(all pictures can be clicked on to enlarge)
First of all, thank you for being such loving friends. We are truly blessed.
Second, SSHHH! :) "We are hunting wabbits and so we need to be vewy, vewy quiet." This is all super on the DL (so secret that we can't
even fully pronounce "downlow" in public), and so none of us, including myself are to drop any hints that I will be asking Tiana to marry
me this Thursday.
Below is a checklist of things that I need to go through to accomplish what I want to accomplish this Thursday.
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The engagment rings, finished and picked up from the jeweler. |
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Called Tiana's Father Laz to ask for his permission and blessing. |
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He said "yes" :) |
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Called Tiana's Mother Linda to ask for her permission and blessing. |
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She said "yes" as well :) |
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Devised a sneaky plan. |
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Executed the sneaky plan, thus making Tiana Reinhardt and Eric Lee an "engaged" couple. |
I've already received input from a number of you, and I thank you for that. At this point in this message, if all you want to know is where to be and when, then here are the details:
WHERE: Chelsea & Rene's apartment at 4811 Coronado Avenue Apartment #7 in OB.
Here is the Google Maps link.
It's
the apartment complex on the south side of the street called "Casa de Coronado."
Chelsea was gracious enough to offer her humble abode for us as a meeting place. Please park as nearby as you can (across Sunset Cliffs on Coronado may even be better than the west side of Sunset cliffs to
cut down on potential vehicular visibility i.e. Kaz's van if he's able to make it).
WHEN: 5:00pm (or as close to as possible if you get off work at 5:00). I will be arriving in OB around 3:30pm to being preparations, so if anybody doesn't have work at that time, feel free to join me.
Here is a map that might prove helpful:
Please try to park around the designated area or thereabouts. I understand that parking in OB is difficult (I lived there for three years!).
WHAT TO WEAR, BRING: Swimwear, a beach towel, sunglasses, flip-flops, optional beach chairs, a camera, a cellphone or book or some other device to make yourself look "busy", and a few flowers (can be a small bunch or a single medium-to-large sized one). I understand it's getting colder, so you don't need to dress skimpy if you don't want to... board or jean shorts, hoodies --whatever-- to make yourself look beach bum-like. Many of us won't really have to do anything different than our daily routines (kinda like me!) except bring a beach towel to put down. You'll see why below.
So, "What's the plan?" you ask?
THE SETUP: It's Thursday night. That means it's "House Meeting Night" for the women at the Basileia House on 43rd Street.
On these Thursday nights, it's assumed that while Tiana is meeting with her roommates to fellowship and discuss household matters, I usually plan on doing something with some friend or keeping to myself with a book or other various nerd activities.
Tiana thinks that I am meeting with Jamie Gates, Nicole Crocker, and Chelsea Klaseus for dinner in Point Loma at a Mediterranean-style joint (the name escapes me at the moment). Tiana thinks I have offered Chelsea a ride to the place, so it's kind of obvious that I'll be entering OB that night, if just briefly.
As far as Tiana knows, she has house meeting, and I have a dinner meeting that evening.
AND THEN SUDDENLY: I give her a call around 5:35 because I've supposedly locked my keys in my own car. To pick up Chelsea, I will have had to park at the end of Coronado, or end of Santa Cruz (preferable) because "parking will have been bad as it always is in OB". She is still has 90 minutes before her house meeting starts where she's even anticipating doing some pumpkin carving!
She used to have a set of keys to my car, but David Overholt, through some sly methods, just devised that she no longer has them. I have another set (or the one she used to have, I can't remember) at my apartment. When I call her, I will ask her to come rescue me out of our predicament (remember, I'm holding up a dinner meeting by this time, supposedly), and she will have to swing by my apartment to pick up my set of keys. David will be there, but he will "have to go" somewhere within a few minutes, otherwise I would have just called him to deliver the keys. He will either leave them somewhere out in front of our apartment for her to pick up or he will hand them to her as he leaves --to go to the very place where we will all be!
IN THE MEANTIME: Everybody will be arriving in between 5:00 and 5:30 (at the latest, hopefully, or even before then if you can manage as I will be there from 3:30pm on).
What we will be doing upon your arrival at Chelsea's is setting up the scene a little bit:
1. Walking down to the end of Santa Cruz
2.
Laying down your towels, flip-flops, beach chairs, whatever. Make the place look like a bunch of random people showed up for the beach on a Thursday afternoon.
3. Setting up a little scene that consists of everybody's flowers arranged in a kind of a "cornucopia" of a design. It will be laid out on the ground on a decorative cloth.
4. The writing on of sea shells (I will provide the shells and the markers) to write Tiana and I little notes. Tiana loves shells (and the beach). Something similar took place at this past years Lifestyles for a Sustainable World conference where all the attendees were asked to write some thoughts on a shell, and then they were all read aloud by others. I hope this isn't too pretentious -- I just want Tiana to know that she's surrounded by a loving community that thinks about her, and I want you all to be apart of this fun night.
How will the presentation look?
Most peole will be congregated on what is labled the "Main Beach" on the left. Friends will be laying out tanning (if the sun is out), or reading or doing other beach-y things. Either I will make Tiana follow me down or I will already be down there waiting (most likely). Once she gets close to me, I will get down on one knee, say some nice things, and ask for her hand in marriage.
Hopefully by this time she will be in a daze wondering "is this really happening?" to allow you all to start getting up. Once I pop the question you are free to make some noise and reveal yourselves, and come forward with the shells and lay them at the foot of the flowers that will be on the cliffs. It will be a nice gesture for her to see you all place the shells there.
I imagine that many of you will have more than one shell. I understand that not every one can make it due to geographic distances, or the constraints of jobs, etc. No problem. If you would like, you may e-mail me what you would like written on a shell to give to Tiana (or I). That way, if one happens to live in another country, they could even let Tiana know that they wanted to be there! Maybe this is cheesy, but everybody seems to think this sounds like a good idea? So, not only is there an amazing cornucopia of flowers presented to Tiana (from me and all of you), but personalized messages presented on sea shells will also hopefully make this time something that Tiana will remember as a day that all of our friends had a personal hand in making possible.
What next?
So, once everybody comes forward with a collective "surprise," says hi, places sea shells down, and briefly mingles, whatever -- I will thank you all profusely and then kindly ask all of you to vacate the premises. Maybe this is getting too picturesque, but I would like to enjoy the sunset with Tiana.
Jenn Tracy tells me that Tiana is exempted from house meeting that night, even thought Tiana doesn't know it yet. I hope Tiana won't mind!
Thank you all for being a part of our lives. As you can see, there are pictures from the last two years or so of many events we have shared together.
Feel free to click around. One of the reasons this event is somewhat painstakingly orchestrated is because I wanted you all to know how important you are to both Tiana and I. I look forward to growing together in Christ and in service of our Lord. And guess what -- this isn't even the wedding, yet!
If you are not able to attend this fun surprise for Tiana, no sweat-- feel free to e-mail me (eric@ericisrad.com) if you would like some words to be included on a sea shell for Tiana.
I want to thank all of those who offered words of advice and help in coming up with this sneaky plan. Jenn for getting my rear end in gear, Chelsea & Rene for the use of their house, and Jamie Gates & Jaimie Augustine for a few last-minute suggestions with this whole scheme. I think it will be a fun time together. I know it's relatively short, but remember-- our wedding reception will be quite a bit longer!
Peace and Love to you all,
Eric Lee
