Hello LIW's!
I've decided to come out of lurkdom (?) to join this wonderful group of ladies. My bf and I met in college and have been together for 3.5 years. I'm in grad school to get my M.Ed. due to graduate in July, and he is working full time. We've talked about marriage a lot (he brought it up pretty early in our relationship!) and I didn't think we would be seriously ready for the next step until our late 20s... but some recent events have made me think the "next step" might be coming sooner than I thought!
So, like most of us, I LOVE browsing engagement rings online. My bf, bless his heart, lets me show him all the settings I like without any traces of boredom or freaking out, and actually has taken a real interest in diamonds. So together, we've learned about the 4 C's, and he knows exactly what my taste is.
So this was fun for a while, and it was pretty innocent because we aren't financially ready to get married, buy a house, and start a family just yet. (Hooray student loans). I still thought I'd be waiting at least 2-3 more years before he would start getting serious about proposing! But then this past week, he kept mentioning how he's been thinking of proposal ideas (apparently it's going to be really elaborate) and keeps making little comments alluding to a proposal, and how he'll have enough money saved up by the end of the year, all just to get me worked up! Haha. He's a goof, so again, didn't read much into it.
Then yesterday, after I spent half of my day watching the Masters with him (he's a golf fan) I asked if we could get out and do something fun, like window shop at the nearby mall perhaps? He agreed that since I put up with the golf tournament, we could do something that I want to do... so off to the mall we go, and we are just strolling around enjoying the fresh air (it's an outdoor mall, we Californians are spoiled) and we walk by a jewelry store. I stop to look at the rings they have on display outside (and they are sooo sparkly, I could have stared forever) when he suggests we go inside. GO INSIDE???!!! I was really intimidated... I never go into fine jewelry stores! (He and I are both pretty shy people as well, and we had no idea what we were doing to begin with...) So, after much coaxing, I take a couple of steps into the store and, trying to remain invisible, park myself by the nearest display case and look at the beautiful rings inside. A few minutes later, an employee walks by and asks if I'd like to try any on!
"Oh!" I look at my bf, and he gives me a look like "go on!" I turn back around "Ok... Um... SURE!"
So then we begin picking out a ring at a time, and trying them on to see what looks good. And my sweet boyfriend, who is usually super quiet, was actually asking questions and giving input the entire time! The employee lady was also really patient, and since we told her it was our first time ever looking at rings or diamonds in person, she was so helpful in pulling out a bunch of different stones and letting us compare color, clarity, and carat sizes. I was relieved that she didn't pressure us into making any sort of commitments that day, which I was pretty nervous about. I don't like pushy salespeople! So in all, it was a really awesome experience that was completely unexpected! And now that my bf and I have discussed our preferences in diamonds and settings, and figured out my ring size, he says he needs to keep me out of the loop from now on... he doesn't want me to see the setting or diamond that he picks out until the actual proposal so that everything remains a complete surprise! Which basically means I have no idea when to expect a proposal... eeeh!
Wow, I didn't realize how long this post was. Sorry and thanks for reading! Looking forward to getting to know everybody!
I've decided to come out of lurkdom (?) to join this wonderful group of ladies. My bf and I met in college and have been together for 3.5 years. I'm in grad school to get my M.Ed. due to graduate in July, and he is working full time. We've talked about marriage a lot (he brought it up pretty early in our relationship!) and I didn't think we would be seriously ready for the next step until our late 20s... but some recent events have made me think the "next step" might be coming sooner than I thought!
So, like most of us, I LOVE browsing engagement rings online. My bf, bless his heart, lets me show him all the settings I like without any traces of boredom or freaking out, and actually has taken a real interest in diamonds. So together, we've learned about the 4 C's, and he knows exactly what my taste is.
So this was fun for a while, and it was pretty innocent because we aren't financially ready to get married, buy a house, and start a family just yet. (Hooray student loans). I still thought I'd be waiting at least 2-3 more years before he would start getting serious about proposing! But then this past week, he kept mentioning how he's been thinking of proposal ideas (apparently it's going to be really elaborate) and keeps making little comments alluding to a proposal, and how he'll have enough money saved up by the end of the year, all just to get me worked up! Haha. He's a goof, so again, didn't read much into it. Then yesterday, after I spent half of my day watching the Masters with him (he's a golf fan) I asked if we could get out and do something fun, like window shop at the nearby mall perhaps? He agreed that since I put up with the golf tournament, we could do something that I want to do... so off to the mall we go, and we are just strolling around enjoying the fresh air (it's an outdoor mall, we Californians are spoiled) and we walk by a jewelry store. I stop to look at the rings they have on display outside (and they are sooo sparkly, I could have stared forever) when he suggests we go inside. GO INSIDE???!!! I was really intimidated... I never go into fine jewelry stores! (He and I are both pretty shy people as well, and we had no idea what we were doing to begin with...) So, after much coaxing, I take a couple of steps into the store and, trying to remain invisible, park myself by the nearest display case and look at the beautiful rings inside. A few minutes later, an employee walks by and asks if I'd like to try any on!
"Oh!" I look at my bf, and he gives me a look like "go on!" I turn back around "Ok... Um... SURE!" So then we begin picking out a ring at a time, and trying them on to see what looks good. And my sweet boyfriend, who is usually super quiet, was actually asking questions and giving input the entire time!
The employee lady was also really patient, and since we told her it was our first time ever looking at rings or diamonds in person, she was so helpful in pulling out a bunch of different stones and letting us compare color, clarity, and carat sizes. I was relieved that she didn't pressure us into making any sort of commitments that day, which I was pretty nervous about. I don't like pushy salespeople! So in all, it was a really awesome experience that was completely unexpected! And now that my bf and I have discussed our preferences in diamonds and settings, and figured out my ring size, he says he needs to keep me out of the loop from now on... he doesn't want me to see the setting or diamond that he picks out until the actual proposal so that everything remains a complete surprise! Which basically means I have no idea when to expect a proposal... eeeh! Wow, I didn't realize how long this post was. Sorry and thanks for reading! Looking forward to getting to know everybody!
I hope your surprise comes sooner than later!! ***dust***
sounds like the ideal first browsing experience!!!!!
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