A Proposal to Remember

Most unforgettable marriage proposal ever? A tricky sister and a just dessert equal romance

Melissa and Gabriel Lopez have been married for five years, but his wedding proposal remains vivid in her mind.

Courtesy photo

Editor's Note: Melissa Lopez was second runner-up in CultureMap's "A Proposal to Remember" contest. She wins a $50 gift certificate to Palazzo's Trattoria. Here's her winning entry:

At the time my sister was going through testing for some abnormal breast mammogram results and she called me one day and said she would love to have a girl's night out. I agreed, knowing that she probably needed to clear her head. We agreed to meet at her house, get ready together and head to the restaurant for dinner. She did my hair, my makeup, and even helped me pick out my outfit.

We drove to Ruth's Chris Steak House on Richmond where we had made reservations. They sat us in the private booth off in one of the corners of the dining area. She then said she needed to call her husband to let him know that we had made it to the restaurant OK because he had given us directions on how to get there.

I sat there looking at the menu and out of the corner of my eye I saw my boyfriend standing with a dozen red roses and smiling. I was so confused.

But she said she had no signal and had to go outside (This was her cue to go home.)

I sat there looking at the menu and out of the corner of my eye I saw my boyfriend, Gabriel, standing with a dozen red roses and smiling. I was so confused.

He sat down and explained he was told to be there at a certain time (making it seem like my sister planned all this for us) and that this beautiful young lady would be waiting for him at this booth. (I'm smiling just remembering that very moment.)

We ate dinner and had a good time talking, enjoying each other's company. The staff was wonderful, very prompt and really played a role in this upcoming scene.

Thinking that dinner was over with really no room for dessert, I started to suggest we go home. At that moment, the waitress came around the corner with dessert — creme brulee! As she set it on the table, right in the center next to the fresh strawberries and raspberries, was my engagement ring (my sister had left it with the waitress).

Before my sister left the restaurant she also left the camera with the waitress who so kindly took pictures of the memorable moment. It's so special now to look back and see pictures of my shocked face!

This year, we will be celebrating five years of marriage and I plan to take him back to Ruth's Chris Steak House. This time the creme brulee is going to have some new wedding bands. I'm excited!
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Read the winning entry and the first runner-up entry in the "A Proposal to Remember" contest, co-sponsored by the Greater Houston Restaurant Association.

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good for the soul

Houston blooms as No. 3 best city for urban gardening in the U.S.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Let's get gardening, Houston

Folks in the Bayou City have plenty of reasons to develop a green thumb: Houston has harvested new acclaim as the No. 3 best city in America for urban gardening in 2026.

Lawnstarter's annual report, "2026’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening," compared 500 U.S. cities based on their respective public access to community gardens, climate, the prevalence of nurseries and gardening supply stores, and the number of regional gardening clubs and online groups.

Atlanta topped the list as the No. 1 best U.S. city, followed by Miami (No. 2); St. Louis (No. 4); and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 5).

For the uninitiated, urban gardening is the practice of growing plants or food in densely populated areas. Local examples include Blackwood Skyfarm, which is the largest rooftop farm in Texas, or Urban Harvest's 160 affiliate gardens – but backyards, apartment balconies, and vacant lots could also fit the bill. Additionally, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department has an Urban Garden Program where residents can volunteer to help locate sections of local parks to turn into community gardens.

Houston was No. 1 nationally in the "supplies" rank, and Lawnstarter said the city is home to 253 landscaping equipment shops – the most in the U.S. – and the second-highest number of gardening stores (276) and nurseries (132). The city also earned a respectable No. 6 rank for its "support and interest" of urban gardening, meaning many residents are searching terms like "community gardens," "vertical gardening," and others.

Here's how the city fared in the remaining three categories:

No. 115 – Public access
No. 157 – Climate
No. 390 – Private access (based on average yard size for starting an at-home garden)

Cathy Walker, president of the American Community Gardening Association, offered some tips for first-time gardeners to help get their hands in the soil: choose only a few easy growing plants to start; learn which growing zone you're in to determine the plants that will thrive in your area; watch how much sunlight your garden space gets daily; and prioritize keeping soil healthy with compost and mulch.

Ecoregions are also helpful for understanding what plants will thrive. Whereas zones are about temperature, ecoregions are much more detailed groups. Planters can learn about their ecoregion and get personalized growing tips from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in its new native planting app, Wild Thumb.

Starting your own garden can also have a financial benefit, the report suggested. However, up-front costs can get high in gardening, so gardeners might have to stick to it for a few seasons to see savings.

"With grocery prices projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2026, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food," the report's author wrote. "Estimates show that growing a 600-square-foot plot for fruits and vegetables can save you around $600 in a single season."

The top 10 best cities for urban gardening in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Miami
No. 3 – Houston
No. 4 – St. Louis
No. 5 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 6 – Orlando
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Fort Meyers, Florida
No. 9 – Tampa
No. 10 – Austin

urban gardening gardening houston