A Diamond in a Rock

Runnner-Up Contest Submission

Valentine's Day 2010 was my favorite. My boyfriend at the time, Andrew, takes the cake for this. My personal hobby is to rock hound, or rock hunt. We lived in a small town at the base of Mount Rainier, the active volcano, and the molten lava allows for fantastic rock hunting. Volcanos and molten lava are where diamonds are created! On this particular Valentine’s Day, he took me up to the mountain to my favorite rock hunting spot, with our two dogs in tow as well as a picnic basket filled with great food. While I was knee high in fresh glacier water, looking for agates, crystal, opals and anything beautiful, he was just watching me and taking photos. He was never able to find any of the kinds of rocks I was able to find. He always told me that I had a special gift to be able to find these hidden gems. But that day he was looking for rocks with me, which was a bit odd.

At one point, he called my name rather urgently and said: “I found something awesome, come look." So I rushed over to see his find. He pointed to the ground in front of him and, as I came over, he lowered himself toward his prize. I realized quickly that he was proposing to me. He acted as if he had "found" an engagement ring among the rocks. I saw the ring and instantly began to cry. He asked me to marry him that day. It was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done, or will do, for me. I said yes, of course. Now it is 2012 and we are having our first child and have been happily building our family life since that amazing day.

–  Maranda