How We Met
EHS Gym class 2010 is where the love story of Aly and Cody begins. I, Aly, was a sophomore, Cody a senior. I crushed on Cody everyday, trying to impress him with my athleticism in PE, however, Cody was unimpressed – his mom picked me out of the year-book and he responded to her – yeah! She’s cute, but she is always tripping over the lines on the gym floor. An accidental text one night lead to many dates and secret meetings beginning and ending in the church parking lot. July 3rd, 2010 was the big public debut – Cody asked me to the local Lake Sara firework display. Boy did we see everyone we knew. Word of this new relationship spread like wildfire around the school. Weeks later we went on our first dinner date – the local China Buffet. Cody and I both opened our fortune cookies to find we had the same fortune, “Stop searching for forever, happiness is next to you!” Little did we know the fortune was foreshadowing our future – to this day we still carry the fortunes – mine in my phone case and Cody in his wallet.
Cody kept me hanging around all summer long until the wee hours of the morning on August 18, 2010 standing outside of his truck in my drive way. FINALLY, he got the nerve to ask me to be girlfriend. After one day of dating Cody moved away to college and played college basketball. My parents were fantastic and would drive me up to Champaign to see Cody for a few hours or I would ride with the McCollums to do the same. 2 years passed and Cody moved home just in time for me to take off on my college adventures. We continued to work through long distance. I was so head over heels for Cody that I would drive home every weekend to ensure that I could see my sweet man. When we had the spare time we would find ourselves at outdoor country concerts, Cardinal games, Illini games, riding in the jeep, or boating on the lake. On valentines day of my sophomore year of college, Cody surprised me with a cruise to the Bahamas! We really enjoyed ourselves.
Eventually, Cody graduated college with a degree in education and entered the workforce as a teacher and basketball coach for a local school district. As Cody spent his days educating the youth and keeping up with his side job (the dreaded lawn service) I finished the undergraduate degree, graduate, and headed down to southern Illinois for physician assistant school. After 7 years, Cody and I were reunited in our hometown as I was lucky enough to finish my last year of PA school rotating within the hospital system close to home. You would think that after all these years we would finally be able to enjoy life together – well you guessed wrong! After I moved home, Cody decided he wanted to continue his education and began his master’s degree in education/administration. We enjoyed our time together sitting by one another studying our hearts out. In December 2017/ January 2018 we took their first big vacation alone to California to visits my best friend, Kathryn. It was so nice to be able to enjoy one another and take a break from our hectic lifestyle. A month after we returned, I accepted my first big girl position as a physician assistant in the emergency department at the hospital that I was completing my clinical coursework. Cody was over the moon with excitement as he had waited for the day when I would be employable and be able to pay for the dates!
how they asked
As spring ended and summer began I graduated from physician assistant school and passed my boards. After adding a PA-C behind her name, Cody decided it was FINALLY time to make some moves! Since I lived with my parents, it was hard for Cody to get my parents alone to ask them for my hand in marriage. Cody, so sweetly, asked my parents to breakfast in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, August 30, 2018. After obtaining her parent’s permission the proposal planning began.
The big day arrived on Sept 2, 2018. Let me outline how our day went. I was so tickled that they played my favorite hymn “Victory in Jesus” not once but twice at rodeo church. Little did I know how great the day was actually going to be. Now if you know Cody and me well you know that he is VERY competitive and well, as stated before, I did not get the athletic genes (therefore we aren’t the best partners when it comes to game playing!) – so when the cornhole competition came around that afternoon and Cody and I were placed on the same team Cody was so worried that he would make me mad and that the proposal would not go as planned. I thought he was turning a new leaf when he didn’t get made after we lost 5 games in a row!
After being named the most losing team I headed in to get ready as Cody finalized the proposal details. 7 pm rolled around and off we went – to the rodeo! Now here is a small backstory – Last year Cody was pulled from the audience because of the “bling” jeans he was wearing to dance in front to the crowd to win a gift card for a new pair of jeans! Now back to the story – After the third event the rodeo clown began to talk about the guy who danced in his bling jeans at the rodeo last year, asking where he was in the audience. I was still clueless. Cody’s family began hooting and hollering as the rodeo clown made his way to the top of the stadium – section FF Row 1! He told Cody that if he would say something that would make the entire audience clap and go crazy he would win another pair of jeans.
Boy did Cody step out of his comfort zone (we all know he can be very shy!) and do just that! Cody took the microphone, got down on one knee, and said in front of everyone on the loudspeaker, “Alexandra Christine Spillman, Will you marry me?” The crowd went nuts and I burst into tears displaying my best ugly cry face (no worries, Cody’s cousin was so kind to get this all captured on camera!) Quickly jumping up, Cody sweetly held me in his arms as the sun set behind us (literally!).
In the background, the rodeo clown says, “By the way her mascara is running south I think she said YES!” And that I did! After our long sweet hug, we sat down and Cody placed the ring on my finger. The rodeo clown echoed in the background – one year he gets new jeans and the next a wife; this guy lives an exciting life! The ring surpassed any dreams I could have ever had. I continued to ugly cry as Cody pointed out that my parents were coming up the stairs to join the celebration. We all hugged and celebrated with smiles plastered on our faces.
As I adjust to my new job in the emergency department and Cody finishes his master’s degree in administration we are slowly planning our July 18, 2020 wedding. Why wait 8 years to get married when you can wait a full decade to live happily ever after!! Don’t forget, “Stop the search for forever, happiness is next to you!”
