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Published: August 7th 2007
To all our friends and family on both sides of the Pacific, who are anxiously awaiting the details from the 'Witnesses', this is the way Jacqui remembers it (with help from Lucas' memory reserves):
Jake's 30th Birthday - 26th March 2007 - Engagement day!!!!
After a full-day traveling from Chang Mai to Railey Beach (2 hr flight to Bangkok - layover 4 hours - 1.5 h flight to Krabi - 30 min taxi to Ao Nang - 20 min boat ride to Railey beach) we arrive at our Railey Bay Resort and Spa (a birthday present from me to Lucas and Jake! no connection with the engagement as I had no idea - though pretty great location for an engagement!).
We rejuvenate in the pool with much needed Singha and Chang and proceed to start the festivites for Jake's birthday debauchery! We order pizza (Alexis' favourite), order more beers and get ready to celebrate Jake turning 30! (or so thats what we thought!)....
Of course, I had barraged Jake for the previous 4 days with questions like "how do you feel about turning 30?", "no, Jake, how do you REALLY feel?" and our beloved Jake would say
Set the scene #1
Beachfront below the famous Railay limestone cliffs"really really good" and then lapse into intense, brooding silences - non typical of our Jake - especially on vacation.
so... Jake exits the pool a little while before sunset and gets lost for quite some time (who knows where he is - i thought - maybe he is having a harder time than he realises turning 30...) but alas he returns with a bottle of Deutz champagne! I think "wow" what a gentleman bringing champagne for the girls for HIS 30th.
So with the white sand beach and the famous soaring Railay limestone cliffs framing the most amazing sunset we sit down for pizza and champagne. I endeavour to take some photos to capture this amazing moment (see 'set the scene' photos #1 and #2) (unbeknownst to me that Jake is thinking hurry up Jacqui no photos!!!) and then... Jake stuns Alexis (let alone Lucas and I!) with words that came out of nowhere and went something like this... "Lucas and Jacqui, I wanted you two to be present when I ask Alexis to marry me...".
The pizza falls out of Alexis's mouth (literally), Lucas and I look at each other and back at Alexis and
Set the scene #2
Sunset, pizza, champagne, good friends Jake - trying to figure out if we heard right - and we wait with baited breath as to Jake's next move!
A movie-like ambiance falls over us and tears start to roll as Jake professes his unconditional love for Alexis (quote: 10,000 times more love for Alexis than for his friends and family - we decide to overlook this math and our resulting status), his path to becoming a jewellery maker via the hallowed halls of the Santa Rosa Junior College, and a bunch of other stuff (he was rambling and no one was really listening due to the harsh glare of the diamonds on the ring he had been designing for the past 5 months!!! What a guy!). The photos tell the emotions of beautiful Alexis.
We sat their frozen - if we said anything we might ruin the moment, if we left them alone our exit would be awkward, if we took pictures we would be paparazzi. We decided on the latter course of action as it is important for the historical integrity of this famous travelblog! There was an American couple right next to us with a young daughter and son who were equally
in shock, and soon the whole beach went through the process of whispering, staring, then breaking out into smiles and congratulations as the word spread like wildfire across the tiny beach. She said yes, of course, and the newly engaged couple walked off into the sunset, with paparazzi Lucas sneakily chasing them with his camera on video setting. We celebrated that evening and every night of the trip thereafter in grand style.
Perhaps one of the most surreal, amazing, and shocking moments of our lives, to see our best friends get engaged in front of us. Congratulations Jake and Alexis! May you continue living the life of your dreams!
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Hayley
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What a beautiful story!!!
That is the most beautiful engagement I have ever heard!!! Jacqui - you write so beautifully too!!