I wanted to do something memorable. A proposal that would be a great story 30 days later and 30 years later. I went through my options: Chicago landmark? DONE TO DEATH. Surrounded by friends and family? No, thank you. Rose petals and candles? Puh-lease. My idea: get a fake ring and drop it mid-proposal into some unrecoverable situation... Snow-covered mountain, active volcano, shark cage. But a funny thing happened on the way to my perfect proposal. While vacationing in Vienna, Mindy and I were enjoying the moonlit sights of the Christkindl Market at Belvedere Palace, along with a few cups of gluhwein. It's just after dusk, and Mindy happens to say "isn't this a perfect night?" And I stopped, looked around, and thought for a second before answering "yes, it is." I realized then that I had come upon a moment better than I could have ever planned. Five minutes later I ad-libbed a proposal and dropped to one knee, asking her to do me the honor of spending the rest of our lives together! The perfect proposal, perfect for us. Although the shark cage thing would have been pretty sweet too ;)