Tales on Tuesday: Check Yes or No {volume 3}

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Here’s the third installment of the story. I hope you enjoy it.

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Fifteen years later

I stood in the front of the church, with Marcus and Patrick standing to my left and Pastor French standing to my right. First Jennifer, then Leslie sauntered down the aisle in their lavender dresses, and while they were pretty, neither held my attention. When the two of them were in their spots, the music changed into the traditional wedding march, and my attention was drawn once again to the back doors. I heard the familiar chords and just a few seconds later, Lily appeared in her white dress, her arm linked with her father’s. I was absolutely stunned. I stood there, watching her take small, dainty steps toward me, her smile lighting up the entire room. She was by far the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

She and her father stopped just out of my reach. Pastor French began talking. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman…” I didn’t hear much past that. My mind kept replaying the note she’d written me back when we were in the third grade.

Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend?

Checking the “yes” box after Mrs. Rose had returned the note to me had been the best decision I’d ever made, either in my first eight years of life or in the fifteen since. I may not have loved her right away, but I most certainly did want to be her friend. And by starting with that step, we’d grown closer and closer and by the time we were sixteen, it was only natural that we’d start dating. Neither of us were interested in anyone else.

As the pastor droned on, I thought back to a year ago, to the night I’d proposed to her. In a testament to her first note to me — which I’d kept, even after all those years — I repeated the words, changing only one, and tented the note at her place when she’d excused herself to the restaurant’s bathroom.

Lily,

Do you love me?
Do you wanna be my wife?
And if you do, well, then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand.
I think this is how love goes. Check yes or no.

Peter

When she returned and saw the paper there, she picked it up and read it, tears filling her eyes. I stood, walked around the small table, and stooped down on one knee, opening the small box with the engagement ring in it. She didn’t answer at first, and after a moment, I started to feel ridiculous and insecure down there. Finally, she flagged down our waiter and stage-whispered to him, “Do you have a pen I could borrow?”

He handed one to her and she made a mark on the note and quickly returned the waiter’s pen to him. Then she turned back to me and showed me the paper. She had drawn a messy checkmark in the “yes” box.

Elated, I rose to my feet and pulled her out of her chair. “Yes?” I whispered.

“Yes,” she enthused.

“Do you, Peter, take Lillian to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

Gazing into the clear blue eyes of the woman I loved, I emotionally choked out, “I do.”

*****

I think back to those days often. The first day I saw Lily, the kiss, the time I chased her around the playground, and her note. The little four line note with two boxes that changed my life. And on those days, the days I specifically remember the note, those are the best days. Those are the days I get in touch with my eight-year-old self and gaze into my gorgeous wife’s eyes before playfully chasing her all over our house. She giggles and screeches, and unlike that day so long ago, by the time we’ve been up and down the hall and then around the bed, I always catch her. And then, well, after I catch her, good times are had by all.

That little note has become the cornerstone of our relationship, of our marriage. It was the first of many passed back and forth between us over the years. Several of our major life events have been revealed to the other using that same basic formula. Even things that didn’t matter so much, the same four-line note was always there, in the forefront of both of our minds.

Check chicken or fish

Check Disneyland or New York

Check comedy or drama

I’ll never forget the day she blew my mind with one particular note.

***************

Next week, we’ll wrap up Peter and Lily’s story. Please join me for that! (And it’ll be posted in the morning since I don’t have any reviews that day.)

Blessings,

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Crochet Spring Wreath

Crocheted Spring Wreath | Ladybug Daydreams

I was recently inspired and challenged by the lovely people over at Patience Brewster to create a “non-Christmas wreath.” (For any who don’t know, Patience is a designer and creator of handmade Christmas ornaments.) Because I’d recently seen something like this on one of the other blogs I read, it was already in my mind a bit, so I accepted the challenge.

Other than the idea, this post is not sponsored in any way. I purchased all of the materials with my own money and created my wreath in my spare time. I was not compensated for my time or costs at all.

The first thing I did (after I had my materials, of course) was to crochet the piece to cover the wreath base (which I got for about $5 from JoAnn’s). I chose purple because it seemed like a nice springtime color that would make a lovely base for my wreath. To do this, I crocheted a “scarf” using all single crochet stitches that was 20 stitches wide and 150 rows long. This process alone took me a few days because it wasn’t the only thing I had going on. When I’d finished crocheting this piece, I sewed it onto the wreath base. See this post from Repeat Crafter Me for a picture tutorial on how that works. [Read more…]

Picture of the Week: Bugs!

