Change is a Comin'

This next teaching year will be very different for me.  Sherrod was my first teaching job and I taught there for seven years.  I loved every single year.  But this year after God basically yelled, "Hey!  HELLO?  I'm opening a door here for you!" I transferred schools to one closer to home and one where I can take K to kindergarten.  (It saddens me that her going to kinder isn't too far off!)

Sherrod was my work family for those seven years and I will miss it so very much, but it was time for me to make the move for my family.  I was already stressing about having to drop K off at another school and get to Sherrod on time....and I am NOT one of those teachers that can get to school five minutes before the bell rings.  I would be flustered for the rest of the day!  So, when this opportunity came along I decided now was the best time.  Who knows if two years from now if a school five minutes from my house would have any openings - let alone a first grade opening.

So Sherrod Elementary is now my work past and Little Elementary is my work future.  There will be some big differences this year I'm sure.  Sherrod was a Title 1 school and Little is not.  But as with every job there will be the good and bad.  Sherrod was awesome, but it did have it's tough and heartbreaking moments.  I'm sure Little will have it's ups and downs as well, but I'm excited to see just what is in store for me!  As always, I cannot wait to meet my new group of kiddos!  :)

But for now the BIG change for me is my classroom.  My room is very different than my room at Sherrod and I'm trying to slowly get my things in order this summer.  The first order of business was to paint.  The walls of my room were painted yellow and had accents of movie cameras and movie reels painted in a few spots.  Didn't exactly go with my jungle theme.  So, my amazing husband and I transformed the yellow and movie theme to a soft green like the one that was in my last room.  My husband did most of the work and I am so thankful for him!  I honestly think there should be some kind of support group for teacher spouses - they put up with so much!  :)

So, I'll keep posting pictures of the progress.  I can't wait to see the before and final after pictures!  :)

So some of my friends, my parents, Cody, and I moved most of my stuff to my new room.  The district moved some of the heavier things.  The teacher who left that room is still teaching first grade and took most of her curriculum because it was organized how she likes it.  So that means there is also lots of curriculum in that stash of stuff too.  Piled all in the center it looks a bit overwhelming! 

Lockers before - with stubborn daisy stickers all over!

We are now a daisy free zone.  :)

My crew about to start the painting process ;)

Movie camera before pic

Movie camera during pic

Movie camera after pic

Outlining

First coat - still so much yellow coming through

After 2 coats - that's a much better green!

Jackpot!

Everyone loves a good bargain, but when you put children's books on sale and teachers find out, you'd better get out of the way. :) I've been to enough Scholastic warehouse sales to know just how hard core it can be. So I was a little bit more than excited when K's school director told me of this little bookstore in Arlington going out of business. She told me one day as I was picking K up from school. She mentioned all the children's books were 50 cents, so honestly in my mind I was thinking they must not be that great, but she told me she had wiped them out of Eric Carle books. Well, if they had Eric Carle they were bound to have some other decent ones right? So I buckled K up and headed right to that bookstore.

Ummmm....MOTHERLOAD!!!

It was like I had stepped into a book shopping dream. There were tons of great books and sure enough all of them were 50 cents - even hardback. I quickly grabbed a basket and started my work of going though as many books as I could. I had a little over an hour until they closed.

My first shopping trip there is the first picture below. I ended up spending $33. I bought so many books for K, my classroom, and even my niece who loves Strawberry Shortcake.

So I posted the first pic on facebook and some of my friends went to grab some crazy bargains as well. My friend Chelsea went on Friday and the owner told her that they were bringing in more books from storage the next morning.

So of course I had to head back up there the next morning. Duh.

They were supposed to open at 10:00. but it being a family owned shop I went a little early and my instincts were right. I arrived about 9:30 and they were already opened. This time the shopping was a bit dirtier though. They had literally brought in bins from storage and they were quite dusty. But of course that didn't stop me from going through each and every bin.

My second trip I ended up spending $38. I still can't believe I got all the books pictured below for just over $70. It blows my mind.

Bloggy Blog Blog

Let's just face it....

I'm a horrible blogger.  

I have the best of intentions, yet somehow I never follow through with them...at least in the blog world. I'm not even sure who reads this other than a few friends here and there.  But that's okay with me because I honestly think this is more for me.

