So happy to see how much fun you’ve had with Flat Cody- cars, friends, girls… you’ve taken good care of him and that means a lot to me! What I understand is that y’all want to know where Flat Cody came from… well, I’m just the person to tell you!
But first, I have to start with the real Cody; you see, Cody’s a special guy, my favorite, in fact; ambitious, intelligent, handsome, my best friend since we were kids and have always been together. And last year, with his 40th birthday looming (March 2013), I knew I wanted to do something out of the ordinary for this great guy. One little problem though, Cody told me well in advance that he didn’t want a party or gifts- he said he had everything he could ever dream of. While that’s exactly what a wife wants to hear, I wasn’t satisfied and couldn’t leave well enough alone. So, I thought back to the gifts he appreciated most and realized they happen to be the ones I carefully crafted, the one’s I couldn’t just buy. But, what would be meaningful to Cody that I hadn’t already done?
Through the years and all his interests, he’s always had a passion for cars, helping others, accomplishing things others would never even try and good, true friends. How on earth can I put these things together in one meaningful package? Then, it came to me… for his birthday, I wanted to have Cody ‘visit’ (without his knowledge) as many good people that he’s met through his passion/interests as possible, regardless of their geography for the purpose of compiling his ‘travels’ in a book that would serve as a gift.
After many failed tests with actual photo’s, I knew I needed to hire a really good artist to draw Cody- that was the only way to get the perspective right in a photograph. I found the perfect artist in Quebec and I was over-the-moon with his rendition of Flat Cody! I sent 2 versions (large & small) of Flat Cody, along with detailed instructions on how to take photo’s with Flat Cody, to as many people as I could find (thanks again Neil for putting me in contact with Dave Witt!) with the following guidance: take at least one, but as many pictures as you want; consider taking a picture sharing a drink at your favorite pub, showing him your garage, overlooking your favorite hiking spot or cityscape. Share what makes you “you”, with Cody. I was surprised and delighted at the pictures that were flooding into my Inbox.
On Cody’s birthday, he opened the photo book and, man, I wish I had a camera recording his reaction- he was puzzled and stunned… and really, really grateful. He wanted to know all about the book- how on earth did all this come together? How did I get so many great people to contribute? Every few hours, he would ask me another question about the book, still trying to put it all together. So, to all those who contributed on this forum, thanks again; you helped my wonderful husband have what he says was the best birthday thus far and that’s pretty darn great, if you ask me.
Skip forward several months and we find out Dave brought Flat Cody to the best car Mopar show/swap meet on the planet! I want you to know seeing Flat Cody at Carlisle with you all made Cody’s month and mine too; you guys are the BEST!
