Chicago Shoreline Proposal

Every summer for years I’d drive to Chicago for The Old Town Arts Festival. One year, I met these two and soon after Alex contacted me. He was ready for THE ring. With those unique eyes and style we landed on this rose gold, Montana Sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

The charm is so good here it’s worth reading every sentence. A true romantic.

“Gina and Alex grew up 2,400 miles apart, but journalism bridged the gap. Gina grew up in a small town in Ohio, and Alex was born and bred along the California coast. While their upbringings varied, they charted surprisingly similar paths.

They both studied print journalism at state schools, and ultimately led their respective daily newspapers. Gina landed an internship at the Columbus Dispatch but was drawn to the West Coast. The Santa Maria Times offered Gina her first staff reporting gig, about 60 miles north of Alex’s first journalism job at Noozhawk."

"A couple years into their jobs, Noozhawk was looking to restructure. A staff business reporter position was opening up and Gina was a perfect candidate to expand the news website’s North Santa Barbara County coverage. Little did Gina know, the position wasn’t new — she’d be taking someone else’s job (and column). It happened to be Alex’s.

Skeptical of the new hire, Alex looked up her byline. (Who's this Gina Poth-hoff??) He was impressed by her concise, engaging storytelling. Then he looked at her picture — long windswept wavy brown hair, captivating blue eyes and an illuminating smile.Unexpectedly, they met at a mutual friend's house. Alex ate a banana split for dinner, and Gina didn't drink beer because she was going to a beer festival the next day. Needless to say, sparks flew.Getting laid off led Alex to the love of his life. Hard to imagine that it wasn't meant to be."

"As you know, Gina loves the beach. So on the last 60-degree and sunny day in October 2018, Alex prepared a picnic with their favorite meats and cheeses from Eataly and headed to 12th Street Beach (although the definition of "beach" varies for West Coasters). Overlooking the Chicago skyline as the sun set behind the Adler Planetarium, Alex and his cousin Emily set up decorative bags illuminated by electric tea lights that spelled out "Will you marry me Gina?" After we ate, Emily snuck away behind some trees as Gina and Alex walked toward the hidden proposal scene, and captured the moment."

**Editor's note: Gina wanted this story to be three sentences long (tops), but Alex couldn't be persuaded.