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#265467 - 20/09/2005 12:46 So I'm going to get married...
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Hopefully, anyway. I've decided I'm going to ask her to marry me. I'm going to Portland, Oregon on a business trip October 5th-8th and I'm taking her with me. I'll be at a convention for two days but I'll have most of the day on Wednesday free (our plane arrives @ 11:30 am) and Thursday and Friday we'll have some time in the afternoon, probably after 4:00pm.

I'm going to take her to the Heceta Lighthouse to propose on Wednesday. Has anyone been there before? What kind of restaurants are in the area for dinner? If not, does anyone have any better suggestions for a romantic proposal idea?

Also, with the free time we have in Portland, any suggestions on what to do/see while we are there? Saturday is out because I'm taking her to Mount St. Helens for the day.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265468 - 20/09/2005 12:54 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Congratulations! Good luck!
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Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#265469 - 20/09/2005 12:57 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
Never been in Portland or in the surroundings, but this sounds like a great plan, and I just wanted to give you my congratulations!
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#265470 - 20/09/2005 14:27 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
jmwking
old hand

Registered: 27/02/2003
Posts: 777
Loc: Washington, DC metro
Congrats!

I hope she doesn't look at this board.

-jk

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#265471 - 20/09/2005 14:37 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: jmwking]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Quote:
Congrats!

I hope she doesn't look at this board.

-jk


Why not?
They did it on slashdot !

Congratulations!
The lighthouse sounds like a wonderful symbol to use as a backdrop to the proposal.
...a magnificent beacon that guides wayward travelers to safety.
(shame on those whose first impression was a huge phallus)
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#265472 - 20/09/2005 14:39 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: jmwking]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Congrats!


Thanks. I'm pretty excited about it.

Quote:
I hope she doesn't look at this board.
-jk


She's on the Internet about 5 minutes a week. I think I'm safe.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265473 - 20/09/2005 14:39 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
visuvius
addict

Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
Congratulations! Excellent use of the trophy!

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#265474 - 20/09/2005 14:43 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: visuvius]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Congratulations! Excellent use of the trophy!


ha. Thanks!
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265475 - 20/09/2005 14:52 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Congrats! That sounds like a lovely idea. You'll definitely have to get back to us with the answer

I've been trying to think of how I'd do it. It's probably getting to that point now, so I'm going to have to start thinking.

I heard there's some sort of "rule" for buying the ring. Some women were telling me there's a basic equation to figure out how much to spend that scared me to death
_________________________
Matt

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#265476 - 20/09/2005 15:28 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Dignan]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Quote:
I heard there's some sort of "rule" for buying the ring. Some women were telling me there's a basic equation to figure out how much to spend that scared me to death

Yup. Two months' salary. It's a DeBeers marketing ploy. Remind me, if I ever start a company, to hire DeBeers' marketroids.
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Bitt Faulk

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#265477 - 20/09/2005 15:53 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
I think he spent more than that...she's getting a pretty nice ring. (I work with Russ.)

Congrats man.
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~ John

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#265478 - 20/09/2005 18:30 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
Quote:
Quote:
I heard there's some sort of "rule" for buying the ring. Some women were telling me there's a basic equation to figure out how much to spend that scared me to death

Yup. Two months' salary. It's a DeBeers marketing ploy. Remind me, if I ever start a company, to hire DeBeers' marketroids.


Would that be the price you actually pay for the ring or the valuation they put on the gem card?
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Glenn

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#265479 - 20/09/2005 19:00 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: JBjorgen]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Quote:
I think he spent more than that...she's getting a pretty nice ring. (I work with Russ.)

Expensive ring != nice ring. Or, at least, it doesn't have to. I've seen some pretty fugly rings that are supposedly "nice", because they're "expensive", and some really gorgeous rings that aren't nearly as expensive as they look.

Regardless of the cost of the ring, congrats to Russ.

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#265480 - 20/09/2005 19:13 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: gbeer]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Since the valuation is bullshit (just try reselling a diamond), I'm guessing that it's the price paid.
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Bitt Faulk

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#265481 - 20/09/2005 19:14 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Oh yeah. I should cut out my anti-diamond-industry rant and just say congratulations! I hope her personality is as nice as her appearance.
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Bitt Faulk

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#265482 - 20/09/2005 19:22 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Oh yeah. I should cut out my anti-diamond-industry rant and just say congratulations! I hope her personality is as nice as her appearance.


