Jared & Leslie's 5 Year Anniversary Ring Stack

How did you meet?

Jared and I met in Hawaii in 2012. I had been living there for 5 years and he was on vacation with a friend. We were both hiking Olomana (one of the most spectacular trails on the island) when the friend he was with and the friend I was with struck up a conversation. It turned out that they went to the same University and knew a lot of the same people. We ended up finishing the hike with them and inviting to lunch with us. 

I had just returned from a 3 month backpacking trip through Australia and Bali and hadn’t gone back to work yet, so I ended up playing tour guide for Jared and his friend for the remainder of their trip. We exchanged contact info before he flew back home to Seattle and ended up becoming pen pals. Fast forward a year and a lot of flights and adventures, we started dating and I eventually moved back to the mainland where we got married.

You have travelled extensively around the world together, do you have any favourite spots?

We definitely bonded over our shared love of travel and new experiences. Exploring and adventure has always been a high priority for us - it has brought us to some incredible countries and landscapes. It’s really hard to choose a favourite but I love: 

• Tofino on Vancouver Island
• Patagonia
• Lake Tahoe, California
• South Island, NZ
  

Whereas Jared’s favourite spots are: 

• Italy
• El Chaltén, Patagonia
• Tofino

What have you loved most about being in Australia?

Living on the Surf Coast in Victoria. Our home is a 7 minute walk to the beach and there are 20+ surf breaks within 5 kilometres of us. We feel incredibly privileged to wake up and be surrounded by nature.

And the community is full of inspiring, supportive and down to earth people. We’re taking any chance we get to explore more of the country (not so much luck this year) but are looking forward to doing a road trip in Western Australia and getting up into the Northern Territory when we can. 

Where was your first date and what did you do?

Because we were friends first, we never really went on a first date. We ended up travelling a lot together before we made anything official, but I guess I consider our first date the night we had our first kiss.

I had flown to Seattle to visit him and he took me to dinner at the Seattle Space Needle. It’s a bit of a tourist attraction but it’s also an iconic restaurant that’s 605’ tall and slowly spins as you eat. It gives you an epic 360-degree panoramic view of downtown and all the mountain ranges in the area. It was pretty romantic and after dinner we went outside to the viewing deck where we shared our first kiss.

Leslie, what do you love most about your special ring stack and how did you find your experience with RUUSK?

I literally love everything about my stack ring! It took me a while to find the right combination of rings as there are so many choices and everything Tania put together as examples looked incredible. 

I love that the wave ring represents my connection to the ocean and surfing, and the 5 sapphire diamonds on my organic ring represent the celebration of our 5 year wedding anniversary (plus my engagement ring is a sapphire). My pebble ring is the perfect size and the colour of the champagne diamond is perfect. 

Featuring Leslie's Pebble ring customised with a champagne diamond paired with a Wave band and a XS Organic Ring with 5 navy sapphires

My experience with RUUSK was easy and enjoyable. Tania was generous with her time and made sure she sent images and videos of all the ring stack combos I could choose from. Her communication is prompt and she has fabulous follow up. She’s an absolute joy to work with and I’m already thinking about my next purchase.

What are you looking forward to in your next 5 years together?

Starting a family, getting a dog (still need to convince Jared of this!), building a garden, travelling around Australia, creating deeper connections in our community and making sweet memories along the way!