# 16: MAILBOX

The 16th May-Photo-A-Day: "MAILBOX"

This is an image of my mailbox taken from this morning: 54 emails. There is nothing really that great to be read in any of the 54 emails and most of them will be deleted without me even opening them. Sometimes you find awesome gems in your mailbox like the latest free design vector or fonts, or a great bargain buy, or a trendy new eatery/drinkery to visit from one of the many cool blogs and sites I have subscribed to. But I should read more of these because it was one of these emails last year that advertised super affordable air tickets to Paris and it allowed Te and I to live our "Parisian lifestyle dream" as well as made for THE MOST romantic and perfect  proposal... "swoon" 

- I really like the definition of this word: 

"To be overwhelmed by ecstatic joy"... 

and JOYOUS I am to becoming TheFutureMrsOrpen!

Technology: I love that I have been apart of the generation that has grown up with the evolving technology we have become so reliant on in todays world. One day we will be able to tell our kids about the Nokia brick, the evolution from sending and recieving post to sending and receiving email's, the birth of social and professional online networking, how you no longer needed to leave you house to do your shopping - a few clicks, pay and your groceries and goodies will be delivered to your door, how our diaries and journals we kept under our beds transformed into blog posts that anyone could read, anywhere in the world... just to name a few.

Gone are the days where everything needed to be printed on paper and that is exactly what we won't be doing, printing our "Save The Date" and "Wedding Invitations", instead we have chosen to have a digital, more eco-friendly kind of wedding. 

Our "Save The Date" is a cute sneak peak of our wedding invitation which we will be emailing to all our lovely guests this weekend... "SWOON": once the invitations are sent,  becoming TheFutureMrsOrpen will be even more real!! 

"Eeekk": of happiness!!! 

We have setup a wedding website using the the app call AppyCouple. It cost us only $28 and was pretty easy to setup and customise. We decided to go with this site because it is code protected which means only our guests who have been given they pin are able to view the site as well as be an important information tool that will be used to manage the RSVP replies from our guests and help our guest find out more about: 

• The Wedding Party
• Our Stories and Adventures
• Travel arrangements: Nearby Accommodation 
• The Events: Ceremony and Reception Details
• Registry

 As well as our guests will be able to use the app on the wedding day to timeline the events. Our friends and loved ones who are unable to be there will be able to view the timeline updates and share our wedding with us from wherever they are.

  

So dearest loved ones, look out for our quirky invitations that will be arriving in your Mailbox "This Fall" aka before June - for some reason I could hear this sentence in my head being said with one of those great movie trailer voices... 

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #120 days 

# 15: 7 ' O CLOCK

The 15th May-Photo-A-Day: "7 ' O CLOCK"

My weekdays begin at 5:15am, on a good day. I wake up, wash my hair everyday (there is nothing that makes me happier then soft, fluffy clean hair), stumble around as I get dressed in the dark so I don't wake the sleeping handsome who has most probably only arrived home 3 hours ago (working shifts). A blow dry and a quick tidy up (clean apartment = happiness... you know how Cinderella has the birds and mice that help her get dressed and clean so nicely while they all happily sing a song?? I don't have those... I wish I could find find me some clean mice and birds and train them up...) and I am off to work at 6:15am.

My work day begins at 7 ' O Clock and ends at 3:15pm, Monday to Friday. I am rather fortunate to be able to start and end an hour earlier so that I do not get stuck in traffic for two hours each way and I rarely take a lunch break just to make sure I complete all my tasks for the day and If not, then I usually stay until I am complete or finish up at home. I am, most of the time, the first one at our offices so they have entrusted me with keys to open up for everybody.

I am definitely one of those "early bird catches the worm" morning kind of gals and once I have risen from my slumber I am a pretty happy person. My Mom would, and still does when I stay over, wake me in the morning with a "Time to Rise and Shine" phrase.. and to this day I find I say the same phrase to myself. It's my best kind of way to wake up... 

I get a lot of work done in the first hour at work without any interruptions. I work as the... mmmmm... what is my job description currently? Anyway.. it changes so often and new tasks are always given to me that I like to call myself the jack-of-all-trades-ask-me-if-i-can-and-if-I-can"t-I-will-figure-it-out-yes-girl. So what do I do: I am the marketing person who designs and maintains all the brochures, logo's, presentations, newsletters, letterheads and all the artwork needed. I also monitor our newsletter audience reach, CRM network, and work closely with the Chairman on projects and other tasks. I really enjoy my day job as I have awesome and friendly colleagues and there is always a new challenge and a new task to figure out. That's my day job...