Thanks. I appreciate that. I think her personalitiy is one of the most attractive things about her. I'm certainly looking forward to the future.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265483 - 20/09/2005 19:25 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Since the valuation is bullshit (just try reselling a diamond), I'm guessing that it's the price paid.


This is very true. The only thing the valuation is good for is an insurance claim. I've heard a lot of people try to tell me that this is an investment for the future but it's actually far from that. There is no investment for a diamond. Period. You won't get what you pay for it unless you're an authorized dealer.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265484 - 20/09/2005 21:01 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
Laura
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/06/2000
Posts: 1682
Loc: Greenhills, Ohio
I'm not all that fond of diamonds either and would be happy with a piece of string on my finger but then I'm not what would be considered normal for a girl.

Congrats Russ, I hope the two of you will be very happy


Edited by Laura (20/09/2005 21:02)
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Laura

MKI #017/90

whatever

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#265485 - 21/09/2005 01:02 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Go for it!

I don't have many proposal suggestions other than some killer stories I've heard from my friends. Together they suggest a pattern: women love to be proposed to infront of huge crowds of total strangers. It takes a man to propose to a woman, but it takes QUITE a man to propose surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces.

And the tag line. She'll never forget it, so pick a good one.

Congratulations, and best wishes.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#265486 - 21/09/2005 01:21 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Good luck!
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#265487 - 21/09/2005 07:03 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Cybjorg
addict

Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
Dude, congratulations. I had no idea. Go give John a noogy for not keeping me updated on things.

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#265488 - 21/09/2005 10:20 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: canuckInOR]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 559
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
We just got engaged this past July. I spent about 2 and a half weeks salary on her and it's a much nicer ring then either of us have seen on anybody's finger. The two month salary thing would have bought us a nice bike and we both felt the same way about that. It was a total surprise to her though and she thought I was just goofing around with her. She tapped the ring and jokingly said "is it real?" I looked her in the eyes and said yup! Took her a few moments to grasp what had just happened and she almost colappsed. It was a good thing, and we're both very happy. She loves her ring and she could care less about how much it costs. It's hers, and I gave it to her. That's what matters to us.

Incidentially the (Canadian, nice!) diamond was appraised (according to the card that came with it) at almost double what the ring was bought for. Imagine that!
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#265489 - 21/09/2005 10:44 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Quote:
Quote:
I heard there's some sort of "rule" for buying the ring. Some women were telling me there's a basic equation to figure out how much to spend that scared me to death

Yup. Two months' salary. It's a DeBeers marketing ploy. Remind me, if I ever start a company, to hire DeBeers' marketroids.


Holy sh*t, before or after income tax?

Congrats Russ.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#265490 - 21/09/2005 12:16 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Before, it would seem, unless you know your after-tax yearly salary.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#265491 - 21/09/2005 20:00 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Quote:
Before, it would seem


Not wishing to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but that is a lot of money. I'd much rather buy her a car or a really nice holiday.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#265492 - 21/09/2005 20:05 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
JaBZ
addict

Registered: 08/08/2001
Posts: 452
Loc: NZ
Quote:
Not wishing to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet...


Heh I just pictured Pede in American Pie 2 in that trumpet scene, funny...

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#265493 - 21/09/2005 20:08 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: JaBZ]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I've never been sure where that phrase comes from, maybe someone here knows?
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#265494 - 21/09/2005 20:30 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Quote:
I've never been sure where that phrase comes from, maybe someone here knows?

I don't know, but I prefer the version "toot my own horn," though these days people are more likely to snicker at that one
_________________________
Matt

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#265495 - 21/09/2005 21:24 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
g_attrill
old hand

Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
Quote:
Quote:
I heard there's some sort of "rule" for buying the ring. Some women were telling me there's a basic equation to figure out how much to spend that scared me to death

Yup. Two months' salary. It's a DeBeers marketing ploy. Remind me, if I ever start a company, to hire DeBeers' marketroids.

