Chad's view: It was a dark and stormy night.... Not really but it sounds good, eh? But for real. It was magical. I picked her up from her apartment & just couldn't believe how pretty she was. We headed to Black Thorn Pizza. I'd never been there before but she recommended it because of its dive bar vibe, cheap beer & delicious pizza with spicy sauce. When we got there, the pizza was smelling good but not as good as her. We had plenty of time to talk since the pizzas take at least an hour to make it to your table. That was the first time I learned about her favorite pizza; sausage, pepperoni & green peppers & bonus points if it's Chicago-style deep-dish. After the pizza arrived & we ate as much as we could fit in our bellies, we hit the road. We got into my car & planned to go to an awesome park in downtown St. Louis. But before I could do that, there was something I just had to do. Hell, I even phrased it that way before making my move. I put the car back into park, said "there's something I've got to do before we go anywhere else" & leaned over to kiss her for the first time of what has turned into countless times. 

The first date

02

The proposal

Caitlyn's View: We had planned a trip to Chicago to see my favorite band play, Murder By Death. The trip had been planned for months. We made the drive to Chicago & checked into our hotel. We got ready for the night out, as per usual. Prior to the show, we stopped by Rockit Burger Bar for a bite to eat. (Note: I would highly recommend it if you're in the Chicago area.) After dinner, we walked down the block to the show, where the plan was to drink, dance (me at least, as he's not much of a dancer) & be merry. Throughout the show, Chad stood behind me with his hands on my waist, moving from side to side as I danced around & sang along. It was about half-way through the set when Adam (the lead singer of Murder By Death) set up the next song by saying, "This next song is dedicated to Caitlyn from Chad." I immediately turned around to elbow him in the stomach but when I did, he wasn't standing there like before. Instead, he was on one knee, holding up a box & inside of the box was a ring. I saw his mouth moving but didn't hear a word that was coming out of it. I didn't care either. I grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him up & kissed him as hard as I could. Once the ring was secured on my finger, I turned around so that I could enjoy the rest of the song, which is still one of my all-time favorites called "Foxglove." It's makes me think of Chad every time. During the rest of the show, I was on cloud 9... in total disbelief that the night ended the way it did. During the walk about to the car, I got to hear all about how most of our friends & family knew about his secret plan. He'd even gone by my parents' house prior to the trip to ask for their permission, as he knew that that action was important to me. Prior to the existence of Chad within my life, I was definitely never the "sappy" type, nor the type of gal who would've wanted a highly public proposal. However, there are times when Chad knows me better than I know myself & this was the PERFECT proposal for me. It couldn't have planned it better and I know it'll be a story that I cherish for years to come.