The rest of my day and weekends I spend dedicated to Orpen Film making Co., Fabuloso Clip-in Extensions, freelance design and stationary projects. I have never been the type of person to only do one thing at a time: I love a challenge. One thing I have learnt though is this: "Under commit and Over deliver". Great lesson I have learnt the hard way in life: in both my personal and professional capacity. One of the reasons I moved to Cape Town was to escape and break the habit of my yes-girl habit... its okay to say yes but it is not ok to neglect the people you care about or projects you have made commitments too... so I am only a yes-girl during my day job and only if I can deliver 100%... 

My dream is to be able to work full time with Te (no more 7 ' O Clock but around our clock) in an "Orpen Film Making Co. space" that will allow me to continue doing freelance design projects as well as allow me the focus and time to market Fabuloso the way I would like to in order to recruit more salons and resellers. 

I have always had big dreams but I love how my dreams and Te's dreams intertwined their similarities and adapted into the dreams we now share. 

Our ultimate dream is to mesh our passion for Film Making, our space, our love for people and our taste in coffee... this is a GRAND dream but... 

"We Believe". 

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #121 days 

#14: NEED

The 14th May-Photo-A-Day: "NEED"

"I will always need the girls."

Here is the stationary I adapted and designed, to ask my 3 best friends to be my bridesmaids: Chloe (MOH), Lauren and Angelique. 

CHLOE: Will You Be My MOH? Stationary (adapted).

I need Chloe as my MOH because she is my other third.. We have been best friends since we were 10 (I met her like this: #4) and our children will be best friends and will most likely marry... Chloe and her future husband will join Te and I on our wrap-around-stoep one day when we old - four happy old people sitting in our rocking chairs as we reminisce about our funny and beautiful memories. 

I NEED Chloe next to me on my wedding for so many reasons: firstly my dream wedding wouldn't be complete with out her and secondly she knows me better then I know myself and has shared every momentous occasion in my life with me. Our AWESOME future husbands know that when they asked us to be their wives... they were welcoming both of us into their lives - FOR LIFE: like a jail sentence but much more fun because they get to be apart of our silliness and inside jokes. 

Te's favourite at the moment is a "high 5" moment belonging to Chloe. Like all great stories begin: Once upon a time Chloe and I decided that we need money, so we took up a job as shooter girls. A kind person approach us and held up his hand like you would when asking for a "high-five" and progressed to ask Chlo for "Five, please." Thats exactly what the lovely Chloe gave this friendly person a big, HIGH-5 hand smacking! He looked rather puzzled and thats when I whispered in her ear... "I think he would like 5 shooters." LOL... I guess I owe her an opportunity as a a guest blogger to air my silly antics one day - could be fun.

Ang & La: Will You Be My Bridesmaid? Stationary (designed).

Lolli's Sailoress Bachelorette
Me, Chlo, Lolli & Ang

Lolli's wedding Day: La, Me and Chlo.
And there are those "DEER" eyes again: Creepy much.
Learn more about this photo habit HERE

So when meeting Chlo who would of known that my family would be extended as they welcomed me into their lives as one of their own. La and Chlo just happen to be cousins.. you must see their ridiculously gorgeous gene pool - every single one of the lot happens to be beautiful! La's friendship with us has grown over the years - her being the older cousin and us being the younger wanna-be-cool "kids".. eventually our ages evened out and La became one of my best friends and a key person who has helped to shape me, well into me.. 

I always say I wouldn't be me with out La.. Why? La was like the finishing school I never had... she schooled me in fashion and make-up, she assisted with the do's and don'ts regarding boys, she always looked out for me and often caught me when I fell and most of all she helped me become a lady. La always reminded me of my worth and what I deserve - only the very BEST.  

We have made so many incredible memories together from Suncity, to Sandlameer, to my slop "making" a rather embarrassing sound, to Kysna, Hermanus, Arabella and Cape Town. We have been spoilt with the most funniest moments together. La and I could always dance the night away - we proceeded to live up to this at her Sailor Themed bachelorette party. 