Some recent family events sparked my heart a bit and I decided I wanted to start a journal of family happenings.  Not so much one for my emotions and what not, but more of just a simple record of things that happen in our family.  So I bought this adorable little journal at the beginning of July and I keep it on my nightstand for easy access.   

For the record - I'm pretty horrible at keeping that too.  

But I have to ask myself - why do I want to journal or blog?  Sometimes it just seems so self absorbed. 

Then I go back to one of the blog entries when I was pregnant and suddenly my mind and heart are brought back to that time.  Things I thought I would never forget have casually slipped my mind, and I'm so very thankful that there are recorded somewhere.  

So I NEED to make it more of a habit to blog.  Maybe it's stupid stuff...maybe it's serious.  

Maybe I just need a blog "accountability partner" like Christians have for furthering their walk with God.  Maybe I need to just make it part of my nightly routine.  Who knows?  Either way I want to do it more often.  

I also want to blog about some of my teaching, except there is no way my blog will ever be like those over the top crazy awesome teacher blogs out there!  Where in the world do they get the time to do all that they do?  

Those chicks deserve capes to wear.  

For real.

Now, that won't be me, but I would like to record some classroom things here and there.  But I think I'll just tack it on to this blog...one more blog just doesn't make sense to have when I can barely keep up with this one and the one about Kaitlyn.  (UPDATE: I thought I could "just tack it on" to this one with the pages feature, but I was wrong.  So I did end up starting a whole new teaching blog.  Sigh) ;)

Let's see how long this lasts.....

To See or Not To See...Not Really a Question (Anymore)

Girls' Nights are some of my favorite times - hands down. I have a blast with my girlfriends and we've done everything from traveling to other cities, taking goofy pictures, and having a range of talks about anything and everything. I love my girl time and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Tonight is one of those nights and I'm pumped. The plans are to catch dinner and then a movie. Your pretty basic GNO.

Except I got this really uneasy feeling about this one because of two words:

Magic Mike

Yep - that's the plan. Dinner and then head to a movie - a specific movie. Magic Mike.

For those of you that have been under a rock, this movie is about stripping. Male stripping to be exact.

Honestly when I first saw previews for it my mind went - "Heck yes I'm going to see that! Hello! Matthew McConaughey? Channing Tatum?" What girl wouldn't want to see that on the big screen?

(Hmmm...Proverbs 31 going through anyone else's mind right now?)

So as the plans were made I told Cody that the girls and I were going to catch dinner and a movie. He asked a simple question - "What movie?"

For some reason I didn't want to tell him. (Red flag anyone?) If I was ashamed to tell my husband why should I even be considering it?

So I told him. And as soon as I did I noticed a drop in his face. Not anger- and I'm not even sure it was disappointment. It was just different and it broke my heart. I right away asked him if he was okay with my going. His response was, "Would you want me to go see a movie about girl strippers?"

Ouch.

I wanted to scream, "It's so different! It's guys not girls - they can't show as much with just a R rating." But guess what? It's not different. As much I want it to be it's not.

Can anyone say double standard?

ME! Double standard!

Who am I to say I don't want my husband to watch that type of movie and then turn around and watch it myself? Not cool Heather, not cool.

But, Cody said he was fine with me going and I texted my girlfriends back, said I was in, and then purchased my ticket online because it is, after all, the first day it's been open and I wouldn't want the disappointment of missing out.

But God wrestled with my heart all night and all morning. It just didn't seem alright with me. I even got a text this morning from another girlfriend saying she was in need of a GNO soon and I told her she could join us tonight. My text actually said, "We're going to see an inappropriate movie."

Wait right there. I called it inappropriate and was still okay going to see it?

Is that the kind of woman I want to be? The kind of wife I want to be? The kind of mother I want to be?

No. It's not.

I knew what I had to do. And that is not go. I have every reason in the world to want to go. Great friends, the okay from the hubby, and McConaughey/Tatum. What's not to love?

How about the feeling in my gut that it is just wrong?

Now I realize to some this is going to sound "judgy" and that's not my intention at all. In no way do I think people seeing this movie is going to make people horrible. I just know my own weaknesses and I'm not willing to give myself a foothold.

