I love participating in 10 on the 10th which is hosted by Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After and Marsha in the Middle! 

This month pays homage to that most sparkly of birthstones, diamonds!

1. Diamond’s are April’s birthstone. What is your birthstone? What do you like or dislike about it?

My birthstone is the topaz, November! From the Greek Topazios, a small island in the Red Sea. According to Era Gem, the topaz is symbolic of harmony and hospitality, is a gem for the artist, inspiring creativity and living life according to your own values. I love that, all of those things are qualities I wish to embody. I love its warm yellow color (although they can come in many colors). My mom bought me a topaz ring for my 16th birthday. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a topaz until then honestly, it seemed so boring compared to a diamond or an emerald. Then my mom bought me that ring and I loved it. I loved its individuality, which was something I very much valued then and now. And of course, that my mom bought me such a beautiful piece of “adult” jewelry, my birthstone from the woman who birthed me (and my mom’s birthstone is a diamond!)

2. Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance found on Earth. What is something hard you have dealt with in the past year or so?

The past year or so has thrown lots at our family. It’s been crazy. Some of the issues are not mine to share, but one I can is Wyatt’s shunt revisions in September and October of 2020. We went six years without Wyatt needing his VP shunt revised and then boom boom, two in a row during the first six months of the pandemic. It was scary, it was hard. But we made it through – my kid is so tough and brave and strong.

3. Diamonds are also known as a girl’s best friend. Tell us a bit about your bestie!

I have three! Chrissy, who is also my sister-in-law, Kelly, and Jill. Chrissy I met when my brother started dating her a million years ago, and we hit it off immediately, despite a nine year age difference. (I am older) She is very logical, empathetic, and caring. She has a fantastic smile, a wry sense of humor, and is a fantastic mother. Chrissy can be very reserved but when she is comfortable she can bubble right over with happiness. She has a huge heart and the thought of anything and anyone being hurt, hurts her. I have seen her care to insects that other people wouldn’t even glance at – all life has meaning and is sacred to her, and I love that about her.

Kelly and I have been friends for…hmm. Almost 30 years? Yikes! I just did the math on that and phew. We were in each other’s weddings, and have passed from our 20s to our 30s to our 40s, through buying houses and miscarriages and having children and the loss of family members. We keep each other sane on a daily basis. She is super practical, where I am not as much. She keeps me grounded and I have the opposite effect on her sometimes. She’s the Grace to my Frankie. She is always super put together, where I am not. I don’t mind a mess, she can’t stand one. We have been there for each other through thick and thin.

Jill rounds out our group of four. Jill is a real nurturer, and seriously one of the hardest working people I know. She is a respiratory therapist and worked tirelessly during the first months of the pandemic, (and all the rest as well) at one of the first hot spots in Michigan. She worked extra hours and despite being in danger herself, she didn’t miss a beat. That’s just Jill. She will bend over backwards to help people. She also can get a wild hare and do something totally crazy, like fly to London to stay with a friend she had only met online, all by herself. She is so independent and brave.

All of these women are strong, have beautiful spirits, are independent, and just pretty all around amazing. They can make me laugh like only friends can. We have weathered many storms and rainbows together and I love them all so much.

4. Marilyn Monroe is synonymous with that saying. Do you have a favorite Marilyn Monroe, saying, or picture?

Not really. So I looked up some photos for this post and found this photo gallery of candids, and I love them so much! This is my favorite.

5. The Queen’s Jubilee was in 2012. What were you doing in 2012 and would actually confess to?

I jumped back to my old blog to see! And well, I wasn’t doing too much. Reading, hanging out with friends, working at the library, hiking with Billy. I guess not too different from these days?

6. Name a song with diamond in the title and tell us why you picked that one.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is the first to come to mind. I remember thinking it was such a crazy song as a kid! I also want to give a shout to Neil Diamond, and Forever in Blue Jeans, which is a song I love.

7. Would you splurge on a large diamond, a grand experience, or a new car? Why?

Definitely the grand experience! Memories you have forever, to live and experience and see new things are so valued by our family!

8. Do you have a sentimental diamond gift or bequest?

I have a few! My own claddagh engagement/wedding ring, my grandmother’s engagement ring, and a ring my mom had made for me from the diamonds in her wedding ring that she got from my dad.

9. Why do you think diamonds have become such a desired gemstone? Do you like diamonds?

This is going to sound cynical, sorry. My answer is they have become so desired because of marketing to the public. Through successful marketing the world views them as symbols of wealth, happiness, and even love. As for if I like them, I do! I love the ones that I have but are they something I would ever ask for or covet? No, not really. I do appreciate their beauty though, and I completely understand why others do want them! We like what we like!

10. Are you a traditionalist when it comes to diamonds, or do you like the colored stones? Why?

I am not. I recently discovered salt and pepper diamonds and prefer them! They are imperfect, unique, beautiful, conflict free. My husband bought me a salt and pepper diamond ring last year, and I love it. I think it is wonderfully symbolic of this time in our lives, these “salt and pepper” years, our midlife. We are imperfect and unique, and I think it represents us and our relationship.

And that is it! I had a great time doing this! Be sure to pop by Marsha and Lesley’s blogs to read all the others, if you enjoyed mine!