ON THE 27TH DECEMBER 2014 ANDY MET CAT HIKING TO CAPE BRETT LIGHTHOUSE IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS.
10 DAYS LATER...ANDY ASKED CAT OUT ON A DATE. 1 DAY LATER ANDY LEFT FOR VANUATU.
101 DAYS LATER, ON THE 7.04.15, CAT WENT TO VANUATU AND IT ALL BECAME OFFICIAL.
EXACTLY ANOTHER 101 DAYS LATER ON THE 17.07.15...WALKING TO CAPE REINGA LIGHTHOUSE FOR SUNRISE...ANDY ASKED CAT TO MARRY HIM. SHE SAID YES!
1 YEAR AND 3 DAYS SINCE THEY MET, ANDY AND CAT ARE GETTING MARRIED!
MEMORIES: THE DAY WE GOT ENGAGED
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE THOUGHT OF A LIGHTHOUSE AT SUNRISE DRAGGING US OUT OF OUR 4:30AM BEDS...OUR MOVEMENTS SLEEPY AND QUIET AS WE PACKED A BREAKFAST PICNIC. THE KETTLE GIVING A SLEEPY YAWN AND THE THICK, RICH AROMA OF COFFEE WRAPPING THE KITCHEN WITH IT'S SUCCULENT WARMTH AS WE PREPARED FOR THE JOURNEY AHEAD.
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE STREETS WERE SILENT AS WE DROVE, EVEN THE DARKNESS SEEMING ASLEEP AS WE HUMMED ALONG, SWOOPING ROUND CORNERS AND DIPPING DOWN HILLS. I PUT MY HEAD ON YOUR SHOULDER AND SELFISHLY SHUT MY EYES. FROM AHIPARA TO CAPE REINGA THE THIN ROAD SNAKED IT'S WAY NORTHWARDS, HILLS ROLLING OVER IN THEIR SLEEP AS THE STARS DANCED ABOVE CLOUDS BLUE WITH MOONLIGHT.
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE NAVY HORIZON GLOWED WITH A HINT OF PINK AND A BLUSH BEGAN TO SPREAD ACROSS THE CHEEK OF THE DAWN SKY, WELCOMING US AS WE DROVE INTO AN EMPTY CARPARK HIGH UP ON THE PENINSULA. AS THE NIGHT BEGAN TO SHRUG OFF IT'S DARK CLOAK, I SUGGESTED (FOR PURELY PRACTICAL REASONS) WE WATCH THE SUNRISE FROM THE STARK BUT CONVENIENT CAR PARK.
BUT, YOU INSISTED, CALMLY, THOUGHTFULLY WITHOUT ANY GUILE - DOWN TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, RIGHT TO THE END! AND SO WE BEGAN; THE LONE LIGHT GILDED IN GOLD, TWINKLING AT THE END OF THE PATH AND BECKONING US NORTH.
YOUR FIRST WORDS: "DO YOU REMEMBER...WE MET WALKING TO A LIGHTHOUSE?" ON THE 27TH DECEMBER 2014 OUR PATHS CROSSED...AND MERGED ONTO THE CAPE BRETT TRACK - A SINUOUS, GNARLY, MUSCLE-BURNING EXPEDITION TO ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE. 110 DAYS LATER WE WERE ON ANOTHER PATH, TO A DIFFERENT LIGHTHOUSE, TWO HEARTS HAVING JOURNEYED THE #LONGDISTANCE; THE HIGHS OF TALKING FOR HOURS, THE MYSTERY OF READING THE NEW TESTAMENT TOGETHER AND THE SLOW, SHY UNFOLDING OF OUR DAILY LIVES WITH EACH OTHER. THEN THERE WERE THE LOWS OF CYLCONE PAM, THE PAINFUL (AND MANY!) GOODBYES, THE UNCERTAINTY CRACKLING LIKE A POOR INTERNET CONNECTION AND THE FRUSTRATION WHEN THE DISTANCE SEEMED AS LONG AS THE DELAY ON SKYPE.
ALL FOR THIS - SIDE BY SIDE OUR SHOULDERS BRUSHING, YOUR HAND IN MINE AND A JOY SO DEEP I COULD FEEL THE STARS THEMSELVES SINGING AS YOU HANDED ME YOUR LETTERS. BY STAR-LIGHT YOU TOLD #OURSTORY, BY MOON-LIGHT YOUR WORDS OF LOVE CARVED THEMSELVES ON MY HEART AND BY THE LIGHT OF THE SOFTLY-DAWNING SUN DREAMS OF A FUTURE UNFOLDED IN MY HANDS.
