Man Surprises Parents Celebrating 50th Anniversary With Hawaii Dream Vacation
The couple thought they'd never get to see Hawaii in their lifetime.
— -- A Staten Island, New York, man surprised his parents with a vacation to Hawaii this Mother's Day for their 50th anniversary next month after learning they've always dreamed of going but believed they'd never see Hawaii in their lifetime because of the expense.
Nick Raymond, 32, uploaded the heartwarming video of his parents' reaction to YouTube, and multiple users commented that the video made them tear up.
The video starts with Nick approaching his parents, Leo Raymond, 71, and Rosemary Raymond, 70, holding a package and saying, "I threw this together real quick for you and dad for your (50th) anniversary, so I figured I'd get you something stupid."
Rosemary then opens the box and pulls out leis, thinking that's all the gift is, but when she thanks Nick and goes in for a hug, he gestures toward the box, hinting there's more.
She discovers a card with papers inside, and Nick says in the video that the papers are the itinerary for the Hawaii trip with a cover page.
Rosemary bursts into laughter after discovering the cover page is a parody movie poster of "Joe Versus the Volcano" with Leo and Rosemary's faces digitally altered into the bodies of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
But Rosemary becomes silent when she starts looking at the itinerary that lists the trip dates and excursions they'll be going on for 12 days in the beginning of June.
Nick then shouts, "You're going to Hawaii!" and throws a blast of confetti at his parents, who appear to be in a state of shock.
"Are you crazy?" Nick's mom asks him.
Nick then tells his parents that everything including the flight and food are already paid for and that he has already informed their bosses of the vacation.
Both Rosemary and Leo appear teary-eyed and speechless and go in to hug their son.
The rest of the video then shows Nick detailing the entire 12-day itinerary, which includes adventures to a volcano and fine-dining.
"They're great people, and I don't say that because they are my family," Nick told WABC. "They're just honest and caring people. Granted no one is perfect, I still couldn't of [sic] ever had a better mother and father than they were to me."