After being engaged at the last solar eclipse of 2017, Chris and Jessica Robertson both from Atlanta Georgia wanted to experience this eclipse with they daughter, Veda (age 4).
ROB BAKER | FOR THE DAILY JOURNAL
The inscription on each engagement ring bore a simple message: “Once in a lifetime.”
Chris and Jessica Robertson knew they wanted their kids to experience the total solar eclipse that shrouded a swath of the country in darkness in 2017. They drove from their home in Atlanta, Georgia, about 1 ½ hours northeast to see the celestial show that year.
Seeing a solar eclipse was special enough. But Chris Robertson had something else in mind, as well.
“I planned on proposing right after the eclipse,” he said.
The couple and their kids watched totality before Chris Robertson popped the question. Jessica Robertson said yes.
Considering their connection to the eclipse, they started planning to watch the 2024 event soon after.
“It’s been seven years in the making for us,” Chris Robertson said. “We’re kind of amateur eclipse chasers now.”
Since the 2017 event, Chris and Jessica Robertson have added to their family — their daughter, Veda is 4 years old now. They came to central Indiana to take part in this year’s eclipse, as has Chris Robertson’s adult son, Corey, who flew in from Salt Lake City, Utah.
They were staying in Indianapolis for the weekend, where they spent their first day in town exploring downtown. On Sunday, the family decided to come to Franklin to enjoy the eclipse festival the city hosted.
“It’s been great. We’ve never been here. My wife has a little bit of family here, so it’s kind of been a two-birds, one-stone kind of trip,” Chris Robertson said. “We’ve gotten to see some family we hadn’t seen for a while, and we’ll get to see the eclipse.”
For totality, the Robertsons decided to view with family — fitting, considering their relationship to the 2017 eclipse.
When Chris Robertson proposed to Jessica, he used the words “once in a lifetime,” not only to describe their relationship, but to commemorate the eclipse that accompanied their engagement. That’s why they chose to have the phase inscribed in their rings.
While walking through Franklin on Sunday, Jessica Robertson found a souvenir to match it.
“She found a t-shirt that says, ‘Twice in a lifetime,’ which has the date for the 2017 eclipse and the date for today,” Chris Robertson said. “It started as just a cool thing to see and to show our kids, now it’s kind of turned into a personal magical experience for us.”
