The Story.

It was a gorgeous day. We were taking the kayaks out on the water on a "double blind" date. :) (aka: a double date - us and a blind date). The sun was shining, the water was cool and clear, and we were enjoying ourselves.

After a few hours on the water, we carried the kayaks back up to the trailer. M. ,the other girl, and I were carrying two of the boats. The boats were HEAVY and the plastic handles were digging into my hands, made especially painful by my rings on both my ring fingers. Before we climbed some really steep stairs, I asked her to stop so I could remove my rings and place them in my pockets. I was extra careful to place them in, because I have a huge fear of taking off my rings in a public place.

We went to the trailer, the boys emptied the water out of the kayaks and loaded them on the trailer. We got ready to get in the van, so I took my rings out of my pockets and...

"Uh. We have a problem. A major problem. I don't have my engagement ring."

It was only 10 minutes after I removed the rings, only a few dozen yards away from where I'd removed them. Surely we could find it, right?

The four of us spent an hour scouring the path, the parking lot, the grass, the steps. But to no avail. Mike said he wouldn't leave until he found it. To be honest, at first I wasn't even sad. I was more scared at how mad Mike would be. I'm KNOWN for losing things (if you know me, you're nodding at this point). Mike and I have talked many times about how the engagement ring is my most valuable possession, and Mike has made it known how upset he'd be if I lost it.

Tim and I left to take the kayaks back and to search for a place to rent a metal detector. Mike stayed to look at the river. (It was at this point I left my panicky Twitter message.)

After about 30 minutes, I'd tracked down a rental place, and went to go see if Mike had found it yet. I drove up to the parking lot, afraid and anxious. I'd hoped he'd found it - but was afraid he'd be angry with me if he hadn't. He walked up to the car, shaking his head.

It started to sink in. I got out of the car and hugged him, starting to cry. "Sorry" didn't seem appropriate. He held me, telling me, "It's just a thing. It sucks, but it's not our love - it's just a sign."

I was floored. Mike had taken a second job at a bagel shop, working at 5am before he had to go to his other job, to pay for that ring. It was a huge purchase for him, and he was so proud of it. I'd have to expected him to be so angry he wouldn't speak with me.

Instead, he was promising me he'd replace it with a fantastic ring for our 10 year anniversary (because, let's be honest, we're not going to be able to afford one anytime soon.)

Later in the night, after we'd gone out to a Korean-Japanese restaurant and enjoyed some gelato, I felt a wave of overwhelming sadness. The ring Mike had specially designed and ordered for me, the ring he'd proposed with, the ring that had been my feeling of security in our many months apart, the ring he'd worked so hard for...it's gone. I have a habit of spinning my ring around my finger...now that habit is a sad reminder.

We were apart for most of our engagement, and looking at that beautiful ring made me feel secure and as though Mike was with me. So many times, I admire the sparkle and thought of Mike's love.

It's silly to go through stages of grief for a ring, because I'm so not the kind of person who ascribes tons of value to material possessions. But after denial, I'm now sad.

It's frustrating, because I just have NO IDEA when my ring could have been dropped or could have fallen out of my pocket. We've come to the hesitant conclusion that one of the many people around the river found a diamond ring and picked it up. (Maybe they'll turn it in? But if you saw four people walking around looking at the ground, wouldn't you *know* they were looking for something??)

...I'm planning on looking around for it - pawn shops? I don't know where or how to start, but I'm not giving up. (Do people file police reports for these kind of things?)

But even if I never find the ring, I still have my amazing husband. And that's pretty great. My wedding band is simple and plain - just a band of white gold. It suits me perfectly. Most girls want a diamond-studded ring, but I'm happy with my simple little ring.