Ang, Me & Chloe

Chlo, me & Lolli

Ang and I have been friends since we were two. My first memory I have of us is crying for our older brothers in nursery school who were on the other side of the fence in the big kids area. We shared many birthday parties and play dates while we were at nursery school. We lost touch for a little bit when we both went to different Primary Schools but soon rekindled our friendship - that's when it became an Ang, Chlo and Me trio. 

We have shared so much and have practically become grown up's together. We have always been there for one another and between us we have shared the do's and don't's of life - warning the others when the don't had been done. Our poor mother's... we really were a handful but thankfully we all turned out pretty okay and in one piece and thats most probably because we had each other. 

Ang is now a mother herself and an incredible one at that.. She really is a role model on a "mothers love for her child".. I love that we have been able to share so many stages of life together from first kisses to first heartbreaks to dancing the night away, to learning how to drive and all the wonderful memories in-between. We just all happen to have found the men of our dreams and all three of us are engaged and in the process of planning our weddings. Just another special milestone we get to share together. 

I am so blessed to have friendships with so much history behind us.

I have the most perfect husband-to-be but I will always NEED my special girls!

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #122 days 

# 13: SUNRISE||SUNSET

The 13th May-Photo-A-Day: "SUNRISE||SUNSET"

SUNRISE

One of my favourite sunrise shots was taken the second morning of our December holiday in Paris. I opened the apartment window and was greeted by an icy-Saint-Germian-chill and the most beautiful pink clouds as the sun was rising... 

Random info: It was so cold that for the first few days Te and I thought the french had a liking for skywriting but the white streaks across the blue sky are called contrails. Contrails are condensation formed when hot jet exhaust mixes with cold air. 

It is not entirely a sunrise shot as there is not actual sun but it is my favourite.

SUNSET

My favourite sunset was captured last June when Te came to visit me in Cape Town for my birthday. I loved the little apartment I rented in Seapoint - it all feels surreal now... A distant dream but I loved every minute of living there. 

This was one of my favourite moments shared with Te: every evening, when he was visiting me from Joburg, we would go for a walk on the Seapoint Promenade at sunset. Te had just spun me around on the merry-go-round before we decided to sit on a bench and watch the sunset. 

At this point in time Te and I had no idea when we would see each other again which made every second together very special, let alone that in 3 months time I would be moving back to Jozi. We did nothing but savour every beautiful moment of the setting sun together and before the sun was lost to the horizon Te took this photo. 

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #123 days || 4 Months Today

# 12: MOTHER

The 12th May-Photo-A-Day: "MOTHER"

Yesterday we celebrated the most incredible women in our lives; our Mothers, who have loved us unconditionally and laid the foundation for who we have become and the dreams we wish to achieve. 

I have been incredibly blessed with a very special lady who I am honoured to call my Mom. She has always gone to the ends of the earth to give only the best for my brother and I and has never expected anything in return, except our happiness. 

My beautiful Mom has been my greatest role model in life. She exudes the most incredible presence that one can not help but be drawn to her when she enters a room. She is not only beautiful but extremely smart, patient, worldly, ambitious, determined, charismatic, caring, generous and kind. I am incredibly proud of my Mom-boss who is a force to reckon with as she has changed up the rules in her predominantly male run industry. 

My Mom and I have had many relationship transitions over my life time: carer to teacher to disciplinarian to best friend. I wasn't always a pleasant teenager and nor did I value and appreciate my parents like I should have but it is amazing how a table spoon being flung across a room - aimed at your head and a few dents on the dining room table can give a rebellious, ungrateful, young girl a wake-up call... and just every now and then I find myself looking at the dents in the dining room table and feel relieved to have my Mom as my best friend. 

This beautiful lady is my whole world, and I in fact have been fortunate enough to have grown two hearts: one belongs to Terence and the other to Mom. Before I grew the 2nd heart, Mom and I always joked that we will be "Old Cat Ladies" together... I guess we still can be, except now we will be "Old Cat Ladies and a Terence".