How can I sit in a Sunday school room and ask girls that are seniors in high school to dress appropriately so the guys aren't tempted, and then turn around and watch something that I know will tempt me?

How can I be a mom trying to raise my daughter to know what a godly woman is and then turn around and act in a way that I know is not godly?

How can I be a wife trying to honor my husband if I'm going to go watch other men take off their clothes?

I know I'm not perfect, and I don't pretend to be. But I do want to be intentional about my choices. It was just Wednesday night when I heard a message about loving Jesus and being a Christian when it's easy and convenient, but being a completely different person the rest of the time. I can't continue to say I'm one way and then act another just because it's fun.

Do I sound like a bible thumping crazy extremist Christian? Probably. And people are probably going to make fun of me. Luckily for me it's not my girlfriends though, because when I told them why I couldn't go to the movie they were all supportive. Told you my friends were awesome.   :)

I'm so thankful that they stick with someone as crazy as me!

Thankful

Wow.

That's honestly the only word I know that can describe how this weekend was for me. Scratch that - how this entire school year has been for me.

But let's start at the beginning.

I didn't grow up in church like most of my friends did. I went when I was very little and then when I was around three, for various reasons my parents stopped going. I picked back up again when I was in sixth grade when I started going to church with my friend Casee. From then on I would either go with her or talk my grandmother into coming over and taking me on Sunday mornings. Still, I didn't know a great deal about God, but the desire was there. I explained it to my husband this weekend as me having this huge empty void in my life and knowing that I had the capacity to love someone so much and it ate at me every single night as I went to bed. As a young girl I stupidly thought that feeling was meant for a boyfriend that I didn't have yet. But one night at a youth rally, I was saved and that feeling was never there again. God had made a home in my heart and I've forever been changed.

In high school, I drove myself to youth group and learned a lot more about the bible and about God. Then in college my relationship with God was even more solidified and I began dating a godly man who would later become my husband. Through a journey of trying out several area churches, we eventually ended up at First Baptist Arlington. That was probably one of the best decisions of our life.

We joined choir and a young marrieds sunday school class and began to build relationships in both groups. I have had mentors from both of those groups who helped shape me into a better wife and mother, and I know they will be people I will look up to for the rest of my life.

Then last year Cody and I felt the call to work with the youth - and that's when everything changed.

It was funny the first time we talked about it with each other because it seemed that God had been placing it on both of our hearts for a very long time, but we weren't talking to each other about it. We prayed more about it and decided to take the plunge last January when the new school semester started. Kurt (our youth minister) told us to just hang out in each department until we felt comfortable. We started with seniors because we had some friends that were already teacher there, but when we were introduced the director said, "This is Cody and Heather Bush and they will be with us for the rest of the year."

Okay - seniors it was.

I loved that group. There were so many young leaders and so many kids that loved God. They were awesome. We didn't teach yet, but helped out with events and just got to love on those kids and I am so glad we were where we were. We helped out at youth camp which was amazing too, but then the next school year was coming up and we were asked to teach.

This is when I started getting nervous. I can teach five and six year olds in my sleep. I'm good at it and I know it. Seventeen and eighteen year olds? That was a different story. I just felt as if I didn't have the talent to teach that age. I was scared to death the first Sunday we taught them. But then they started talking. :)

Now, I am not going to say that Cody and I haven't had some lessons that bombed because we have...at least in my eyes they have. But those kids have changed me. I love them plain and simple. I find myself each day at work, in my car, at home praying for them and their future. Some of them I even think of as little sisters now. And the funny thing is when I think I'm going to teach them something on Sundays, I go away being taught so much more than I would have thought.

Enter in this past weekend - Wakeup Weekend.

As I said before - wow. I saw God move in those kids' lives like I've never seen. I saw raw and powerful worship. I saw walls being broken down and students give control back to God. I was even blessed to see one of the seniors begin his life with Christ. God. Was. Moving. I have never been so humbled and honored to be in the presence of this group.

And if I were to be honest with myself, I've learned so much more about God this past year than I have in my entire life. He has changed my heart about so many things and made me uncomfortable but with good reasons. I know God put these seniors in my life to help me and I cannot thank Him enough for them. I am so proud of them and who they are becoming in Him.

