Engagement Story, Part Two

So...

His thought of proposing on the soccer field was foiled by her soccer injury on Wednesday.  And with only one day of school left, what was Her Hero to do, to get that ring on her finger before graduation on Friday night?

On Wednesday night, he invited over a group of buddies to help him brainstorm, and by midnight, they had a plan.  It involved driving all over Kenosha County, filming in the darkness (even outside our own house at 2 a.m., we found out later), having to explain themselves to several policemen, and then a whole lot of editing work before 1:47 on Thursday.

But we didn't know that.

The phone call I received from Her Hero's mom (in which I learned of her injury for the first time) was not only to see if Blondechick was okay, but to make sure that she was still going to school for her last day, and to suggest that we show up in her Bible class at 1:47 p.m.  Papa Rooster should bring his camera, she urged.

Bible class? we wondered.  But it's the one class that all the seniors are in together, and it's held in a large auditorium, not a classroom, so we could see the potential.  Both PR and I had other plans for that time period, but we began rearranging our day.

The younger kids and I had a 10 a.m. performance of Robin Hood, our first school day show.  There were professional pictures afterward, and then a fundraiser at a nearby Wendy's which I had organized, so I needed to be there--with one eye on my watch.  And you know how those last ten minutes always go so much faster when you have to be somewhere?  I was eating salad as fast as I could and enjoying the conversation at our table, when suddenly I realized that the ten minutes I guessed I had left was more than passed, and if I didn't leave immediately, I might miss the whole thing.  So I had to stand up abruptly and say to my friends, "So sorry, but I've got to rush out or I'm going to miss seeing my daughter get engaged!"  I grabbed B16, who wanted to go too, and B6, because Her Hero's 6-year-old brother would be there, and left the other two to go home with friends.  "You can't just say something like that and LEAVE!" one of the moms at the table yelled good-naturedly at my retreating back....

We made it.  (Phew!)  In fact, we had to wait a little while to enter, as the teacher conducted class as usual.  Our cue was the lights going out.  At that moment, a video was projected onto the screen, as two of Her Hero's friends came to her seat to escort her, limping without her crutches, to a seat on the stage facing the screen.  Her Hero appeared on it, offering to take her on a tour of significant spots around Kenosha, where they had had special dates or events, including our front porch--the site of their first kiss--and the Kemper Center, where they had attended our church together and first prayed together.  It ended with him at her school, where they had first met, and showed him, in the video, opening the door of the auditorium where Bible class was held.  Then in real life he walked through that same door, and...

I'll let the pictures take it from there!

Her Hero's parents made sure everyone else got a ring, too!

She was thrilled with how he did it, in front of all their friends--it turned out that Plan C was probably the best!  They haven't set a date yet, but they are thinking about next summer.

* * * *

More pics to come, over the next few days...of Robin Hood, graduation and more.  It's been CRAZY.  It's been hectic.  But it's been so good and so exciting.  I keep thinking how great these days are and how thankful I am for it all...if I can only live through it!

We drove an hour yesterday to B12's and Chicklet8's Piano Guild judging, and they both got great scores! But I am so glad that's over.  Twice-weekly piano lessons and a lot more practice time than usual was not what I needed this month, though it was a huge accomplishment for them.

Now if I can just get make it through Blondechick's graduation party on Saturday, the rest of my YEAR should be smooth sailing by comparison!