once upon a time...

ahhhhh, yes.  it all started in vegas.

so...  you might be wondering...  with devin a life-long east coaster, and ashlee firmly planted amidst the palm trees of los angeles....  how in the world did you two meet??  well - grab some coffee (or coy-fee, as dev might say) and find out!  ;o)


i had jetted off to vegas for a couple days to meet up with a very dear friend from dallas, and i was definitely ready to get out of LA for a couple of days . . .


devin had traveled to vegas for work - - or what i like to call, a "geek convention."  little did he know what a geek he would find!!  so, as the fates would have it, on january 28, 2008. . . we both found ourselves at the bar - - or actually, iBar.  it even sounds geeky, right?


devin sees me - across the bar - all alone - in my "i like boys" t shirt, and gallantly decides to send over a little drinkie-poo.  well, now i wouldn't want to be rude (and my gosh, that grey goose was already poured...), so i accept it, give the obligatory 'head nod' and promptly return to my seat next to my friend . . . my male friend.  of course, one cannot tell from across the bar that this is, in fact, one of my dearest (and platonic) male friends . . . and i imagine that devin had visions of getting a drink or a fist in his face at that point . . .


so, being a proper southern girl (thanks mom!), i decided after a few minutes that it was only right that i go over and thank this young man in person.  and how else was i going to see how hot, er handsome, he actually was - those bars are dark in vegas, kids!  i bounce over and introduce myself - and the giggling and hair flipping began!  now, devin will tell you that much of this was done while i was sitting on his lap - but i believe he is embellishing just a bit . . . and those surveillance cameras have been wiped clean by this point... so my word against his - yay! 


we each had dinner plans, so we decided to meet for drinks later that evening.  we reconnected, and went for cocktails at some place that was very high up and offered amazing views of vegas.  i am pretty sure there was some additional giggling and hair flipping (mostly by devin - i was playing it cool), and after very likely one too many cocktails we called it an evening. 


with vague, unconfirmed plans to meet again the next evening - i went about the day with no particular goals.  my friend was working on a project, so i was left to relax and wander . . . gambling has no appeal to me and i actually find casinos marginally depressing.  i had a lovely day to myself, and managed to check the ol' phone for messages every once in a while...  you know, just in case.  after i while i decided, you know, we had fun - it is what it is...  i mean - this IS vegas and the guy lives in NEW YORK.  even if we DID like each other - how would THAT ever work out?


<cue fate - or something> late afternoon, i walk into the lobby of the hotel . . . and that guy (you know, devin) quite literally almost walks right into me.  RUH ROH.  here goes the butterflies and giggling all over again (mine).  we confirmed our plans for the evening and i went to my room to hussy up.


devin and i met at some non-descript hotel bar ( i literally couldn't tell you a thing about it besides, "there were barstools and grey goose" ). the next thing we know - five hours have gone by.  we were both leaving vegas the next day for our respective coasts, so we said our goodnights with a sort of "i'm not sure what just happened or what this is" tone. 


within a couple of days of getting back into our routines, the phone calls started.  every day.  for hours.  i'm not even sure what we talked about - - but clearly we covered just about everything.  thank god for free long distance calls - had this been the early 90's, this courtship would not have been afforded.


we met january 28 - by march, a visit one direction or the other was inevitable.  i had not been to new york in years, so i made the leap.  i went for a long weekend, with nyc friends and an emergency fund at the ready in case i needed to high tail it out of there...  i mean, a lot of things look good from thousands of miles away (right, devin??). 


back in la, the calls / texts / emails / cards continued and by may - it was sort of 'what are we doing?'.  i mean, we were both having a great time getting to know each other, but the logistics were definitely beginning to play a larger part in the story.  i found myself planning a week-long trip to nyc for may. 


so heeeere comes may . . .  mind you, we have only known each other four months at this point - and have only seen each other TWICE in person when i touch down at ol' jfk.  aGAIN - with the butterflies, giggling, and hair flipping (both of us).  i surprise devin with box seats to the yankees (last season in the old stadium - where lou gerhig, dimaggio, babe ruth played!!).  devin surprises me with a (literally) 12 hour marathon party where i am greeted and secretly judged by his in-town family and about 100 (ONE HUNDRED) of his closest friends.


