The Proposal

I knew early on in my relationship with Micah that he was the man I wanted to spend forever with. Throughout our relationship, we grew closer and our relationship became stronger. Of course, we have fought and we have had to work on things as a couple, but I believe that is why our relationship is so strong. Micah spoils me for sure, so I knew that when he did propose, it would be nothing short of amazing. But man did he do it right! His proposal was way more than I could have ever expected.

We planned this trip to Chicago several months ago planning to go to the Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Wrigley Field was on Micah's bucket list, so when he took a big interest in planning this trip, I thought nothing of it.

[Disclaimer: about three weeks prior to our trip, I found an envelope with the Jamie Hood Jeweler sticker on the front. When I picked it up, Micah's face went blank and all he could say was for me to stop being nosey. So, I just put it right back where it came from. Oops!!]

Our first day in Chicago, we went to eat breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe. Which was delicious!! When breakfast was over, Micah had planned to go to the Adler Plantetarium. I kept asking him what the Adler Planetarium actually was and he would say, "It's a space museum about all the planets! It looks really cool!" Umm...okay?! Since when have you been into space? But I rolled with it because he acted so excited about it. We get there and this boy is flying through the parking lot like a crazy person. (I later found out it was because he was afraid we were going to be late!) We park and get out and he told me that we didn't need to take anything in so I could just leave my purse. As we were walking in, Micah was stopping taking pictures of the weird, random statue in front of the planetarium (Which I later found out was because he was looking for our setup!) He kept walking away from the entrance of the museum, around the side of the building. The side of the building had the most beautiful view of the skyline, so I was taking pictures and looking out across the water at how pretty everything was. Then, Micah is like 5 steps ahead of me...still walking away from the entrance of the planetarium. I kept asking where he was going but he never answered. As we were walking, I noticed the blanket covered with rose petals but there was a guy and girl standing by it so I assumed it was theirs. That is, until I got close enough to see our pictures sitting on the blanket.

I still did not think this was the engagement. I mean while we were packing he wanted to pack our clothes in the same suitcase...so if he was planning on proposing here, where in the world was he going to hide a ring? AND as we were getting ready, I never noticed him put anything into his pocket. AND I always thought that I would know the day that he planned on doing it because I figured he would act all awkward and nervous prior to proposing.

As we got closer the guy standing nearby started walking towards us playing the guitar and singing From the Ground Up by Dan + Shay, which is one of our favorite songs. Micah turned to me and took both of my hands in his and I was just thinking that he was going to dance with me. It was definitely not unlike him to plan something like this to just be romantic. Then, he started talking to me and I was like OHH THIS IS IT!!!!!

Holding both my hands, he told me that he loved me more than anything and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so shocked and feeling all of the emotions that I couldn't even remember what I said! He told me later that I said "of course!" After I said yes, we took pictures with the photographer he had set up (see video below) and enjoyed our chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling apple cider, and started FaceTiming our families.

I could not have asked for a better proposal! Micah went above and beyond anything that I could have ever imagined! And major props to him for pulling all this off because I am super nosey!! But really, look at how perfect!! Look at that view! He did so good!!

Here is to forever!

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Chicago, Illinois

Micah and I planned this trip to Chicago for several months. One of Micah's bucketlist things is to watch a game in every MLB stadium. So, we decided to knock one of those stadiums off the list this year. However, I had no idea what all Micah had planned for this trip and that Chicago would become one of my most favorite places. 

We flew in on Thursday night and checked into our hotel, Raffaello Hotel. This hotel was more than I could have imagined. We had a large living area that closed off to our room. After checking in to our hotel and unloading our luggage, we walked across the street and had dinner at Southern Cut Barbecue. This restaurant had a very intimate feel, with dimmed lights, comfortable couch seating, and some delicious barbecue! 

Our first morning, we ate breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe. This was our favorite breakfast spot of the whole trip. After breakfast, we headed to Adler Planetarium. I was real confused as to why Micah wanted to go to a planetarium, but to my surprise, Micah had planned the sweetest proposal here. He chose the Adler Planetarium because it had the best view of the Chicago skyline and of Lake Michigan. I could not have asked for a better proposal. (Check out the full story here.) Complete with a guitarist singing 'From the Ground Up', a perfect picnic with chocolate strawberries and sparkling grape juice, and a photographer. It was a dream!!

We called and FaceTimed all of the family, we went to the Chicago Riverwalk and took a boat tour. There are several options for boat tours in Chicago, but we decided on the Urban Adventure River and Lake tour. This tour took us through the river and all the architecture and then out into Lake Michigan. We had lunch at Chicago Brewhouse Riverwalk and then had to go back to the hotel for me to take the comprehensive exam for my masters. Which took me four hours!! But once I finished the test, we got ready and went to The Signature Lounge. The Signature Lounge had great views of the skyline and we got there right at sunset. The views were ahhh-mazing! The best views, though, were from the girls restroom. After dinner, we walked to Navy Pier and explored before they shut down for the night. 

We slept in the next morning and went to a late breakfast at Brunch and then made the drive to the Chicago mural (pictured above). After a short photo sessions at the mural, we drove to Wrigley Field to the Cubs vs Pirates game. It was HOT but it was so much fun! 

After the game, we drove to North Avenue Beach and then on to the hotel to park the car. We spent the rest of the night walking around the Magnificent Mile and then ate dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe. 

Sunday morning, we woke up early to finish all of our sight seeing before flying back home that night. Our first stop was breakfast. We decided on Bakin' and Eggs for a quick and easy breakfast and then headed off to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It is a free zoo, but parking is pretty expensive. I will say, I love seeing different zoo's around the world, but this one did not impress me very much. My favorite part was seeing the gorillas and the elephants! We decided on The Hampton Social for a quick appetizer lunch. Then, I made Micah walk with me to a bridge over the river for a quick picture.

After lunch, we checked off all of the other sightseeing, tourist-y things! 

The Flamingo Wall.

The Bean and the Crown Fountain at Millennium Park. 

Buckingham Fountain.

We walked across the street to get ice cream at Scoops on the lake and then had the famous Lou Maltnatis Pizza. It was delicious and definitely a must when in Chicago!

Chicago is definitely a city that will forever hold a special place in my heart. If you have ever been, what are some things we should do next time?