A Navy sailor gave her parents the perfect gift for the Fourth of July, surprising them at a minor-league baseball game.
Adria Rice, 18, was not sure she would make it home to Davenport to celebrate her niece's third birthday, but when she was able to make the arrangements, she concocted a plan with her sister to surprise her parents, QuadCities.com reported.
The Quad Cities minor league baseball team provided the perfect setup, honoring Ryan and Chrissy Rice as "Fans of the Game," before the River Bandits' game against Beloit.
"I know we are thousands of miles away from each other, but I just wanted to give you a little piece of me for the Fourth of July," Adria Rice said in a video message to her parents over the River Bandits scoreboard, QuadCities.com reported.
As her parents watched the video, Adria Rice walked up behind them, scooped up her niece and waited. When her parents turned around, they were shocked to see their daughter standing there.
"I'm like, 'OMG.' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Chrissy Rice told QuadCities.com. "I mean it was just so overwhelming and such a surprise. I'm blessed, very blessed."
“I don’t know that there’s words to explain how proud we are,” Ryan Rice, who also served in the military, told the website. “Every time I see her in a uniform or every time I see a picture, I just smile. I’m proud."
Surprising her parents is something Adria Rice enjoys.
"The looks on their faces every time I come home is just the greatest thing ever," she told QuadCities.com.
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