Katrina Gwynne-Jones

(First of all, I am not good at telling stories, but this is my story.)

I first met my husband in the month of August 2001, and then lo’ and behold, he proposed me the following February 2002; and ever since then we don’t do the “normality” chocoloate/teddy bear Valentine thing on the 14th. As we have our own “special night” on the 2nd of February. He knew then that I have a thing with number and I knew he have terrible memory with number, so that date was pretty much (and still is) special in itself, for us.

Well, how did it all started out – my darling Joe have planned it all out, the Christmas before that February. He have booked us that room 16 at Portobello Hotel & then hid the booking reference in a present that I was not to open till Christmas day. (And for anybody who did not know me, is that I am terrible when it comes to my surprises; because I would determinedly sneak high and low for it. Joe was good because little did I knew then, that he would hid it, inside another present.) ;

Come Christmas Day, I was ecstatic to find that he have booked us into this fabulous boho bijou Rock n’ Roll Portobello Hotel (because I had read out to Joe, the summer before; about this famous story where Johnny Depp and Kate Moss are said to have filled their entire antique roll-top bath with champagne, but only to be empty it out by a cleaner). Anyway that February, I flew over to London for the weekend, Joe had picked me up at the airport with this gorgeous bunch of flowers (I didn’t know whether to die with embarrassment or to fell in love with him more as no-one have ever done this for me before.) For my first night, I had stayed at Joe’s aunt whilst Joe went out to work the following day before we would turned up at this hip hotel. Everyone was out and I was in the house alone with no food and I didn’t want to go down to the shop as I didn’t have the key to get back in; hence I was absolutely starving by the time, Joe came home from work.

We had dressed up and went out to get some burger before meeting some friends for few drinks, so that we could spend the entire night alone at the Portobello Hotel. Unfortunately, lack of (almost) no food plus couple of glasses of wine have made me throw up, which was embarrassing enough. As Joe then went into the nearest shop, to buy me some wipes, water & chewing gum before we would head to the hotel. As soon as we got to the hotel, he threw me in the cold shower to sober me up before he could carry on his surprise proposal because he had (nervously) carefully planned it all out since way before Christmas previous.

He have filled this hugemongous bath with bubble bath (not champagne) and then give me this ship in a bottle and tell me this future possibility for us, ending it with a proposal. The first word I signed out to him was “no” (as I wanted to made him sweat out for throwing me in the cold shower), then slowly but surely I said “yes”! (We kind of made a promise there and then that we would go back to Portobello or similar every year; but we never did. I am still holding out to that promise to when we are both working.)

Dear my darlin’ Joe,

I know that we may have our up and down or on this crazy roller-coaster, thank you for being there as of late. I did always said that you were and still is, my soul-mate (even though, you can be such a real pain in the arse sometimes. 😉 And as you have said in your vows to me, “You promise you will me laugh” and you still do. Remember this photo below, taken the following morning?

Love you. xo

P.S. By the way, I haven’t forgotten what you have said to me the following morning (when we had our continental breakfast), that you almost didn’t want to proposed me the night before, for being drunk! ;</e