Another post for Not Another Wave is up. Wedding planning is going quite well, now that I realized it's 2010 and I should be involved. Really, it took Susan and I about 2 days to figure that out.
Anyway . . . Here's the link. Post your comments there.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Cranney Reunion
January of 2006 Stephen left on his mission to Spain. He was out for approximately a year when Mom and Dad got their call to Russia, and they left in July of 2007. Even though everybody but me visited Russia, Mom was home for weddings, Xan came home to get ready for his mission, and Caleb and Catherine were home the summer of 2009, really, it had been since Stephen left for Spain that we had all been together.
So I give you . . .
Cranneys Together For the First Time in 4.5 Years (July 2010)
I would like to point out that Mom is holding a grandchild in all but 2 of the pictures, even when she's just lurking in the background, and in one of those two I made her put one down to hold the cookie jar I had bought her. She's in full blown Oma mode.
So I give you . . .
Cranneys Together For the First Time in 4.5 Years (July 2010)
I would like to point out that Mom is holding a grandchild in all but 2 of the pictures, even when she's just lurking in the background, and in one of those two I made her put one down to hold the cookie jar I had bought her. She's in full blown Oma mode.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Engaged!
Yes, it's true. Carl Cranney is engaged to Susan Mikkelsen! Yaaaaaaay!!!!
This is the obligatory post telling how I proposed so you can all hear the story. It's more fun to listen to Susan tell it, but I can already tell she's getting tired of telling it. Anyway . . . I wrote this up and then had her look it over.
Right after Susan went home from Utah I requested her thoughts on rings. On July 10 she sent me a 5-page document with various pictures of ring attributes she liked and didn’t like. She was worried the document would scare me off. It didn't. I then enlisted the help of Heidi Johnson, a mutual friend, and Haylee Stewart to go shopping for rings. All of the jewelers loved the document. The folks at Jared even asked if they could laminate it to show other guys what their girlfriends/fiancés should be doing to help out.
In the end, however, this ring looked like it would be the best given what she wrote. Here it is on Heidi’s finger, and then on Haylee’s.
Susan’s sister, Maren, was also helping long-distance as I sent her various pictures and asked her opinion. The final decision to propose was made in California, but I’ll put all those details in our courtship entry, which I’m sure will happen sometime soon.
So, got the ring from the Zales in Orem and had them Fed Ex it to me. Then on Friday I had to go to the Mall to get an actual box to put it in, and went down to scout out locations in the area with Russ Bowers. See, Susan and I are a bit odd, and we were planning on celebrating Valentine’s Day this past Friday. Why? Well, her birthday is February 15th, and she didn’t want to do Valentine’s Day in the cold month of February anyway, so we rescheduled. Then she got mono. We rescheduled again. We kept putting it off and off and finally settled on Friday the 13th of August. And I thought it would be awesome to get engaged on Friday the 13th. (FYI, we’re planning on celebrating Valentine’s Days on Fridays the 13th for the rest of our lives. Yes, we're weird. But we get 3 Valentine's Days in 2012, so eat that!)
The location was significant because Susan and I have discussed getting our pictures taken here. Basically, EVERY time we get lost in Virginia or the District, we end up on (or driving next to) the very same cobblestone street in Georgetown. This has happened three times. Anyway, Russ and I walked a few blocks in every direction and he pointed out the Francis Scott Key Park that was just around the corner from the bottom of that cobblestone street. While there Russ began to sing “Oh say can you see? Will you marry me?” That sealed it. This was the location. And I was going to write her a poem set to the meter of the Star Spangled Banner. I toyed with the idea of having my roommate Adam and his girlfriend Heather be on hand to make sure the park was clear, and then decided that Susan and I could just sit and wait for it to clear if need be.
Anyway, preparations done. When I got home I saw that phase 1 of the actual plan was complete. The flowers had been delivered to Susan at work.
She picked me up, I gave her Godiva chocolates, and we drove down to Georgetown for our meal at the 1789 restaurant.
I was so nervous I wasn’t sure I could eat the entire meal. I finally gave up during dessert. Wasn’t sure if my stomach could handle any more food since it had so many butterflies. The entire day felt like I was going on the most nerve-wracking first date ever. She had cheesecake for dessert and claims it was the best cheesecake ever. She even let me have a (very small) bite.
Afterwards, we went outside but instead of getting our car from the valets we walked the block to the cobblestone street. We tried taking a few self-portraits, but those are hard. Especially on an iPhone, because someone forgot to put the charging camera battery, you know, back in the actual camera.
Then I caught sight of a nun walking down that street, so I chased her down and had her take a few more.
The look on her face was priceless when she saw the wallpaper for my iPhone.
After that we walked over to the Francis Scott Key Park. We looked around at the signs for a moment and just enjoyed its beauty before I told her I had a poem for her.
Here it is, set to the meter of the Star Spangled Banner:
I promise it works if you sing it. At this point she finally figured out that this wasn’t just a Valentine’s Day thing anymore. I pulled the ring out of my pocket, knelt down, and asked “Susan Mikkelsen, will you marry me?”
She said “yes.”
We hugged and hugged and hugged, and then I asked her if she wanted to try the ring on. We had to step out from under the arbor so she could see it, and she loves it. We just sat there for a minute, talking and crying together before we walked back to the hotel and got her car. She let me drive it for the first time. And as evidence that it really was the best cheesecake ever, she was more reluctant to give me a bite of that than to drive her car. The first stop was the temple, as Susan is still trying to get a perfect shot of it so her cousin can paint a picture.
