McKenna Pilling’s mother thought it would be fun to surprise her daughter at school a day ahead of schedule. If you’re thinking what we’re thinking, it’s that that was a terrible idea. No college student wants to be “surprised” by their parents, and for McKenna and her mother, this surprise ended with one sticky situation.
Missing McKenna
Deanna Pilling and her daughter, McKenna, were the closest of pairs. When it was time for McKenna to go to college, her mother was shocked to learn that her tried-and-true New Yorker of a daughter wanted to head off to Utah State. She was heartbroken to have her go so far away, but she knew it was time to let McKenna go off on her own.
The Surprise
The day before McKenna was heading back East for the summer, Deanna decided to do something special and surprise her daughter. But Deanna would soon learn the hard way that surprising a kid in college was not always a great idea.
Last-Minute Flight
Deanna thought it would be a fun surprise to show up in Utah a day early without telling McKenna. After all, who doesn’t love a good surprise visit from mom?
Off to Utah
So, without telling McKenna, Deanna booked a last-minute plane ticket from the Big Apple all the way to Utah, but she had no idea what she was in for.
Missed Call
Deanna attempted to call McKenna before she boarded her flight, just to casually find out her plans for the night to make sure she would be in her dorm, but she didn’t pick up. As she boarded the plane, Deanna hoped McKenna hadn’t left to go out somewhere.
Five-Hour Flight
Finally, after five hours in the air, Deanna’s flight landed in Logan, Utah. She grabbed a cab and directed the driver to Utah State University. Then, Deanna’s phone rang.
Call Declined
McKenna was calling and Deanna panicked. Not wanting to ruin the surprise, she quickly denied the call. She was worried that if she answered, McKenna would catch on to her plans, and she wasn’t too far from her dorms now.
Visiting Campus
The last time Deanna had been on campus was when she moved McKenna into her dorm in the fall. Almost nine months had passed since then and when she got onto campus she was a little bit lost. She tried her best to remember exactly where McKenna’s dorm was located.
A Busy Campus
Many students had begun moving out for the summer and so the campus was bustling with students and parents moving their belongings back to their cars. Deanna looked around. This campus was massive and felt even bigger with all of the people heading every which way.
Keeping Her Eyes Peeled
Deanna just had to do her best not to be seen before getting to her daughter’s dorm. She looked around cautiously, careful to avoid any potential familiar face.
There It Was
After wandering around for quite some time, she finally found McKenna’s dorm. Once she was let into the building, she spotted a few of McKenna’s friends faces she had seen through McKenna’s social media posts. She was relieved. At least she had found the right building.
Going In
Deanna got on the elevator and headed up to McKenna’s floor. She was nervous. This had been the longest amount of time she and her daughter had gone without seeing each other. She walked to her door and knocked.
Anyone Home?
She stood outside, waiting for her daughter’s reaction, hoping she was happy to see her, but there was no answer. She waited a moment, knocked again, but there was no one inside.
Going In
Deanna went to jiggle the handle and realized the door was unlocked. She thought that was odd as McKenna wasn’t usually one to forget to lock the door. Still, Deanna opened the door, not knowing what she would find.
Missing McKenna
Inside, there were a few girls packing up their things. Deanna waved hello to them and headed into Deanna’s room. Deanna’s room was completely empty, though. Deanna worried she had got the date wrong and messed this whole plan up.
All Packed Up
Her entire room was spotless. Everything had been removed from the walls, and her belongings were neatly packed up in boxes on the floor. “I was just standing there thinking wow, she really cleaned up a lot,” said Deanna.
Getting Tired
After her long day of traveling, Deanna was exhausted. The only thing left in McKenna’s dorm was her bed, still made nicely with blankets and pillows. She decided to hang out and rest a bit while she waited for her daughter to return.
Ready to Crash
It had been a long day, after all, and she thought if she just rested for a moment, she would feel better when McKenna finally arrived. Deanna put down her bags, took off her shoes, and laid down on McKenna’s bed.
Trying to Stay Awake
Deanna realized, though, that if McKenna came back only to find her asleep, that would be a waste of a surprise. Instead, she had another idea.
Playing It Cool
That’s when Deanna came up with an idea. She was going to let her daughter know she was in town, but, of course, in the most entertaining way possible.
Cheese!
Deanna snapped a selfie hanging out in McKenna’s bed. She knew McKenna would be shocked that she had come all this way, and it would be funny if it looked like she had made herself at home while McKenna was out. And boy was McKenna surprised alright, just not in the way Deanna had hoped.
Surprise, McKenna!
Deanna sent the photo to her daughter. She texted, “Look where I am! Where are you?” McKenna began typing, and her text was a big shock to Deanna.
Wait, What?
“Where’s that??” her daughter said. Deanna frowned. How did McKenna not recognize her own bed? McKenna replied again.
Not Exactly
“I’m in my dorm,” McKenna replied. “Please tell me you’re not in someone else’s dorm.” Deanna’s eyes widened. Oh, no, how could that be possible?!
Get Out
Deanna bolted upright and leaped out of bed. If this wasn’t McKenna’s room, then where was she? She panicked and took off out in the hallway. Why hadn’t the girls in the room said anything to her?!
Backfired
“I am in the wrong dorm omg,” she texted back. Deanna made her way down the hall, laughing at her mistake. First, she quickly remade the bed. Now what…
Sheer Panic
“I felt sick to my stomach because I've already said hi to several people in the dorm and they probably have no idea who I was,” said McKenna’s mother. “I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I didn't even look at the name of the building. I could be in the wrong building!” Meanwhile, her daughter had something else to say about the incident…
Mom’s Dilemma
Luckily, the room Deanna entered was a friend of McKenna’s who lived down the hall from her. McKenna found the whole situation to be hilarious and even took to Twitter to post her Mom’s selfies and text messages…
Is That My Pillow?
McKenna’s friend, the girl whose dorm Deanna had entered, didn’t even find out about the whole thing until days later. “She commented on it and was like, ‘Is that my pillow?'” McKenna said. Soon, the photo went viral and Deanna and her daughter were shocked at the response…
Newfound Fame
“We weren't expecting anything of it, I just thought friends and family would see it but now its completely gone everywhere,” said McKenna. She admitted that her mother was always full of surprises and that this situation was just one of the many hilarious moments her mother has been involved in. Deanna, on the other hand, wasn’t so thrilled about the attention…
A Better Photo
Deanna was happy that her blunder had brought laughs to so many people, including her daughter, but there was one exception. McKenna concluded: “Every time I refresh my feed more retweets and favorites pop up, and now all my mom has to say is, "I wish I would've taken a better picture!'”