towards the end of the trip (and possibly after a couple or seven beers), devin asked, "why don't you just move here?"  and i am thinking, "i've seen you in person three times... i don't really know anyone... i have no job... where is the beach... that would be one expensive move...  i would have to be crazy... "


back to la... and before i know it (and before i've talked myself out of it), i have quit my job and started packing up my wordly belongings for what may be one of the most exciting or tragic chapters of my life.  within 30 days, i am in new york...


you can pretty much guess how things went from there.  :O)  sure, this is a bit more "my side" of the story, but devin is asleep and has thereby forfeited his editorial input.  and as you might have guessed (and is, i believe, law when anything occurs in or around vegas) some details, dates, times, names, number of cocktails and the like - may have been altered or omitted to protect the innocent.

my new bff hachik

i know --should someone "my age" really still be labeling people as their BFF?  um, well, when you hand your beautiful sparkly most important piece of jewelry that you have ever had in your entire life off to a complete stranger - and they return it to you in an hour absolutely flawlessly sized and somehow even more sparkly than before - - YES.  yes you should.

so, after receiving this most amazing symbol of devin's adoration of me and all of my flaws and quirks (and let me tell you - there are many, my friends), and joyously slipping it onto that all important ring finger - - well, the ring was a little big.  "AWESOME!!," i exclaimed.  "does this mean i can get fat!?!??"  visions of biscuits 'n gravy . .. chicken friend steak and the like began dancing joyously through my little head . . . Ahhahahahahaaa....  NO.

as you may surmise, after receiving something of this magnitude - - the last thing in the world you want to do is take it off - - let alone pass it off to a complete stranger.  not being an nyc native, and lacking a 'go-to jeweler' here only compounded my fears.  so, i did what any very classy broad would do in my situation: i wore it (for 54 days) with a series of bandaids wrapped around the back of it - much like a starry-eyed high schooler with her boyfriend's ring. 

after numerous puzzled glances, the gentle ribbings of a few co-workers and my exhaustion from applying and reapplying the bandaids (now with an almost surgeon-like precision), i began to research.  as some of you know about me, one of my fun little quirks is my penchant for researching and over-thinking most any situation or dilemma.  now in this case, sure, makes perfect sense....  however, when applied to the more harmless / mundane choices in life - - wherrrrrrre to go for brunch - - probably not quite as charming.

at any rate, after exhaustive research - which included a "dry run" of the area and the business itself, naturally - i finally almost kind of tentatively cautiously sort of settled on Royal Jewel Setting (yes, Mom, you may insert your Princess remark here: _______ ).  now, the 'dry run' of the place almost counted it out before i made it to the door.  have you BEEN to the diamond district in new york city???  oh my god.  honestly, i feel compelled to shower after walking through that area . . . . "oooooooh prrrretty lady needa diamondss??"  "heelloooo beeeauty"  "you come in - i have jewels almost as beautiful as yooou"  it's like dodgeball - except with sleazeballs (sorry diamond district and the numerous purveyors of jewels in the vacinity).  for anyone headed to that area:  keep your hands in your pockets, walk fast and with purpose (i actually perfected a diamond district stomp, should you need assistance), and do NOT make eye contact with the barkers.  they see it as a sign of weakness and will go in for the kill.

the day of the dry run, the master jeweler wasn't there - which was fine, it afforded me the opportunity to gather intel and get a feel for his surroundings...  sort of stalking my prey, if you will.  now, the place is a workshop - or possibly a work-closet - there are no gucci-suited security men opening glass doors for you as you enter....  nothing wrong with the place, i'm just saying - it is a no-frills "this is where the work is done kind of place."  hachik (the aforementioned master jeweler) was not in at the moment, but his nephew michael was very charming (and not in the smarmy diamond district kind of way) and adeptly answered the numerous questions i machine-gunned at him.