But I also know May is coming and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that. I get attached to my first grade students each year and hate to see them go, but with this group it's so much more. But for now, all I know is that I am so thankful for what God is doing in their lives and mine.

Our God is so good!!!

I Did it My Way

So, as the overplayed song says, "I Did It My Way." Of course my way isn't always what is considered "best" these days and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about why it's not.

I'm talking about my parenting skills. Yep. I'm going there.

Let me start off by saying I did not read Babywise. As soon as the other mommies my age stop gasping we'll get back to other things I did wrong. I know that some moms think this trendy book is the end all for parenting and the fact that I didn't read it is shocking and appalling to you. For that I'm sorry....

Wait...I'm actually not sorry, but I'll get to that later.

So if I were to think about all the things I've done "wrong" as a mom these days I could go on and on. But here's the shortened version if you will:

1. I had a c-section. I know that lots of women have this drawn out birth plan and think that having a baby with no drugs will be a spiritual and moving experience....that's awesome for them. But when the doctor says, "Hey Heather we have to get her out now or she's probably not going to make it," there's no question in my mind of what I'm going to do. But even if her birth wasn't an emergency I still would have opted for the drugs.

2. I didn't nurse. I tried. I took supplement after supplement and tried home remedy after home remedy. Nothing ever happened. I've actually been told by people that I should have tried harder. I've read all the benefits of nursing and I'm sure it's a wonderful thing. It's just not one of the things that I got to experience.

3. I didn't teach my baby sign language. Nope - not even one single sign.

4. I didn't make my own baby food. I bought and tried pretty much every baby food flavor that Gerber makes. Now Kaitlyn is way past the baby food and I give her processed food. I give her frozen chicken nuggets and pancakes. Sure I throw fresh fruit and veggies into the mix, but she does eat frozen and packaged food. She also eats at Taco Bueno and McDonalds - even though I think McDonalds is beyond gross.

5. I work full time and when you're a teacher full time means that you don't leave at 3:30. It also means that maybe you don't see your kid until later that night or that your kid might be up at school with you late hours for PTA meetings or what not. I also take my kid to school twice a week in the summer when I'm not teaching - for the whole school day.

I know, I know...I'm a horrible mom right? At least that's what "they" make me feel like sometimes. But here's the deal - I don't believe I'm a horrible mom. I think I'm actually pretty good at it and I'm not afraid to say that.

As I said...

I had a c-section. I didn't feel one single thing from my chest down and I still feel like I had an amazing spiritual journey as I had Kaitlyn.

I didn't nurse, but somehow my daughter still knew how to bond with me and she has been healthy.

I didn't teach K sign language, yet she still learned how to communicate her needs to me.

So why do I feel the need to justify myself as a mom? I thought about this a lot today. It consumed me more than I would like to let on, but the fact is it did. I think it stems from a combination of things, but mainly because of what I hear and read about from my other mom friends. I'm not trying to start things and I'm not trying to be "snippy," but I feel I should be able to voice my opinion on things too.

You see, moms love to help other moms out. I know for one I loved getting to see my sister-in-law with my niece right before Kaitlyn was born. She was amazing with her daughter and I learned so much from her in just a few days and I think it better prepared me to be a mom. That was my first real time around a brand new baby and I was amazed at my sis-in-law's strength. She is, by the way, an amazing mom to my now TWO nieces. :)

I'm so thankful that she was there for me if I needed to ask someone what I thought was a silly question or if I needed to just vent about the stresses a new mama feels. All moms need people like that.

But with that said, I also want it known that my sis-in-law never once told me anything I was doing was wrong. Never once. Even if she thought it she never let on. I love and respect her so much for that.

I'm going to go a bit off topic here, but we have a team at our school. It's called the Restart team. The purpose of the Restart team is to help teachers with students that they are struggling with, be it academic or behaviorally. I'm on this team and have been what we call a case manager. Case managers are not allowed to give their opinion on a child and are not allowed to tell a teacher what to do with a child. Case managers are to guide another teacher's thinking and help that teacher think deeper about their own student. The ownership is with the student's teacher - not the case manager. The case manager is there for support. So yes, even when I've been supporting another teacher I've wanted to say, "You should do it this way" But I don't - I can't. And eventually the teacher is better because of it. Does that mean I don't bounce ideas back and forth with other teachers? No - not at all! But I would never dare tell a teacher why I think what they are doing is all wrong.

