I sat there frozen in disbelief as Cody
knelt down in front of me with a tiny box in-hand. Looking around the
room in the busy restaurant at the people watching this happen, I
said, “Are you effing serious?!” Tears immediately began
streaming down my face before the moment really even sunk in. As I
sat there crying uncontrollably with my mouth wide open, utterly
speechless, I failed to hear the remarks he had so carefully crafted
and practiced. My mind was mush. I melted into Cody's arms before I
even mustered any sort of coherent response. He stopped and
apprehensively asked, “So...is that a yes?!” All I could do was
shake my head up and down and quietly utter a “UH HUH," as I
began sobbing even harder.
{My One-of-a-Kind Engagement Ring}
You think that you'd be ready for a
surprise like that when you've been waiting 5 ½ years for it to
happen. But you're really not. I thought I'd be jumping for joy. I
thought I'd scream out loud in an attempt to get everyone's
attention, but I was just in shock.
It occurred to me that it was somewhat
odd that Cody wanted to plan a trip to Charleston. You see, we had
spent October traipsing all over the Eastern US, and the last thing I
wanted to do was take another trip so soon. However, he was adamant.
That should have tipped me off, but it didn't. Getting engaged was
the furthest thing from my mind because I was not going to get my
hopes up only to be disappointed. He kept calling it a “girlfriend
appreciation” weekend, which I thought was really sweet. In the 5 ½
years that we've been together that's never happened. That should
have tipped me off, too, but it didn't!
{Me & Cody • Circa 2006}
My mind was elsewhere, I suppose. I'm
glad, though, that I decided to let go and allow the trip to happen.
Can you imagine if I said NO after all the preparations he made?!
Talk about being disappointed. I'm sure that he was really relieved
when I finally agreed to go on the quick getaway to Charleston. Who
knew it'd take so much arm twisting to get me there?!
A QUEST TO CONCOCT A ONE-OF-A-KIND RING
When he presented the ring, I was a
little baffled by its appearance. To be completely honest, I was
thinking, “WTF?! Why is it so weird looking?!” The setting was
askew and quite odd, nothing like the typical engagement rings I've
grown accustomed to seeing. I think that the confused look on my face
said more than the words I spoke, because Cody said, “If you're not
happy with the way it looks, I can get the guy to recast the ring.”
Secretly, he was hoping that's not what I wanted. The idea of being
able to redo it was somewhat appealing, but I knew that wouldn't be
right.
He then told me the story of how he so
thoughtfully brought this token of love into existence. It began with
his idea to have a ring made that had the look of a twig. We are both
so connected to trees and nature that it seemed like a novel idea.
The problem was finding someone that would agree to carry out his
vision. From what I was told, there were countless emails and calls
made to numerous jewelers only to be told that they wouldn't be able
to help him.
{Me & Cody • Circa 2007}
Thankfully, that didn't stop his quest
to find someone who would be willing to work with him and the diamond
taken from his great Aunt's ring. It wasn't until a couple of months
ago while talking to his boss that he got a recommendation for a
local jeweler. After meeting with John from DogsKin Studios, he
finally found someone who would be willing to help him bring this
ring to life.
WHY I LEARNED TO LOVE MY RING
The ring was cast from a dying birch
tree that I spotted while Cody and I were walking around Bass Lake on
09.10.11. We stopped to identify this tiny budding tree that was
losing a battle to the beavers who had destroyed it. Finding a tree
budding at this time of the year was pretty rare, but happened to be
exactly what Cody was looking for. From what he told me, he took the
opportunity to slip one of the twigs down his shirt sleeve without my
knowledge, so that he could take it to John, so he could start
creating the engagement ring.
{Me & Cody • Circa 2009}
After hearing the story of how this
ring came to be, I began to love it a little bit more. I realized
that his idea of a perfect ring was, in fact, pretty darn perfect. He
revived a diamond from a family ring, melted down his class ring to
create the setting which was cast from a twig that he selected while
we were on a walk?! I mean, come on! It is truly one-of-a-kind and
can really never be replicated or replaced. That's special. Knowing
what he put into it makes me feel special, too.
WELL WORTH THE WAIT
After all the tears and unfounded fears
that I had about reaching this level of commitment in our
relationship, I now know that this was exactly the right time for
this to finally happen. He proposed on 11.11.11 in the city of
Charleston, SC, which happens to be one of our favorite places, with
an engagement ring that embodies our love in the most perfect way
possible.
{Me & Cody • Circa 2011}
A lot of care and thought was put into
this proposal, and I feel extremely lucky to have someone like Cody
by my side in this life. Someone who's been with me through the hard
times and life-altering moments. Someone who loves me and accepts me
for who am I no matter what fickle mood I may be in at the time. Our
relationship is far from perfect. I am far from perfect, but we can
overcome the imperfectness together.
While I am not ready to set a date or
start planning a wedding, I am eagerly looking forward to and am
excited about spending the rest of my life with the most amazing
partner ever!
Question: Tell me...How do you keep love alive in your relationship?
