Angela and I are engaged !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is the official story about our engagement, and a few of the events leading up to it. This post is long, and quite detailed, just like Sarah Houghton requested. There are pictures, so if you are lazy, you could just look at them. Also, please feel free to either comment at the end of this post, or email me (stevehollema@hotmail.com) your comments. We would love to hear from you!!!

So, we started dating on Dec 24th 2006, and one year later was when things finally came together, and it was time for me to ask Angela to marry me. It was also the perfect cover up so that Angela didn’t see it coming. I’m not very good at keeping secrets, and Angela can read me quite well. So my proposal plans just seemed like a One Year Anniversary celebration, hehe. Also, Christmas shopping was a perfect cover up for me taking Angela shopping, and then splitting up so I could “shop for her” and pick up the ring (aka Angela’s engagement bling). There was like a hundred times, quite literally, that I almost said something to Angela, and let the secret out. But some how, most definitely by the grace of God, I never said anything, and she didn’t see it coming.

We started out from Angela’s parents place at 9am, an hour later then I wanted to leave, and after getting unstuck from the snowdrift in the driveway, we were on our way. I tried my best not to get stressed, and remained cool, sort of, cause I knew we were gonna be tight for time cause there was A LOT of driving ahead of us.

We stopped by my parents place so I could pick up my “bag of surprises” and two GT snow racers. I told Angela that we were going to go on an adventure to find the best tobogganing hill ever!! The first thing I gave her from the bag of surprises was a Riddle/Poem for her to read and guess where our first destination was. She guessed right, and quite easily, that it was the first place we met. A coffee shop of course.

After having a nice warm drink and some lunch, we got back in the truck and headed to the next secret location. On the way I gave her the next surprise, a lovely card for our one-year anni. I found it a while ago, and the words were just perfect. The gist of it was that I would love to grow old with her. Yes, I know, I’m very romantic. On our way through Orillia we stopped at Timmy’s for a pit stop and some cookies. Form there Angela drove and I told her where to turn. She started to recognize the roads, and guessed that we were headed up to Bancroft to go up to the Eagles Nest Lookout point. She was right, but I just told her “that's a good guess, hun”.


The road to Bancroft


A few momentos, card, cookies, coffee, and poem

Eagles Nest is a special place for us. It was the first place that we spent time together, just the two of us. I had invited Angela to go with me to the Rally of The Tall Pines back in Nov 06, only a month after we met. During the afternoon break we went up there and talked for a while, and threw rocks of the cliff. Then, during the Lichti family holidays this past summer in Halliburton, we went up again and watched the sunset, and saw a cloud that looked just like David Hasselhoff. No joke! So of course, it was the perfect, and only, place to ask Angela to marry me.


A veiw from the first time at Eagles Nest


Angela and Stephen first time at Eagles Nest

We got to the base of the hill with only 45 mins of daylight left. The road up to the lookout point is not plowed during the winter, so we had to hike it. I knew this, which is why we brought our snow gear, and GT snow racers for the way back down. So of course, the “tobogganing on the best hill ever,” was the cover up for this part. Now I had assumed that there would be snowmobile tracks to follow up the hill. But there were no snowmobile tracks. The climb was long already, so trudging through snow up to your knees would make it impossible to reach the top before dark. Fortunately, someone had snow shoed up the hill before the thaw and refreeze, which made frozen steps for us to follow. I’m sure it was a God send.


Looking up at Eagles Nest Lookout Point


The Hike Up

We made the climb in about half an hour, with only 10 mins of daylight. I knew I was a bit rushed, but I tried to remain calm and enjoy the moment. Angela tried to throw me into the snow, but it backfired on her, haha. After some fun I stomped out a spot for us to stand. A suspicious moment from Angela’s perspective, but I “just thought it would be easier to stand”.


At The Top of Eagles Nest


A Kiss to win her heart, I hope

So then I asked her if she wanted the next surprise from the bag of surprises. Of course she said yes. I pulled out a piece of paper, which she saw, and a small box, which she didn’t see. I gave her a hug whilst reading two poems that I had written her previously, for some nice memories of course. But at the end of the poem that I had asked her out with, I changed “will you go out with me” to, well, you can guess I’m sure. But right before I read those words, I did a large, dramatic pause and took a step back from her. And suddenly, it hit her, he’s about to ask!!

As I knelt down on one knee, Angela keep saying over and over, “What are you doing?! What are you doing?! What are you doing?!” I then revealed the ring and asked her to marry me. She then said over and over “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to do! Are you sure!? Are you sure!? I don't want to see it, I don't want to see it (the ring)!”

I took her hand and tried putting the ring on the wrong finger at first. Angela corrected me, and then I got it right. It fit perfect, so I stood up.

“I didn’t say yes yet!!” exclaimed Angela.
“Oh, right.” I said as I went back down on my knee.
“Yes, I will marry you!” Angela said, "you are SO handsome!"
...I might have added the handsome part...but it is true!


After she said YES


Angela's new Ring (aka Engagement Bling)

So anyway, we were right out of day light, and we still needed to get back down the hill. So we took a few pictures, shared some kisses, and headed back down the hill. Unfortunately, the snow was too deep for the GT snow racers to slide as well as they should. But we made it, in one piece, and still very much in love.


Back At the Bottom of Eagles Nest


My favorite Girl EVER


A close up of the "Bling"


Back at my parents house, and very tired





And now, a bunch of photos, just for fun!!!!


Christmas Day with my Fianceeeee


A day trip to the beach


A kiss on the beach!


