They're Here!

Anybody else picture this in their heads every time someone says "they're here!"



No?  Just me?  Hmmm...  Well, anyway.


I picked up our wedding bands today!  That's right, a little over 2 weeks after we ordered them, they're in and ready to go!  See?  I told you Steven Singer rocks! 

I tried on my wedding band right in the store and it fits like a glove.  I'll be honest, I was a little nervous.  I have super-teeny fingers (um, size 3.75).  Fitting rings for me can be...challenging.  But Steven Singer has nailed it with both my engagement ring and my wedding band. 

Remember that they also resized my opal?  Did I mention that they did it for really cheap?  They were going to charge me full price, since I hadn't purchased the ring there, but then our salesperson wrote down that I had purchased it there, so it was less than 1/2 the price.  Well, that fits perfectly, too!  I'm so happy to be wearing my opal again - I have missed it for the last few months. 

Say you: What's the deal with this opal?
Say me: It's very special to me, for many reasons.  And they are....

When I was 16, I was invited to be a student ambassador with People to People, an international ambassador program (started by Jimmy Carter).  My group of 30 students and 4 chaperones spent 3 weeks in Australia - starting in Canberra, up to Sydney, along the Gold Coast, into the Outback, and back out to Cairns.  I had two things I had to do while there: pet a kangaroo and buy an opal.  While in Sydney, we were treated to a tour of the Costello jewelry store, which specializes in opal mining and jewelry.  We got a P2P discount while shopping there, and so I jumped all over it.  I found a beautiful ring that I bought on the spot and wore it proudly ever since.  It was a daily reminder of my amazing opportunity to travel through Australia, and I absolutely loved it.  It was a part of me.

Because of how soft opals are, I was instructed that I should try to not get the ring wet.  I should take it off when I wash my hands.  So I used to put it in my mouth while I washed my hands, especially when in public and without pockets.  However, when I started working at a hospital, I thought putting it in my mouth may not be the best idea.  So I usually put it in my pocket or set it on the sink.  One weekend I was heading back to Hershey for a weekend with my best girls, and I got within about 20 minutes of my parents' house (an hour from my house) and realized my ring wasn't on my finger.  My heart dropped to my toes, and I called my co-worker to see if she could check the bathroom sink at work.  It wasn't there.  It was gone.  I immediately reported it to security at the hospital, but I knew I'd never see it again.  I called Matt, crying.  I was heartbroken. 

4 months later, on our Christmas morning, I came downstairs to find a stuffed kitten in my stocking (I keep bugging Matt that I want a cat, but he's crazy allergic).  It had a ribbon tied around it's neck, and I noticed something shiny hanging from it [Yeah, don't think for a second that I didn't think this was a diamond, cuz I totally did, but I was not disappointed because...].  It was a brand new opal ring that Matt had gotten me to replace the one that was stolen!  Isn't he the cutest?!  Not only did he replace my ring, but he found one that looked really similar to my old ring!  I was so excited, and wore that one proudly until we got engaged and Matt wanted my only left-hand ring to be my engagement/wedding rings, and my opal didn't fit my right hand.  

So now I am complete, with my opal and my aquamarine on my right hand, and my engagement ring (and soon to be wedding band) on my left hand!  Yay!!!


*all personal photos