Yes that's right folks, the worst kept secret ever is now official, Tiffany and I are officially engaged. I had the great pleasure of having T come to visit me in Vancouver last week before we both flew down to Colorado for her family reunion.
Given that I am absolutely useless at keeping a secret and also needed to know T's ring size I didn't think trying to keep the ring a complete surprise was going to work. I did however surprise her with how and when she would get the ring. I had been dropping hints that maybe it would be at dinner on Saturday night as we celebrated her birthday. But I decided that proposing then would be far too predictable. I also wanted to make sure she had the ring before church on Sunday and didn't want to leave it until Sunday morning. So this left Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon. As I would be with her all day I figured that I wouldn't really be able to prepare much if I left it until afternoon, so decided to propose after breakfast.
I guessed she would be a bit tired after the long flight from PNG so planned breakfast for around 9:30. I got up extra early (for a Saturday at least) and mixed up some crepe batter and then went back to bed while it rested. Then I got up again, made the crepes and just as I was finishing them (a little later than anticipated) T knocked on the door (she was staying in the guest suite in my apartment). We sat down at the kitchen counter and hoed in to the crepes (very yummy crepes with ricotta, cream cheese and lemon filling with a blueberry sauce). This was followed by a coffee for me and a cup of tea for T. And accompanying the tea was a plate of dark chocolate truffles that I had made the day before. In the middle of the plate of truffles was the ring. I asked the big question and surprise surprise she said "Yes". What a relief.
We had a wonderful few days together, walking around Vancouver, taking a trip up to Grouse Mountain, going to Granville Island. I managed to reclaim the 2 player 500 title, with a rather convincing win, but I was at a bit of an advantage as T couldn't remember how to play.
On Wednesday we flew to Grand Junction, Colorado where I met my future in-laws for the first time. They were all very friendly and I liked them a lot (and no I'm not just saying that because they will likely be reading this). They are a bit louder than my family.
On Thursday we went on a trip to see Grand Mesa, a big flat topped mountain. It was a really pretty place. Then in the evening there was an extended family get together where I got to try and impress everyone with my culinary skills. I cooked a leg of lamb cooked in a blend of lime leaves, lemon grass, chili, cilantro (coriander leaves), lime, ginger, olive oil and salt. Once the lamb was cooked the leftover juices were made in to a bit of a sauce by adding some coconut milk. Thank you Jamie Oliver for the recipe. It seemed to work out OK, although I think it was ever so slightly overcooked. This was the second time I have made this recipe (the first time was for Lucas and Shannon) and both times I overcooked it, I really should adjust the cooking time next time.
The next day was white water rafting day. It was great fun. I hadn't done white water rafting since I was 14 and was looking forward to this a lot. Last time I managed to be the only person in the group to fall out, so I was keen to do better this time. It was a blast. We did the triple so got to do the rapids 3 times, each time taking a slightly different approach.
Saturday was the day of the big family reunion. The Burbridge family all had matching T-Shirts made up for the occasion, each with the person's name and an aka. Mine was Paul - aka Newest-son-in-law. I guess someone must have guessed the engagement was going to happen and had the t-shirt made up in advance.
For those of you who have keen eyes, you may have noticed in some of the photos that I am sporting a beard. This was a special request of T's and so I grew it over the last 4 weeks or so. On arriving home last night it was quickly removed so I am now back to the clean shaved look you may be more accustomed to seeing. And yep, I really do need a haircut, I will have to get on to that, 5 1/2 months between haircuts is probably a bit too long.
