5 Years Ago Today…

…Tara and I were in Hawaii to celebrate my birthday. She wanted to stop at this little place outside our hotel where you pick an oyster and you get to open it up and dig out the pearl that’s inside the oyster. She was so excited about it.

The lady that helped us was so much fun and we liked how sassy she was…just like us. It was $12.95 and Tara said I should do it, too. I didn’t really want to, b/c I was thinking, “what am I going to do w/ a pearl? It’s just going to sit in a drawer and get ruined.” However, she talked me into it.

The lady that was helping us told us we could get the pearls mounted in these 14 kt white gold plumeria rings. I said I would do it if the pearl I got was pink. Well, wouldn’t you know…I got a pink pearl. So, Tara and I spent the $ to have the pearls mounted in the middle of the plumeria rings.

We were able to go back the next night and pick up our rings. I can’t remember exactly how much they were, but I think it was something like $120, which was insanely expensive for both of us at the time. But, I am so incredibly glad that we splurged on ourselves and got the rings. They were gorgeous when we went and picked them up and it was a great reminder of our once-in-a-life-time trip to Hawaii.

Well, I wore my ring all the time. But, the band was really thin and I noticed that it was starting to crack underneath the flower where it was attached to the band. I quit wearing it for a few years b/c I didn’t want the whole flower to break off one day w/ out me noticing and then it would be lost. Well, I have been wanting to get it fixed for all of these years and I decided not to procrastinate anymore and it was going to be my birthday present to myself to get it fixed. I gave it to a friend who is a jeweler and he said he would take care of it.

He fixed it for me and Nate was sneaky and paid the guy w/out me knowing! It was such a fun surprise and great birthday present. I was giddy w/ happiness when I got it back and it was all shiny and fixed. I’ve worn it everyday this week and keep looking at it and admiring it all the time.

It reminds me of the thousands of memories I got to create on that trip to Hawaii w/ Tara. It reminds me to make the most of every moment, b/c Tara and I almost didn’t go on the trip, and now I’m so eternally grateful we did. It reminds me to make as many good memories as possible. It reminds me to splurge on myself every once in a while. It reminds me of how blessed I was to have her in my life. It reminds me that she is the best friend I’ve ever had and that she changed my life in so many ways. There are so many good things that my plumeria ring reminds me of and I’m excited to wear it again everyday.