Wow, I find that pretty awful. I imagine most people would want to buy a ring that looks nice and is affordable. Nice of them to give a figure that is probably calculated to be just a bit more than most people could afford, but not quite beyond their actual ability to pay!

I do recall somebody here bought one of those new artifical diamonds, I think it was a yellow diamond and cost about 1/3rd of the price of a mined yellow diamond.

Gareth

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#265496 - 21/09/2005 21:31 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Dignan]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
According to the Dictionary of Cliches, which I just happened to have on my bookshelf:

Blow Your Own Horn (Trumpet). Boast; extol what one sees as one's own merits. As early as 1576, Abraham Fleming, in A Panoplie of Epistles, wrote: "I will...sound the trumpet of mine own merits." Shakespeare, in Much Ado About Nothing, has Benedick say: "Therefore is it most expedient for the wise...to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself".

Two early usages, but hardly the origin.
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~ John

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#265497 - 21/09/2005 22:02 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: wfaulk]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
What shocks me more is this. For those of you browsing in Lynx, it says "Almost 83% of brides receive a diamond engagement ring."

Heck, I thought 100% of brides received a diamond engagement ring because they wouldn't marry him if they didn't. So, the company is telling me that I have a choice in the matter? Niiiiiice. Besides, Life Saver rings taste WAY better.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#265498 - 21/09/2005 23:01 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: FireFox31]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Quote:
...Heck, I thought 100% of brides received a diamond engagement ring because they wouldn't marry him if they didn't. ...

I wouldn't marry a woman whose decision to marry me was based on such a thing.
That's just me, though.
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#265499 - 22/09/2005 01:52 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
Quote:
I've never been sure where that phrase comes from, maybe someone here knows?


For some reason the word fanfair comes to mind. Most anyone would look silly blowing the trumpet (ie ones own horn) to hearld ones own arrival, or goodness.
_________________________
Glenn

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#265500 - 22/09/2005 04:12 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Quote:

Not wishing to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but that is a lot of money. I'd much rather buy her a car or a really nice holiday.


I only spent a week's money on Eryl's ring (though it is very nice). I made up for it by spending 4 month's money on hiring our own island for the wedding

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#265501 - 22/09/2005 06:49 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andy]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Where's that?

That I can understand, it's like the experience of a lifetime as opposed to a hunk of metal with a lump of compressed carbon on it, or maybe it's just the old romantic in me.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#265502 - 22/09/2005 07:48 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andym]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
It is Burgh Island, an island in Devon that is actually only an island at high tide. The large white building is the 1920's hotel where we got married. Agatha Cristie wrote some of her books there and it was also used in one of the ITV Poirot dramas used it.

The inside is stunning, it was restored from a complete wreck by its previous dedicated owners.



http://maps.google.co.uk/
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday

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#265503 - 22/09/2005 08:11 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: andy]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
Wow. nice! I paid about a week's wages on Claire's engagement ring, but then took her to the same island in Greece we used to go to, but instead of our usual scabby apartment, we got one of the best suites in the poshest hotel on the island.

Again, I think a sensible split of value - a one off amazing experience, but also a nice ring - not too ostentatious but she likes it.

(Spent a bit more on the eternity ring after we had Hamish though..... eeeek)
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MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
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#265504 - 22/09/2005 10:34 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: frog51]
Ezekiel
pooh-bah

Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
I spent more than two months pre-tax salary on my wife's ring, and I've never regretted it. I had the setting custom cast and got a near perfect stone which shines beautifully. The wedding band mates to the engagement ring. I know the ring is absolutely unique and my wife loves it. I did not have the ring (or any ring for that matter) when I asked her to marry me. I got it afterwards and we both had a great time working with the jewler designing the ring and picking the stone. Money is only money.

-Zeke
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#265505 - 22/09/2005 11:08 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: g_attrill]
g_attrill
old hand

Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
Here's the post about the yellow diamond bought by trs24. It was by Gemesis and cost $4,500. A mined equivalent would have cost $15-20k.

Gareth

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#265506 - 22/09/2005 12:06 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
bbowman
enthusiast

Registered: 12/05/2002
Posts: 205
Loc: Virginia, USA
Huge congratulations to you. I just proposed to my "one-and-only" in May. I also told her the date I wanted to get married within 20 minutes of the proposal. That date happens to be September 26th, the anniversery of our falling in love. I'm getting married this coming Monday!!

