Like many other families, the Richters enjoyed spending time together. They often went on road trips and holidays to different exotic and local destinations.
No matter where they were, they always had a blast, but this time, things took a different turn.
In March of 2017, parents Amber and Eric, and their children, decided to make a small road trip.
The weather forecast was promising, and they found affordable accommodation in Cannon Beach.
They had planned every detail of their road trip and were sure everything would go off without a hitch.
They got in their car and took off with Eric and Amber sitting at the front and their children in the backseat.
Just as they were about to start driving, Erik decided that he had to do something first.
He took out his cellphone and told his wife and kids to smile.
The Richters always made sure to take plenty of photos during every holiday together, so Erik took a few selfies with his wife and kids, or so he thought.
“Say cheese!” he told them. The kids quickly realized that instead of taking a picture, he was filming them.
They laughed at their dad’s silly mistake, not suspecting anything. Little did they know what they were in for.
“Oh, shoot!” Erik shouted. He didn’t stop filming even after realizing his mistake.
Instead, he continued to roll the camera anyway. Then, something completely unexpected happened.
As the kids were still laughing at their dad’s error, a figure in a hoodie appeared in the shot.
The person was sitting at the very back of the car, and from the looks of it, he had been staying there for a while.
The stranger was inside the car with the rest of the family members. But how did he get in?
How come no one realized that someone else was there with them? It was indeed a mystery for everyone except Erik.
The mysterious stranger decided to make an appearance at the most unexpected moment.
When the Richters realized that they weren’t alone in the vehicle, they started screaming and shouting.
Luckily, it wasn’t the fear that caused this reaction; they were genuinely happy to see him.
The young man who appeared out of nowhere while the family was taking a selfie was called Rowan.
He was Amber and Erik’s son, although he wasn’t supposed to be there with them that day.
Rowan is a Lance Corporal in the Marines, and as a result, he isn’t able to visit his family often.
Sometimes, the Richters go months without seeing their son, although he always lets them know when will be the next time they meet.
This time, however, Rowan decided to make a memorable surprise, and it sure worked!
Seeing Rowan there in the car with them came as a big surprise to his siblings and his mother, Amber. She couldn’t hold back her tears. “Oh my god.
You scared the hell out of me,”, she cried. However, Erik didn’t seem surprised at all.
She came to a shocking realization. Her husband must have known about all of this.
Otherwise, how could Rowan possibly get in the car without the keys? “Did you know he was doing this?” she asked him.
She was right. Her husband did plan a part of this amazing surprise.
He picked Rowan up from the airport after he landed in Oregon and drove him home. After she realized what he had done, she jokingly said to him, “You’re evil!”.
Rowan climbed to the front of the car and gave his parents a big hug. It was a beautiful, heartwarming moment for the whole family.
Their son, whom they hadn’t seen in so long, was next to them, smiling from ear to ear. But this was only the beginning.
After capturing this beautiful moment on camera, Erik decided to upload his video on YouTube. It went viral almost instantly, generating more than 90,000 views.
Shortly after, the heartwarming video began appearing all over the internet.
One Facebook user wrote: ” I don’t know what I liked better, Mom’s extreme reaction or the love in Dad’s non-stop smile!
It’s a tie,” As usual, a few tears in my eyes, remembering when our family’s special Marine landed his jet,” another said.
“There was lots of emotion and hugs. It will always be one of my most favorite memories; nothing can compare to the love of family,” said Amber.
Rowan and his father decided to pull one last prank, but this time, they would surprise their grandmother, who wasn’t aware that he was back home.
Erik went to visit his parents at their house, and when it was time to say goodbye, he asked them to go to another room where his son Rowan was waiting.
They had absolutely no idea that he was hiding in their house this whole time.
As Erik was hugging his mother, Rowan crept up behind and surprised her. As soon as she turned around, she saw Rowan standing in front of her and smiling.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her grandson, whom she hadn’t seen in so long, appeared out of nowhere.
And just like his siblings and mother, she screamed in shock. Then, she gave Rowan a big hug while trying to fight back her tears.
“Shame on you,” she said jokingly.
The Richters got to spend some quality time with Rowan before he was deployed again. They don’t know when would be the next time they see him, but it probably won’t be in the backseat of their car, but who knows!
Maybe, Rowan will come up with another surprise idea.