The Rock Inside a Rock

We knew we were the ones for each other from the first night we met, when I wished on a shooting star to keep him forever. A week later we set a date for our wedding. We still waited seven months before he had the ring custom made and officially proposed.

I am a geologist, so studying rock is a passion of mine. Nate and I are both outdoorsy people and we go hiking almost every weekend and I'm always telling him something about the rocks around us.

April 26, 2009 we went for a hike in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees in Yosemite just as we go hiking almost every weekend. At the end of the trail under the “Faithful Couple” trees Nate says that he has a surprise for me. He gets in his backpack and pulls out my rock hammer and a geode (round rock with crystals inside) and explains that he sawed all the way around the geode and saved it for me to crack open. I was so excited to break apart this rock and see the crystals inside. Nate got down on one knee as held the rock on the ground and I hammered it open. Inside the geode was a cotton ball, I pulled it out and I was admiring the crystals when the oddity of a cotton inside a rock hit me. Inside of the cotton was the most beautiful ring. Right there he asked for my hand in marriage. I was just so overwhelmed with joy I started crying and hugging him. He asked "so that's a yes right?" and I replied "of course it is."