2nd Layout For Today - Engagement

Hi all,
I'm on a roll today. Two layouts in one day so far... but since we didn't make it to my brother in laws 21st due to hubby being incredibly sick with a gastro bug, I have a lot more free time on my hands than anticipated today.

I really like the way this layout turned out. Simple again, but bold. It is themed around our engagement from 2009. Our engagement story is actually a little crazy. On the day, I probably wasn't totally oblivious to what might happen that day, but after waiting 8 and a half years, who knew if that would be the day either. My now husband Simon took me on a picnic to Mt Coot-tha which is a look out and national park area in Brisbane, here in Australia. Its really high up so you can pretty much see all of Brisbane from up there. Stunning views at night. Its also the home of all our major television networks around the mountain.

So anyway, on this particular day we went to a place we often picnicked early in our relationship. We were enjoying our lunch, with some spectators nearby... a couple of kookaburras. Well it was a bit of a windy day so when one tried to fly down and steal a piece of my sandwich, it was blown off path by the wind and ended up flying straight into my head. It was a massive shock as it felt a bit like someone kicked a football at my head. So we laughed it off and headed on our way for a bit of a drive, as it was a pretty busy area with lots of people walking by. On our drive downhill around a part of the mountain, a motorcyclist sped past us. Not an extreme speed but enough to know he was going over the limit. We went around another corner, only to see the same motorcycle loose control and fly off into the buses, through a guard rail. OMG! Never been more frightened in my life. He just bounced off his bike and into the bush.

So we jumped out, and Simon was already on the phone to the emergency services. By this time the guy from the motorbike had started moving about (phew) and trying to sit up. Simon was great. Telling him to stay still, don't move, help is on its way. Calm, collected and really in control of the situation. By this time a few other people had pulled up, including a channel 9 news van on their way back from a story. They helped with directions for the emergency services. Soon after, a fire truck arrived and they took over, pulling out their medical kit and doing what needed to be done. The ambulance soon followed and people began to disperse. The good thing was, by this stage, the bike rider had been alert enough to talk a bit and he had been telling Simon how he'd only got his leathers the day before (a bit devostating when they cut them off him) but they probably saved him. Turned out he only broke 1 rib after all that. The police phoned later to get our story and told us the good news.

So after this, we are both pretty shaken up but make our way to the Mt Coot-tha botanical gardens, with chocolate and wine to sit on our picnic rug in a secluded area of the gardens. We talked for ages about what happened and then suddenly Simon pulls me upright, rolls onto one knee and fumbles in his pocket. His proposal started along the lines of 'I can't stop thinking about that guy...' LOL But he then said the most romantic things ever, telling me how much he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me, and putting the most perfect diamond ring on my finger. I cried... and we enjoyed the moment for about an hour before ringing family and friends then heading to my parents place to surprise them in person with our news.

So overall, a pretty crazy engagement story. Its definitely memorable... and was still incredibly romantic once my man saved the day. It gave me just another reason to know why I wanted to marry him.

There's a bit of sharing for you all... more than you probably bargained for if you popped in for a look at my layout. This particular photo is actually from our 'engagement' photo shoot which is an extra shoot included in our photography package to get comfortable with the camera before the wedding. I love this photo. We used it for our wedding day signature frame for guests to sign. It now hangs on our wall surrounded by kind messages.

The layout itself has a bit of hidden journalling. Its not too easy to read, but it has a brief detail on the date and location of our engagement and when the photo was taken. The butterflies flip up and there are 2 layers of journalling. The idea for the big heart came from the current From Screen to Scrap challenge which is the film poster for 'Valentines Day'. Great challenge!