They say in life there are moments where the world stands still.
Where time seems to freeze and all that matters is what is happening right in
front of your eyes. My world stopped on 05/01/15 at 8.30pm on the West Coast of
the North Island in a beautiful little beach town called Raglan. Rewind to twelve
hours earlier, Dan and I had packed up our car and had just begun our road trip
up North. In typical Dan style just as we had left home he remembers he forgot
to grab his backpack. Thinking it only had our beach towels in it I was reluctant
to go back to collect it. After some persuading and a worried look on Dan’s face I
turned around and we went and grabbed the backpack...thankfully I was still oblivious
to what was going on.
In my little world the most life changing event of the day was
driving safely along the winding coastal roads to Raglan. Little did I know as
Dan sat next to me what he was planning in his head. There was a sense of
freedom and ease that both of us had been longing to feel. To be able to get
away from life’s mundane routines and truly enjoy each other’s company.
Dan had me laughing majority of the way especially with his singing and dancing
to Bruno Marz Uptown Funk.
Thankfully with some informative directions (thanks Dad!) we
managed to find out way to Raglan with our relationship unscathed.
After unpacking our gear and settling into our accommodation we
decided to do some exploring. Dan suggested we go out somewhere nice for dinner
he even picked out my dress for me to wear. Still I had not a single clue what
was ahead of me. We dined on steak and venison and looked out over the river
mouth. Already my heart was so blissful and content. Dan refused me paying in any way towards
dinner as this was his treat.
After a long day of driving I was quiet happy to go back to our
room but Dan insisted we sit and watch the sunset from the look out. The view
was stunning as the sunset over the beach. The perfect mix of clear blue sea
and warming yellow light. In that moment I felt so blessed. It was perfect.
Dan's next idea was that we should go for a swim before it got
dark. After being told I needed to be spontaneous (almost ruined his plans again!)
I agreed and before I knew it we were diving into the crisp blue cold water.
There was hardly anyone on the beach apart from a few surfers and the sun doing
its best to hang around for a little longer.
Warning blog post is about to get really soppy...
Dan you knew that being in water is my favourite place to be. A
place where I feel relaxed, joyful and at peace; a lot like the feelings I get
when I am in your presence. You had it
all planned out. You called me over to you and asked for a hug. You began telling me how much you love me and
by now my heart was beating incredibly fast. In that moment my hands were
covering my mouth as I had finally clicked to what was happening. In the
shallow water down on one knee I heard you ask me a question I didn’t even have
to think to answer... “Olivia
will you marry me?” A one
hundred percent ‘YES’ followed by many happy tears was my reply. The happy tears continued long into the night and in all honestly most of that week!
We then went up to the beach and from your backpack you brought
out the ring which had been hiding there all day. Now I understood why the
backpack was so important! One thing I had always told Dan was that I wanted
him to pick out my ring. To my total amazement the ring that Dan had chosen for
me was the one that I would have chosen for myself. The crazy thing is that I
had never even told Dan that's the ring I liked.
Raglan now forever has a very special place in our hearts. I love
how Dan managed to get me by complete surprise and how the moment was purely
'ours' to treasure. I still find myself looking down at my engagement ring and am
transported back to that breathtaking night. Fast forward eight months and the planning is
well and truly underway. The countdown is now on for the 12th March
2016 when I will become Dan’s wife. How blessed we are to journey through life together!
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