Arnie's Man Day

For years Arnie has told me that he would like to have a sword. Being the non-chachki-type person I am, never really saw the need or urgency to purchase one. And then came the small group. Arnie attended a small group for men at our church, based on the book, "Wild At Heart." He told me about different parts of that book that impacted him like the coming of age things the dad did with his son, or the different types of character traits discussed played out in his life, etc. When the small group ended, he told me again how he wanted a sword and how he thought it would be cool to have it presented to him like they had mentioned doing in the book. I could tell it was really important to him. From that point on, I began to do my stealth-wife re-con work. I asked questions about what kind of sword he wanted when I saw him longinly watching movies like Excalibur or Braveheart. "Whatever you would picture me going into battle with, " was his reply. No help. I went to a friend who has a collection of swords and knives and he was able to give me a website to purchase one. I scrolled through the website and found it. A claiborne. A replica of William Wallace's sword. It was perfect! It was a huge, two handed, double-edged sword. No frills, just go in there and get the job done. Just like Arnie. Sword was bought and hidden away until Man Day. For 3 months I had this sword. I couldn't wait to give it to him. But, it wouldn't mean as much if I didn't present it to him. So, Ben, Manuel, Angie and I came up with Man Day.

Here are the events of Man Day, Sunday, August 15, 2010:

8 am woke up to watch recorded Cardinal's game (Cardinal's won)

11 am Church

-Right after church, I leave him to get a ride home with Ben. (You should probably ask Arnie to tell you about when he realized he wasn't going home.)

1:00-2:30

With Pastor Eric, Ben, and Manuel-
Eat on the way to Table Rock.
Arnie answers questions about his life.

2:30-5:00
Hike Table Rock. 1.3 miles
Arnie carries four rocks to the top signifying how he carries each of his girls and me as the head of our house and leader of our family.

Arnie anoints the rocks and pray together.

5:00-6:00
Travel home.
Arnie shares his details about his kids & wife.

6:00-7:30
Arrive home. I had bacon wrapped BBQ jalepeno poppers ready for the guys to munch on before dinner. We all sat around the fire pit and spoke to Arnie regarding the role he plays in each of our lives. Using scripture, we challenged and encouraged him.

Manuel- Arnie as leader

Ben- Arnie as friend

Pastor Eric- Arnie as minister

Amanda- Arnie as husband & father

I also had the privilege to present Arnie with his sword. I was SO nervous! I knew how important this was to him and I had so much I wanted to say. I ended up not saying things I wanted to, and saying things I didn't think of before. (I should've edited this, but I don't have the time.)

The night ended with a dinner for men (meat & potatoes) and good conversation.

I am so very proud of my husband. Who he is and who he's becoming. God has incredible things in store for him and us. I am blessed that nearly 8 years ago, Arnie committed to go through life with me and that every day he choses to love me. I love being his life buddy. Coincidently, 9 years ago, today, Arnie asked me to be his bride. As you can tell, I said yes. I've never regretted my answer.