If you are a faithful reader or close friend, you know this story. Even if you do, I like revisiting it from time to time, maybe you will too.
Five years ago today, I had had an awful day. My principal had been on my case for teaching the racy novel Dead Poets' Society. It is a long story, but suffice it to say it had been a stupid argument from a small minded man and I was struggling with tears as some friends of mine and I went out to lunch.
Every Thursday, we went out to eat instead of bringing our lunches. It was a nice tradition. I spent most of the meal upset. As we pulled into the parking lot, Kim said, "I'm sure your day will get better." I answered something like, "only if you can give me the winning lottery numbers." Everyone laughed and we went back to work. I did notice a few strange nudges and glances, but it didn't compute, so I ignored it.
I supervised detention that afternoon for a few extra bucks and headed home on a dreary spring day. I got about a mile from school when I noticed the sheriff's car behind me flashing its lights and siren. I pulled over to let him pass, and he stopped behind me. I was shaken and upset. Was I speeding? if I had been it was like 2-3 mph. I had been wearing my seatbelt. My tags were all current. I couldn't imagine why I had been pulled over, by the sheriff no less.
He walked up to the car slowly. I rolled my window down.
"Ma'am, we've had several reports about some strange activity in the area involving a green car like yours." I immediately knew he had to be color blind. The only person who thought my silvery purple car was green was Chad. I restrained myself from telling him the "my boyfriend is color blind too" story.
"But my car is actually purple." He ignored me. "But you know me, I taught Louie in class. I . . . " He cut me off. "You are still going to have to get out of the car, Ma'am." My eyes got wide, get out? They only make criminals and drug dealers get out?!
He walked behind me, talking into the radio on his shoulder, comparing my license with my plates. The imposing, stern sheriff asked me to stand facing the trunk of my car and place my hands on the trunk. Now I was scared. I noticed buses full of children passing me on the road and wondered if I would be fired for getting arrested. Then I noticed a man with a TV camera running across the road to get a shot of the action.
"Great, now I am going to be on COPS," I sighed mentally. I tried to let the wind blow my hair over my face so the footage would be hard to identify, but the sheriff yelled at me to face front. I heard his car door open and the radio playing. Of course it was playing Rascal Flatts "Bless the Broken Road" which is our song. My eyes felt prickly and I could feel tears starting to gather. I closed my eyes and willed myself not to start sobbing on camera.
I waited for the sheriff to warn me that I was about to be frisked when I felt a touch on my elbow. I turned around to find my boyfriend, Chad, standing there in his uniform home early from Iraq. I kissed him and hugged him, thinking he was going to get it once we were alone, that Poop ~ scaring me like that!
Then he started talking, like a speech. I was really confused. "It has been a long, bumpy, broken road for us to get here hasn't it?" What was he talking about? "But I'd take as many broken roads, as many miles as I had to, if I knew I had to do that to get to you." I was so emotional that he was here, in front of me, home, that I really still didn't understand what was happening.
Then the chorus of the song began to swell and Chad dropped to one knee pulling a box from his pocket. All of a sudden I got it, but then was kicking myself for not paying attention.
"Jennifer, would you do me the honor of being my wife?" I nodded and think I mumbled yes. He slid this beautiful ring on my finger and kissed me. Then as we turned to face the crowd of people I hadn't noticed behind us, Chad pumped his arms in the air, "Woo!"
That story ran on the front page of the local newspaper the next day and the story aired the next day (Friday) on the local NBC station. By Saturday, we were getting calls from people we knew that it was playing on local NBC affiliates in other states. Sunday afternoon, his sister called us that she'd been scrolling through the channels and saw the story running on MSNBC. The story aired every hour for the entire day on national news.
It was an amazing whirlwind of R&R. We had an engagement party that evening and later that weekend for out of town family. We celebrated and enjoyed our celebrity. They came back and filmed our wedding for an update in 2006 for the end of the year story. And aired it again on our anniversary fall 2010, which happens to be Veteran's Day (not a coincidence). They reviewed the proposal and did an update which was a nice way to celebrate our anniversary this year with him gone. Wand TV - if you use the video search bar and search soldier proposal, the video is archived there.
It was a single word, "Yes" that changed my life, led me to leave a house, a tenured teaching position and my home state to follow this soldier first to Tennessee and then Texas and into an uncertain future, but full of love despite the challenges life and the ARMY throw our way.
Like I said that day, "I couldn't have pictured it [any of it] any better."
