The Story of Us
by Jana
I can remember the first night I met Cody. There was a group of people hanging out at my house watching the Cowboys game. I noticed he was wearing a familiar cross around his neck, one from my brother fraternity in college. We talked for a little bit about college but when he said he had just graduated in August I wrote him off (shallow I know). Towards the end of the evening he mentioned his girlfriend coming into town, but he didn’t seem excited about it. I felt sorry for him kind of and then realized he was even more “undateable.”
Over the next couple months I would see Cody at church and would occasionally talk to him about how cute the guy he was sitting with was. I would tell him that I was attracted to guys 25 and older, 6 foot and taller and truck drivers (not 18-wheelers). I always invited him when our group of friends hung out. I invited him over one night to hang out, but no one really showed up so I texted him to let him know that it would just be him and three girls. He came over any way.
We continued to just be friends over the course of the next couple of months. I must have been a little boy crazy because I continued to talk to him about various guys and friends of his.
Cody asked me on a date at the end of January and at first I was hesitant but decided to go anyway. Within a few days I changed my mind for fear of ruining a good friendship. We ended up hanging out with a mutual friend the night our date was supposed to occur. He walked me in after our outing and I realized he still liked me. I was flattered but still a little nervous about liking him back.
By the end of that week I wanted his attention, but was still a little stubborn and shallow. Over the next couple weeks I continued to talk to him everyday and hung out with him frequently. I quickly changed from wanting to just be friends to wanting his attention all the time. We had our first official date on February 19th. The following day Cody tried having a DTR with me, but I was still very hesitant. My close friends boyfriend was treating her like dirt on her birthday and it was then that I realized just how special Cody was so at 4am on the 21st I was 100% sure that I would love to be in a relationship with him and knew that he would take care of me. I called him up (yes-at 4am) and we made it official!!
The following Saturday I was excited to introduce him to my family and enjoyed seeing him a part of our family that day. Over the course of the next week my like for him got deeper and deeper and I began to fall in love with him. In the middle of the following week I received some bad news from a roommate and drove to Plano to be comforted by Cody. As I lay there speechless unsure of how I really felt about the situation, Cody prayed for me and our relationship. It was then that I knew I loved him. I was nervous about falling in love so quickly but was excited about our future.
That weekend we drove to Midlothian to meet his family. The conversations had during that day were moments of pure clarity for me. I knew that I was absolutely in love with this man and the man that he aspired to be. After spending time with his family, Cody knew that he loved me as well and told me about his feelings that night. I was quick to reciprocate the feelings.
The past four months have been wonderful and I have enjoyed continually getting to know him better and better. I have enjoyed the connections we’ve made together and how close we have grown. I love that he has become part of my family and that I have become part of his. I absolutely love our love story even though sometimes I feel bad that I was so shallow in the beginning…
Over the next couple months I would see Cody at church and would occasionally talk to him about how cute the guy he was sitting with was. I would tell him that I was attracted to guys 25 and older, 6 foot and taller and truck drivers (not 18-wheelers). I always invited him when our group of friends hung out. I invited him over one night to hang out, but no one really showed up so I texted him to let him know that it would just be him and three girls. He came over any way.
We continued to just be friends over the course of the next couple of months. I must have been a little boy crazy because I continued to talk to him about various guys and friends of his.
Cody asked me on a date at the end of January and at first I was hesitant but decided to go anyway. Within a few days I changed my mind for fear of ruining a good friendship. We ended up hanging out with a mutual friend the night our date was supposed to occur. He walked me in after our outing and I realized he still liked me. I was flattered but still a little nervous about liking him back.
By the end of that week I wanted his attention, but was still a little stubborn and shallow. Over the next couple weeks I continued to talk to him everyday and hung out with him frequently. I quickly changed from wanting to just be friends to wanting his attention all the time. We had our first official date on February 19th. The following day Cody tried having a DTR with me, but I was still very hesitant. My close friends boyfriend was treating her like dirt on her birthday and it was then that I realized just how special Cody was so at 4am on the 21st I was 100% sure that I would love to be in a relationship with him and knew that he would take care of me. I called him up (yes-at 4am) and we made it official!!
