Derek totally surprised Abigail with his proposal. They were both living in Chicago, but are from Michigan, so Abigail assumed when Derek proposed it would be back home. It was a perfect fall Chicago morning in October and Derek told Abigail they were going to meet friends in the park and then head to a Michigan State (go green!) tailgate. Since Abigail thought it was a casual tailgate, she was wearing a MSU top, jeans and white sneakers and when she saw Derek he was wearing a nice sweater and peacoat. I was taken off guard and said, “Why are you so dressed up?” and he replied with, “My MSU clothes are all dirty!” Derek then walked them to a part of Lincoln Park with the city in the background and turned to Abigail. Derek was teary eyed and said a beautiful speech (that Abigail blacked out for and doesn’t remember) and then got down on one knee and proposed! Their friends and family were hiding in the bushes taking pictures and videos and jumped out to surprise them. Abigail was truly surprised!