DO YOU REMEMBER? SEVEN PERFECTLY RED ROSES, THEIR PETALS SOFT AND DEEP, THEIR VELVET FACES LIFTED TO A SKY REFLECTING THEIR CRIMSON HUE. SEVEN MONTHS AND SEVENTY MOMENTS, TIMES ANOTHER SEVENTY HAPPY MEMORIES OF SEVENTY HAPPY DAYS AND WHEN YOU ADD ANOTHER SEVEN...THERE IS REVELATION...OF A PERFECT SEVEN. SEVEN...PERFECTLY...RED ROSES.
AS THE CLOCK TICKED AND THE WORLD SPAN BENEATH OUR FEET, WE SAT AND WATCHED THE TURNING OF THE EARTH TOWARDS A HIDDEN SUN. THE HEAVENS FLUSHED LIKE ROSE WINE AND THE BLUE STREAKS OF NIGHT BEGAN TO SLIP AWAY BEHIND US, AS QUIET AS A STREAM. 7:31 AND THE SUN, STILL MODESTLY DRAPED IN THICK, WHITE LINEN BURNISHED THE CLOUDS IN BLOSSOMS OF CORAL, PEACH AND GOLD - THEIR HALOED EDGES SOUNDING THE RICH TRUMPET CALL OF DAWN AS THE MORNING UNFURLED IT'S WINGS.
DO YOU REMEMBER? OUR FIRST DANCE OF THE NEW DAY, OUR STEPS SURE AND STEADY, MY FEET FOLLOWING YOU AND MY HEART FOLLOWING YOURS. A MOMENT, A KISS, SOME WORDS WHICH THE SHOCK OF THE NEXT HOUR STOLE FOREVER FROM MY CONSCIOUSNESS EXCEPT FOUR...FOUR PRECIOUS WORDS AS YOU ASKED FOR MY HAND, MY HEART AND MY FUTURE. I ANSWERED WITH ONE AND THE HEAVENS BEGUN...TO EXPLODE WITH DELIGHT, THE AWE OF THE MOMENT, ECLIPSING THE NIGHT, AS THE DAWN OF THE DAY, TOOK ALL OUR HEARTS HAD TO SAY AND PAINTED THE WAY...ON OUR SOULS.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
10 DAYS LATER...ANDY ASKED CAT OUT ON A DATE. 1 DAY LATER ANDY LEFT FOR VANUATU.
101 DAYS LATER, ON THE 7.04.15, CAT WENT TO VANUATU AND IT ALL BECAME OFFICIAL.
EXACTLY ANOTHER 101 DAYS LATER ON THE 17.07.15...WALKING TO CAPE REINGA LIGHTHOUSE FOR SUNRISE...ANDY ASKED CAT TO MARRY HIM. SHE SAID YES!
1 YEAR AND 3 DAYS SINCE THEY MET, ANDY AND CAT ARE GETTING MARRIED!
MEMORIES: THE DAY WE GOT ENGAGED
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE THOUGHT OF A LIGHTHOUSE AT SUNRISE DRAGGING US OUT OF OUR 4:30AM BEDS...OUR MOVEMENTS SLEEPY AND QUIET AS WE PACKED A BREAKFAST PICNIC. THE KETTLE GIVING A SLEEPY YAWN AND THE THICK, RICH AROMA OF COFFEE WRAPPING THE KITCHEN WITH IT'S SUCCULENT WARMTH AS WE PREPARED FOR THE JOURNEY AHEAD.
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE STREETS WERE SILENT AS WE DROVE, EVEN THE DARKNESS SEEMING ASLEEP AS WE HUMMED ALONG, SWOOPING ROUND CORNERS AND DIPPING DOWN HILLS. I PUT MY HEAD ON YOUR SHOULDER AND SELFISHLY SHUT MY EYES. FROM AHIPARA TO CAPE REINGA THE THIN ROAD SNAKED IT'S WAY NORTHWARDS, HILLS ROLLING OVER IN THEIR SLEEP AS THE STARS DANCED ABOVE CLOUDS BLUE WITH MOONLIGHT.
DO YOU REMEMBER? THE NAVY HORIZON GLOWED WITH A HINT OF PINK AND A BLUSH BEGAN TO SPREAD ACROSS THE CHEEK OF THE DAWN SKY, WELCOMING US AS WE DROVE INTO AN EMPTY CARPARK HIGH UP ON THE PENINSULA. AS THE NIGHT BEGAN TO SHRUG OFF IT'S DARK CLOAK, I SUGGESTED (FOR PURELY PRACTICAL REASONS) WE WATCH THE SUNRISE FROM THE STARK BUT CONVENIENT CAR PARK.
