April 22, 2017
This is my longest post ever. But maybe my favorite one ever, because it includes great stories from several friends who were involved in the big event. I hope you enjoy!
The package arrived at my office in late March, after dad had investigated the shipping costs, along with the related insurance and duty. Ever since I had in my mind to propose to Zosia, there was one specific ring I wanted her to have, and I was thrilled when dad agreed to send it. I opened the package at my desk, hands slightly trembling due to the memories it invoked. I unwrapped the cloth pouch and unfolded the cotton wrap. In my hand was a beautiful diamond ring. My mom's diamond ring.
Less than 8 months after she passed away, I could feel her spirit with me. I nearly started crying right there. I wanted to show the girls on my team, but had to take a few minutes to compose myself. After showing them the ring, everything became more real. I was never so excited to ask Zosia if we could spend the rest of our lives together.
The Plan
It took a while to think of a good plan. I remember my friend Byron asking me about all the different ways he wanted to propose to his now-wife. He had a new idea every week, and I told him not to stress about it, because anything was gonna be awesome. But when it was my turn, I had the same struggle. For some reason I couldn't imagine some sunset stroll capped off with getting on a knee, or proposing at the top of the Eiffel Tower. That seemed too romantic. Asking her while sitting at home in sweat pants, playing Clash of Clans, was somehow more realistic. But of course I couldn't do that. It needed to be unique, memorable and fun, but also one that wouldn't embarrass me when we told the story! Anything involving sweat pants and Clash of Clans would classify as embarrassing. After a couple weeks of contemplation, I decided I'd do it some time between her birthday (April 21) and the end of our triathlon camp in Portugal (May 3). Portugal was romantic after all....
Then one day at work, Monika told me about someone putting an engagement ring into a Kinder Surprise (a chocolate egg with a small toy inside). Zosia loves chocolate, and she loves opening gifts, so this could be a perfect option. But I didn't want to simply give her a chocolate egg and suddenly ask her to marry me. I needed more. After a couple days of brainstorming, everything just clicked. The plan couldn't be more perfect. The timing was right, and she would love it.
A few months earlier, we went to Poznan for a weekend and did a scavenger hunt in the city, where we had to decipher clues and venture around different parts of town. We both had a lot of fun, and ever since then, she always checks for city scavenger hunts wherever we go. She even suggested that I create and sell one in Warsaw, since I made one for my birthday party a couple years back. So, I decided to make one, just for her, where each clue would be included inside a Kinder Surprise. The first clue would lead her to the next location, where she'd get the next egg, and so on. Eventually the engagement ring would be inside the final egg. So I performed some surgery on the eggs, taking out the toys and putting in the clues. I also numbered the eggs to make sure they didn't get mixed up, and kept a rubber band around them until the quest started to keep them from falling apart.
I wasn't sure how to hide eggs around the city so no one else would take them, especially one with such valuable contents. So, the next part of the idea materialized: to involve her friends, her mom and her brother. Each person would be the guardian of an egg, and would give the egg to Zosia if she found them and completed a certain challenge. Because different people were involved, it now made sense for me to wait with the final egg, rather than going on the quest with her. So the next question was how to get Zosia to do the scavenger hunt without me. That meant involving her "Fairy Godmother", Patrizia, who played FGM to Zosia's character in a skit we did recently for Ken and Marta's wedding (Zosia played Marta, while Patrizia was the FGM, helping her on her quest for love). Patrizia was also perfect because she is a great photographer, and Zosia would not think twice about Pat taking photos along the way - THANKS PATRIZIA FOR THE PHOTOS!!! Iza, Alan, Andy, Dorota, and Noemi also generously agreed to help in any way possible, and I explained the plan only a few days before the big day. I didn't want to risk the surprise being leaked. I didn't even tell Zosia's brother and mom my intention; I simply asked them to meet me before the quest, and I would explain. It was really hard not to tell people - I obviously wanted it to be a surprise, but I also wanted to tell the world.
