Dear Grandchildren...

Dear Grandchildren,

If you are lucky enough to find this archaic thing called a blog, you may have already seen the blogpost I posted about getting engaged to the love of my life, your Grandfather. If you haven't already seen that post, you probably should (click here to refresh your memory), because today I am posting about all the details and "behind-the-scenes" action that were never explained in my haste to publish that post. The pictures you are about to see are the actual (never-before-released-not-even-on-facebook) photos from our {SURPRISE!) engagement moment - also known as:

So there we were having a lovely weekend away at the Drakensberg Resort over the Easter Weekend of April 2012...

My mom and dad
(you can't tell by their grins - but they were up to no good)

Me - just chilling out with the brother.

At this moment - I was very much un-engaged. 

Detail Filler #1: Warren's had been "casually" trying to find out what we were doing for Easter. I had mentioned that we were going away somewhere in the Drakensberg with my family. He was doing his best to find out where we were going so that he could "casually" mention 'oh, that's right near where my folks live - you should pop past and go visit them for tea'. (Warren meanwhile had known exactly where I would be for Easter since he had set the whole thing up with my family). Unfortunately, I was useless on providing details and he couldn't ask any more without arousing suspicion - so he enlisted the help of his mother who called me for a "casual" chat to find out what I was up to for the Easter Holiday and - as mother's are - she wouldn't take vague details from me and said "go find out from your father where you are going! because it might be near us and then you MUST come have some tea!"

Detail Filler #2: Unbeknown to me - the "original" plan was for my family to pop in at Warren's house for tea and his folks would then "casually" say - 'HEY! Why don't we go down to the river and have a picnic!' In the original-planned version of events - Warren would already be down at the river fishing with picnic blanket and champagne at the ready. This did not happen.


{above: having drinks at the Drakensberg Resort - after visiting Warren's house for tea. Me feeling very down after not seeing Warren at his house and secretly hoping he would be there. The brother made many chirps about this and shut that idea right down.}

Detail Filler #4: I had really had a really hopeful wishing that Warren would have been at his parent's house - as a surprise Happy Easter! moment. In fact Mrs Warren had even said to me 'oh Che! Come and look how I've converted Warren's room into a craft room' and I remember thinking {oooh... i wonder if Warren will be hiding behind the curtain in the craft room!? Act surprised Che! act surprised!} My hopes of this were completely dashed when we left Warren's house and there was no Warren in sight at all. Not even behind the curtain, not even in the cupboard. I checked.

Detail Filler #3: Warren's international flight from London had been delayed by several hours which caused him to miss his connecting flight from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg which meant that he didn't make it to his family's house on time to {SUPRISE!} me over tea-time. Whilst we were having tea at his family's house - he was stuck in Johannesburg panicking about how to get onto the next flight to PMB.

Detail Filler #4: Warren had messaged me the night before from London to say that he was going out  for his housemates birthday - he was sure it was going to be a good party and a late night - but his phone battery was looking pretty low. I messaged him in the morning to find out how his night was - and only after a few hours of me patiently waiting for a response, did he message to say EURAKA! his phone had dropped out his pocket into the couch when he had gotten home and since the battery had died he had only just managed to find it. 

meanwhile - he was actually flying across the world.

Detail Filler #5: My dad mentioned that before we headed up to the Berg - he needed to drop the car off to have the bumper fixed. We waited at home while he dropped off the car. He was actually dropping the car off at the airport - for Warren to use to drive up to the Berg to meet us.

Detail Filler #6: The dad had gone to "ask the receptionist about things to do in the area" when meanwhile he was alerting them to the fact that Warren and his family were on their way - and since the plans had to be changed as they developed (due to the delayed flight, the new connecting flight, the missed tea party, etc etc), could they please inform them that we would be up at the Golf Clubhouse overlooking the resort.

Detail Filler #7: When we were up at our "star-gazing" spot on the golf club having some drinks my mom had picked up my big camera under the guise of "now show me how this thing works?!?". We were all snapping family pics left right and centre trying to "show her how to use the camera". She was in fact picking up the camera in order to try and catch the big {SURPRISE!} moment. It was so special to have everything caught on camera. And so special to be surrounded by our families.

 

"but what are you doing hereeeeeee!!!?!"

Since it was almost 8pm at night and I had completely put the idea of seeing Warren out of my head and I was completely caught off guard when he sprung up behind me with a big bunch of red roses. In fact, in the engagement post - you can see the picture of me nearly jumping off the balcony in shock.

The new version of events was even more perfect than the first version.

Detail Filler #8: Using the excuse of "well now that it's school holidays, let's go do girly stuff che!" my mom had booked for us to have our nails done at one of the local Spa's. Coincidentally the teachers at her school (where I was currently doing my prac teaching) had been given free manicure, pedicure and massage vouchers. I was there when the Spa Ladies had come to the school with the vouchers - So I didn't suspect a thing. That was nice of my mom to think of that haha.

"Who knew about this?!! How did you DOOOO all of this?!

And without me having any idea?!"

"eeeeeeeeee~!!!!!!"

"YES, we all knew" - the mothers.

"MWUA-HA-HA-HA!!" - the mothers.

Me listening to the story of how Warren had panicked when his international flight had been delayed. How he had phoned his dad for help, how he had had to book a new connecting flight from JHB to Pietermaritzburg because he had missed his original one, how he had driven like a speed-demon from the airport to the Berg to try and make the sunset. How he had kept this gorgeous ring safe in his passport case throughout it all.

"Did YOU know about this?!!?"

No. 

The brother was just as surprised as I was.

Awkward face for the win.

Detail Filler #9: With the new change of plans they had booked to have dinner together at the Resort restaurant after the whole engagement business with both families. But since everything had run so much later than expected and there was so much chatting and congratulating and champagne drinking at the golf club - they had basically kept the restaurant open for us haha.

"Let me hold you hand.

No, wait, let my hand be on top."

Detail Filler #10: The Warr had not mentioned to anyone that he was leaving London for the weekend so as not to accidentally ruin the surprise for me. I think it may have even taken a few hours days for his housemates to realise he hadn't come home.

Awkward face for the Win Number 2

(we are made for each other. obvs)

And THAT, 

Dear Grandkinds, 

is what went down behind the scenes

in the story of Che and Warren.

xoxo