what do you recommend??
what is the advantage of this over that?
how long have you been here?
what are your qualifications?
what size is the ring?
what size should it be?
how will it get there?
how do you clean it?
what if you loosen the stones?
how long will it take?
how much will it cost?
can i stand here and stare creepily while it is fixed?
what if there is a robbery?
do you know martial arts?
how many questions can i ask before you call security?

i left feeling encouraged.  despite the dicey business practices of some of his neighbors, hachik's little workshop seemed a respite from all that.  this might just be the guy.

a little over a week later, in snow and slush and 15 degree windchill (genius), i decided TODAY is the day.  just suck it up and get in there champ.  time to RRRRriiiipppP off the ol' bandaid...  quite literally in this case.  i called hachik to introduce myself (um, of course, because that is what you do).  he managed to successfully subdue his excitement about my impending visit over the phone - but i could sense he was pretty pumped.

i trudged over to his headquarters - determined to look this man in the eye and deem whether or not he was worthy (sorry, i think i fell asleep last night with some warrior movie on, i'm feeling very dramatic and combative - thanks devin!).  i announce myself, and he looks me right in the eye with a firm handshake - - seemingly sizing me up as well.  i noted that he had a similar item in his shop that i have at home (called an 'evil eye' - the blue glass "Nazar Boncugu" or "Eye Bead" worn for protection in Turkey, Cyprus, the Central Asian Turkic Republics, among others).  he cautiously asked me where i got mine.  i explained that a client of mine from turkey had brought it to me - "i am from istanbul!," he proclaimed and *voila* i was suddenly a-okay. 

to be fair, i could tell from the handshake that he was completely above board, and that all of my research had paid off.  he inspected the ring (as well as the fabulous vintage rhinestone earrings i was wearing - yes, YOURS, Mom!), explained what he was going to do, how long it would take and exactly how much it would be.  we chatted for a bit, filled out the paperwork and off i went.

now, international evil eye and vintage jewelry bonding aside - walking out of that place with but a little claim ticket was decidely unsettling.  i just kept thinking....  ummmmm, i just gave my engaaagement ring to a straaaaangerrrrr...  for the next hour i had visions of returning to find some other man there, with "no idea" who this "hachik person" was....  or worse - retuning to a boarded up shop.... i had almost convinced myself of the elaborate hoax he might have perpetrated on me - replete with fake profiles on yelp extoling his expertise and professionalism...  and how he lured me in with that helpful innocent nephew!! 

as the clock ticked away, i began my anxst-ridden return to the shop...  platform stiletto boots dont fail me now!  i walk in to find him carefully buffing my now nearly blinding ring.  i slip it on - - perfect.  i respectfully look for any signs of his work - - flawless.  it looks like the ring was made this size - you cannot, from any angle, discern even the slightest hint that it has been sized.  this is no small feat, considering the diamonds on the band and the intricate design on the sides of the band.  i am not sure what else he did to it - but the metal itself is gleaming - - and the diamonds....  well, they are sparkling almost as much as the irrespressible smile on my face.

ladies - gentlemen - that one person still reading this damned thing (hiiiii Mom!), i do not have enough superlatives for hachik and his amazing work.  don't be fooled by the simple website, or the off-putting characters in the neighborhood - he is an absolute master, craftsman, and gentleman!  he does fine jewelry repair, costume jewelry repair, custom jewelry....  the whole sha-bang.

Hachik Givelekian
ROYAL JEWEL SETTING
http://www.thejewelrysetter.com/

man - i know this is a long blog, but the sunlight was coming through the window and dancing all over this ring - - and i just couldn't stop typing!  it was like a cat and one of those light pointer things.

we have a ring... we have a date... we have a lot of work.

 wow. so as you probably know, devin carlos voorsanger has *finally decided to make a respectable woman of me and put a ring on it.  i think i have already figured out why many people opt for long engagements...  you know like the 7, 10, 14 year variety.

this isn't like getting a part time job - this is at least a full time job and a half.  it took me just under 5 excruciating hours and literally hundreds of designs / templates / color palettes just to pick a freaking website for the wedding spectacular...  now about how long do you think it will take me to settle on a dress!?!???

i need a drink.