Hello my fellow crocheters 🧶

Welcome to Part 6 of my journey after spine surgery.

If you’ve been following the series, you already know that in the last post I teased something important that happened between Valentine’s Day and my birthday — which are exactly seven days apart 😉.

And yes, something happened that changed a lot.

Valentine’s Day (Unexpectedly Sweet)

On Valentine’s Day, Peter was very eager to cook dinner 🍳. I made some cakes for him, because he loves cakes and sweets just as much as I do 🍰.

I’ll post a picture from that day, because honestly — you would never guess that the person in that photo had surgery not that long ago.

I tried to look pretty and just enjoy the evening — even though I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day.

Peter, however, was very stressed 😂. And I kept thinking: What is this man planning? What is happening right now?

For a moment, I honestly thought he might propose — his behaviour was that strange.

Later, I found out that all the stress was simply caused by his huge effort to cook dinner for me. In our household, I’m usually the one cooking, and Peter is the one enjoying it 😄.

Birthday Weekend Plans

For my birthday, I knew that my parents and Peter’s grandma would be coming over.

My birthday was on a Tuesday, but on Saturday we wanted to go for a walk to a beautiful area with picnic tables, grills, lakes, and lots of nature 🌿.

Unfortunately, that Saturday it was raining and definitely not walk-ready. Sunday, however, was perfect ☀️.

It was still mid-February, so not exactly warm, but sunny and nice.

The Walk That Took Some Effort

We dressed up and headed out. It took us some time to get there, and we knew we only had about two hours for walking.

Peter insisted that we go specifically to this place. I was already getting a bit annoyed — especially because finding a parking spot was a nightmare. The nice weather meant everyone wanted to be there.

After about 15 minutes of waiting and me saying, “Peter, let’s go somewhere else,” one parking spot finally became free 🙌. So we parked. And we went for the walk.

Two Pictures Before Everything Changed

We were walking, talking, enjoying the day, and eventually reached a lake. There was a wooden platform — a perfect spot for pictures 📸.

Some of you might already know what happened next. For those who don’t…

The Moment

I was standing on the wooden platform when Peter asked me to turn my back to him so he could take a nice picture — me looking at the lake.

I tried to pose nicely, doing my best model impression 😄.

Then he said: “Okay, the picture is ready. You can turn back.”

I turned around. Peter wasn’t there. I looked down — slightly confused — and suddenly saw him on one knee.

He asked me if I would marry him 💍. He received a very fast yes.

Some people might think it was too early — we had been together for only about three months — but even then, I think both of us already knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together 💜.

After the Yes

Of course, I’ll also post a few pictures of the ring 💍. After that, we went into a shop and found a T-shirt that was so appropriate for the situation. I’ll share a picture of that one too 😄.

Then came the big question: How do we tell the family?

We decided to wait until the weekend, when everyone would be together.

Telling the Family

When the day came, my mom wanted to immediately start preparing schnitzels 😂. But I asked everyone to sit down in the living room — because we wanted to share something.

When I showed them the ring, there were three very different reactions:

• My dad stood up immediately, shook Peter’s hand, and kissed me 💙
• My mom just opened her mouth and said: “What?” 😂
• Peter’s grandma started crying 😢

Later, my ex-sister-in-law and my niece arrived. Their reaction was amazing — my niece was completely shocked 😱.

Then came all the questions: Show me the ring! How did it happen? When is the wedding?

Planning the Wedding

After everyone left and we were alone again, we started talking about the wedding.

We had a very clear idea: something small, intimate, and only with the closest family 💜.

I was still on sick leave, so we also had to consider a date that would make sense once I was back at work. We decided on September 🍂.

One advantage of being on sick leave is that you suddenly have a lot of time, so I could really look into things like wedding cakes. I already knew that I wanted my main wedding cake from a bakery I had great experiences with — they make absolutely amazing cakes and desserts 🍰.

For the smaller cake to be shared with guests, we chose something else. We did some cake tasting — which made the whole planning even more enjoyable.

My niece, of course, volunteered to join us for the tasting. But don’t worry — we managed even without her 😄.

Looking Ahead

And if there’s one thing this period taught me, it’s this: even in challenging times, amazing things can happen.

In the next part, I’ll talk more about the end of my sick leave and my first days back at work.

Thank you for being here 💜 See you next time 👋