Anyway, The proposal came off quite wonderfully. We were vacationing in South Beach, Miami and I planned to get her to the beach around midnight - but I couldn't make it obvious. So I waited for her to think of it - which took until about 11:30 PM. So I got the ring from it's secret hiding place (my electric razor case), we took a walk on the secluded beach and just as she was ready to go home, I slipped the ring on her finger and proposed.

It came as a total surprise to her and she cried. I designed the ring and put an engraving on the inside. Obviously, she said "Yes".

The funny thing, is that after that, I was so tired that we went home and I just went to sleep while she stayed up for the next 5 hours ogling the ring. For me, the first climactic moment has just finished, but for her, it had just begun.
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RioCar MK][a 20GB+80GB
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#265507 - 22/09/2005 12:57 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Ezekiel]
jmwking
old hand

Registered: 27/02/2003
Posts: 777
Loc: Washington, DC metro
Quote:
I had the setting custom cast...

We went this route, too. We used the stone from her grandmother's engagement ring; she thought it was a wonderful way to honor her grandmother. All the rest was a custom setting, paired with a custom wedding band. She doesn't wear much jewelry (makes gift giving that much tougher ), and had never regularly worn a ring before.

Of course, I didn't have the ring when I proposed - on a beach, on July 5 a few years ago. Watching everyone's extra fireworks go off. Just as it started pouring. We stood in the rain for about 10 minutes, then dashed back to the house.

-jk

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#265508 - 22/09/2005 14:22 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: jmwking]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Thank you guys for all of your comments and support! I greatly appreciate it. I will definitely give an update after it happens.

I do have one more question/concern. I do travel frequently so I know the procedures in the airport, but what if the bag I have the ring in gets searched? I'm going to have it in my digital camera bag in a custom made box. I just have this huge fear that this bag will be subject to "random" search that day.

Any ideas on how to get around this? Placing it in the checked luggage is out of the question.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265509 - 22/09/2005 14:54 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
Congratulations!

I'd say put it in something you really don't think the'll search. A jacket that you take off and put though the machine on it's own is very unlikely to look suspicious. Digital camera bags, on the other hand are far more likely to get searched.

Mattthew

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#265510 - 22/09/2005 15:10 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: matthew_k]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
The other option is if you can arrange to be separated (even if only by a few minutes) before going through the security scan. This way, if you are searched, you can explain freely without her finding out.
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#265511 - 22/09/2005 16:05 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: pgrzelak]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
The other option is if you can arrange to be separated (even if only by a few minutes) before going through the security scan. This way, if you are searched, you can explain freely without her finding out.


Good thought but virtually impossible. She's only flown once (to Italy) and it was pre-9/11. I'm pretty sure she'll be glued to my side.
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265512 - 22/09/2005 16:07 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: matthew_k]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Congratulations!

I'd say put it in something you really don't think the'll search. A jacket that you take off and put though the machine on it's own is very unlikely to look suspicious. Digital camera bags, on the other hand are far more likely to get searched.

Mattthew


Excellent idea. I've even thought about leaving it in my pocket. I've been told that the metal detectors won't pick up the platinum. Any truth to that?
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265513 - 22/09/2005 16:18 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Heather
addict

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 510
Loc: NY
Quote:
I've been told that the metal detectors won't pick up the platinum. Any truth to that?


Well, none of my gold or platinum jewelry has beeped on the way through them. I can't remember if silver did or not. I'd carry it on my person personally, I don't trust any of my jewelry worth more than $20 in baggage, or anythng of sentimental value either.
_________________________
Heather

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." -Susan B Anthony

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#265514 - 22/09/2005 17:36 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
TigerJimmy
old hand

Registered: 15/02/2002
Posts: 1049
It shouldn't, but it depends on how sensitive they have it set. The metal detector works by a change in magnetic permeability on the inside of it (the part you walk through). The detector is (usually) a big coil that you step through.

Platinum is about 13x more magnetic than aluminum, for instance, but only about 3% as magnetic as iron oxide. These detectors are really designed to detect steel.

