Monday, September 26, 2011

Month-iversary

Today is September 26th.  I have been engaged for over one month.


Hurray!  Sweet Koan proposed while we were with some friends at a cabin in the mountains.  I'd been on the lookout for "the question" for a few months, but he still managed to surprise me.  The weekend trip was in honor of a dear friend's birthday, so it never occurred to me that he might ask while we were there, even though that particular location holds quite a bit of sentimental value for the two of us.   Gotta give that guy some credit. 


In case you're wondering, I LOVE my ring.  I've known for a long time that I didn't just want to find something at a mall jewelry store; I wanted something that was not associated with any kind of harm or humiliation to anyone and, preferably, something with a story.  I thought about a simple band and looked into antique rings, but nothing quite fit the bill, especially since, as I work with kids, I also wanted something not-too-rough. Enter Etsy seller and artist Gin and Butterflies and her killer solitaire.  I was swooning over this piece when I first saw it, especially its classic-leaning-towards-contemporary smooth design, but still had to decide what to do about a stone.  Enter my brain.  After my grandmother passed away over 15 years ago, my sisters and I inherited some of her jewelry.  My grandfather had one of her diamond earrings set as a necklace for me and, though it had been missing (in my parents house... we thought) for a few years, I decided that it needed to be found and needed to be sent to Portland for Cheyenne to put in one of her rings.  Miraculously (seriously, the story of where/how the stone was found is long, but kind of incredible), this all came together.  Then I washed my hands of the ring situation and left it up to Koan, my mom (who found the necklace), and Cheyenne.  I even resisted looking at the Etsy site* so I could be a little bit surprised, which was no easy feat, since there was over a year of waiting involved.  I love the ring, I love that it has a family connection, and I love the story of all the parts coming together.

Remember how thoughtful Koan was about the proposal time and location?  In his thoughtfulness, he also asked Cheyenne to send some photos of the ring as she was making it.  This guy knows me too well.


I love having these and getting to know so much about this special piece that I'll be wearing for a long long time.   

Here's a fun picture of us the morning of the engagement.


What's that?  You don't plan to be wearing a thrift store tshirt with dolphins on it that says "Dive Into Reading" when you get engaged?  Too bad, some things are not up to you! 

Stay tuned for updates on the other life changes happening around here.  They couldn't all fit in one post!

Thanks to Matt Brunk for all these photos!

*I also resisted searching for my ring, even though I knew it had to be in the house somewhere.  Seriously, pat me on the back, folks. 

3 comments:

Katie said...

WooHoo!!! So happy and excited for you two! xo

Hannah said...

i liked reading this even though i already knew it!

You Are My Fave said...

Hooray! Also, your ring is gorgeous. I know that's not the most important part but it really is.