Making Her Wishes Come True: Surprise Proposal Trip!

[golf4miami]

I JUST got this email from the Wild Africa Trek people. It should give you some insight as to how I'm going to be pulling this off. I'm very excited about this opportunity! As of today I have 170 days left to go.

A WILD wedding proposal!
Here at the Wild Africa Trek we are always looking for you to have a memorable experience. If you are looking to ask that big question we would love to help you in any way we can. Included below is an outline of what the trek would look like and how we can help you make your big moment run as smoothly as possible. The rest is up to you!
Day of trek:

• Arrive about 20 minutes prior to trek arrival. We are located right next to the entrance of Kilimanjaro Safaris. This will begin your check-in process.

o We will ask you to use the restroom prior to your trek experience- this is a great opportunity to send your partner away if you need to discuss anything final with us without them overhearing your plans.

• We will have to stow all of your loose personal items in a locker. This includes all tickets, cell phones, wallets, etc. You are permitted sunglasses, hats, and a camera. Of course you may need to have something special with you (ie ring, etc). We ask that the trek guides carry this in their gear bag so it will not fall out of your pocket and become the next crocodile snack. We will help you get it to us discreetly and hopefully avoid it being seen. We have successfully done this numerous times, however if you would like to discuss it with us please don’t hesitate to give our office a call and we can walk you through it.

• Your trek experience will begin and you will trek for about 2 hours before you have an opportunity for the big moment. The best location we have for you to pop the question is at our Boma Platform. This is the rest stop for the trek with fantastic views of the savannah and wildlife. Please see attached photos to get an idea of what it looks like.

o We have 2 spaces for the moment depending on how private you would like it, or depending on the animals you might want to see:

 Main platform- best view of elephant, giraffe, antelope
 Boardwalk- best view of potential rhinos, big cats, ostrich

**Keep in mind they are wild animals and may move about
**We can make either private by having one guide pull the rest of the guests to the opposite area. Or, if you don’t care we won’t worry about it. This is totally to your discretion, just make sure to discuss with your guides prior.

• Your Boma experience is about 30-45 minutes in length. Feel free to ask the big question anytime in that amount of time. Most people ask first thing which allows for plenty of time to celebrate on the Boma. Whenever is right for you.

• We have some special touches we can add. We just need to know if you are interested in advance:

o Champagne toasts
o Desert surprise of some kind (determined by kitchen day of)
o Just Engaged buttons
o Photos and potential video of proposal- all photos are included in your package. We don’t normally take video but if you would like it we can take it for you and include it in your package.

That concludes the Wild Africa Trek Experience. Please give us a call if you would like to discuss any details and special arrangements. We would love to help you make your moment as magical as possible.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

That email makes me so excited for you. Just remember we will want to hear every last detail of the proposal when you write your TR!!!!

 

[letthewookiewin]

After reading the email they sent you, I am even more excited for you!! I'm excited enough about our trip, but I really can't wait to hear how the proposal goes (although I am sure it will go off smoothly and will be very magical).

 

[indimom]

I JUST got this email from the Wild Africa Trek people. It should give you some insight as to how I'm going to be pulling this off. I'm very excited about this opportunity! As of today I have 170 days left to go.

A WILD wedding proposal!
Here at the Wild Africa Trek we are always looking for you to have a memorable experience. If you are looking to ask that big question we would love to help you in any way we can. Included below is an outline of what the trek would look like and how we can help you make your big moment run as smoothly as possible. The rest is up to you!
Day of trek:

• Arrive about 20 minutes prior to trek arrival. We are located right next to the entrance of Kilimanjaro Safaris. This will begin your check-in process.

o We will ask you to use the restroom prior to your trek experience- this is a great opportunity to send your partner away if you need to discuss anything final with us without them overhearing your plans.

• We will have to stow all of your loose personal items in a locker. This includes all tickets, cell phones, wallets, etc. You are permitted sunglasses, hats, and a camera. Of course you may need to have something special with you (ie ring, etc). We ask that the trek guides carry this in their gear bag so it will not fall out of your pocket and become the next crocodile snack. We will help you get it to us discreetly and hopefully avoid it being seen. We have successfully done this numerous times, however if you would like to discuss it with us please don’t hesitate to give our office a call and we can walk you through it.