I have a platinum bracelet, that probably has more platinum than your fiancee's ring (because of its size) and it has never set off a detector -- and I fly a LOT.

Good luck!

Jim

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#265515 - 22/09/2005 18:32 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Don't they ask you to empty your pockets before walking through the detector?
The ring by itself would be inconspicuous, but in a box it might draw attention.
I'd put it in the jacket pocket and distract your betrothed if the scan screen is visible to the passengers.
Good luck-
_________________________
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Stolen!)

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#265516 - 22/09/2005 19:08 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Robotic]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
Don't they ask you to empty your pockets before walking through the detector?
The ring by itself would be inconspicuous, but in a box it might draw attention.
I'd put it in the jacket pocket and distract your betrothed if the scan screen is visible to the passengers.
Good luck-


I most likely won't have a jacket on because it's not going to be cool enough. The scan screen isn't visible to the passenger. If I do happen to leave it in my pocket it would be in a small brown envelope just incase it does pick up. Just because they say pull everything out doesn't mean you have to pull everything out, just what would set off the detector.

If it sets it off I'd simply place it in one of the bins and have them scan it. At that point, hopefully the person looking at the scanner could tell exactly what it is and keep quiet.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. Great advice guys! Keep it coming!


Edited by Russmeister (22/09/2005 19:10)

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#265517 - 22/09/2005 19:12 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Note that most airports make you send your jacket and sometimes your shoes through the conveyor belt anyway. If you want it on your person, pants pocket is the best option. Although the jacket through the conveyor screening is probably a better option. I've never had a jacket searched.
_________________________
~ John

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#265518 - 22/09/2005 19:14 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Put it next to a piece of paper with foil letters that read "SECRET ENGAGEMENT RING: DON'T SEARCH"?
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#265519 - 02/10/2005 06:55 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Robotic]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Quote:
The ring by itself would be inconspicuous, but in a box it might draw attention.

That's a good point -- the last ring box I had was metal covered in felt.

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#265520 - 02/10/2005 11:17 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
JeffS
carpal tunnel

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
Congrats on getting married! I hope you find a way to get the ring through the airport. If it gets discovered, you might have a very memorable engagement:

You: Hey, please don't seach that. (whisper) it's a secret engagement ring for my girlfriend.
Security: (looks suspicious) what? I need to see that sir.
You: Come on, it's not like it's a bomb.
Security: Bomb? Did you say bomb? All right, you're coming with me.
You: (later, in the security holding room). Ummm, hon. I'm sorry about this. Will you marry me? Hon? Babe? Why are you looking at me like that?
_________________________
-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

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#265521 - 02/10/2005 11:21 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Robotic]
JeffS
carpal tunnel

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
Quote:
I wouldn't marry a woman whose decision to marry me was based on such a thing.
No, well good luck. Because the decision to marry you isn't about a diamond ring per se, but whether you care about her dreams enough to make them come true. And for most girls (not all, obviously), a diamond ring for an engagment is one of those dreams (go De Beers). If she decides that dream isn't important you're cool, but I wouldn't try to decide that for her.
_________________________
-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

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#265522 - 02/10/2005 11:34 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: g_attrill]
JeffS
carpal tunnel

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
I've asked my wife about getting a manufactured diamond recently, and she says she would be cool with it. I think, though, for her engagement ring it wouldn't have flown, as much as she'd like to believe it now. Sometimes the heart is more forceful than the mind, and engagments are definitely heart things.

At any rate, I was very aware of the two month rule. My wife, however, was also aware of the fact that if we did that we'd have to wait a couple of years to get married, and she was more worried about getting married than trying to live up to De Beers marketing strategy. Although, I was in college at the time, and truly two month's salary didn't mean that much. But we'd have had to have waited until after I graduated, and at that point then my salary would have been much more. She wasn't willing to wait that long, so she "settled" for less than that.

So what I did was take the diamond from my mother's ring (she and my dad had already gotten divorced) and re-set that. I then went ahead and got the wedding band and presented her with them both when I asked (though I only let her have the engagement ring). The whole deal cost me less tham $200. Of course, I only got away with it because I was a college kid, but she loves her ring and wears it proudly.
_________________________
-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

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#265523 - 03/10/2005 11:49 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: JeffS]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Great story, Jeff. I didn't get away quite so cheap! Of course I'm not in college, either.

