14 years ago when "Joe" and I decided to marry, we were not in good shape financially. He was a struggling resident and I finished med school with about $65,000 in debts. My parents owned an inn and Joe's cousin is a travel agent so we were able to have a nice wedding/honeymoon. However, I have always been disappointed about the ring/proposal.
When Joe's parents divorced, his mom sold her engagement ring. It was a huge rock! She split the money into thirds (about $7,000) and put it in bank accounts so that her sons could buy very nice engagement rings when they were ready to marry. However, Joe was nervous about spending the money on a ring. He asked me would I be willing to wear his great-grandmother's ruby engagement band until we could afford to add a diamond solitaire. I said yes. (He used the ring money from his mom to help pay bills while I tackled my med school loans.)
In the end, there was no formal proposal. We just picked the ring up from the bank safety deposit box. Joe handed it to me and I guess I just tried to put it on. It was a little too small so we went to the jeweler and left it to be sized. I figured Joe would do something romantic when he picked it up a few days later, but he just left it on the coffee table.
Today, we are both debt free and making good money. Joe has a successful private practice and I am the head of surgery at a small hospital. We have three beautiful kids. Joe's grandfather has given them a generous trust so their private school and college education is set. After my father's death, my mom moved into the inn full-time and gave us my childhood home, so we don't have a mortgage.
I've been hoping for a diamond for several years now. And I haven't really kept it a secret. Most women I know get a diamond anniversary band with 10 small stones for the 10th anniversary. A friend mentioned to Joe that her new beau is a discount diamond merchant in the hopes he'd take the hint. I got a new deep freeze (something I didn't want, by the way).
I can't understand why Joe is so reluctant to spend the $7,000 now that we can afford it.
When Joe's parents divorced, his mom sold her engagement ring. It was a huge rock! She split the money into thirds (about $7,000) and put it in bank accounts so that her sons could buy very nice engagement rings when they were ready to marry. However, Joe was nervous about spending the money on a ring. He asked me would I be willing to wear his great-grandmother's ruby engagement band until we could afford to add a diamond solitaire. I said yes. (He used the ring money from his mom to help pay bills while I tackled my med school loans.)
In the end, there was no formal proposal. We just picked the ring up from the bank safety deposit box. Joe handed it to me and I guess I just tried to put it on. It was a little too small so we went to the jeweler and left it to be sized. I figured Joe would do something romantic when he picked it up a few days later, but he just left it on the coffee table.
Today, we are both debt free and making good money. Joe has a successful private practice and I am the head of surgery at a small hospital. We have three beautiful kids. Joe's grandfather has given them a generous trust so their private school and college education is set. After my father's death, my mom moved into the inn full-time and gave us my childhood home, so we don't have a mortgage.
I've been hoping for a diamond for several years now. And I haven't really kept it a secret. Most women I know get a diamond anniversary band with 10 small stones for the 10th anniversary. A friend mentioned to Joe that her new beau is a discount diamond merchant in the hopes he'd take the hint. I got a new deep freeze (something I didn't want, by the way).
I can't understand why Joe is so reluctant to spend the $7,000 now that we can afford it.
