One Point Two One

I met my wife for the first time on Christmas night in 2013.

We went on our first date as friends on Valentine’s Day in 2014.

She officially became my girlfriend several days later on February 22, 2014.

I knew she was the one, so I bought her engagement ring on February 27, 2014.

I proposed to her, and she became my fiancée on March 8, 2014.

She became my wife on March 17, 2014.

For my accelerated love story, I want to focus on the memory of purchasing her engagement ring. The process of buying her engagement ring solidified why I knew she was the one God had prepared for me. At this point in our relationship, we quickly knew God's plan for our lives, so it was time to get engaged. We went shopping for her engagement ring. We prayed to God that we would find just the perfect diamond ring. The budget was a major factor in choosing the right one as well. We went to a local jeweler, and they presented about 12 different diamonds that fit my budget, which was everything I had at the moment in my bank account; it wasn't much, so I wanted to give it my all. My then-fiancée prayed and chose the gem that was the biggest and the whitest. It was a 1.18-carat diamond that was uncertified. Most people only buy certified diamonds because it's risky not to. We used a microscope to look at the purity of the gem. It had 2 small dots inside the gem. We liked it because the two small dots reminded us of the twin pearls, which were very precious to us, which is another memorable story in itself. I made the purchase and had to wait until the next day for it to be ready, for it to be set and installed onto a ring. The next day, we went to pick up the ring. The diamond ring was ready, it was beautiful. I asked the jeweler if we could look at the diamond under the microscope again, just to make sure it was the same gem as the one my fiancée picked out. I looked under the microscope and I found the two exact dots. It was the same gem that she picked out. As I kept looking at the gem under the microscope, I realized that around the girdle of the gem, I saw some numbers and letters that looked laser inscribed. I told the jeweler what the numbers and letters meant. The jeweler said it was impossible. She said that only certified diamonds have serial codes laser inscribed on each gem. I told the jeweler to look for herself. She looked under the microscope and was shocked. She exclaimed, "This diamond is certified!" She looked up the serial code of our diamond and it was indeed certified, as we believed it was uncertified. The certified details were printed for documentation. To our surprise, both the weight and price of the diamond had a higher evaluation. The actual weight of the diamond was 1.21-carat (instead of 1.18-carat) and the price point of the diamond DOUBLED in value without paying the extra premium. Tears of joy flowed out of my eyes when I saw the documentation. It wasn't only because the valuation doubled, but it was because the actual weight was 1.21-carat. 1.21 is a significant number to me because 1.21 is my date of birth, January 21. From this sign, I knew that God had prepared my fiancée to become my wife from the time I was born. We made the choice and at the same time, God pre-ordained it at my birth.

At the time of writing this memory, this year is our 10th anniversary. Time goes by too fast when living life together with a loving family. I love you, happy 10th anniversary!