Five years ago today, I had had an awful day. My principal had been on my case for teaching the racy novel Dead Poets' Society. It is a long story, but suffice it to say it had been a stupid argument from a small minded man and I was struggling with tears as some friends of mine and I went out to lunch.
Every Thursday, we went out to eat instead of bringing our lunches. It was a nice tradition. I spent most of the meal upset. As we pulled into the parking lot, Kim said, "I'm sure your day will get better." I answered something like, "only if you can give me the winning lottery numbers." Everyone laughed and we went back to work. I did notice a few strange nudges and glances, but it didn't compute, so I ignored it.
I supervised detention that afternoon for a few extra bucks and headed home on a dreary spring day. I got about a mile from school when I noticed the sheriff's car behind me flashing its lights and siren. I pulled over to let him pass, and he stopped behind me. I was shaken and upset. Was I speeding? if I had been it was like 2-3 mph. I had been wearing my seatbelt. My tags were all current. I couldn't imagine why I had been pulled over, by the sheriff no less.
He walked up to the car slowly. I rolled my window down.
"Ma'am, we've had several reports about some strange activity in the area involving a green car like yours." I immediately knew he had to be color blind. The only person who thought my silvery purple car was green was Chad. I restrained myself from telling him the "my boyfriend is color blind too" story.
"But my car is actually purple." He ignored me. "But you know me, I taught Louie in class. I . . . " He cut me off. "You are still going to have to get out of the car, Ma'am." My eyes got wide, get out? They only make criminals and drug dealers get out?!
He walked behind me, talking into the radio on his shoulder, comparing my license with my plates. The imposing, stern sheriff asked me to stand facing the trunk of my car and place my hands on the trunk. Now I was scared. I noticed buses full of children passing me on the road and wondered if I would be fired for getting arrested. Then I noticed a man with a TV camera running across the road to get a shot of the action.
"Great, now I am going to be on COPS," I sighed mentally. I tried to let the wind blow my hair over my face so the footage would be hard to identify, but the sheriff yelled at me to face front. I heard his car door open and the radio playing. Of course it was playing Rascal Flatts "Bless the Broken Road" which is our song. My eyes felt prickly and I could feel tears starting to gather. I closed my eyes and willed myself not to start sobbing on camera.
I waited for the sheriff to warn me that I was about to be frisked when I felt a touch on my elbow. I turned around to find my boyfriend, Chad, standing there in his uniform home early from Iraq. I kissed him and hugged him, thinking he was going to get it once we were alone, that Poop ~ scaring me like that!
Then he started talking, like a speech. I was really confused. "It has been a long, bumpy, broken road for us to get here hasn't it?" What was he talking about? "But I'd take as many broken roads, as many miles as I had to, if I knew I had to do that to get to you." I was so emotional that he was here, in front of me, home, that I really still didn't understand what was happening.
Then the chorus of the song began to swell and Chad dropped to one knee pulling a box from his pocket. All of a sudden I got it, but then was kicking myself for not paying attention.
"Jennifer, would you do me the honor of being my wife?" I nodded and think I mumbled yes. He slid this beautiful ring on my finger and kissed me. Then as we turned to face the crowd of people I hadn't noticed behind us, Chad pumped his arms in the air, "Woo!"
That story ran on the front page of the local newspaper the next day and the story aired the next day (Friday) on the local NBC station. By Saturday, we were getting calls from people we knew that it was playing on local NBC affiliates in other states. Sunday afternoon, his sister called us that she'd been scrolling through the channels and saw the story running on MSNBC. The story aired every hour for the entire day on national news.
It was an amazing whirlwind of R&R. We had an engagement party that evening and later that weekend for out of town family. We celebrated and enjoyed our celebrity. They came back and filmed our wedding for an update in 2006 for the end of the year story. And aired it again on our anniversary fall 2010, which happens to be Veteran's Day (not a coincidence). They reviewed the proposal and did an update which was a nice way to celebrate our anniversary this year with him gone. Wand TV - if you use the video search bar and search soldier proposal, the video is archived there.
It was a single word, "Yes" that changed my life, led me to leave a house, a tenured teaching position and my home state to follow this soldier first to Tennessee and then Texas and into an uncertain future, but full of love despite the challenges life and the ARMY throw our way.
Like I said that day, "I couldn't have pictured it [any of it] any better."
It was a sneaky day for sure! I think there was a caravan of about 10 cars. :) We were all lying in wait in our cars without trying to look suspicious!
ReplyDeleteI always loved this story.
ReplyDelete