This bites ... but it's okay.

Avatar for sohappilyme
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Registered: 03-26-2003
This bites ... but it's okay.
15
Sat, 06-13-2009 - 4:50pm

DH and I took the kids out on the boat. It was the first time this year and I'll tell you, there's no better way to keep them all occupied for hours on end for less than $10! LOL. Anyway, a thunderstorm blew up on us and we were flying to get back to the dock. It's a little hole-in-the-wall boat ramp and there was lightning in the sky, not over us but close enough to get the heck out of the water. We went into the dock faster than usual, and because of the way the dock is built you have to physically stop or "catch" the boat because there are no bumpers to keep it from tearing a hole in the fiberglass. We JUST remodeled the entire thing and DH painted it. It looks brand new. I was thinking, secondary to the lightning issue, that I was NOT going to let it hit the dock.

Combine my rusting "catching" skills with the hurry we were in because of the storm (which really just blew up out of nowhere), and you've got an unpleasant situation. Even though I was careful, I ended up with my wrist bent back in a way it won't bend and actually sat there thinking my arm was going to break. I went past the "oh, crap" phase to the acceptance phase in the time it took for the boat to give instead of my arm, and it finally changed paths enough to not snap my arm in half. I ended up with a nasty scrape and bruise on the underside of my forearm and a couple of cuts under my wedding rings (band, engagement solitaire, and diamond wrap). We were in too much of a hurry for me to examine it much. My arm still seemed to work so we got the kids in the truck and loaded the boat. It was dark by then.

When we got home (10 mins) I started easing my rings around my finger to see how bad the cuts were and that's when I noticed my solitaire was gone. GONE. The prongs were there and in place, but the diamond was gone.

This broke my heart, but not because it was valuable. To the contrary, it didn't cost much but it took months to save for 13 years ago. DH talked once about getting a bigger one but I never wanted a bigger one. If we stopped flaking for a couple of months I could have a nice one - heck, we've come up with $4,000 over the past 6 weeks as it is! But I don't have anyone to impress, and nothing would mean as much as what he worked so hard to give me when we literally had nothing. And now it's gone.

I've only taken my wedding band off once in my life, and that was after the ceremony to put it behind my engagement ring. I took the engagement ring off once to have it sized with the wrap. Otherwise, in nearly 12 years of marriage they've stayed put. We're both so particular about what those rings stand for and it really means so much to have them on. DH won't even take his off.

Anyway, I'm just wearing the band. I didn't want to damage the prongs on the engagement ring, and the wrap looks funny without it, LOL. They're tucked away in a drawer for when DH can have a diamond put back in, and he's under orders to stick to the same size I had before, however modest. I know we could put it on a credit card, but on the other hand, we couldn't. That wouldn't show much of a commitment to live debt free, would it? =c)

In the meantime, I'm going to shell out a whopping $30 for a CZ ring and have fun with it. In the end, it won't matter. The missing diamond was important b/c he showed me how incredibly hard he was willing to work for me, but you know what? So is that empty setting. He didn't go into debt for it then and we're not going to do it now, either.

Now if I could just stop panicking every time I see those diamonds missing from my finger...

Sarah


sahm, wahm, homeschooling mom to

Sarah

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Avatar for sohappilyme
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 06-14-2009 - 1:35pm

You're right, LOL. The diamond I earned by sacrificing life and limb - or limb and rock - in order to save the boat! LOL. I doubt it'll turn up -- it either fell out over the water or on the slope of the boat ramp, which I climbed into the truck over, and we had several inches of rain within minutes of leaving. DH has the ring and the wrap that goes with it, so he can go have it replaced when he's got the cash to do so and surprise me. (I'm excited about that part, although it'll be a while and he'd better listen to me and not get a bigger one!)

I'm sorry you lost your diamond, too. (((Hugs)))!

Sarah


sahm, wahm, homeschooling mom to

Sarah
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Registered: 10-01-2008
Sun, 06-14-2009 - 8:22pm

Oh I'm so sorry.

Norma


"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus


Avatar for sohappilyme
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 06-14-2009 - 8:35pm
(((Thanks)))! I'm not gonna let my arm hurt too long - if it doesn't start to feel better, I'll have it looked at. Most of the pain seems to be on the flesh and not bone deep (ha!) so maybe it's just bruising and whatnot. I'm not sure how much the boat weighs, but I know the six of us alone weigh in at over 400 lbs, LOL! I'm just grateful I can still type - I'd be in trouble if I couldn't work AND had a copay to come up with! =c)

Sarah


sahm, wahm, homeschooling mom to

Sarah
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Registered: 05-14-2008
Mon, 06-15-2009 - 9:55am

Ouch!

Avatar for sohappilyme
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 06-15-2009 - 10:20am
Oh, wow, you must have been devastated! But what a sweet thing for DH to do, and what a wonderful way to look at it. That's not corny at all - it's absolutely lovely. I'm so sorry for both of your losses. (((Hugs)))! And thank you so much for your support. =c)

Sarah


sahm, wahm, homeschooling mom to

Sarah

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