• Your trek experience will begin and you will trek for about 2 hours before you have an opportunity for the big moment. The best location we have for you to pop the question is at our Boma Platform. This is the rest stop for the trek with fantastic views of the savannah and wildlife. Please see attached photos to get an idea of what it looks like.

o We have 2 spaces for the moment depending on how private you would like it, or depending on the animals you might want to see:

 Main platform- best view of elephant, giraffe, antelope
 Boardwalk- best view of potential rhinos, big cats, ostrich

**Keep in mind they are wild animals and may move about
**We can make either private by having one guide pull the rest of the guests to the opposite area. Or, if you don’t care we won’t worry about it. This is totally to your discretion, just make sure to discuss with your guides prior.

• Your Boma experience is about 30-45 minutes in length. Feel free to ask the big question anytime in that amount of time. Most people ask first thing which allows for plenty of time to celebrate on the Boma. Whenever is right for you.

• We have some special touches we can add. We just need to know if you are interested in advance:

o Champagne toasts
o Desert surprise of some kind (determined by kitchen day of)
o Just Engaged buttons
o Photos and potential video of proposal- all photos are included in your package. We don’t normally take video but if you would like it we can take it for you and include it in your package.

That concludes the Wild Africa Trek Experience. Please give us a call if you would like to discuss any details and special arrangements. We would love to help you make your moment as magical as possible.

So EXCITING! This is going to be amazing! Only 169 days now, right??

After reading the email they sent you, I am even more excited for you!! I'm excited enough about our trip, but I really can't wait to hear how the proposal goes (although I am sure it will go off smoothly and will be very magical).

I just had to say, love the username!

 

[letthewookiewin]

I just had to say, love the username!

Thank you. It's my favorite line from a movie.

 

[Happy Duck]

Ahhh, that sounds wonderful! Just don't make yourself go crazy....she probably won't even remember if there was a single animal in sight at the time! And don't drop the ring to the crocodiles. That's an important tip

 

[golf4miami]

Ahhh, that sounds wonderful! Just don't make yourself go crazy....she probably won't even remember if there was a single animal in sight at the time! And don't drop the ring to the crocodiles. That's an important tip

I'm already making myself go crazy! I'm 100% ready for summer to be here and for this trip to come. They say to not wish your life away waiting for some event in the future to happen, but I'm having a hard time not doing that right now considering we have the Mumford and Sons tickets and then Disney right after! Not dropping the rings to the alligators is exactly why they have to hold onto it during the Trek.

That email makes me so excited for you. Just remember we will want to hear every last detail of the proposal when you write your TR!!!!

Don't worry, I know I have a following and they will be rewarded after the trip is over with all of the details!

After reading the email they sent you, I am even more excited for you!! I'm excited enough about our trip, but I really can't wait to hear how the proposal goes (although I am sure it will go off smoothly and will be very magical).

The email got me really pumped up about it too. I'm really hope it goes smoothly and I don't fumble over words or anything, although I'm guessing I will.

So EXCITING! This is going to be amazing! Only 169 days now, right??

As of today, 167!

Small Update
I got the tickets in the mail today!!!!!!

Also, I had a small scare last night when she told me that her professional program instructor basically told her that she wouldn't be allowed to take any time off school unless you were either dying, or someone in your family was. My head began to reel and I was worried the trip would have to be called off. Then, we found out that she will get 3 personal days to take during the semester! TRIP BACK ON! But for a few minutes there I was facing not going and was extremely upset.

 

[indimom]

I'm already making myself go crazy! I'm 100% ready for summer to be here and for this trip to come. They say to not wish your life away waiting for some event in the future to happen, but I'm having a hard time not doing that right now considering we have the Mumford and Sons tickets and then Disney right after! Not dropping the rings to the alligators is exactly why they have to hold onto it during the Trek.



Don't worry, I know I have a following and they will be rewarded after the trip is over with all of the details!



The email got me really pumped up about it too. I'm really hope it goes smoothly and I don't fumble over words or anything, although I'm guessing I will.



As of today, 167!

Small Update
I got the tickets in the mail today!!!!!!