Hmmm....I'm thinking I like this methods for other mothers. We all need to be so careful to tell mothers that there is only one right way to do things. If you as a mother want to share your successes, by all means - share them!! Let me celebrate with you. But don't in turn tell me what I'm doing is wrong and list a bunch of facts and figures about why I am wrong.

I've been teaching kids for seven years now, and I've learned that children are amazing blessings capable of so, so many things, but kids are different. They learn differently and will develop differently. If you want to argue with me come teach my class for one day using the same level book for each kid. I dare you.

Kids are different. Parents are different. Family situations are different. Those differences are what make life interesting. Do I judge those moms that have at a home water birth? Not for one single second. I think they are amazing people and I love that that is their journey. Do I think moms that stay at home are not fulfilled? Nope - not at all. That's their calling and I will pray for them and support them in any way I can. Just please be respectful of my choices and realize that I'm doing what's best for MY child and MY family.

I love Kaitlyn Grace will all my heart. Am I the perfect mother to her? No. I could always be better, but I'm not sorry for one single thing I've done or am currently doing concerning her. I haven't done what is trendy in motherhood these days, but somehow she has turned out to be this incredible, polite, spunky little girl that brings such joy to my life. Is every day with her perfect? Not even close, but do I feel it's my fault and the result of me not doing some "mama method" that someone told me I should?

Nah - it's just our real life and I'm loving every single second of it.

The Proposal....again

So I know so many people have been waiting for me to write this entry, and I've waited until over a month after this happened to do so. Sorry. I've been having way too much fun playing with Kaitlyn this summer! :) So here it goes.

For my birthday this year Cody proposed to me. Yes, we're already married, so some people might think we're crazy. But those people don't know the whole story. You know, that story that always comes up when you're friends with girls - the "How did he propose?" story.

Hmmm...how did Cody propose the first time? All you need to know is that it was a foot away from a toilet.

Yep. You read that right the first time. A toilet. No, I wasn't using it (that's beyond gross). If you don't know the full story and want to, read this.

I wrote that a few years ago. At that time I not so jokingly would respond to Cody's, "What do you want for your birthday or Christmas?" questions with, "A new proposal." He never did and I eventually just stopped saying it for fear I was really hurting his feelings.

Then my birthday came this year. I 100% thought we were going to have a normal, yet fun day. When he had asked what I wanted to do I said I wanted more than anything to have a family day - meaning us doing something with Kaitlyn and going out to a nice, oh I don't know, Mexican dinner. That's always a safe bet with me.

So the day of my birthday that's how things started out. Cody went and got us all doughnuts and we had a fun family breakfast. My mom called and asked if K and I wanted to go to lunch later which we did. The rest of the day we played with Kaitlyn and just spent time together as a family. I thought it was perfect and quite honestly one of the best birthdays in a long time. For dinner I thought Cody was going to take us to Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth, so I was mentally preparing for that.

Later on, a little after 5:00 Cody told me he had to go get my birthday present. In my mind I didn't think anything different was going on. Cody is known to wait until the last minute for gifts so I figured he either had something made or transferred to another store and it wasn't ready until then. So when he left I started to clean the kitchen thinking nothing of it.

And just a side note - I wish I could have a maid that only cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen. My life would be so much easier!

But back to our story....

Soon after Cody left the doorbell rang. I looked through our peephole and saw Cody's parents standing there with a gift. I thought it was weird that they didn't call, but simply thought maybe they had told Cody they were stopping by and he forgot what time or forgot to tell me or something along those lines. Again, I had no idea at this point anything different was going on. I opened the door, complete with dish towel slung across my shoulder, and let them in. Cody's dad had his new video camera on. At this point you would think most people would think something was up, but we had gone over to Cody's parents' house the night before for his mother's birthday. They had just bought the camera that day and were taping lots of things, so in my mind I thought Cody's dad was still having fun playing with his camera.

