The Ring

I had to go back to the beginning of my iPhoto library for this one…a very fuzzy close up of my engagement ring from eleven years ago. The resolution on this photo says it all; digital cameras were new and so took pretty shitty pictures. The camera I used was one of the "check-out" cameras the IT department offered while I was working for Target Corp. up in Minneapolis. It was probably five pounds and held maybe ten pictures at a time, but it was new and cool and we got to borrow it for our weekend getaway.

While Lance and I were living in Minneapolis, we would sometimes escape the city life and head up to Duluth. We were single with pretty good paying jobs and so we enjoyed spending our money when we could :) The Oclott Bed and Breakfast was our place to stay and while we tried out one of their suites one time, the carriage house out back was our favorite "room." It offered complete privacy, but you could still come to the main house whenever you wanted to hang out or just grab some breakfast. Those trips to Duluth were fantastic. I'm not sure exactly how many times we made the drive up, but I know every time we did it was beautiful. We usually headed up in the fall so we could enjoy the tree colors turning.

One special weekend up in Duluth, Lance asked me to marry him. In our carriage house, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife, forever. I'll never forget that moment or the amount of tears I cried. I wasn't expecting it, at all. We had been living together for a year or so, and I knew eventually we'd get married but I just figured it wouldn't be until after he was done with the music scene up there. And for him to have hidden a diamond ring somewhere in our apartment that I never came across was mind-blowing!

I loved every day I got to wear my engagement ring and proudly flashed it to anyone who would look. Even now, I'll look down at my rings and remember back to when it was just the one solitaire and how young we were and how long ago that was and look at where we are now. We've done well Lance, we've done really well :)