When Scott proposed to me, he did it the old-fashioned way. In December, 1993, he called my father to inform him that he was going to propose. This later explained why my parents would spontaneously burst into tears that Christmas. Before returning to college after the holidays, my mother gave me a package and told me not to open it. She said it was for if Scott proposed.

Scott did indeed propose to me a few weeks later, and after settling down, I remembered my mother's package. I opened it to find this lovely hand painted Limoges box. That first night, before going to bed, I carefully took off my engagement ring, laid it in the box and closed the lid. I practiced this ceremony for many months swearing to always take care of my ring, never wash dishes with it on, never bang it against a wall, never get it caught in my hair. . .all the things a new bride believes is possible. The ring is no longer stored nightly in the precious box, but when I look at the box on my dresser, I see in it all the hopes and dreams that the future would bring me as a married lady.

We celebrate our 13th Anniversary on December 17, 2007. I love you, sweetheart.

For those wanting the technical side of this picture, this was shot using the Color Select Mode on my camera. Yes, it is novel, but I really do like the effects. I'd like to say this is straight from the camera, but I must admit to learning a little bit about "vignetting" in PhotoShop. That added some lovely softness to the picture. For those who want to be on the outside looking at the inside of other PBasers' lives, see the Thursday Challenge Forum