The Set-up
Now that the plan was in place, I needed a way to set it up. How could I start her on her journey? On Zosia's birthday (April 21st), we stopped by a shop and I casually purchased a Kinder Surprise egg. Of course, her choco-radar noticed it, so I knew she would inevitably ask me for a bite. When she wasn't looking, I hid the new egg in my bag and pulled out the one in which I had already put the first clue the day before; so now I was holding Fixed Egg #1. Her inability to resist chocolate played perfectly into my hands, and within 3 seconds, she asked for some. I gave it to her, and she told me how much it reminded me of her childhood. She devoured half of it without breathing, almost eating the capsule which held the clue.
This is my longest post ever. But maybe my favorite one ever, because it includes great stories from several friends who were involved in the big event. I hope you enjoy!
The package arrived at my office in late March, after dad had investigated the shipping costs, along with the related insurance and duty. Ever since I had in my mind to propose to Zosia, there was one specific ring I wanted her to have, and I was thrilled when dad agreed to send it. I opened the package at my desk, hands slightly trembling due to the memories it invoked. I unwrapped the cloth pouch and unfolded the cotton wrap. In my hand was a beautiful diamond ring. My mom's diamond ring.
Less than 8 months after she passed away, I could feel her spirit with me. I nearly started crying right there. I wanted to show the girls on my team, but had to take a few minutes to compose myself. After showing them the ring, everything became more real. I was never so excited to ask Zosia if we could spend the rest of our lives together.
The Plan
It took a while to think of a good plan. I remember my friend Byron asking me about all the different ways he wanted to propose to his now-wife. He had a new idea every week, and I told him not to stress about it, because anything was gonna be awesome. But when it was my turn, I had the same struggle. For some reason I couldn't imagine some sunset stroll capped off with getting on a knee, or proposing at the top of the Eiffel Tower. That seemed too romantic. Asking her while sitting at home in sweat pants, playing Clash of Clans, was somehow more realistic. But of course I couldn't do that. It needed to be unique, memorable and fun, but also one that wouldn't embarrass me when we told the story! Anything involving sweat pants and Clash of Clans would classify as embarrassing. After a couple weeks of contemplation, I decided I'd do it some time between her birthday (April 21) and the end of our triathlon camp in Portugal (May 3). Portugal was romantic after all....
Then one day at work, Monika told me about someone putting an engagement ring into a Kinder Surprise (a chocolate egg with a small toy inside). Zosia loves chocolate, and she loves opening gifts, so this could be a perfect option. But I didn't want to simply give her a chocolate egg and suddenly ask her to marry me. I needed more. After a couple days of brainstorming, everything just clicked. The plan couldn't be more perfect. The timing was right, and she would love it.
A few months earlier, we went to Poznan for a weekend and did a scavenger hunt in the city, where we had to decipher clues and venture around different parts of town. We both had a lot of fun, and ever since then, she always checks for city scavenger hunts wherever we go. She even suggested that I create and sell one in Warsaw, since I made one for my birthday party a couple years back. So, I decided to make one, just for her, where each clue would be included inside a Kinder Surprise. The first clue would lead her to the next location, where she'd get the next egg, and so on. Eventually the engagement ring would be inside the final egg. So I performed some surgery on the eggs, taking out the toys and putting in the clues. I also numbered the eggs to make sure they didn't get mixed up, and kept a rubber band around them until the quest started to keep them from falling apart.