Also, I had a small scare last night when she told me that her professional program instructor basically told her that she wouldn't be allowed to take any time off school unless you were either dying, or someone in your family was. My head began to reel and I was worried the trip would have to be called off. Then, we found out that she will get 3 personal days to take during the semester! TRIP BACK ON! But for a few minutes there I was facing not going and was extremely upset.

I bet for a second there, you were like


Soooo glad to hear that your trip is still on!

 

[golf4miami]

I bet for a second there, you were like


Soooo glad to hear that your trip is still on!

Yea for a minute there I was about to just go crazy. I was inches away from giving it up and basically saying, "But we have plans for September!" Luckily I kept my cool and was able to be calmed down when we checked out the handbook and saw the line about personal days.

 

[letthewookiewin]

The email got me really pumped up about it too. I'm really hope it goes smoothly and I don't fumble over words or anything, although I'm guessing I will.

Even if you do fumble over every word, it won't matter. I bet you anything while you are actually asking she's going to be thinking, "omg, omg, omg, omg," and "yes, yes, yes, yes" while she's waiting to hear the actual "Will you marry me words", so she can tell you yes.

Also, I had a small scare last night when she told me that her professional program instructor basically told her that she wouldn't be allowed to take any time off school unless you were either dying, or someone in your family was. My head began to reel and I was worried the trip would have to be called off. Then, we found out that she will get 3 personal days to take during the semester! TRIP BACK ON! But for a few minutes there I was facing not going and was extremely upset.

I would have been like . I'm glad it worked out though. At my school you only get one day off, and on the second you are kicked from the class. You can get back into the class, but you have to fill out this form, and talk get it ok'd by the professor, and then talk to someone (in person) at the admin office. Only after the professor and the person in the admin office have ok'd it are you allowed back into the class. Then again each one of my classes only goes for 8 weeks, so that might be the reason.

 

[golf4miami]

Even if you do fumble over every word, it won't matter. I bet you anything while you are actually asking she's going to be thinking, "omg, omg, omg, omg," and "yes, yes, yes, yes" while she's waiting to hear the actual "Will you marry me words", so she can tell you yes.

I have a feeling you're right, but that doesn't make me any less nervous.

I would have been like . I'm glad it worked out though. At my school you only get one day off, and on the second you are kicked from the class. You can get back into the class, but you have to fill out this form, and talk get it ok'd by the professor, and then talk to someone (in person) at the admin office. Only after the professor and the person in the admin office have ok'd it are you allowed back into the class. Then again each one of my classes only goes for 8 weeks, so that might be the reason.

Here classes are full semesters long so missing a day here or there really isn't that big of a deal. However, she's moving into her professional sequence so the regulations as far as missing goes gets a bit more strict. I'm just glad we were able to figure it out without me giving away the fact that I wanted to look them up (it was her idea).

On another note. 165 days!

 

[kerrbear]

I'm just jumping in here, I've caught up to this point and I'm so excited for you guys!! I love your idea of proposing at Disney and I'm loving that we get to share in the planning of it with you. I can't wait to hear all about it in your TR!

 

[SuperNEMOfan]

Joining in! My bf and I will be there at the same time. The ring is lovely excited to see if you can keep it a secret until the end. I know I couldn't

 

[disneylove94]

Just now joining in, but definitely cannot wait to be filled in on how the whole proposal/trip goes!

 

[golf4miami]

I'm just jumping in here, I've caught up to this point and I'm so excited for you guys!! I love your idea of proposing at Disney and I'm loving that we get to share in the planning of it with you. I can't wait to hear all about it in your TR!

Thanks. To be honest, she wasn't sure how much she would like Disney before we went last time, but I could tell as long as the crowds weren't too high that she liked it. Pretty much every day now it seems like she's finding something Disney to comment on too which makes me more excited since she has NO idea what's coming. Especially since she's turned into a fan herself.

Joining in! My bf and I will be there at the same time. The ring is lovely excited to see if you can keep it a secret until the end. I know I couldn't

That's exciting that you guys will be down there during the same time! It's nice hearing from people who will be. Keeping the secret has been one of the hardest things I have had to do so far. I used to be REALLY bad at ruining surprises I had in store for her, but so far so good this time.

