monday's memory: the one with the rings

it began with my engagement ring, so that is where i'll begin

anthony had researched (and researched. and researched)

and was going to a few local places to see some rings in person

(he and i strongly desire to support local businesses over national chains, so it's really no surprise that there were no nationally recognized jewelry stores on his list)

he walked in with his sister kat

and was initially shown a few rings

but none appealed (some weren't "right" and some were way too expensive)

the sales woman asked him what his budget was

he told her

she immediately went to a case and pulled out a ring

saying it was the highest quality ring he could get in that price range

there are all sorts of details

caret, clarity, etc

the fact that the side stones were cut specifically for the center stone

all that

all i know is...

it's gorgeous

and it's mine...a beautiful gift from my now husband.

picking out our wedding bands was something we were excited about

however, we were trying to stick to a very strict budget

so we were fairly certain it would be cheapo bands for each of us

mine was an easy pick

i tried on a couple and quickly narrowed it down

although my engagement band is platinum

we settled on a thicker white gold band for my ring

a band that was similarly sized to the engagement band just got lost

so this, to me, was the perfect complement

literally, took about as long as it took for me to type the sentences about it

to pick out my ring.

his ring was another story

men's rings are expensive!

but we finally found the PERFECT ring

 he liked that my engagement ring had 3 stones in it

kind of a constant reminder of trinity

or of the relationship between our coupleship and God

his ring is cobalt.

it's a strong metal, much stronger than gold or platinum

(i don't think he's look at it this way, but i love the symbolism of strength there)

but his (and my) favorite part

is that the two rings are fused together with a gold colored braid in between

two rings...two lives joining

with a special thread...God...in the center

love them.

they're perfect for us