This Is the One You've Been Waiting For, Folks

I've really tried. I swear.
But before today I had no picture to post of Sam the man.
Thanks to Sam's aunt, Jennifer (whose scrapbooking blog you can check out here), I have pictures and a funny story. What could be a better combination? They're cute, huh? I think these were taken by Sam's mom while Heidi was there. Yes, his hair is curly. Yes, his eyes are blue. And yes, he IS that much taller than she is.
This is the engagement story. One of Sam's and Heidi's first dates was seeing "Up." (If you haven't seen the movie, "Up," most of the impact of this story will be lost on you. I highly recommend the movie. Highly.)

Sam made Heidi an "Our Adventure Book," filled with inside jokes and photos. My favorite, and the sneakiest of the bunch, was a page with one of Heidi's baby pictures, pilfered by a loving roommate. On another page, he spliced a picture of Heidi with one of him kneeling in front of the Rexburg temple, and when she looked up, he asked her to marry him. He had also written three letters, "one to my girlfriend," "one to my fiance," and, stapled shut, "one to my wife." Isn't that a great idea? Even Tucker, our resident poet and romantic, said, "I'm a pretty romantic guy. I mean, I write poetry. But that was GOOD."
The interesting turn this story takes is this: Aunt Jennifer had posted on her blog about her nephew and his plans, but Sam insisted that she leave out names for fear that his plot would leak out before he could execute. She obliged, but thought it wasn't likely. After the proposal, Jennifer published the pictures.

Interestingly enough, my friend Jamie was looking at a scrapbooking blog her sister follows, and as she read the story she thought it sounded familiar, then she saw the pictures of Heidi. What did she immediately do? Forward them to Heidi's mom!
So Sam was right! And isn't this blogging world small? Thanks, Jennifer, for the pictures.This last picture is strange to me. It's weird how unfamiliar people meet, fall in love, then become part of each other's families. This is the other living room Heidi will spend holidays in. This is the other neighborhood she will be driving to and knowing. And six months ago, I didn't even know Camino, CA, existed.

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch nursing the baby and talking to the boys. Micah suddenly got a little emotional, as only Micah can. In his most serious voice, he asked me, "Mom, is Heidi going to be a Brubaker?" When I answered yes, he burst into tears and wailed, "But I don't want her to be a Brubaker. I want her to be a Denton." It was so hearbreaking to hear his worst fear realized. When I tried to explain, he was inconsolable. After a few minutes, when he'd calmed down, I told him, "That doesn't mean that Heidi won't be coming back to visit. It just means that when she comes, she'll bring Sam with her. And you like Sam, right?" That seemed to be okay with him.

I kind of understand how he feels. All these good things. All these changes. But the old way was so familiar and good. Funny thing is, he'll never remember life without Sam. And Sam's so good to him that Heidi better watch out, or she'll be moving down in the ranks.