 

[SuperNEMOfan]

That's what makes following this even more fun! Knowing we are counting down to the same time and when you are proposing to her in AK we will be starting to drink around the world!

 

[kerrbear]

We are a Disney family. My DH had never been, so the first time we brought our kids, it was also his first time! Leading up to the trip he was sort of nonchalant about it, but now he loves it as much as I do! We're tentatively planning a trip back over Christmas vacation this year. I love that your gf is mentioning Disney to you all the time, she's going to be Psyched when you surprise her with the trip and then the proposal!!

 

[letthewookiewin]

On another note. 165 days!

WOO HOO!! Us too!!

 

[indimom]

Thanks. To be honest, she wasn't sure how much she would like Disney before we went last time, but I could tell as long as the crowds weren't too high that she liked it. Pretty much every day now it seems like she's finding something Disney to comment on too which makes me more excited since she has NO idea what's coming. Especially since she's turned into a fan herself.



That's exciting that you guys will be down there during the same time! It's nice hearing from people who will be. Keeping the secret has been one of the hardest things I have had to do so far. I used to be REALLY bad at ruining surprises I had in store for her, but so far so good this time.

The secrets are hard, aren't they? I find myself wanting to tell the kids so I can finally talk about it out in the open. But, I know they will be sooo surprised, if I can just hold my tongue for a few more months. Somebody gag me.

We are a Disney family. My DH had never been, so the first time we brought our kids, it was also his first time! Leading up to the trip he was sort of nonchalant about it, but now he loves it as much as I do! We're tentatively planning a trip back over Christmas vacation this year. I love that your gf is mentioning Disney to you all the time, she's going to be Psyched when you surprise her with the trip and then the proposal!!

Dh was the same way on our first trip. He was just going "for the kids" as a "one time thing." Ha Ha! He loved it. He's just as excited as I am about this upcoming trip! It just makes it that much more special when I know the entire family is having a great time!

 

[golf4miami]

I have been neglecting this thread for a couple reasons and kind of on purpose. One is that the more I'm on here the more I'm just ready for that day to come and it's going to kill me watching that ticker go down slowly, one day at a time.

The other is that I've got pretty much everything planned out that I can right now and I REALLY don't want to start over thinking and changing things when I'm happy with where they are now.

I apologize to all of my followers for the slow replies. It might be like this for a bit until it gets closer and I can start really gearing up for the trip.

That's what makes following this even more fun! Knowing we are counting down to the same time and when you are proposing to her in AK we will be starting to drink around the world!

I'm glad you are enjoying following me. I plan on having us drink at least partially around the world on our trip too so you'll have clear a path for us!

We are a Disney family. My DH had never been, so the first time we brought our kids, it was also his first time! Leading up to the trip he was sort of nonchalant about it, but now he loves it as much as I do! We're tentatively planning a trip back over Christmas vacation this year. I love that your gf is mentioning Disney to you all the time, she's going to be Psyched when you surprise her with the trip and then the proposal!!

The first time we went, even at the end of it, she was saying how it was fun but that she didn't know how often she would want to return. A few months later though she started mentioning that she wouldn't mind going back. Now it's more like a "well we need to go back sometime!" Which is awesome because I was seriously worried that she wouldn't ever want to return.

The secrets are hard, aren't they? I find myself wanting to tell the kids so I can finally talk about it out in the open. But, I know they will be sooo surprised, if I can just hold my tongue for a few more months. Somebody gag me.

EXACTLY! I want to tell her so bad so that she can get excited for the trip and to also clear the way for our plans and not having to worry about things interfering. I just know though if I can keep my mouth shut, the payout will be MORE than worth it. I just want it here NOW!


REAL LIFE UPDATE
Hannah just had an interview at University of Cincinnati to try and get into their radiology program. They are only taking 14 students out of the 40 they interviewed. Not only that, but they had to whittle it down to 40 from the hundreds they had apply. It was an honor for her just to be able to interview, but we are both REALLY wanting her to get into this program so that she can stay close to me instead of going back to Michigan for school (5 hours away).

In other news, we are 158 days away and I'm only $500 away from reaching my savings goal for the trip! This will be huge in allowing me to finally start saving for a replacement car for the old rundown Saturn I have now.