How we met..

I was randomly looking at my Facebook friends of friends.... and saw this cute guy picture and for some odd reason I requested to be friends with him! Something I never ever do. And honestly I cant remember what was going through my head that night.

After a while...suppose a few days we chatted on Facebook whenever we were online. One day he ask my number so we can chat on mxit ( I know right, so kiddy and old school). I was very skeptical and refused to give my number, the poor guy had a hard time and eventually gave me his number, so I added him on Mxit. I SWEAR it wasn't even 2 weeks and he wanted to meet me!!! Like I felt really overwhelmed at this stage. I was very scared of meeting a stranger, eventually after he nagged for about another 2 weeks, I totally gave in. We arranged a date...

On 7th November 2009,

We decided to meet at Parkview Mall at Fashion Tv for cocktails. Seriously, I was so nervous, my dad wanted to go and drop me off, I guess he was nervous too, but really wanted to drive on my own to the date. Being a BIG girl!

I reached the mall parked the car, and was super nervous, gave a good glance in the mirror and off I went.

I waited by the circle of fountain, and seriously at that moment I cant really remember what he looks like, I only saw one picture of him and that was his profile picture on Facebook! The truth really, I was not into looking someone's Facebook page up and checking things out!

And randomly comes this guy walking towards me, so it has to be him! We introduced each other and went for cocktails and had a very good chat! After the cocktail we had dinner at Rhapsody's and you wont believe it but our date ended at 10! We were both super tired that night, afterwards I heard he and a friend did flying to Bloem and back for extra hours! 

So, when I got home my mom ask me how the date was, and I remembered saying "Hy het rooi hare" (he has red hair)  and pulling a face. The truth is I never like red hair but when God picks you that person it doesn't ever matter. His hair somehow got more brown, blonde with a tiny bit of a red shine through the years. (Weird right?) 

That time I worked at a clothing store at a Mall, he visited me the next day! Taking me for lunch with a friend of his (obviously checking me out, typically checking if im good enough!!) I didn't like it that much, but I told him and he apologize and said it wasn't his intention at all! 

But that week followed a date almost every day, and all we did was talking and got to know each other! Today thinking back, I can't remember like not knowing him ever, we just felt like we knew each other since forever. I guess when God picks that person out for you, he picks out good!

On the 28th November 2009, he picked me up after work to have dinner with his mom's family, his mom Rene with her partner Chris followed by his brother Johann and his wife Sune. I still remember going to Emperors and having dinner at Tribes. Later that evening we walking around in the garden of Christmas lights, every year around that time you can go see the lights, quite beautiful. I still remember clearly that Reino looked very nervous, we sat on a bench looking at all this Christmas lights, especially a big Christmas tree lights. And he ask me to be his girlfriend, and of course I said yes, it was just all so amazing. It was a memorable evening.

From there on things just flowed into a love story.....

Our Love story

September 2009

This may come to a surprise to many of you. Taryn went through her friends’ lists of friends and there she met Reino. In the list she saw this cute guy with a plane and randomly added Reino on Facebook with no specific intention to do so!

This is what his profile picture looked like when she saw him. Cute hey?

  

After chatting on Facebook for a while, Reino asked for Taryn’s number. She refused to give out her number to a stranger at first! They finally exchanged numbers and in those days added one another on “mXit” and started chatting and got to know each other better. After a few weeks Reino started nagging her to meet him. She was obviously very cautious and kept on saying no! After about two weeks of nagging she finally gave in and said Yes! What a persistent guy!

The DATE

On the 7th November 2009, around dusk, Taryn made her way to Parkview Mall after she insisted that she drives to the date herself. She told her mom, before she left, that it will be a silly date. “He wont like me!”

There, in front of FTV she stood looking for Reino, not sure of what to expect. Reino sees the girl, standing at the fountain with a turquoise top, leggings and heels. Taryn sees the guy with a jean and pinkish shirt. They introduced themselves to each other. On Taryn’s mind: “Hmm, his certainly not like the other guys I have met. Much better!” They had cocktails at FTV and dinner at rhapsody’s.

That night Reino went home. Telling his mom that he met his “trou vrou” whilst Taryn told her mom “He has red hair!”

But Yes, they fell in love...

Only a week later, Reino went to see her everyday in her lunch hour at work when she still worked in Menlyn at Zoot clothing store. She still remembers that she was working when Reino met her again for lunch and pulled her arm towards Maxis and said “Come meet my mom.” Shock! She looked at Reino thinking “Is this guy serious? Now Already?” But there was no way of getting out of this one.

16th November 09

Taryn had a little birthday dinner with friends and her parents at Cheeky Monkeys. This is where Reino first met Taryn’s parents. Taryn, secretly, remembers this is where they first held hands—underneath the table! The birthday ended with a lovely coffee at Taryn’s house. (She still didn’t know Reino hated coffee, poor guy!)

28th November 09

Reino took Taryn to a family dinner at Emperors Palace that night. She met the rest of the family and had a lovely dinner. After dinner everyone went outside to have a look at the garden of lights. After walking around alone, they sat on a bench, staring at a huge Christmas tree, made out of fairy lights and penguins hoping by. Reino nervously ask her out and of course she said yes! She remembers that the  night was very special and he remembers that the night was nervewrekking and he was really relieved when she said yes!

January 2010

This was the first time Reino and Taryn went flying. He was scared that she was going to get sick in the plane and that made her even more nervous to fly with him. Luckily all went well! Taryn loved flying!

As time flew by they truly became best friends and began to love each other very much…

5th October 2011

Just before Reino had to leave to do some job hunting in Botswana, they went to Cape Town for a wedding. Thereafter they decided to do a little getaway to Paternoster in the West Coast. They stayed in the most beautiful Guest House for the evening and had a lovely dinner on the beach. The sunset was beautiful over the ocean. The next day they had a lovely breakfast on the porch with an amazing view and went for a stroll on the beach… It was quite a long stroll and a lot of walking, which is unusual for Reino, because he hates walking so much! After a while Taryn said that they should turn around and go back. Reino refused and said “No, lets walk a little bit more.” Taryn eventually insisted that they should go back but he insisted that they should sit on a dune to get some rest. And there, to her sudden surprise,  he popped the question! Of course she said Yes!

They were finally engaged.

2012

Taryn and Reino lived in Windhoek, Namibia, for a year, where Reino worked on his flying career and they had many fun adventures. There are times when they miss Windhoek a lot, but still decided to come home and be with family.

And now?

This awesome couple is getting married today!