by Becky Vieira posted in Life

I never intended to throw my son an outlandish 1st birthday party. And I didn't.
At least I don't think it got to the point of extravagant. But my budget did fall by the wayside somewhere between the make-your-own-gift-bag station and the caterer.
I?m not sorry. It was more than a first birthday party. We moved during my pregnancy and our baby shower had to be cancelled. I had extreme postpartum depression after my son's birth and we lost a lot of his first year. This may have been just a birthday party in the technical sense, but the reality was so much more.
We never veered into territory we couldn't afford, but let's be honest...who enjoys spending money if they don't have to" As our guest list and budget continued to grow, I had an idea to help offset the costs. "I'm going to sell my engagement ring," I told my husband.

I wasn't talking about the ring he gave me, the one I proudly wear on my left hand and never take off. I meant the engagement ring from my ex-husband. A ring I forgot I even had until my mom stumbled across it the week prior when she was cleaning out a closet.
My first marriage wasn?t good for either of us. I don?t have much left from that period of my life; I donated my wedding dress years ago. The ring remained because I never knew what to do with it, then I honestly forgot about it. I'd stashed it at my parents' house and moved on.
My ex-husband never wanted it back and there wasn't much use for it. S...