This picture is actually a few weeks old. I’ve had some phone trouble lately, including the inability to get pictures off of the SD card until I could get a new phone, which happened earlier this week. So I hope you like this picture that Will took back in January.

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It’s no secret that my kids like bugs. They are, after all, boys. Outside our house the other day, there was a box elder bug (commonly called “stinkbugs”), and the kids got Small Fry to hold it. Will went out there with them and got this series of pictures of him. I love how intently he’s looking at the creature. Ah, the innocence of young children. 🙂

Blessings,

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Homeschool Curriculum Review: Great Parents Academy

I knew that our current web-based math subscription was due to expire soon, so when I learned that there was a new one available for review, I looked over it with my kids, and we decided to give it a try. Boy are we glad we did!

GPA LEARN has developed a wonderful math curriculum for elementary age student (grades K-5) called GPALOVEMATH. We’ve had the pleasure of using this program (I received a one-year subscription) for the past seven weeks or so.

Because Seahawk was working through a workbook during this time, this review will focus primarily on Munchkin and his use of the program. I will note, however, that just recently Seahawk has joined the GPA party. [Read more…]

Book Review and #Giveaway: Texas K9 Unit Series

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I recently joined FlyBy Promotions as a reviewer, and my first review for them is this one. And better yet, they’ve given me a copy of a book to give away to one of you! I’m super excited to host my first giveaway, and I can’t wait to announce the winner of this giveaway later this week. But first, the review.

I didn’t actually review the book that I’m giving away, but I did read a book of the same genre by the same author. For the purposes of this review, I was given a copy of Texas K-9 Unit Series of e-books. This set is available for $11.99 on Amazon. I received a single PDF which included: Tracking Justice by Shirlee McCoy, Detection Mission by Margaret Daley, and Guard Duty by Sharon Dunn. Because of the time limitation for this review, I’ve only had a chance to read Tracking Justice thus far, so that’s what I’ll be reviewing today.

Summary of Tracking Justice

When  young Brady Billows is discovered missing in the middle of the night, his (single) mother, Eva, does what any mom would do: she calls the police. When the detective who shows up on her door at 2 a.m. is the handsome Austin Black (and his bloodhound, Justice), Eva knows she’s in trouble. Can she walk the line between allowing Austin to be the father-figure she knows Brady needs while still protecting him from disappointment when Austin leaves after the case is solved? And just as importantly, can she learn to trust Austin herself? Can she give him her heart? Or will she be the one responsible for Austin’s departure after the case? [Read more…]

Weekly Meal Plan: March 15

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Hello! I’ve got a book review and giveaway (my first!) for you tomorrow, so I’m posting our meal plan on Sunday again this week.

We did okay at eating in last week. We ended up going out a couple of times – and then remembered why we eat at home. (Hint: it’s all about the money!) The chicken and wild rice soup didn’t end up happening; I didn’t look at the recipe early enough that day to allow proper time to cook the soup, so we just had roasted chicken and pasta with Parmesan cheese that night instead. Other than that, we did pretty well on our meal plan 🙂

Here’s what’s on the docket this week: [Read more…]

Book Review: Still Life by Christa Parrish

Summary

Ada is born into a strict sect of “Christianity” named for her father, the self-proclaimed prophet. In this environment, women are treated as second-class citizens, never to use technology of any sort without the immediate supervision of their husband, father, or older brother (in that order). Her only access to the outside world is in the form of her employment at the sect’s farmstore, where she works as a cashier. Her world spins out of control when Julian Goetz, world-famous photographer, comes to her store, on assignment to document life in the sect. She hears – senses – a voice telling her to meet Julian out by a tree just a few days after they meet. She doesn’t know who (or what) it is, but she obeys. Funny thing is, Julian heard the same voice and met Ada at the tree. Neither knowing why, but both knowing that they must, they leave together and marry.

Katherine Walker is a woman in a bad marriage. She has two teenage boys, and they’re all that’s keeping her with her husband. But she’s not faithful to him. During a business trip, she learns that her flight home has been overbooked. She strikes up a conversation with a young man in the airport and learns that he’s trying desperately to get home to his wife for her birthday. He’s been bumped; she hasn’t. In order to gain an extra night with her lover, she offers the young man her seat. That man is Julian Goetz. [Read more…]