The little blue box.

I was thinking how terrible a journal keeper I've been my whole life. I'm making a more serious effort to remedy that. I also feel like I should write down things that I remember about important moments. Like when I married Mr. B. That's almost 11 years ago. It all still feels very clear but I'm sure I don't remember everything... Gotta get on that.

My birthday is this week. I enjoy making big deals out of birthdays. I get weird about making that same deal about my own birthday. Mr. B makes me feel special just about every single day so to make me feel even MORE special he gets all secretive and "planny". haha. I'm enjoying lunches out and savoring Birthday Week. Mr. B has been very busy on job sites lately so we aren't hanging out in the office together. Chessy but I sure do miss him when we're apart. go ahead, gag. s'true.

Last night, kids are finally asleep and we sit down to watch something and he tells me that he's a terrible gift buyer/giver because he wants to give me my present right now even though my actual birthday is 3 days away. I'm down with whatever and would prefer not to open gifts in front of large crowds anyway. I say, "Sure, if you want to give it to me now, I'll open in and be happy". He asks me to sit at the table and wait.

I waited. Long enough that I updated my facebook status about waiting. I was excited and nervous and had no idea what to expect. Maybe it was a new pair of TOMS! But he hates my TOMS so nvm. Then I thought it might be the lens that I just rented. Then I revisited the TOMS idea. Aren't these rad?

He finally came out and asked me to close my eyes. I did. I'm not a cheater. I don't peek. When I opened my eyes and saw this...

My heart pretty much jumped up into my throat.

This had not even crossed my mind.

I opened this card and as I read it I was reminded just how much he is the man for me. My eternal partner and friend. We are forever.

So here it is. 

It fits perfectly below my wedding band. And it sparkles. And it's pretty. So Pretty.

For the record. I am not a jewelry gal. I wear fun and silly necklaces and chunky plastic bracelets if I even bother to think about putting it on. I wear my wedding band, always, like never ever take it off for anything. I also wear a necklace just about every day of my life. It's a necklace that Mr. B got for me when he took me to the Prom. It was the first piece of jewelry I'd ever been given. It's small and simple and I was wearing it when we got married, when I had each of our children, on every anniversary and just about every day in between. It's so special to me.

We were recently talking about how neither side of our family was the type to pass down jewelry heirlooms. I wanted to be able to give something to my daughter or my granddaughter. Now there's something. And a great love story to go with it.