Thursday, June 12, 2025 – Day 303

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Good morning. Welcome to Thursday.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared that Alex is making his own wedding ring for the big day on September 13. Since then, a few generous folks have come forward with gold tucked away at the bottom of old jewelry boxes and offered it to him. My sister Lis sent a pair of gold earrings that once belonged to my mom, and Cathy Keffer found a gold ingot her grandmother had purchased back in the 70s.

Once Alex decides he’s ready to start making the ring—he only has 93 days left—I can’t wait to see the video of the whole process, start to finish. This ring will have a heartwarming story behind it that’ll be talked about for years. Way more meaningful than just walking into a jewelry store, plunking down some cash, and walking out with a ring. On behalf of Alex: thank you.

Yesterday, we met up with Cathy and Ric for lunch in Richmond, IL—partly to catch up, partly to pick up the gold ingot, and mostly just to enjoy something different. We found an Irish place called Doyle’s Pub and sat outside in the shade. Temps were hovering near 90, but with low humidity and a quiet patio all to ourselves, it made for a pleasant lunch. Honestly, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves, which made conversation a lot easier—no background roar for my weak voice to compete with. A welcome change of pace…for me anyway.

That whole exchange got me thinking about when I was hunting for an engagement ring for Cindy. Through a couple of family connections, I was introduced to a guy named AJ who sold diamonds on the side.

We arranged to meet at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Waukegan (because obviously that’s where all reputable diamond deals go down). He also didn’t want to draw attention to his home, so he said we had to meet in a discreet location. We sat in the corner, trying to be invisible—as if that’s even possible—looking at diamonds through a loupe in a public setting.

He brought a few stones to choose from, and they were all beautiful. Even though people I trusted vouched for him, I’ll admit—I was a little skeptical about buying a diamond from a guy I didn’t know, in a donut shop, in Waukegan no less.

But AJ surprised me. I picked a diamond, and instead of asking for payment, he let me leave with it so I could get it appraised. Now that’s trust.

It took 24 hours to get it checked out, and thankfully the appraisal matched everything he said. I met him back at the same Dunkin’ Donuts and handed over the cash. Even though it was legit, it still felt shady. Diamonds and donuts…not your typical combo.

I brought the stone to a jeweler in Highland Park to have it set in a custom engagement ring. The design I liked needed a few more diamonds to really make it pop. So, I called AJ again, and we met in the parking lot of his workplace in North Chicago. Yep—another exchange of diamonds and cash out of the trunk of a car. Definitely had that “this is too good to be true” energy.

But in the end, I had a stunning engagement ring made for Cindy—and a story that’s only gotten better with age. Best of all, I lived to tell it. One of these days, if I remember, I’ll tell you about the marriage proposal. It’s also a cute story… I think, anyway.

Have a great Thursday.

Love you guys! ❤️

P.S. Adding photos of the gold donations and a couple of beautiful looking gold sunsets from Africa, courtesy of Zack’s parents (Kevin and Kim)