Zosia's prize for completing the quest
I wasn't sure how to hide eggs around the city so no one else would take them, especially one with such valuable contents. So, the next part of the idea materialized: to involve her friends, her mom and her brother. Each person would be the guardian of an egg, and would give the egg to Zosia if she found them and completed a certain challenge. Because different people were involved, it now made sense for me to wait with the final egg, rather than going on the quest with her. So the next question was how to get Zosia to do the scavenger hunt without me. That meant involving her "Fairy Godmother", Patrizia, who played FGM to Zosia's character in a skit we did recently for Ken and Marta's wedding (Zosia played Marta, while Patrizia was the FGM, helping her on her quest for love). Patrizia was also perfect because she is a great photographer, and Zosia would not think twice about Pat taking photos along the way - THANKS PATRIZIA FOR THE PHOTOS!!! Iza, Alan, Andy, Dorota, and Noemi also generously agreed to help in any way possible, and I explained the plan only a few days before the big day. I didn't want to risk the surprise being leaked. I didn't even tell Zosia's brother and mom my intention; I simply asked them to meet me before the quest, and I would explain. It was really hard not to tell people - I obviously wanted it to be a surprise, but I also wanted to tell the world.
The Set-up
Now that the plan was in place, I needed a way to set it up. How could I start her on her journey? On Zosia's birthday (April 21st), we stopped by a shop and I casually purchased a Kinder Surprise egg. Of course, her choco-radar noticed it, so I knew she would inevitably ask me for a bite. When she wasn't looking, I hid the new egg in my bag and pulled out the one in which I had already put the first clue the day before; so now I was holding Fixed Egg #1. Her inability to resist chocolate played perfectly into my hands, and within 3 seconds, she asked for some. I gave it to her, and she told me how much it reminded me of her childhood. She devoured half of it without breathing, almost eating the capsule which held the clue.
Please try not to eat the plastic...
She was a bit disappointed not to find a toy, so she read the paper, which wished her a happy birthday. It told her to show up the next day at a specified time and location, and this totally confused her. She couldn't understand how the Kinder egg knew it was her birthday! I knew her reaction would be priceless, so I filmed it.
Part 1: Zosia explains how Kinder Surprises bring her back to childhood
Part 2: Zosia opens the egg and confusion ensues
Part 3: Zosia tries to explain it to Ken
Part 4: Still trying to wrap her head around it
That evening, we played mini-golf with a few friends for her birthday, and she was still confused. She told the story to everyone and eventually became convinced that there might be some Kinder flash mob or commercial being filmed the next day, and that she was invited (and it only included people with birthdays on the previous day, and who could read English - sorry for those little Polish kids who didn't get a toy and instead got some paper in a language they couldn't read!). She spent some time that night Googling "Kinder Surprise commercial in Warsaw" but didn't find anything. Ironically she found a video on how to open chocolate eggs and to re-seal them using a lighter to melt the chocolate so the pieces stick back together. I wish I'd thought of that!
The next morning (April 22nd - I'm writing it here so I don't forget), I checked that everything was in place; at the bar where I'd give her the final egg, at the restaurant where we'd have the after party (where her surprise birthday party had already been planned), that Zosia was ready to be in a Kinder commercial, and that our guest from London was on her way. Our dear Iza, who just moved to London, flew back to Warsaw for the day to share the moment with us. Her involvement, along with all the others, made this day one that we'll cherish forever.
The Quest
Everyone met me in Karmnik about an hour before Zosia was meant to start her scavenger hunt. They helped to keep me relaxed with small talk, hugs, and a couple drinks, while we went over the plan. Everyone was so willing to play their parts, even those who had to dress in some attention-grabbing costumes. Doremi suggested a change to my original plan, which made it even better. These girls always have creative ideas!
This was also the time to tell Zosia's mom and brother why I asked them to come. Until this moment, they thought they were helping plan Zosia's surprise birthday party later that day. So I explained to them in mixed English-Polish, that I wanted to ask Zosia to marry me. Her mom paused for a few seconds, so I wasn't sure if I had said the right thing in Polish! Tomek asked her if she understood, she nodded and a tear appeared in her eye. I had to assume it was a tear of happiness, otherwise the hug that I gave her would have been really awkward. I honestly think that was the hardest part of the night. Of course, I knew they would be supportive and happy, but I can't explain how relieved I was to finally tell them.
The rest of the story is quite long, and since I was not with Zosia during the quest, I asked the team involved to write a few words.
There's no commercial...
