My Three-Stone Anniversary Ring*

*Otherwise known as "Sharing a Bit of My Sentimental Self, Two Posts in a Row and Putting Off Telling You About Our Anniversary Holiday Until Tomorrow"

When Husband and I went to pick out my engagement ring in July of 2001, he told me to choose whatever I wanted - "any size, any cost - it doesn't matter." I, in my Menno frugality, chose the 'middle-size diamond' in a ring style that had three size choices. I don't regret my choice because I still admire my ring, it's beautiful (though perhaps due for a cleaning). At the time of this ring choosing, Husband and I decided that since I was choosing a diamond solitaire for my engagement ring, he would hunt down or design the perfect three-stone ring for our fifth anniversary. Some people might think a fifth anniversary is a little soon to be reflecting on the past-present-future by way of a ring, but we thought it would be just right.

So here we are. We just celebrated our fifth anniversary last Friday and my right hand ring finger is still devoid of a three stone ring. Five years have come and gone and if/when the day comes that either one of us will ever be able to say "any size, any cost - it doesn't matter" again, that will be a sweet day indeed. I'm not missing a ring because my Husband forgot, we just couldn't afford it. But more importantly, I've come to the conclusion that as nice as a shiny new ring might be, I don't need a ring to remember why I married Husband five years ago, why I'm happy/grateful/content/lucky to be married to him now, and why I will still want to be married to him five years from now.

These past five years have not always been eventful or perfect. We've discovered a lot of things about each other that drive us crazy: Husband is capable but unwilling to get ready for bed in a decent amount of time every night; I am completely anal about standing on a freshly laundered bath mat with BARE FEET ONLY. Generally, I thrive on multi-tasking; Husband generally can't stand it.

We've also discovered that we are relatively boring people. We don't go out much, we hardly ever rent movies (we can't remember the last time we saw one in a theater). If we're getting together with close friends for dinner and games or going on a day or weekend trip somewhere, we're happy, but usually, we like to stay home.

When we were dating, I enjoyed Husband's sense of humour. Now that we're married, I've learned that he can be downright goofy and I love it! He likes to do silly dances (and recently did one on camera at work which I hope I will never have to see). He likes to laugh and be childlike. I can make anything into a song, which Husband enjoys (perhaps not so much the Getting Ready for Bed Song which includes the words 'oh, why must you be so slow/i can never really know'). And we both have a talent for animating our menagerie of stuffed animals (Boy, that Mr. Bear! He's got talent!).

There are a host of other discoveries about us and things I could share with you about why I love my Husband and why I love being married to him, but I already wrote my longest post ever last time and I have other things to do today. Suffice to say that I'm okay with not getting that ring. We have memories and sentiments that no ring can ever fully symbolize.

Year six is going to be FULL of changes and big events for us. We don't like where we're living, it has been a huge emotional and financial struggle, but we are learning to love each other better and more deeply. And when it comes to our marriage, we are happy. We are content. We are in love. And to the person who once told me that "your husband can never be your best friend" - I'd like to officially tell you - what a crock!