The following Saturday I was excited to introduce him to my family and enjoyed seeing him a part of our family that day. Over the course of the next week my like for him got deeper and deeper and I began to fall in love with him. In the middle of the following week I received some bad news from a roommate and drove to Plano to be comforted by Cody. As I lay there speechless unsure of how I really felt about the situation, Cody prayed for me and our relationship. It was then that I knew I loved him. I was nervous about falling in love so quickly but was excited about our future.
That weekend we drove to Midlothian to meet his family. The conversations had during that day were moments of pure clarity for me. I knew that I was absolutely in love with this man and the man that he aspired to be. After spending time with his family, Cody knew that he loved me as well and told me about his feelings that night. I was quick to reciprocate the feelings.
The past four months have been wonderful and I have enjoyed continually getting to know him better and better. I have enjoyed the connections we’ve made together and how close we have grown. I love that he has become part of my family and that I have become part of his. I absolutely love our love story even though sometimes I feel bad that I was so shallow in the beginning…
The Story of Us
by Cody
So it was Sunday September 21, 2008 and the Cowboys had a big game. In Dallas Cowboys football is pretty much everything! So since the game started at 7 we all made sure that we went to Church at 5PM in order to give us plenty of time to watch the game. Several of my friends invited me to go over to this girl Jana's house to watch this infamous Cowboys game vs the Green Bay Packers. I had never met Jana before, just heard her name thrown about periodically. Funny thing was, Jana was a part of Sigma Phi Lambda the sister sorority of the fraternity that I was in at Texas Tech University. So immediately we had something to talk about.
Over the next few months I began to see Jana more and more. She was always the best at making me feel welcome by always sending me text messages when stuff was happening. To this day I am thankful for all of those texts that I got from her, they showed me that she truly did care about making me feel welcome. I remember one particular day Jana invited me to a little party at her house it was December 23. We were going to watch and play clue simultaneously while drinking hot chocolate (sounds like a lot but it was actually quite easy). I had home group that night so I wasn't sure if I was going to make it but I decided to go and just be late. When I showed up to her house only Jana, Hannah, and Lindsey were there. But none the less we played Clue and drank hot chocolate. It was a blast! That night is when I really got to know Jana. She then also realized that I worked for Cinemark and had full intentions on using me for my movie tickets!
Then January came around and she began to develop a crush on one of my closer friends. My job in this was to do what I can to get him over to her house so she could see him and hang out with him, I was the ever so fun middle man. Through being the middle man Jana and I started talking everyday on GChat. On January 26, Jana had been sick all day and really wanted a milkshake. So after home group, me being the thoughtful friend that I am, decided to drive through Chick- Fil-a and buy her a cookies and cream milkshake to make her feel better. That night I decided that I kinda liked Jana and that I wanted to pursue her. However, this came with many obstacles, in the past I had joked around with Jana about taking her on a date and she had always shot me down because I was too young, not tall enough, and didn't drive a big truck. So needless to say I was a little skeptical at first. Eventually though I decided to get over my fear and finally ask Jana out on a date. I believe her response to my surprise was I believe that could work. The rest of that week it wasn't that great. Things between me and Jana started to get kind of awkward, and I wasn't sure why. But on that following Monday, the day of our date, Jana decided to make it a little more clear for me. She sent me a GChat that started off with Cody I'm going to be honest with you.. from there she went on to say that we probably shouldn't go on our date because she didn't think that she was in the right place to be dating and that more than anything she wanted to preserve our friendship. So we decided to just remain friends.
However, a couple of weeks later things began to change and we began to hang out more and more just the two of us. And on Thursday night February 12th I FINALLY got my date! It was going to be for the next Thursday and I was going to take Jana to Benihanna. Come Thrusday though things changed as they always do. Jana's roomate at the time Megan O'Briant had a birthday the following night and we were having Eduhanna so we decided to scratch the Bennihanna's plans and go to Ft. Worth instead. That night we had Mi Cocina in Sundance Square. Probably my favorite thing from that night though was when we played the ABC game on the way home. Right then it seemed like all of the pressure of the first date was completely gone and I could truly be my self around Jana. It was a great feeling.