Zosia went to the meeting spot, which was written in the egg she received the previous day, and Patrizia intercepted her in her Fairy Godmother costume. She gave Zosia the news that there was no commercial, but that I was missing, and they had to find me.
The quest begins...and Zosia's mouth is full of chocolate
Patrizia: "17.20, in from of the Presidential Palace. Ok, she is supposed to come at 17.30. Shall I wear already the wig or wait? How will this armed guard just nearby me react to a nice lady (me) dressed like a silver fairy godmother, taking out of the purse a white wig and wear it in front of the Presidential Palace? Uh. Well let's try. Cannot risk Zosia sees me without it. So I take out the wig and when I bend the head to wear it, I cross the eyes of the astonished soldier. Ok, ok. So let's take a step back and explain. "Poczekam na koleżanka. One bierze ślub". Technically speaking it's not correct, she will say YES (or NO) only in an hour or so... but this seems a door opening, the guy relaxes, decides I am not dangerous (well, mistake, man!) and leaves me alone. Lessons learned from the 10-15 minutes I was standing in front of the Presidential Palace waiting for Zosia dressed as a fairy godmother.... no one seemed to notice. Dorota-Mermaid and her splendid dress-undress had a bigger success in the Old Market Square. Tristan, let's talk about how you give roles next time you get engaged. Ah sorry, fair enough, no next time 😉
Well, anyhow, I am there, Zosia comes and finally sees me. Her eyes blank out. This must be her neurons making the effort of connecting dots and not managing. She tells me it's like this since yesterday, she does not know what's going on, it's like a dream, and there was a kinder egg, and it was empty, and now again, another egg and it's empty, another message... big, big excitement!!!
Aaaahhhhh.... this will be fun, I think. Staying with Zosia all the time today and being exposed to such an enormous dose of genuine surprise and vivid curiosity and unarmed happiness will be a resource of energy for the months to come 🙂
And so it was. Stay tuned and read how it goes on..."
Look for Tristan in his favorite bar
The next clue told her that I was missing, and she should look for me in my favorite bar. Of course, she knows that it's Głębokie Gardło, where I have my name on a plaque on the wall. It's also the place where she first met Iza. So it was fitting to have Iza waiting there with the next egg.
Iza: "When Trizzie messaged me revealing what the super secret plan for the already secret party was I got my flights straight away. Got to the secret meeting location for the super secret within the secret party straight from the airport and (knowing all the even more secret details) got myself prepared for a complete spontaneous emotional disintegration of Zosia.
I think she had already realized she was not taking part in the Kinder Surprise advert by the time she got to GG, which was the first checkpoint on her treasure hunt. I had taken a strategic spot at one of the high tables, my back facing the door (just to make it a bit trickier, sorry Z😉 ) and my face facing the glass wall so giving me a nice cheeky peak at who was walking in. So me , 3 shots wisniowka (1 for Z, one for the Fairy Godmother Patrizia and one for myself) and a kinder surprise with further directions were patiently waiting for the girls to show up. I saw them walking in. Z sat right behind me and then I heard “This girl looks like Iza form behind!” (though I am not sure if this was Z making this comment or Patrizia giving Z hints). Also not sure how the kinder surprise in a shot glass did not give me away. Think Z was still a little confused about what was actually going on. Anyways, after giggling to myself for a good minute Z (with some serious hints from Patrizia) finally realized it was me and not my look-alike sitting at that table. That was it. Complete spontaneous emotional disintegration of Z number 1 of the eve (I believe) and poor thing had no idea what was yet to come. After a lot of “OhMyGodWhatAreYouDoingHereYouAreInLondon” (just imagine it said on one breath, real fast, and in an overly excited high pitch voice) and some serious hugs, taken by this surprise, Z did not even object taking a whole shot of wisniowka. And off she was, looking for a mighty warrior near the castle who was supposed to help her find Trizzie."
Shocked to see Iza!
After a shot and another chocolate egg...
