Lindsay Crane was planning to celebrate her first anniversary with boyfriend Stephen Kenny last Monday in west Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they live. Little did she know, Stephen had something much bigger than a typical date night up his sleeve.
Lindsay, who gave birth to the couple’s first child together just a week before, opened a card from Stephen the morning of their anniversary, and she didn’t just find the typical, “Happy anniversary, babe!” message inside. Instead, she found some money and two notes as well. One was the introduction to a scavenger hunt around the west Belfast area and the other was her first clue.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
"To Lindsay, Good luck with your hunt. Everything you need is in this card: money for food, petrol, if needed, and coffee and buns for your wee lunch time break, hint hint. Make sure you don't spend it all before 5 p.m. as you're paying for dinner. Haha. Love, Stephen"
The scavenger hunt was inspired by Lindsay’s favorite movie, “P.S. I Love You,” a story about a terminally ill man who arranges for his wife to find special posthumous notes from him that take her on a variety of adventures.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
The scavenger hunt was inspired by the 2007 movie "P.S. I Love You."
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
The couple's first real date was ice skating at Dundonald Ice Bowl. "We had to keep stopping because of the cramps in my toes and Stephen tried to stretch them out -- how embarrassing!" Lindsay said.
“Stephen has a really big personality ― he is always full of surprises,” Lindsay told The Huffington Post. “So, when this was all playing out, I was just thinking to myself, ‘This is so Stephen.’ He’s brilliant and very thoughtful.”
The first clue took Lindsay to the ice rink where she and Stephen had their first date. An employee handed her the same locker key they used on their date, and inside the locker she found her second clue.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
This isn't the first time Stephen has taken inspiration from "P.S. I Love You." "For our first Valentine's Day, he left little notes down every stair telling me his favorite things about me and why he loves me," Lindsay said.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
Each clue Lindsay received also came with a little gift. The first gift was a keychain featuring an 'L,' an ice skate and Lindsay's birthstone.
The second clue took Lindsay to the place where she and Stephen first met and worked together ― the offices of customer care provider Concentrix.
“We were very close from the start,” Lindsay said of working with Stephen. “He was always teasing me and messing around. We both just clicked. Everyone knew it was going to happen ― we are really well matched.”
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
Lindsay picked up clue three at Concentrix.
The remainder of the clues took Lindsay to the restaurant where they had their first meal, to a movie theater, to the hospital where she gave birth to their son, and, finally, to the restaurant where Stephen first asked her to be his girlfriend.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
And the clues kept on coming.
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
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Courtesy of Lindsay Crane
Stephen met Lindsay outside the restaurant, with their favorite song, “The One,” by Kodaline, playing in the background and a photographer nearby to capture it all.
Next, he got down on one knee and proposed. Of course, Lindsay said, “Yes!”
"From the first day I worked with him, he would tell me how beautiful I was in front of everyone," Lindsay said. "He doesn't care what people think of him. He's very straight-up genuine. His confidence is really admirable."
“I love how he proposed,” Lindsay said. “It just shows how much he knows me and how much he wants me to feel special.”
Stephen has one son from a previous relationship, and he and Lindsay have one son together.
The pair haven’t set a wedding date yet, but are incredibly excited for the future.
“I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have Stephen, his son, and now our little baby,” Lindsay said. “It’s amazing. We are all so happy about the news.”
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