A San Diego-area girl thought she was getting an award from school Friday but what she got instead was much better.

Makenna Hansen attends Sunset View Elementary School in Point Loma.

She arrived to school Friday thinking she was getting a writing award from the school.

Instead, it was a ruse so she, her mom and her sister could be surprised by her father, Brian, who came home early from deployment.

The girls had been counting down until their dad's return from the Western Pacific.

His ship, USS Lawrence, was due home next week, but he got to leave early.

The family planned to go to dinner and catch up on the time they missed together.