Defeat the mighty warrior
That mighty warrior is Andy. Andy and I have run with a charity organization called "Spartanie Dzieciom", when we dress like spartans and do various running races. So, Andy already had the outfit. He waited in front of the Warsaw castle, with tourists wondering if he was going to put on some kind of show. To help reduce his level of shame, he wore sunglasses under his helmet, because that's what hip spartans do. Once found, Zosia had to defeat him in a sword fight, and if so, she'd get the next egg.
Andy: "Standing outside the royal castle in Warsaw's old town I was still recovering from a cold, but warmed up by a couple of whisky cocktails and ready for my battle with the fair princess Zosienka. The spartan uniform of cape, helmet, shield, crotch, shin and forearm guards didn't provide much cover and certainly got a lot of attention in the old town square.
I am kind of shy and standing bare chested with a red cape in the middle of the most visited site of Warsaw at 6pm on a Saturday is not a place to shy away from strangers. At the same time there is no way on earth I was going to miss the chance to be a part of Tristan and Zosia's romantic chocolate themed treasure hunt. Also, Tristan promised me that if I beat Zosia in a stick fight I'd get to keep the diamond ring.
After what seemed like forever, but was probably 10 minutes, Zosia and her Italian fairy godmother turned up looking for a warrior to help. But she didn't recognize me at first, because of my superhuman physique, or maybe because I was wearing sunglasses under my helmet. I offered to give her more information on the condition that she beat me in a battle.
Zosia seemed more than just a little confused by this time and I'm not sure if she didn't really want to win, she had no idea what was going on, or just being Zosia didn't want to harm a fly ... or a mighty Spartan warrior like me. Despite putting down some of my best street fighting moves, she defeated me and got the next clue leading her to a Pizza Hut across the road.
I walked them over for the next challenge then went to meet the rest of team "Let's Get Tristan And Zosia Engaged" ("Leg Tazer", as I secretly called us).
On the way over I was mocked and pointed at. One child actually booed me and gave me the thumbs down. He told me in Polish "Spartans didn't wear glasses". Maybe the sunglasses were unnecessary after all, but I didn't care. I was just happy to have been able to take part in the coolest engagement of the sweetest couple."
After she realizes it's Andy
Epic battle - with a tourist taking photos
Pizza my heart
Alan was waiting in Pizza Hut, the restaurant to which I agreed with Zosia I would go with her once and only once in my life. She still hasn't redeemed this once in a lifetime offer, so I thought she'd appreciate one extra trip there. Plus, Alan and Zosia have a history of devouring giant pizzas after our Thursday fitness training, so a pizza eating competition was Z's next challenge. On this day, she'd be able to savagely eat some Pizza Hut and still have one trip left for later.
Alan: "My part in this story involved something that both Zosia and I get really excited about - food! Or more specifically, eating pizza 🙂 I went to Pizza Hut in the old town and waited for Zosia. The biggest challenge for me was to make sure that the pizza arrived in time for when Zosia showed up. Once I heard from Iza that Zosia had made it to the second point on her quest, I ordered the best pizza I could find on the menu, prosciutto and rucola on a thin Italian base - mmmm. Now I just had to wait...
Really soon (too soon) after that, I heard she'd defeated Andy the Spartan in battle and was just a few hundred metres away. But the pizza still wasn't there... A few minutes later Zosia shows up with her fairy godmother Patrizia, and goes "Alan, what are you doing here?!?". She was so confused and happy it was adorable. She sat down (still no pizza...) and explained chaotically what had been happening, that she'd seen Iza, there was supposed to be a commercial, said "what's going on??!!?" a few times and then that she can't find Tristan. At this point the pizza finally (to me it seemed to take forever) showed up. So I told her if she wants to find out where Tris is, she has to beat me in a pizza eating contest! We both took our slices, counted down and attacked the food!! Before I could really get started Zosia had managed to stuff the whole thing into her mouth and was grinning 🙂
Disappointed to lose, but happy for Zosia, I gave her the next clue, we exchanged half of a kinder egg for a slice of pizza, and off she went, leaving me with the rest of the pizza 🙂"
Probably Zosia's favorite challenge of the day
After giving Alan his first defeat in a food competition, they read the next clue
The Little Mermaid
The next stop was to seek help from the symbol of Warsaw - the mermaid. There is a statue of the mermaid in the Old Town square, which is where she headed, but to her surprise, she encountered a fisherman (Noemi). I have to give a lot of credit to the girls for their creativity with the situation and the costumes (and according to tradition, Noemi bought a full-on costume, which she returned to Decathlon the next day).
