The Finer Things in Life

I heard someone say once that there was no point in registering (when you get married) for things like china and crystal.  That those things were just a way for people to flaunt how much money they have.  Being that I'm here in Freeport and sorely missing my "finer things", I've been thinking a lot about what those kinds of things mean to me.  Why is it that I love them so much?  It certainly can't be because I enjoy showing people how much money I have!  Clearly that is not the case at this particular point in my life.  So here's my 2 cents...

Why I registered for fine china:

(this is my china pattern by the way...so beautiful...)

I registered for fine china because one of my favorite "heirloom" items in my grandmother's house is her fine china.  She is a "dish freak" and she has totally passed that obsession down to me.  I love going through her china cabinet and hearing where she got certain pieces and why she loves them.  I love the nostalgia, the history behind her fine china.  I wanted to have some of my own so that I can tell my grandkids the stories about where I got it, who bought me place settings (one of which includes my own grandmother!).  It's not about what anybody might deduce about my character from my china, it's about what it will be generations from now to whoever is looking at it and telling my stories!

Why diamonds are a girl's best friend:

(this is me receiving Jonathan's wedding gift which was a diamond journey necklace...)

Well this is a no brainer for me!  Of course sparkle is my favorite color, but the diamonds that I have mean so much more to me than just a great fashion statement.  My first diamonds came from my dad.  For my 18th birthday, he bought me the most beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings.  They are so perfectly me, because they're not just plain studs.  Each earring has 4 round stones in a star pattern which makes them unique...just like me!  I never take them off.  They're actually in my ears right now!  My engagement ring is incredibly beautiful.  In addition to the fact that it came from my wonderful husband, my solitaire round stone came from a ring that was "willed" to me by my great grandmother.  My wedding band is comprised of small diamonds taken from one of my mother's grandmother's rings (another great grandmother of mine) and some from a ring that belonged to Jonathan's late grandmother.  So my left ring finger is encrusted in history!  And through the years as Jonathan adds to that setting, every diamond that goes into it will be another diamond that could possibly be set in my future childrens' wedding settings.  How incredible is that??  No cubic zirconium can survive the test of that kind of time...

I am not a believer that the only reason people "indulge" in the finer things in life is so that they can show people how much money they have.  I really could care less whether anyone notices how "big" my engagement ring is or whether anyone else gushes over my china pattern.  It's not about anybody but me and Jonathan and us blending our two family histories together and starting and continuing our own history together!  Because long after the two of us are gone, there are a few things that will live on past us.  There's a reason why if you call something "heirloom" it automatically is more valuable.  Why?  Because you just can't put a price on nostalgic memoirs.  You can't duplicate them!