Chris came home, as scheduled, on Monday from his trip to Panama .. a little worse for wear. My poor boy was bee-stung, sun-burned, jet-lagged and some ot
her uncomfortably hyphenated word. So after a little TLC and lots of aloe, he's back up and running, good as new.
Him and I were supposed to meet my cousin, Peter, for dinner on Thursday night but as most of us Northeasterners know ... the weather did not permit it. So we had to push it back to this Thursday night, which still gives us something to look forward to! I'm very excited to see Pete again and for him to meet Chris. And as if that wasn't exciting enough, my mother said the food on Arthur Ave. is to die for. Who doesn't love family and food? We're Italians .. it's synonymous. If I could make wedge of lasagna a bridesmaid, I would.
Also, great news on the wedding-date update! We officially have our date se
t after speaking with a deacon at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport and the date is ours! According to this very nice phone-answering lady, we're the first couple to book in 2011. I was a little nervous that when I told her I wanted my cousin, a pastor outside of the parish, to perform the ceremony that it wouldn't go over well, but when I mentioned it, she said, "Oh, how perfect!" So I was definitely relieved about that. I took another ride by the church not to long ago and brought my mother this time. The church was completely empty and we were able to walk down the isle and stand up at the altar. I said to her, "Look mom, this is where you and dad will sit." And she said, "No, I'm going to sit back here.." and she pointed to a seat in the very last row, "Why?" I asked. "Because I'm going to crying so hard, you don't want me in a place that the acoustics will carry." We might have to start thinking about having our ushers offer Kleenex boxes along with the programs of our mass ... ... We can call them, "Blessyous".
The house-search is progressing along very nicely. Chris took a tour with me on Friday morning (braving the snow!) to see the "Court" house. I was so happy to know that he saw the same potential I did and was equally as pleased with the location. We have a few other homes that we also really liked- so we're coming down to the wire now. We're waiting on a few loose ends and then hopefully we'll be a little closer to owning a home!
In other news, Chris and I had so much fun on Saturday ring-shopping! Yes, ring-shopping. When Chris proposed, he gave me a ring that his grandfather gave to his grandmother many years ago for Valentine's day. Her name is Antionetta, so the ring was a diamond encrusted "A". It worked out perfectly! "A"manda also had the same ring size so everything fell into place. This ring is now known as the "proposal ring". He gave it to me so I would have something to symbolize our engagement while him and I shopped for a perfect ring. And though slightly unconventional, I loved the idea! Now we get to turn ring-shopping into another exciting part of the wedding and who doesn't love getting dressed up in pearls and scouring for the perfect ring?! Plus, I get to bring Chris along and it turns into a couple's outing :) He's more than patient with me and I'm happy to see he really gets involved, looks at all the rings I choose, and even searches through the cases for good finds. And he's getting pretty savvy! He picked quite a few yesterday that were close contenders.
The difficulty in what I'm looking for is that I don't want a conventional engagement ring. I want something unique, something delicate, and something antique. Not "vintage" or "antique inspired" but an actual antique. There's just no mistaking a real antique from newer creations. For example, we walked into one jewelry store and my eye was immediately drawn to ONE ring in a large case that stood out from all the rest. In both the color of the diamond, the shape of the ring's gallery, the cut of the stone, everything. We had come to find out that it was the only antique in the showcase, an estate piece, and was very old. According to the saleswoman, it's a "miners cut diamond" which, upon further internet exploration, I came to find out was a cut popular in the late 1800's. She didn't know the exact date, clarity or color grade, in fact the only thing she knew was the size of the diamond and that the metal was platinum; but she'll be giving me a call on Monday with those details.
So last night both Chris and I, unbeknownst to each other at first, went online that night and scoured the internet looking for similar rings from that era. We found SO many styles out there that were vaguely close in style but none of them offered all of the things I loved so much about this specific ring. The solitaire round-cut diamond is set extra high, giving it this very "regal" look, as my mother (who saw a blurry camera-phone picture of it), put it. And the entire shank of the ring is hand-engraved with filigree work. What is so interesting about it as well is that the filigree carries all the way up the basket and into the tiny prongs holding the diamond. The engraving doesn't stop at the base of the diamond where the prongs begin- but flows in a beautiful curve up to the crown of the stone. Really, it's such a gem. We went to a whole bunch of other jewelry stores and all of the antique rings are short and stout looking- often times with round stones over a square setting. This one was just ... there was something about it that both Chris and I agreed was special.
And in the event this IS the ring and I'll be wearing this magnificent antique on my finger soon ... I'm going to have my nails done today. Oh, shush. You have no idea what you're talking about. I am most certainly NOT putting the cart before the horse. Nonsense. I just happen to need tips and a french manicure today. Why today, you ask? Well, aren't you a little busy-body? ...
Annnnddd... change of subject. Chris and I received our first engagement gift! My mother's friend, Sandy, bought us a beautiful journal called, "The Book of Us: The Story of our Love in 160 questions". Him and I, both excited to start, sat down on the floor of his grandmother's den and began writing. We both admitted we had a lot of fun talking about our first date and first impressions of each other and silly things we were nervous about. So I realized .. the gift Sandy gave us wasn't so much the book itself, as it was the moments him and I will spend together rehashing our own love story. And for that, we're both so incredibly thankful.
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