WHITE COUNTY, Ga. -- I'm a complete softy, I have to admit that up front. I love stories with happy endings, stories I get to cover and then share with our viewers. So when I heard that a soldier from Afghanistan was returning home and was going to surprise his wife in her classroom, I knew we had to be there. My news director even gave me two photojournalists to shoot the story, a true luxury in the world of the daily turn.

Dan Reilly, Richard Crabbe and I drove an hour and a half to Sautee Nacoochee in White County. It's a beautiful rural area, the last 14 miles of our drive featured only the occasional house and not much more. We arrived at Mount Yonah Elementary School an hour early, truly a miracle for news crews running ten minutes behind all the time.

We knew that Ginny Thibeault was a student teacher at the school in Donna Smith's third grade classroom. She had actually finished last week and is graduating this coming weekend. Army Specialist Richie Thibeault called Smith and told her he was coming home and that he wanted to surprise his wife so Smith invited Ginny back for an ornament party.

While Dan, Richard and I sat in the parking lot in front of the school, a small black sedan pulled up in front of us and an attractive blond woman got out. "That's her!" Dan yelled and all three of us ducked. Hunched down in our seats, giggling like school children we watched her walk into the building. All we had been told about Ginny Thibeault is that she was in her 20's and this woman fit the bill.

At 1:30 we went into the building and received a warm reception from the staff. Susan at the front desk had helped me arrange parts of the shoot and Principal Dana Magill was very welcoming and excited for the reunion.

At 1:45 on the dot Specialist Richie Thibeault walked in the door of the school. We sent Richard to the classroom to get video of Ginny with the kids. She had been told in advance that a photojournalist was working on a piece about schoolchildren marking the holiday. Dan and I interviewed Richie in the office. He was a kind, self effacing man who was clearly excited to see his wife. Thibeault had been injured twice in Afghanistan. The second time, when his hummer drove over an IED was the most serious injury. It required hospitalization and rehab and he was sent home just in time for Christmas.

We followed Richie as he walked to Ginny's classroom. We watched as he walked in and rushed across the room to her.

Ginny was working on an ormament with a student and looked up to see her husband. "What are you doing?" she asked with a shocked look on her face. Before she could say anything else her husband had his arms around her. The two of them stood this way with students watching for almost a minute.

Richie whispered into her hair, "I love you."

Ginny said "I love you too." Five seconds later she said "You lied."

Richie began laughing. "I had to." He had wanted to surprise his new wife. He did.