The following day Friday, February 20th Jana came out to Plano to hang out with me and eat lunch. We had Potbelly's and then went a park and played Frisbee. After an intense game of throwing the Frisbee back and forth we decided to take a break and lay down on a blanket that I had brought. Then and there I decided to initiate the always awkward DTR talk. And much to my dismay Jana made it even more awkward for me by just staring at me and saying she didn't know. She did tell me that she liked me and that she was excited about our future and where it was going, so that was good enough for me. Later that night, somewhere around 4AM, as I was driving home I got a call from Jana. She apologized for her comments or lack there of during our "DTR talk" we had earlier in the day. 5 minutes later we were officially boy friend and girl friend!!
Over the next two weeks we began to grow closer and closer in our relationship. I had the chance to spend a whole day with Jana's family and she with mine. I really enjoyed being able to see Jana around her family because I could tell that she was completely comfortable with just being herself. But what drew me in the most was having her around my family and seeing how she interacted with my mom and sisters. She made an effort to talk to my sister and mom and get to know both of them instead of taking the easier route and only paying attention to me. It was almost like she was already apart of the family. That's when I realized that I loved this girl and I couldn't wait to express that to her!
Over the last 4 months we have been pretty much inseparable. I can truly say it seems like everyday I fall more and more in love with Jana Bush. And I am extremely excited about our future and being able to spend it with the most amazing woman in the world. Michael Buble puts its best...
Over the next few months I began to see Jana more and more. She was always the best at making me feel welcome by always sending me text messages when stuff was happening. To this day I am thankful for all of those texts that I got from her, they showed me that she truly did care about making me feel welcome. I remember one particular day Jana invited me to a little party at her house it was December 23. We were going to watch and play clue simultaneously while drinking hot chocolate (sounds like a lot but it was actually quite easy). I had home group that night so I wasn't sure if I was going to make it but I decided to go and just be late. When I showed up to her house only Jana, Hannah, and Lindsey were there. But none the less we played Clue and drank hot chocolate. It was a blast! That night is when I really got to know Jana. She then also realized that I worked for Cinemark and had full intentions on using me for my movie tickets!
Then January came around and she began to develop a crush on one of my closer friends. My job in this was to do what I can to get him over to her house so she could see him and hang out with him, I was the ever so fun middle man. Through being the middle man Jana and I started talking everyday on GChat. On January 26, Jana had been sick all day and really wanted a milkshake. So after home group, me being the thoughtful friend that I am, decided to drive through Chick- Fil-a and buy her a cookies and cream milkshake to make her feel better. That night I decided that I kinda liked Jana and that I wanted to pursue her. However, this came with many obstacles, in the past I had joked around with Jana about taking her on a date and she had always shot me down because I was too young, not tall enough, and didn't drive a big truck. So needless to say I was a little skeptical at first. Eventually though I decided to get over my fear and finally ask Jana out on a date. I believe her response to my surprise was I believe that could work. The rest of that week it wasn't that great. Things between me and Jana started to get kind of awkward, and I wasn't sure why. But on that following Monday, the day of our date, Jana decided to make it a little more clear for me. She sent me a GChat that started off with Cody I'm going to be honest with you.. from there she went on to say that we probably shouldn't go on our date because she didn't think that she was in the right place to be dating and that more than anything she wanted to preserve our friendship. So we decided to just remain friends.
However, a couple of weeks later things began to change and we began to hang out more and more just the two of us. And on Thursday night February 12th I FINALLY got my date! It was going to be for the next Thursday and I was going to take Jana to Benihanna. Come Thrusday though things changed as they always do. Jana's roomate at the time Megan O'Briant had a birthday the following night and we were having Eduhanna so we decided to scratch the Bennihanna's plans and go to Ft. Worth instead. That night we had Mi Cocina in Sundance Square. Probably my favorite thing from that night though was when we played the ABC game on the way home. Right then it seemed like all of the pressure of the first date was completely gone and I could truly be my self around Jana. It was a great feeling.