Thanks to all of those with ideas and support. Only 2 days left until the big day. I'll update here later that night or the next day.

Thanks guys!
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265524 - 07/10/2005 02:45 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Well, here's the update. You have to read this....

Our flight left RDU (Raleigh) at 6:30 AM EST headed to Houston with a scheduled arrival time of 8:30 AM CST. Our connecting flight to Portland is scheduled for departure at 9:10 AM CST with an arrival time in Portland at 11:30 AM PST. The plane lands on time and here's where the day begins to get long...

We are sitting in row 22 on a 737, 3 or 4 rows behind the wing. About 6 rows up is an older gentlemen, probably mid-late 60's, who was given assistance boarding the plane. There was an announcement made saying "anyone requiring assistance please remain seated until all other passengers have exited the aircraft". This man immediately stands up after this announcement and begins to exit the plane. He takes about 4 or 5 steps and collapses to the floor. Next thing I know there's 9 or 10 emergency crew members at the front of the plane giving this guy CPR, IV's, and everything else they can do. It was obvious to the rest of us on the plane he had just had a heart attatck. In the meantime, everyone (including Stefanie and I) on the plane behind him had to wait on the paramedics to do their job. They worked on him for 45 minutes to an hour. It didn't look good. They finally decided to remove him from the plane. At this point, he had been laying in the floor for over an hour and no signs of life. We have already missed our connecting flight.

We were told to go to the customer service center to have our flight rescheduled. The flight attendants gave every indication that this man had just passed away by the expressions on their face. It was a very sad time. We later found out this was the case. He had a massive heart attack and to compound things, he was on his honeymoon!

We rebooked but didn't have a direct flight to Portland. We were to leave at 12:05 PM CST to fly to Seattle and arrive at 2:40 PM PST and then catch a 4:00 PM flight down to Portland with an arrival of 4:50 PM. This is 5 1/2 hours later than originally planned and a 3 1/2 hour drive over to the Heceta Head Lighthouse is now out of the question.

After 16 hours of traveling (we left for the airport at 4:00 AM EST) I decided to head down the Historic Columbia River Highway, which was proposal plan B. I came up with plan B on the flight to Seattle, by the way.

So I take her to Multnomah Falls with every intention of hiking to the top of the falls and proposing there. It's already past sunset when we get there and the hike up the mountain was over a mile. Neither of us was dressed for the hike.

We decided to hike part of the trail up to have some different views of the falls for pictures. Finally, after coming back down and standing on the overlook from the lodge below, I asked her.

She did say yes and it was very romantic but completely unexpected. A wonderful ending to an unexpected day.

How's that for a story?

I'm sorry for being so long-winded but I had to get that out. What a day it was!
_________________________
Russ
---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#265525 - 07/10/2005 03:19 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA


Wow.

Congratulations, by the way! I wish you two a wonderful life together!

That's one heck of a story, though...
_________________________
Matt

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#265526 - 07/10/2005 05:20 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: Dignan]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
Heh... I had a feeling something would go awry. What a crazy way to begin the trip. It's hard to be upset about it when a man has just died in front of you I'd imagine. Ugh. Glad you came up with plan B, and congrats!
_________________________
|| loren ||

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#265527 - 07/10/2005 10:35 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
jmwking
old hand

Registered: 27/02/2003
Posts: 777
Loc: Washington, DC metro
Wow. I just can't imagine what I'd have done in your place...

I hope you have a nice, quiet, uneventful day at Mt St Helen's.

-jk

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#265528 - 07/10/2005 11:14 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: jmwking]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Quote:
Wow. I just can't imagine what I'd have done in your place...

I talked to him briefly on the phone yesterday and he said he was majorly freaking out for a while when:
a. He realized that the dude actually died there in front of them and
b. All his plans/reservations he'd been making for several weeks were completely shot and he was left with that helpless "what do I do now?" feeling.

But he sounded happy and excited to be engaged when we spoke.
_________________________
~ John

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#265529 - 07/10/2005 15:27 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
She did say yes


Congratulations!
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#265530 - 07/10/2005 18:09 Re: So I'm going to get married... [Re: russmeister]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born

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