My boyfriend Carl and I had been dating for several years when we decided it was time for us to get married. It was pretty cut and dried, not a lot of romance or discussion. We didn't want to spend a lot of money on a ring because we were saving to buy some property where we could have a couple of horses, a dream both of us had had since childhood.

We always reserved our Saturday mornings for horseback riding at a friend's ranch and one Saturday Carl told me to meet him extra early so we could watch the sun come up from our favorite spot.

We started our ride when it was still dark but both of us were wide awake and looking forward to the ride. I had baked fresh cinnamon rolls the night before and brought them along with a thermos of hot coffee. The plan was to ride up into the mountains as it got light and stop in time to watch the glorious sunrise over the pasture down below.

As we rode up the trail Carl reached over and touched my arm so tenderly it made me want to cry. I just love that man so much it hurts! I turned to smile at him and saw that he was holding a little box out toward me. We walked our horses off to the side of the trail and I opened the box to find a precious gold ring with little diamonds all across the top. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

"Carl" I whispered, "I thought we weren't going to do this."

Carl reached over and slipped the ring on my finger as my eyes filled with tears.

"Joanne, I love you so much that I want every single person who sees you to notice that you have a ring on your finger and know that our love for each other is a special thing for us. That ring is nothing fancy, but the depth of love it carries is beyond measure. Will you be my wife?"

What a special moment in my life. That was fifteen years ago and I'm reminded of it every time we ride our horses up that trail to watch the sunrise together.