The following day Friday, February 20th Jana came out to Plano to hang out with me and eat lunch. We had Potbelly's and then went a park and played Frisbee. After an intense game of throwing the Frisbee back and forth we decided to take a break and lay down on a blanket that I had brought. Then and there I decided to initiate the always awkward DTR talk. And much to my dismay Jana made it even more awkward for me by just staring at me and saying she didn't know. She did tell me that she liked me and that she was excited about our future and where it was going, so that was good enough for me. Later that night, somewhere around 4AM, as I was driving home I got a call from Jana. She apologized for her comments or lack there of during our "DTR talk" we had earlier in the day. 5 minutes later we were officially boy friend and girl friend!!
Over the next two weeks we began to grow closer and closer in our relationship. I had the chance to spend a whole day with Jana's family and she with mine. I really enjoyed being able to see Jana around her family because I could tell that she was completely comfortable with just being herself. But what drew me in the most was having her around my family and seeing how she interacted with my mom and sisters. She made an effort to talk to my sister and mom and get to know both of them instead of taking the easier route and only paying attention to me. It was almost like she was already apart of the family. That's when I realized that I loved this girl and I couldn't wait to express that to her!
Over the last 4 months we have been pretty much inseparable. I can truly say it seems like everyday I fall more and more in love with Jana Bush. And I am extremely excited about our future and being able to spend it with the most amazing woman in the world. Michael Buble puts its best...
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything
The Proposal
Friday June 26th was supposed to be game night at Jonathan's place. Cody came to pick me up at 6:30 and told me that we were going to go play a game since I always say he's not creative. We get in the car and there was a heart that read: "The Car. It all starts in the car. The car symbolizes our future. No matter how many times we argue or get irritated with each other this car will take us anywhere we want to go and Baby I am soo excited where its going to take us. Now listen to Brad Paisley "Then" and proceed to the next stop. The Church. I love you!!" I turned my ipod on to Then and enjoyed listening to our song as we drove to the church...
We arrive to the church take a nice scenic walk around the church to find the cross where the 2nd heart was hanging. The front of the heart read: "Stop 1: The Church. The church, what every Godly relationship should be based on first and foremost. From the start my goal for us has been to keep God in the forefront of our relationship. I pray that we would always give him control of anything and everything that we ever go through because I know that by trusting Him, God will get us through any obstacles we may ever face." The back of the heart read: "Task: Read these verses a loud and say a prayer for this relationship, that we may always keep God #1 in our lives. Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 After completing the prayer its time to have a little fun!" I read the verses aloud and then Cody prayed for our relationship. Every time we pray it ends with a kiss and an I love you!! This is the moment that I realized what was going to happen as the scripture read, 'Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ...'We then drove off to the next destination...(no lie, I thought we might go to the fountain in Parker Square.)
We arrive at Parker Square and we grab the heart from a park bench then walk down to the fountain. After our very first date we went to this place and sat and talked for awhile so there are memories here for us. As we walked around to the other side I started to wonder if this was going to be the place that he would pop the question. Especially when he ran back to the car to get "something". But don't worry, it was just the frisbee. We sat on the bench in front of the fountain and I read the heart. "Stop 2: The Park. The park symbolizes the fun part of our relationship, one of the biggest reasons why I love you baby is because you love to have fun. Over the past 4 months we have spent a lot of time in the park doing just that, having fun! Whether it be by throwing the frisbee around or just bringing a blanket and looking at the stars. And if you think about it the park is really where we first decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend ;)." After reading the front I turned it to the back for the task, "Just have some fun. Throw the frisbee around for 10 minutes and talk about different experiences we have had at the park. After fun its time for my next favorite thing: FOOD!" (At this point my guess is we are going to a Mexican restaurant and likely to be La Hacienda Ranch unless he turned right out of the parking lot).
As soon as we hopped on 35 I knew we were headed to La Hacienda Ranch. It is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant!! I love to sit outside by the fireplace after I eat there so the next heart was tied on the side of the fireplace. Cody hadn't proposed yet and I love the fireplace and I thought maybe we'd eat there and family or friends might be there so again I thought...surely he will propose here..."Stop 3: La Hacienda Ranch. Ah La Ha, Jana's favorite place in the world to eat! It seems like since I have been dating you my diet has seen a huge increase in Mexican food. To me La Hacienda Ranch represents all of the different dates we have been on. Jana, one of my main goals in this relationship is to make you feel comfortable which ultimately leads to happiness. And what makes you more happy than La Hacienda Ranch Guacamole?? I love you baby!" The task on the back, "Order some chips and guacamole to go and take it to Game Night. After receiving your chips proceed back to your house for dessert!"
