The Purple Nugget

Here is the story of our engagement weekend...


The Occasion
Our friend Horacio is in the Navy and is headed to Iraq. I offered to drive his vehicle from his home in San Diego to his family in Tucson. I asked Jen if she wanted to go to San Diego with me. She asked if we could go to the Hotel Del Coronado in order to check a box in the 1000 Places to See book and also to the diamond district in L.A. So, not only did she set the stage for the proposal, she also pretty much told me what the answer would be.

In baseball, this situation is what is referred to as a meatball.

The Del
We earned our checkmark at the Del with a tour of the hotel and a couple glasses of wine. There was a wedding and reception in progress, which naturally turned the conversation to the lovely question of "when are we getting married?" My answer of "I don't know, I'm not sure," garnered a frown, but such is the stuff of great dramas.

Sensing now was the time for a change of venue, I paid the check and suggested a walk down the Silver Strand.

The Question
We chatted about our future as we walked along the beach. Just before dusk hit its head on the horizon, I:

1. dropped one knee into the sand
2. pulled out The Purple Nugget
3. asked Jen if she would marry me

Jen responded with:

1. shock
2. laughter
3. a huge smile, and one word:
   

"Yes"

She also said "oh my God, it's hideous" and "do I have to wear it?" So...I count three yeses.





The Ring
Intrepid reader: She laughed? Isn't that a bad thing?
Me: Nope, this was by design. You see, it is pretty unreasonable for someone who wears blue whenever he can to pick out an engagement ring. Believe me, there were plenty of hints along the way indicating that she wanted to be "involved" in that process.

So how do you surprise your honey with a ring and let her pick her engagement ring? By giving her a reference to an engagement ring, of course!

Enter The Purple Nugget:


The Purple Nugget is somewhat of an inside joke, as whenever we make one of our frequent trips to Kohl's we get to look at all the jewelry. The Mystic Topaz rings are a prominent, hard-to-miss feature in the case. Now, I actually think the ring is nice enough that it can make appearances at parties and such in our future. Jen's initial reaction of shock and (horrified) laughter made this look doubtful, but she has become quite fond of it since. We decided that it makes Jen look like the female counterpart to a certain superhero.

Afterword
Jen and I spent a week ring shopping and the real deal is scheduled to arrive soon. So, The Purple Nugget may be going to the right hand or in a jewelry box, but we will always have the story.