BUT, YOU INSISTED, CALMLY, THOUGHTFULLY WITHOUT ANY GUILE - DOWN TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, RIGHT TO THE END! AND SO WE BEGAN; THE LONE LIGHT GILDED IN GOLD, TWINKLING AT THE END OF THE PATH AND BECKONING US NORTH.
YOUR FIRST WORDS: "DO YOU REMEMBER...WE MET WALKING TO A LIGHTHOUSE?" ON THE 27TH DECEMBER 2014 OUR PATHS CROSSED...AND MERGED ONTO THE CAPE BRETT TRACK - A SINUOUS, GNARLY, MUSCLE-BURNING EXPEDITION TO ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE. 110 DAYS LATER WE WERE ON ANOTHER PATH, TO A DIFFERENT LIGHTHOUSE, TWO HEARTS HAVING JOURNEYED THE #LONGDISTANCE; THE HIGHS OF TALKING FOR HOURS, THE MYSTERY OF READING THE NEW TESTAMENT TOGETHER AND THE SLOW, SHY UNFOLDING OF OUR DAILY LIVES WITH EACH OTHER. THEN THERE WERE THE LOWS OF CYLCONE PAM, THE PAINFUL (AND MANY!) GOODBYES, THE UNCERTAINTY CRACKLING LIKE A POOR INTERNET CONNECTION AND THE FRUSTRATION WHEN THE DISTANCE SEEMED AS LONG AS THE DELAY ON SKYPE.
ALL FOR THIS - SIDE BY SIDE OUR SHOULDERS BRUSHING, YOUR HAND IN MINE AND A JOY SO DEEP I COULD FEEL THE STARS THEMSELVES SINGING AS YOU HANDED ME YOUR LETTERS. BY STAR-LIGHT YOU TOLD #OURSTORY, BY MOON-LIGHT YOUR WORDS OF LOVE CARVED THEMSELVES ON MY HEART AND BY THE LIGHT OF THE SOFTLY-DAWNING SUN DREAMS OF A FUTURE UNFOLDED IN MY HANDS.
DO YOU REMEMBER? SEVEN PERFECTLY RED ROSES, THEIR PETALS SOFT AND DEEP, THEIR VELVET FACES LIFTED TO A SKY REFLECTING THEIR CRIMSON HUE. SEVEN MONTHS AND SEVENTY MOMENTS, TIMES ANOTHER SEVENTY HAPPY MEMORIES OF SEVENTY HAPPY DAYS AND WHEN YOU ADD ANOTHER SEVEN...THERE IS REVELATION...OF A PERFECT SEVEN. SEVEN...PERFECTLY...RED ROSES.
AS THE CLOCK TICKED AND THE WORLD SPAN BENEATH OUR FEET, WE SAT AND WATCHED THE TURNING OF THE EARTH TOWARDS A HIDDEN SUN. THE HEAVENS FLUSHED LIKE ROSE WINE AND THE BLUE STREAKS OF NIGHT BEGAN TO SLIP AWAY BEHIND US, AS QUIET AS A STREAM. 7:31 AND THE SUN, STILL MODESTLY DRAPED IN THICK, WHITE LINEN BURNISHED THE CLOUDS IN BLOSSOMS OF CORAL, PEACH AND GOLD - THEIR HALOED EDGES SOUNDING THE RICH TRUMPET CALL OF DAWN AS THE MORNING UNFURLED IT'S WINGS.
DO YOU REMEMBER? OUR FIRST DANCE OF THE NEW DAY, OUR STEPS SURE AND STEADY, MY FEET FOLLOWING YOU AND MY HEART FOLLOWING YOURS. A MOMENT, A KISS, SOME WORDS WHICH THE SHOCK OF THE NEXT HOUR STOLE FOREVER FROM MY CONSCIOUSNESS EXCEPT FOUR...FOUR PRECIOUS WORDS AS YOU ASKED FOR MY HAND, MY HEART AND MY FUTURE. I ANSWERED WITH ONE AND THE HEAVENS BEGUN...TO EXPLODE WITH DELIGHT, THE AWE OF THE MOMENT, ECLIPSING THE NIGHT, AS THE DAWN OF THE DAY, TOOK ALL OUR HEARTS HAD TO SAY AND PAINTED THE WAY...ON OUR SOULS.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
So lovely and poetic! Love them.
And so, I wait at Heathrow, with a heart full of thankfulness, joy and anticipation...
No comments:
Post a Comment