Hay Bales to Highways Chapter 7: A.K.A. All questions are eventually answered...

How appropriate that the 7th ed. of Haybales ended up being produced on our 7th anniversary! Yay for 7 years spent with my best friend--the husband I adore! Happy Anniversary honey! I'm so thankful for you and our years together--you were totally worth leaving all those haybales behind for. I love you!

So...in the last chapter of our story I was doing a whole lot of waiting and wondering--but a girl can't go forever without answers to her questions, right?

I remember distinctly talking with my friends about how we hadn't made any proclamations of love even though we were into our 4th month or so of dating. I *knew* there was love in our relationship but was waiting to hear it from the horse's mouth (so to speak). One evening after teaching piano lessons, Mr Wonderful came to pick me up and I asked him to take me to the post office since I hadn't gone yet that day (anyone ever go to Cedarville? well, let me tell ya, there was a LOT of walking involved and somedays I just couldn't make the trek to the P.O.). He looked at me funny and took me over (but not until the END of our date). I was surprised to see a card addressed to me in Mr. W's scrawl waiting there for me. I laughed as I got in the car and asked him why he didn't just hand me the card himself. He said it was special and as I started to rip into it yelled that I needed to "STOP OPENING THAT CARD!"

I was perplexed...to say the least. He told me I had to wait until he dropped me off to read it and so as soon as he did I pulled the card out and read the words *i love you* and a list of all the reasons why and I couldn't believe he finally "told" me he loved me and then I ran to my room and repeatedly speed-dialed his number (even though I knew he wasn't home yet) so that I could talk to him as soon as he got in and by talk, I mean, so that I could yell at him for not telling me in person! I finally got a hold of him and gave him a piece of my mind and he told me he was to nervous to say it in person--but thankfully, after that, he wasn't =)

The school year went by so quickly--it was by far my best at Cedarville. I was so happy in my little love bubble and so sad to see the year ending. I knew Mr. W. was going to be in Ohio for the summer so I decided to take some classes over the summer so that I could graduate early and since my best friend had decided to take classes over the summer it would be perfect! We found an apartment to live in just before spring break and made all sorts of fun fabulous plans--this was going to be the BEST summer ever!!!

And then...my best friend met HER Mr. Wonderful during spring break and wanted to go back home to TN so I was stuck living with strangers in OH, which was totally fine b/c I had my Mr. Wonderful to keep me company! It was going to be awesome and I would make new friends--what more could a young girl want? The last week of school Mr. W and I went to get ice cream and he started talking about how he was offered a job...in NJ....9 hours away....and that instead of waiting to move back home in the fall that he was going to move in the summer--like immediately.

I was heartbroken!

Then I was mad!

Now I was stuck living in OH with strangers and NO boyfriend.

I was saying, "WHY didn't you tell me this SOONER? I have to stay here this summer now and I'll be ALL ALONE! What were you thinking? I can't believe you're leaving!!?!?"

and He said, "Well, if I'm going to buy you a ring I need to go home where I can make more money!"

"What? Buy me a ring? Your want to MARRY ME???"

Mr W.: "Of course I want to marry you! Remember that one time we talked about whether or not you could see yourself marrying me and you said yes? Well, I have to go get a good job so we can do that!"

I was completely dumbfounded. We talked about marriage the same way we talked about movies or tv shows or music--it was a topic that came up--I didn't think we were having the talk--but apparently we were.

I temporarily forgot how angry I was and became happy and excited! I still had to spend the whole crappy summer by myself in the middle of a cornfield in OH but at least I had OUR future to look forward too! And believe me, it's going to TAKE the rest of our future together for Mr. Wonderful to make up that horrible summer to me--but he's doing been doing such a good job these past 7 years that I've almost forgiven him....almost....