headed north, Josiah and I started yelling out different states and cities. Snickering, my parents replied “No” to each location. Finally, we learned we were going to Colorado, but where?

“Denver!” I enthusiastically yelled.

My mom glanced at my dad. “Well,” my dad said slowly, “it is in the Denver area.”

Immediately, phones were whipped out.

“Westminster!” “Englewood!” “Aurora!” “Centennial!”

The look on my mom’s face told me Centennial was right. But, what was in Centennial?

We spent the rest of the trip playing games and singing. Seven hours later, we reached Denver.

“Are we stopping at the hotel first?” I asked from the back seat.

“Yes,” Dad said before turning into a neighborhood area. Looking back, I realize he was trying to keep the fact we were staying at a house instead of a hotel a secret.

Who would I know in Colorado? I then remembered that my cousin Karen, one of my favorite people in the world, just moved to Colorado. We pulled into the driveway as Karen strolled out the front door.

My brother and I jumped out of the car, ran to Karen and embraced her. It was a great surprise because we hadn’t seen her since this summer.

We stayed at her house for the weekend. While there, we shopped, drove through the beautiful, snow-tipped mountains and just enjoyed being together.

Early Sunday afternoon, my family climbed into the car, reluctant to come home after a relaxing weekend. Josiah and I spent half of the seven-hour drive home asleep before arriving home at 9:30 p.m. Refreshed, I was ready to take on the remainder of the semester, filled with choir performances, semester tests and piano recitals.