I have always been the biggest dreamer but because of my Mom I have been able to become a doer of many of my dreams: from winning dancing competitions in leotards that my Mom had lovingly sewn stars and sequins on as painstakingly as it may have been, to becoming a mini-city councilor and prefect, taxi-ing me around to every dance class, extra lesson, function and party, to allowing me to attend my chosen High School that I could be with my friends, to traveling overseas with a friend for my 14th Birthday, to spoiling me with my Matric dance dress and all the little beauty treats to have made it the most awesome High School event, to allowing me to study Film as she knows my creative dreams, to supporting me when I would lock myself away from the world to complete scripts, projects and thesis's, to bailing a broke student out, to allowing me to have the 21st of a life time with a promise that I don't get married until I am at least 28 since my 21st was like a mini-carnival wedding itself, for having the motherly instinct to know when I am troubled or happy and knowing how to comfort me in all situations... 

I love how we share a telepathic connection when I often answer my mom's call when dialing her number, to supporting me when I decided I need to move to Cape Town, to visiting me as often as she could, she also knew that Te would be the man I marry and cares for him like I have always dreamt she would for the man who is brave enough to marry me ;) These are just a few of the incredible dreams my mom has been apart of. 

She just happened to like Te so much that she allowed us to slip-up on the 21st promise and is making one of my most special dreams come true: my wedding day to Te. 

I wish I could share a bit of my Mom's love and care with everyone... receiving this, the world would be a much kinder and lovelier place. Thank-you Mom from the bottom of my heart for your endless love, kindness and care.

Wishing my Momma, All the Mothers and Grandmothers in the world a very Happy Mother's day. 

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #124 days 

# 11: A SMILE

The 11th May-Photo-A-Day: "A SMILE"

Today is my favourite day of a month as my favourite number is ELEVEN. You see when I am on the right path I see the number show up everywhere and it's best combination is a 9:11 and an even better: 11:11 on the 11th.

Therefore when Te (who happens to have been born on the 11th of June) and I got engaged, we looked for a Saturday in the year where the 11th would fall on... Today happens to be the first wedding date option but we decided on September as we wanted to save as much as we could for the big day and honeymoon.

Although Te and I did not get married today, we still got to do something out of the ordinary and fun to mark the occasion: for once we were the couple in front of the camera. 

We had the privilege of having the talented and inspiring couple from Lad & Lass, Dylan Harbour and his lovely wife Emma-Jane Harbour from Emmajanenation, capture snaps of us to be used on our film company website, Orpen Film Making Co 

(to be launched soon.) 

As per the previous posting: The 10th May-Photo-A-Day: "STARS", you learnt that I don't really do the whole in front of the camera thing very well and some how always end up with the same "deer caught in the headlight" look. But, today was different I hope... Emma and Dylan made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and never once did it feel silly to be the subject for a change. Te and I wanted to capture who we are as a couple and what we represent as Orpen Film Making Co.:  Cinematic filmmakers in love.

I love how Te knows how to make me laugh without having to try too hard; which made for a natural smile instead of my usual big eyed and toothy grin. Unlike me, Te is such a natural and looked incredible no wonder he has had a few "in front of camera" jobs before. 

I don't have any snaps of us from today so instead I will share one of Te as he is the reason

for the smile on my face everyday - Te says he knew I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of time with from my very first smile, across the deck at George's on 4th. 

That story to come soon.

"A SMILE"

Oh!!! This is why he was such a natural today!!!

xxx

TheVERYLUCKYFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #126 days - My count down time was incorrect 

# 10 - A day late: STARS

The 10th May-Photo-A-Day: "STARS"

I introduce you to the stars of this blog:

First and foremost, the ever so handsome Te who is the reason I get to be THEFUTUREMRSORPEN.

He likes: 

• long walks
• film making
• cycling 
• Neuw pants
• awesome hair cuts 
• his iPad 
• iPhone
• family
• Me 
• and he loves coffee

Next me, pictured as a cute little doe-eyed deer... the real reason I had a designer characture me as this special deer for Te's Christmas present was because I happened to look like a "deer caught in headlights" in nearly every photo I am in... 

Oh wait... that's our KitKat (Mom, Brother & Mine... Mom has custody of her).

 I thought she should feature too as a STAR as she is rather sweet.

And Last but not least, an awesome symbol of the social network who brought this hunk my way. So would you like to know how we met???

A little birdie introduced us. ;)

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #126 days - My count down time was incorrect