The rest of the night was spent calling family and friends. Heidi Johnson sent us an email with this picture that she took that night while camping. This is what the sky was like that night.
So that’s the story. We got engaged at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday the 13th of August, 2010. Thanks to all who helped, offered to help, or offered prayers and well-wishes.
This is the obligatory post telling how I proposed so you can all hear the story. It's more fun to listen to Susan tell it, but I can already tell she's getting tired of telling it. Anyway . . . I wrote this up and then had her look it over.
Right after Susan went home from Utah I requested her thoughts on rings. On July 10 she sent me a 5-page document with various pictures of ring attributes she liked and didn’t like. She was worried the document would scare me off. It didn't. I then enlisted the help of Heidi Johnson, a mutual friend, and Haylee Stewart to go shopping for rings. All of the jewelers loved the document. The folks at Jared even asked if they could laminate it to show other guys what their girlfriends/fiancés should be doing to help out.
In the end, however, this ring looked like it would be the best given what she wrote. Here it is on Heidi’s finger, and then on Haylee’s.
Susan’s sister, Maren, was also helping long-distance as I sent her various pictures and asked her opinion. The final decision to propose was made in California, but I’ll put all those details in our courtship entry, which I’m sure will happen sometime soon.
So, got the ring from the Zales in Orem and had them Fed Ex it to me. Then on Friday I had to go to the Mall to get an actual box to put it in, and went down to scout out locations in the area with Russ Bowers. See, Susan and I are a bit odd, and we were planning on celebrating Valentine’s Day this past Friday. Why? Well, her birthday is February 15th, and she didn’t want to do Valentine’s Day in the cold month of February anyway, so we rescheduled. Then she got mono. We rescheduled again. We kept putting it off and off and finally settled on Friday the 13th of August. And I thought it would be awesome to get engaged on Friday the 13th. (FYI, we’re planning on celebrating Valentine’s Days on Fridays the 13th for the rest of our lives. Yes, we're weird. But we get 3 Valentine's Days in 2012, so eat that!)
The location was significant because Susan and I have discussed getting our pictures taken here. Basically, EVERY time we get lost in Virginia or the District, we end up on (or driving next to) the very same cobblestone street in Georgetown. This has happened three times. Anyway, Russ and I walked a few blocks in every direction and he pointed out the Francis Scott Key Park that was just around the corner from the bottom of that cobblestone street. While there Russ began to sing “Oh say can you see? Will you marry me?” That sealed it. This was the location. And I was going to write her a poem set to the meter of the Star Spangled Banner. I toyed with the idea of having my roommate Adam and his girlfriend Heather be on hand to make sure the park was clear, and then decided that Susan and I could just sit and wait for it to clear if need be.
Anyway, preparations done. When I got home I saw that phase 1 of the actual plan was complete. The flowers had been delivered to Susan at work.
She picked me up, I gave her Godiva chocolates, and we drove down to Georgetown for our meal at the 1789 restaurant.
I was so nervous I wasn’t sure I could eat the entire meal. I finally gave up during dessert. Wasn’t sure if my stomach could handle any more food since it had so many butterflies. The entire day felt like I was going on the most nerve-wracking first date ever. She had cheesecake for dessert and claims it was the best cheesecake ever. She even let me have a (very small) bite.
Afterwards, we went outside but instead of getting our car from the valets we walked the block to the cobblestone street. We tried taking a few self-portraits, but those are hard. Especially on an iPhone, because someone forgot to put the charging camera battery, you know, back in the actual camera.
Then I caught sight of a nun walking down that street, so I chased her down and had her take a few more.
The look on her face was priceless when she saw the wallpaper for my iPhone.
After that we walked over to the Francis Scott Key Park. We looked around at the signs for a moment and just enjoyed its beauty before I told her I had a poem for her.
Here it is, set to the meter of the Star Spangled Banner:
Oh say can you see
A way for us to marry
And make me the man
Whose happiest in the world
You are wise without guile
And have the most gorgeous smile
And in every way
You are the woman for me
So will you say yes?
Because that would be best.
And we can be joined
In matrimony
Oh say you'll marry me
Susan I'm asking you now
Because I love you
And I know you love me
I promise it works if you sing it. At this point she finally figured out that this wasn’t just a Valentine’s Day thing anymore. I pulled the ring out of my pocket, knelt down, and asked “Susan Mikkelsen, will you marry me?”
She said “yes.”
We hugged and hugged and hugged, and then I asked her if she wanted to try the ring on. We had to step out from under the arbor so she could see it, and she loves it. We just sat there for a minute, talking and crying together before we walked back to the hotel and got her car. She let me drive it for the first time. And as evidence that it really was the best cheesecake ever, she was more reluctant to give me a bite of that than to drive her car. The first stop was the temple, as Susan is still trying to get a perfect shot of it so her cousin can paint a picture.
The rest of the night was spent calling family and friends. Heidi Johnson sent us an email with this picture that she took that night while camping. This is what the sky was like that night.
So that’s the story. We got engaged at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday the 13th of August, 2010. Thanks to all who helped, offered to help, or offered prayers and well-wishes.
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