The grand surprise of my life unfolded the night before my 70th birthday and continued throughout that special day Jan. 7.

What transpired?

I’d like to share that with you from heartfelt hugs to a morning at the soccer park to watching an NFL game to dining on a mix of Midwestern and Cajun cuisine to ugly dancing to solemn moments to a live band to a bit of imbibing to a wind down to goodbyes.

This is the time of year my thoughts as an outdoors writer are of duck hunting and deer hunting, which consumes so many local outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen September through February. Of course, the bass and sac-a-lait spawn right around the corner gets my attention, too, as it does so many others.

Added to that this fall and winter has been a return to coaching soccer after a six-year absence. I did a little of that Friday night alongside some passionate local coaches, my youngest son, Jacob Shoopman, and our friend, Brian Evans, and talented Catholic High School girls at David Boudreaux High School. A 3-2 comeback win made it a sweet evening.

On the way back to town Jacob proposed we have a victory toast at the Quarter Tavern on Main Street. That was somewhat out of the ordinary for the father-to-be but, heck, yeah, let’s go, I agreed.

Jacob and I arrived, walked in past the bar and hung a right into another room. The rest is a recurring dream.

My wife, June Boutte Shoopman, was sitting at one end of a table. I entered the room, looked around the table, then caught my breath.

As tears welled up in my eyes, I turned around and exited, momentarily shocked, then went back in and bear-hugged my sister, Patti Rendina of Overland Park, Kansas. Patti arrived a few hours earlier with my brother, Bill Shoopman of Archie, Missouri, my brother, Keith Shoopman of Belton, Missouri, and my baby sister, Barbara Henry of Leavenworth, Kansas.

They left the Midwest in a rented mini-van before sunrise that Friday to help the oldest sibling celebrate No. 70. Their venture trumped their surprise visit four years ago this month for my retirement reception as senior news editor of The Daily Iberian, where I started in January 1976 after moving here from Kansas City, Missouri.

The Shoopmans and Henrys (Barbara was here with her husband, Bob Henry) this time rented the Hot Sauce House, a stately home built in the 1930s. Bruce Foods Corp. founder Si Brown lived there.

It truly was a step back into history.

“This one had Southern charm,” Patti, 68, wrote in a text a few days after their recent stay in the fully renovated home that features memorabilia and original antiques. As a former librarian who loves to read, she was intrigued by the books.

The visitors showed off their home away from homes for two nights soon after Friday night’s surprise scene at the lively Quarter Tavern, which is next door to the Hot Sauce House. Following the long day of driving and riding, they turned in at a fairly reasonable hour in anticipation of a full day ahead.

It was that. They met me at approximately 10 a.m. before the second CHS Middle School soccer match of the morning at the Broussard Sports Complex. I’m enjoying helping head coach Brian Moody, a former West Virginia High School Soccer Player of the Year, and veteran assistant David Fremin coach the Lady Panthers, who gift-wrapped two W’s as birthday presents.

The Shoopmans and Henrys, all Kansas City-born and raised, posed for a photo op at the pitch, then went our separate ways for a while, me to the sideline and the visitors to their favorite place, the Tabasco Store on Avery Island. June, meanwhile, a longtime registrar for Iberia Soccer Association, was monitoring the successful middle school winter league’s action at the Louisiana PepperPlex.

We all met again just in time to watch and raucously cheer the old-fashioned whuppin’ the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Patrick Mahomes put on the Oakland Raiders. It took a while to sort out the how-tos to get the super big screen television on the right channel but in the end one of the younger generation, Jacob’s significant other, Stephanie Gary, delivered in the clutch.

We wore special shirts made by my youngest sister with a montage saluting the Chiefs, Cajun Country (crawfish) and my passage to 70 years. Helium-filled Chiefs, birthday and big ol’ crawfish balloons added to the stately décor in the spacious TV room. (I did a brief waltz with one of those crawfish balloons. It was videoed for posterity purposes.)

Late in the game, Bob began grilling bratwurst and turkey/cheese links out back and the party was on. Stefan Norris, CHS girls soccer head coach, and Myles Guy, Ascension Catholic girls soccer head coach and former assistant at CHS, dropped by, as did my friend and fishing buddy, Mike Sinitiere.

The afternoon and evening went by too fast, as always. After our guests left, we took the short walk over to the Quarter Tavern to enjoy tunes played by the Cajun Company Band.

Back “home,” we enjoyed desserts, including cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie cake. Birthday presents were opened. There were more moist eyes the last few hours together.

Patti, Bill, Keith and Barbara, the order they were born, left after a final round of loving hugs and goodbyes at 6:36 a.m. Sunday.

My thoughts are returning to writing stories about hunting and fishing for the great outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen in the heart of Acadiana. Every moment, though, I’ll fondly forever remember our great family and the latest reunion on Jan. 6-7.

DON SHOOPMAN is the outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.