I realized I was consumed with planning for our roadtrip that I skipped over a few events in our life that I feel are worth mentioning. One of them being CoDiY & I celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary & the update on us chaperoning my brother’s prom! To right my wrongs, I’m posting them now, starting with Prom Pose:
Saturday, May 18th, was one of the best days CoDiY & I have ever experienced. Those that don’t know, My husband & I were asked to chaperon my younger brother’s prom {Back story click here} due to security reasons we weren’t able to attend {BUMMER!} BUT we were able to participate in everything that lead up to it which is going to be a lasting memory in our hearts forever.
The day started with the traditional pre-prom photos
We met up with the other prom goers at the high school:
Stephen
His teacher, Mrs. Copeland, had the idea to escort them to prom.
She thought it was just going to be a simple endeavor; her loading them in the car, getting to prom, & dancing the night away, but when Bridget, the Special Education Director, told her daughter, Manny, about their plan, she was ADAMANT that the boys have the full experience. Manny immediately offered herself as a date & was able to get three of her friends to attend as well. These girls are not only selfless, outgoing, fun, smart, but they’re BEAUTiFUL college students who drove all the way from Austin to accompany the boys. After the dates fell into place, and word got around, and someone generously prepaid for them to rent tuxedos from Men’s Warehouse, Then another charitable sole donated their corsages & boutonnieres.
After contacting multiple limo service companies, I was able to find one that gave us a HUGE discount {thank you Continental Limousine Service for EVERYTHiNG, You guys really came through. The driver was very sweet, & good karma is coming your way.}
Since it was the boys first time to ride in a limo, we made sure to take tons of photos on the way to dinner.
I will always be an HUGE endorser for Tommy Bahamas in the Woodlands. Bridget has a friend whose son is a waiter there who was sweet enough to speak to his manager about having a special place set up for our group. The manager was/is AMAZiNG. He had a big table in the back room {so it wasn’t as noisy, Autistic people tend to be sensitive to noise}, since they knew we were on a VERY tight budget, he had a special menu printed out for us with options at a discounted price {this makes me tear up, it was such a sweet touch}.
Since Stephen’s date was meeting us at Tommy Bahamas I was his stand in {Sorry Cody, you’re old news!}. After Stephen accepted my offer, he was such a gentleman! He opened the restaurant’s door for me and said, “After you dear.” And before the waiter came around to ask us what we wanted to drink, he personally asked me, then answered the waiter for the both of us {which I thought was FANTASTiC that Mrs. Copeland taught them that, GENIUS!}. He would just keep calling me Dear and my heart melted every time! Sadly, for me, his real date showed up, and this girl was HILARIOUS. Her car had broken down on the way there from Austin, but that didn’t stop her. Her parents picked her up and took her straight to the restaurant. She did her hair, make-up, & got dressed in the car, she’s the definition of trooper.
Once our faces were stuffed a boat ride on the Woodlands Waterway was next on the agenda, BUT John got a tad side tracked… This kid knows his cars! He can identify a car just by seeing the roof, I am NOT exaggerating, this boy knows his vehicles. When you meet him, his first question will be, “What kind of car do you drive?” and he’ll know things about it, it’s very impressive! So, you can imagine his delight when he saw these cars parked outside!
Once we got the shot(s) it was off to the Waterway, this was the boys favorite part of the evening {prior to prom, of course}. If you’ve never been on the boat taxi, do it! It is so relaxing, and they make for great photos. Luckily, the boat wasn’t ready to ship off yet so we were able to get in a few posed photos. This is my favorite time to shoot pictures, just before the sun sets, the lighting is perfect.
Once on the water taxi, we all relaxed, it felt incredible outside, the sun was just setting, “So romantic.” Tony {my brother} whispered at one point.
They would’ve staid on that boat the entire night if we let them.
We told stories, we danced, & we laughed, a lot
One of my favorite memories of that night, was when Cody took off his jacket. I know that seems odd, or “perverse,” but it’s actually a sweet memory because once he draped his jacket on the table, all the boys did.
Each boy looked to Cody for what & how they should act. We hadn’t noticed it until that moment & it’s something Mrs. Copeland filled us in on later. Apparently the boys were so nervous about the night, and having dates, she told them, “if you get confused, just watch Cody and do what he does.” It really touched our hearts, and it really sank in how much of an effect you can have on someone, and I’m not talking about us to them, just the opposite! These boys, and that night, are imprinted in our heads.
“Like all good things, they must come to an end…” this statement couldn’t be more true for this particular night. Once we docked it was time for the limo to wisp these high schoolers to prom, so Cody & I said our goodbyes.
We cannot express how much fun we had. The boys were full of pure joy, that you were too. Our cheeks literally hurt by the end of the night from smiling & laughing so hard. My heart grew three times bigger to store the love & bond that was formed that night. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to be a part of their night & their memories…
Here are the rest of our photos. ENJOY!