But then Cody's mother started talking....

She looked at me with this sneaky type smile and said they were here to pick up Kaitlyn and that I need to change into something nice. I told her that I needed to get some things ready for K, but she told me that they already had a packed bag and that everything concerning Kaitlyn was taken care of. She also handed me a clue.

Yep, now I knew something was up. :)

The clue was in a legal size envelope with the clasps and I was told to read it aloud...for the camera of course.

I looked down at the paper and the first thing I read was Clue #3. I told Cody's mother I think I had the wrong clue, but she just smiled and told me to keep reading. Hmmm....

So this is what I read:
First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you enjoy your birthday gift. You will be given clues throughout the evening to take you to some places. As you can see, my parents will take Kaitlyn. Put on something nice that you have. Call me last resort!!! Jump in your car (PUT NOLAN UP!!!) and see clue below:

Fate is definitely what got us here today
But think really hard about what I am going to say
You said you knew when you heard my name
But don't go to the hall during this part of the game
It's in the same room we would sing in a pack
When you've got it figured out, go to the back

So I knew I was headed to Lamar High School. That's where Cody and I first met and I had a bit of a crush on him.

Okay, so it was a huge crush. :)

So I quickly ran upstairs and changed into something else and applied a bit more makeup and headed to my car. As soon as I turned on the car a cd started up. The first song I heard was "I Can Only Love You Like a Man." Little did I know how perfect this song would be later on....

The whole cd was full of songs that were special to us. I. love. that. cd. And it hasn't left my car since.

So of course at this point I'm thinking he's going to have clues taped up in certain spots and we'll end up at dinner. Seriously, that's what I thought and I was thrilled. But then I pulled into the Lamar parking lot.

That's when I see our friends Kim and Cory. Okay, so Cody planned a bit more than I thought....

Kim and Cory also had a clue and were videoing me. This is what I read in the next clue:

Very good grasshopper! I hope you said hi to the Leman family! I tried to make that clue easy to figure out. I may not be so nice in future clues. If you can't figure out where you are going, I will try to provide you a life line, but try not to use them. That is almost considered cheating!

This place we didn't frequent but the biggest of all
The setting if you remember was some time in the Fall
We were nervous; we were scared at what was to come
All I knew at the time was you made life fun
If we knew at the time this would bring forever bliss
Go to the first place we sealed our love with a kiss

Don't go inside, just look for something familiar to the both of us.


Well, I knew where our first kiss was - I just didn't know how to get there anymore. It was at our friend Melissa McKaime's old house. I looked at Kim and Cory and told them I had no clue where to go and they told me to turn on my GPS when I got in the car. I did only to find out that Cody had programmed the address in the GPS for me. I later found out that he had contacted Melissa, who in turn had to contact her mom, who contacted the new owners of the house to tell them what he was doing. Cody thought this thing through very hard! :)

Before I got to Melissa's old house I got a phone call from Cody telling me I needed to turn around because I had left something with Kim and Cory. I for sure wasn't going to argue with him, so I turned around and basically we killed time until Cody said it was okay. I knew something wasn't ready, but at this point I didn't care. In a few minutes Cory was given the okay that I could leave, so back to Melissa's house I went.

I pulled onto the street and soon saw my precious niece jumping up and down and waving the next clue. My sister-in-law, Candy, and brother-in-law, Casey, were there as well. They had a video camera on me the whole time just like the others.

I was sensing a common theme here.

The clue they gave me read:

That was easy enough, wasn't it? Casey & Candy looked excited didn't they??? At this time, you probably know where you are going next...Be careful not to jump the gun, there's a twist! Keep following the clues and you may find me. I don't know...you may even see me...

This clue is my favorite because of the meaning
When you talk about dating this is the beginning
Sad for the future but happy from the past
No matter what happens our memories will last
You can read by it, see with it, and do many more things
Go to the place that's made of wax and strings

That was an easy one for me - it was Candlelite Inn which is where we had our first real date. We had been pretty bummed to hear that it was closing and that's what all the references to being sad he made were about.

As I drove up there I saw our friends Ben and Cindy. Again with the taping - again with the clue.