Writting in the sand, on the beach


Two big smiles


Steve is SO hott, and he knows it, sigh


At Daniel (Angela's brother) and Natasha's wedding


Driving somewhere, we like driving


My B-day present to Angela, a bike ride


Angela with the VFR


A kiss attempt, we like to kiss


Angela's new rocker hair

Thats all for now. I hope you enjoyed it, Sarah. hahahaaha

Short Update post just for you!!

Road Trip adventure on fun fun roads!!

Yes, we have mathcing thumb rings, go ahead, you can say awww

Dancing at Mark and Bethany's wedding

Also at the the Hardy's wedding, which was INCREDIBLE btw

Hello people who read my blog cause you care about me!! weeeee

Just wanted to say that I've been quite busy lately and I haven't had a chance to post for a while now. I did read yer's guy's blog though, cause I'm that kinda guy!!

Anywho, I will be working in the city for the next while and probably moving out soon, so I don't know when I will make a nice new and shinny post again, probably when I get settled somewhere. I might work at Cambridge Honda soon and live ???, somewhere in the general area anyway.

So ya, pray for me as I take these next steps in my life. Its can seem a little scary at times. But God has been teaching me SOOOOO much lately through all this stuff, it's just wonderful! And just so you know, me and Angela are still LOVING each other more and more everyday, especially as Daddy God draws us closer to Him and gives us more freedom and teachs us how to love! Daddy is SOOOO wonderful, I haven't the werds to describe it! woo!

ok, gotta go make dinner! love you's all!!!

Best Christmas Gift Ever

Ok I know its like a month after christmas now, so this post is a little late coming. But just relax would you. Time doesn't grow on trees you know.

I had a lot of time off over the holidays cause work was slow so we had about a month off between the second week of Dec and the second week of Jan. The break/rest was totally from God cause He did so much in our lives during it. But no, blogging was not part of it, to bad for you. It gave me much needed time to rest a bit and reconnect with God. Oh I love connecting with my Daddy. He is truely amazing and His love is so enduring, even when I'm being an ass. haha. And it gave me and Angela time to build on our God centered friendship that has now become more than just a friendship!! ;o)

For christmas this year I recieved the best gift I've ever got, other than salvation via Jesus. On Christmas eve morning at around 8 am, I got me a girlfriend. The sweetest and beautifulest girl on the face of the earth (yes I'm biased, deal with it). Her name is Angela Michelle Lichti. Ya, thats Angela in the pictures with me, good observation dear reader.

I arrived at Angela's house at 7:40 am, which means i left my house at 6 am, and meet her mom as we had aranged. You see, I wanted to surprise Angela, try to catch her off gaurd if I could. And I did mostly, except I forgot to hide my shoes, ugh. But even though she did see my shoes before finding me in the basement beside the warm fire, I think it was still a pretty good surprise.

I gave her the two red roses I picked out for her and then we sat down on the couch. I pulled out a piece of paper with the poem I had written on it. I didn't have it quite memorized, so i held it in the hand of the arm that was around Angela's shoulder so I could glance at it when I forgot my place, haha yes I am a clever man. Of course the ending of the poem asked "will you go out with me?"

And she said...


YES!!!!


wooohoooo!!!!

I'm blue if I was green i would die

ok hi there, so I know it has been since forever from my last post and it was a silly one. But I've been busy ok. So relax. And I know i was gonna post about my car racing this-that-and-the-others, but I don't have any good photos yet. So again, just relax, I'll get to it soon enough. This is a recent pic to hold you over ok. The one down there, ya that's it. More later ok.



ok so what I am gonna post about is the Rally race I went to on the weekend. The Rally Of The Tall Pines. Its the best performance rally in Ontario, so that's why I go. The cars, the speed, the gravel flying through out the air and into my eye. This car here, or down there I should say, is the same car as mine, but its properly prepared for racing.



Here's a car on one of the stages. You can't tell in a pic how fast a person is going, unless someone drew in those fancy speed lines, but trust me, this dude is going like stink!



The guy above won, for all you lazy's who just want to skip all the middle stuff and go straight to the end. Here's another pic...



And another one...



Ok so on to the "blue" part. Ok look down at the pic...yip, my hair IS blue. You're very observant! So the day before the rally I got my hairs cut and the hair goddess (aka. my cousin Janne) said that I should have blue hair, cause it matched the interior of my car, so of course I said ok.



Here I am, or "there" I am I should say, well, really I should say there I was...ahh whatever, so below is me standing beside a blue Subaru rally car saying "blue". As in, "my hair and this car are both 'blue'".



So this year my new friend Angela went with me to check out "what is Rally"? She said she had a great time, but maybe she was just being polite, I dunno. But I do know for sure that I had a great time and am glad she went.



To spectate a Rally you must stand in the woods for long periods of time. And in late November it can get pretty cold. As in snow. This year was awesome weather. It was sunny and got up to 7C. Sometimes you have to go off into the tree's to "look for bears" cause there isn't facilities close by. But as usual everyone had a great time (see below [sorry Angela that you weren't entirely in the pic]).



You see, all the smiles. I told you so.

the big tree and my friend paul

so the other day I was drivin back from the video rental store and they had cut down this really old big maple tree just up the road from my house, beside my aunt and uncles house to be specific, and as I drove up to it my friend Paul was loading up all the pieces of the tree so he could burn it in his wood stove this winter and he waved at me so I stopped and helped him load his 10 ton trailer so it wasn't so much work for him cause some of them pieces were pretty big you know but he said he has a log splitter so he won't have to chop it all by hand which would be a lot of work I'd say cause I've done lots a cuttin and splittin before and its hard work but fun work cause you get to swing a big axe and sharpen it with your own file

ya so I did an all night rally just the other day on saturady and I'll make more details here soon about it but not yet cause theres not time right now you know I only just put this here cause Sarah was on my case again like that other time