Dorota: "Doremi aka the Fisherwoman (Noemi) and Mermaid (Dorota) were waiting for Zosia at the main square of the Old Town where the famous Mermaid of Warsaw sculpture is located. At first they didn't get that much attention despite the flashing pink tail of the Mermaid and a huge net that the Fisherwoman was carrying. It's probably because the Mermaid's boobs were still hidden under a jacket. But that was soon to change... When Doremi got info from Alan that Zosia was on her way all the fun began! Doremi separated. The Fisherwoman started walking around the area where Zosia was about to appear from. With her oversized fisherman outfit and rain boots (and I mean REAAALLY oversized) and a huge net, she looked hilarious! To make it even funnier she started screaming "net for a mermaid, net for a mermaid, only 5 zloty"! Yep, she really did. People were smiling and laughing, some Spanish tourists approached her and she explained to them what was exactly happening. They were really impressed to hear that it was all part of an engagement scavenger hunt! When Zosia and the Fairy Godmother showed up they obviously couldn't stop laughing too, but the Fisherwoman explained to Zosia in a very serious voice that her task is now to catch the Mermaid in the net... but make sure it's a live mermaid so that she wouldn't start harassing this very important sculpture (wouldn't be cool if she got arrested on her bday). Zosia was very concerned and said: "but mermaids don't exist ANY MORE"! But after a few moments she noticed a pink, flashing and very alive mermaid sitting on the bench in the corner of the square. By that time the Mermaid was already fully prepared: jacket off (ouch - cold), breasts out, funny pose! Noises all around, screaming, laughing, clapping hands... but the Mermaid didn't pay attention to any of that as she was already in a survival mode - Zosia was approaching with a huge net! The Mermaid started running (I mean swimming) around the square, there was applause and even more laughter but wait... why was Zosia not running after the Mermaid? Yep, there she was bent in half and laughing too! The Fisherwoman and the Fairy Godmother had to push her a little to actually try and catch the Mermaid who by that time almost did a 5k run with lots of cheering around! But finally she was inside the net! Doremi didn't want to let Zosia leave that easily though - after lots of hugs and kisses she got a question to answer about where she met Doremi. Of course that was Crossfit class so Zosia's last task was to do some sqauts, lunges and jumping jacks before she could get another egg that led her to the next station."
Meeting the fisherman, while still holding some pizza
Chasing the mermaid!
Got her!
We're going to the cinema
The next egg led her to my old apartment, where another surprise awaited: her mom, her brother, Tomek, and Tomek's girlfriend Weronika. They had told Zosia they were going to a movie, so Zosia was doubly confused. Her mom played the role perfectly, saying that it was true, that it was nice to see her, but they had to go or they'd be late. But first they gave the final clue, which led Zosia to the place where she and I first met.
Tomek: "Zosia was very surprised. She didn't even notice the paper ring in the last Kinder egg before she met Tristan in Karmnik. She said to me: "What you doing here?" and after she saw our mum and Weronika, she was shocked but happy. We told her we were going to the cinema so we had to go. She surprisingly only ate half of the chocolate egg!"