You knew that one would be in there right? Did Ben & Cindy tell you GO MAVS?! I hope more than anything Ben didn't say Gig 'em! It pains me to even type that phrase...We are over halfway through this so you can SMELL the prize right now!!!

We go here a lot and this I do mean
I drink lots of water, you steal the caffeine
One glorious day though not done quite right
I asked you for your hand one February night (day, but it rhymed)
You completed my life, how happy we'd be
Go directly to the spot I got on one knee


Next stop - my parents house - specifically my room - more specifically my bathroom suite...yep... by THE toilet. The caffeine reference is something to blog about later...a bit of a family tradition if you will. :)

Now my dad was out of town, but my mom was there and you guessed it - she was filming me as well. But she didn't have a clue. So I went to the spot where Cody had asked and there was my clue.

Your mom knew about this and kept it from you?!? What is going on?!? Before you leave your parents' house, look in your closet....Put that dress on! Just thought it would be something nice!

This place is a LEGEND to me and to you
We had such a blast, hey, Joe Jackson wore that shoe (NOT)
The best night of my life, it was really nice
I can still hear it now, "This is paradise!" (Almost)
I knew from that day you'd fill up my heart
Remember that guy saying, "Don't touch that tarp!"

Again, don't go inside just look for some friends!

That would mean the Ballpark in Arlington. We had our wedding reception there and took pictures on the field. We got in trouble with security for touching the tarp on the pitcher's mound, but since Cody pitched in college and we were down there we just had to. :) But before I went I opened my closet. Cody had actually picked out a nice dress (in my size thankfully!) and even had two shoe options there for me. I married a smart, smart man.

On to the ballpark I went.

After a loopy turning around trip trying to park, I found Rex and Brenda with of course a camera and a clue. I cannot even begin to tell you how precious those two are to us. I just love them! Next clue:

Bet you didn't expect to see that!!! I know how much you love the Schimpfs and I do too! We have so many families to look up to! So close to the end now I bet you can taste it!

This destination is special for not only you and me
We will build the foundation for our family
When I think of this place and that wonderful day
I remember your beauty taking my breath away
Our family is rooted where we'll blossom and grow
To the place with the cross is where you must go!

Next stop - our church. :)

At the church I saw the Cain family with their precious Carson...who if arranged marriages work out might just marry Kaitlyn one day. :) They had the next clue which was finally the last one!

You have made it to the last clue!! The Cains were both excited to do this! I'll show you on facebook later...Well, I hope this has been fun for you! It came together like clockwork...I did all of this to prove to you that you are worth it Heather! Your smile lights up my day! I know I've messed up your birthday in the past and hopefully this makes up for it! Well, here it goes:

I hope you kept each clue that you've received
The last clue will be found in all of thses
Look back through them all and find what I mean
A number, a letter, it's one of these things
Whether C or a L or an I or a Z
A 4 or a 5 or and 8 or a 3.

The three was also written in marker and circled. :) I had noticed that at the top of every clue Cody had typed Clue #3. I honestly thought maybe that was the first clue he had typed and just forgot to change the number as he typed the other ones. Nope - even that was part of his plan. Clue 3 had taken me to Candlelite Inn and that's where I needed to head back to...at least that's what I thought and them Jamie and Aaron told me I was right. :)

So I drove back to Candlelite Inn. Any of you that know Arlington know now that this whole little adventure took me just under two hours! I walked in and there was Cody right at the front. Behind him were all our friends and family that had helped in his plan - and of course there were several video cameras on us! Cody then said some pretty amazing things and got down on his knee and asked me to marry him....again.

SOOOOOO much better than the proposal by the toilet!

He also told me that since he was proposing again we would need something to celebrate. Cody had already contacted our music minister (who just happens to be the coolest!) and had set up for us to renew our vows on our anniversary.

So there you have it. My pretty normally non romantic husband of almost five years did that. All of that. Normally whenever he tries anything romantic I can figure it out and I just try to act surprised. This time I was 100% surprised and had no clue that he was up to anything. He made me feel so special and loved that night and I can honestly say it was the best birthday present I have ever received!


We don't have all of the videos put together yet, but here is the actual reproposal part.