As we pull up to the house I noticed red rose petals leading up to the front porch and this is when I realized it's all about to go down. I was a little excited inside to say the least!! We walk up to the porch and there is an ice cream pint that has a heart around it that says "Open Me!" I open the pint and see a ring box so I hand it to Cody and put the lid back on. By the time I turn around Cody is on one knee. He grabs my hand and asks "Jana Lynn Bush, will you marry me?" I think I said yes...He gets up we hug, we kiss, we hug, we kiss, we hug some more and kiss some more. And then finally he places the ring on my hand...its beautiful!!! We go into the house where both of our families and my closest friends are waiting!!!
We arrive to the church take a nice scenic walk around the church to find the cross where the 2nd heart was hanging. The front of the heart read: "Stop 1: The Church. The church, what every Godly relationship should be based on first and foremost. From the start my goal for us has been to keep God in the forefront of our relationship. I pray that we would always give him control of anything and everything that we ever go through because I know that by trusting Him, God will get us through any obstacles we may ever face." The back of the heart read: "Task: Read these verses a loud and say a prayer for this relationship, that we may always keep God #1 in our lives. Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 After completing the prayer its time to have a little fun!" I read the verses aloud and then Cody prayed for our relationship. Every time we pray it ends with a kiss and an I love you!! This is the moment that I realized what was going to happen as the scripture read, 'Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ...'We then drove off to the next destination...(no lie, I thought we might go to the fountain in Parker Square.)
We arrive at Parker Square and we grab the heart from a park bench then walk down to the fountain. After our very first date we went to this place and sat and talked for awhile so there are memories here for us. As we walked around to the other side I started to wonder if this was going to be the place that he would pop the question. Especially when he ran back to the car to get "something". But don't worry, it was just the frisbee. We sat on the bench in front of the fountain and I read the heart. "Stop 2: The Park. The park symbolizes the fun part of our relationship, one of the biggest reasons why I love you baby is because you love to have fun. Over the past 4 months we have spent a lot of time in the park doing just that, having fun! Whether it be by throwing the frisbee around or just bringing a blanket and looking at the stars. And if you think about it the park is really where we first decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend ;)." After reading the front I turned it to the back for the task, "Just have some fun. Throw the frisbee around for 10 minutes and talk about different experiences we have had at the park. After fun its time for my next favorite thing: FOOD!" (At this point my guess is we are going to a Mexican restaurant and likely to be La Hacienda Ranch unless he turned right out of the parking lot).
As soon as we hopped on 35 I knew we were headed to La Hacienda Ranch. It is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant!! I love to sit outside by the fireplace after I eat there so the next heart was tied on the side of the fireplace. Cody hadn't proposed yet and I love the fireplace and I thought maybe we'd eat there and family or friends might be there so again I thought...surely he will propose here..."Stop 3: La Hacienda Ranch. Ah La Ha, Jana's favorite place in the world to eat! It seems like since I have been dating you my diet has seen a huge increase in Mexican food. To me La Hacienda Ranch represents all of the different dates we have been on. Jana, one of my main goals in this relationship is to make you feel comfortable which ultimately leads to happiness. And what makes you more happy than La Hacienda Ranch Guacamole?? I love you baby!" The task on the back, "Order some chips and guacamole to go and take it to Game Night. After receiving your chips proceed back to your house for dessert!"
As we pull up to the house I noticed red rose petals leading up to the front porch and this is when I realized it's all about to go down. I was a little excited inside to say the least!! We walk up to the porch and there is an ice cream pint that has a heart around it that says "Open Me!" I open the pint and see a ring box so I hand it to Cody and put the lid back on. By the time I turn around Cody is on one knee. He grabs my hand and asks "Jana Lynn Bush, will you marry me?" I think I said yes...He gets up we hug, we kiss, we hug, we kiss, we hug some more and kiss some more. And then finally he places the ring on my hand...its beautiful!!! We go into the house where both of our families and my closest friends are waiting!!!