Tomek on his way to a movie
Her mom helping with the next clue
Where we first met
As all of this was happening, I simply waited in Karmnik for Zosia to finish. Each person posted updates on where Zosia was, with photos, and I was so happy that I shed some tears. Crying, sitting alone in a bar...it was probably not a good sight. I was happy that Zosia seemed to be having an amazing time with the quest, happy that we could share it with our friends, and for the moments to come. In a couple hours there was going to be a surprise birthday party for her at Jack's Cinema, but none of the guests knew what was happening...so I posted a photo and explained that hopefully the birthday party would turn into more than that. I was so excited that I had to wipe more tears from my face. Their supportive reaction and comments to my post only made me happier.
When Zosia arrived, I was ready. Kind of. I had rehearsed the words a dozen times, but I wasn't sure how to get down on one knee. We had an elevated table in the window, which is where we sat together on our first date, but it wasn't convenient to get down on one knee! I had to awkwardly jump down to the floor, and ask her to get down as well, otherwise I wouldn't be able to reach her. I practiced a few times, and it wasn't smooth at all. Plus, was I supposed to hold the ring in my hand when I ask? Or put it on her finger? Or just hold her hand while she holds the ring? I should have paid more attention in those dumb romantic comedy films. Before I could Google the protocol, she ran into the bar, spotted me and started telling me everything that she had seen in the last hour. "Iza was here! We have to go back to Glebokie Gardlo! And there was Andy, we were fighting, and I ate pizza with Alan, actually two pieces! And Dorota is almost NAKED in the square! And my mom and Tomek are here, and....WHAT IS GOING ON!!??" This was all without taking a breath.
If it's awkward to hug someone when they're in this elevated seat - it will be awkward to get down on one knee!
I asked her to sit at the table with me, and in typical Zosia fashion, she was thinking about Patrizia. There wasn't a seat for Patrizia, and Zosia was worried! Patrizia didn't want to sit, so she could take some photos, but I couldn't exactly tell Zosia "I'm about to propose, so Patrizia can't sit with us". She spent a few minutes telling me about the quest, and all the chocolate she ate, and that she wanted everyone to be together right now. I gave her all of the small toys that were replaced by clues in the eggs she had already found, and she was happy to finally have them. I thought it was the right time to give her the final egg. Since she had already found me, there were no more "clues" or challenges. So I offered to give her the final egg in exchange for the small toys that were in the previous eggs. But even though the final egg was bigger than the others, she said "NO, I want to keep the toys!" Uh oh. She looked at the big egg longingly, and I could tell she was considering some negotiation tactics. She was willing to give 3 of the toys in exchange for the big egg, and I agreed. She grabbed the egg, shook it violently like it was a martini, expecting to hear the toy inside. I gripped the table in trepidation, knowing the ring WAS packaged nicely in that egg, but not sure what was happening to it in that moment, trying to keep a smile on my face. She finally opened it, but the bunny who was holding the ring was flipped upside down, so he wasn't dramatically presenting the ring like I had planned.
Some serious negotiations...
Shaking the last egg
The final prize
It took a moment before she realized what it was. When I told her it was my mom's ring, she couldn't keep the tears in. I tried to keep my composure as well, and told a small joke. It was time to get down on my knee. I jumped down, asked her to stand next to me, and asked the question. I don't remember exactly what I said, and I don't even know if she ever said "yes", but everyone in the bar started clapping, she hugged and kissed me, and I guess that meant we're engaged!! I couldn't have been happier. The bartender sent us glasses of champagne to celebrate. The same bartender we had on that first day.
Finally realizing what is happening
Not so awkward after all
Within 2 minutes of saying "yes," she is eating a smore
The others were waiting in the bar next door, so I messaged them to come over, and we celebrated with more drinks (Jay sent a bottle of bubbly from London), shared some laughs and hugs, and took a few photos.
Hugs for the family
Some bubbly from Jay
Showing off the ring
I'm forever grateful to these guys
Zosia didn't know, but we still had to head over to the "official" birthday party. She thought we were just going for some dinner at Jack's Cinema, but when 20 people jumped out from the behind the curtains, she freaked out for the 10th time that day. It was the final surprise on an amazing day, and looking at her smile, I knew I would be happy for the rest of my life.
One final, beautiful surprise
