• My now-husband was planning to propose to me at an ice rink, but I was too tired to go.
• He ended up proposing to me at home while we were watching TV, and it was perfect.
• Our laid-back engagement represents who we are as a couple.

"Can we please just go?" my boyfriend of four years pleaded with me. I had arrived home exhausted, asking if it was OK to cancel our plans that December evening.

It should have registered that it was odd behavior for him to be urging me to go ice skating. But I was clueless and depleted from a long workday — one of my last before the Christmas break. Even though I'd written this date down excitedly on the calendar a week prior, and despite the fact that the rink was inside our private building complex and just steps away, I can still recall the resounding desire I felt to stay home that night as I was walking home almost a decade ago.

"Let's just go tomorrow or another time," I said. My reply was met with a huff, which caused us to momentarily bicker. "You shouldn't cancel things last minute, it's not nice," he muttered under his breath. "What is wrong with this man?" I thought to myself.

It turned out, there was a reason he wanted to go ice skating

Thirty minutes later, I was in sweatpants, watching a random episode of "Seinfeld" on TBS. I basked in the simple joy that comes with crashing on your couch after a long day. It felt good to be home. Then, my partner suddenly made a stealthy movement from the couch to the floor.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he sat before me with a diamond ring in his hand.

"Will you be my wife?" he nervously asked to my genuine surprise. Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza continued talking in the background as we embraced and got engaged. It was the episode when the guys pitched their show about nothing to NBC.

Private proposals are on the rise

A survey from 2021 found that women were increasingly disinterested in grand or public gestures when it came to being asked that big question. Instead, 66% of the 300 respondents preferred a private proposal. Yet, The Knot's recent report on engagement trends from 2024 showed that only 14% of couples had a low-key, at-home proposal. Though many couples do want a private place, home isn't usually the popular choice.

I was delighted when I heard about Tom Holland's laid-back proposal to longtime girlfriend Zendaya at home over Christmas. The news comforted me and brought some validation that a casual proposal could be special and romantic — even for celebrities.

Our engagement represented us as a couple

I loved my own engagement, even though I accidentally sabotaged a more elaborate idea. Though not planned, having it happen in our living room was more symbolic of our relationship than any forced, clichéd ice rink setting. I had finally found someone who ignited that feeling everyone wants to have about someone — he felt like home. Proposing inside our own home was only natural.

But it's more than that. I believe there's an intimacy in choosing this kind of engagement. It reflects the foundation two people need to make a lifelong relationship work.

As we celebrate our anniversary — our eighth year married, our first as new parents — I look back on everything we've done together. The adventures, but more importantly, the moments in between the minutiae of daily life. That's where the purest joy can be found.

Of course, we did replace that first couch. The navy fabric one my once boyfriend brought when he moved into my apartment. The one we sat on to make out and watch movies. The one we were on that cozy night in 2015, watching "Seinfeld," when my perfectly imperfect engagement occurred.

It was small, past its prime, and overstayed its welcome the way any piece that brings comfort does. When we grew up and got married, we finally outgrew the loveseat. In its place, a more grown-up, brown leather L-shaped couch now sits. One large enough for sleeping dogs, playful babies, and lazy days doing absolutely nothing.

• Co-leading DOGE means Elon Musk is spread increasingly thin.
• Tesla shareholders told BI that Musk's position could help reduce regulatory red tape for the EV giant.
• Others said Musk proved his ability to multitask and DOGE has an expiration date.

With his new role co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk has another plate to keep spinning — and many Tesla investors aren't fazed by his new area of focus.

Business Insider spoke to more than a dozen Tesla shareholders and analysts about the billionaire's new role with DOGE and how they think it could impact the company.

Many said they aren't worried that Musk is juggling more — and that the CEO has proven himself a capable multitasker.

Questions about the amount of time Musk spends on Tesla have swirled in the last year, including at the EV maker's annual shareholder meeting, where the CEO's pay package was approved for a second time (more on that later). The serial entrepreneur is also involved with SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, xAI, and X.

With DOGE, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to slash the federal budget and cut wasteful spending. They've also pledged to restructure federal agencies, or in some cases eliminate them, with the goal of improving efficiency.

It's no small job.

Musk's work with Trump could benefit Tesla

Some of the shareholders BI spoke to said they believe Musk's involvement in the Trump administration could help reduce the regulations that Tesla must navigate, paving the way for technological advancements and generally making life easier for the company.

Anthony L. Gurino, a Tesla shareholder from Long Island, said he sees Musk's position easing the "red tape around autonomous driving." The technology is currently approved on a state-by-state basis and Musk has said he'd push to create a national approval process for fully autonomous vehicles.

Patrick O'Connell, a Tesla shareholder who started investing in 2013, said he went "all in" on the stock in 2019. He told BI he hopes Musk's new role will ease regulations and could help with brand awareness.

Philip Engberg, a Tesla shareholder in Denmark, said that under the Biden administration, it seemed like there was a "lot of political will against" Musk's companies and the technology they were trying to develop.

Despite being the top EV seller in the US, Tesla was famously not invited to President Joe Biden's EV summit in 2021. When asked at a press conference if Tesla's exclusion was due to not having a unionized workforce, then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she would let people come to their "own conclusion."

"Now the outlook is that is completely gone," Engberg said.

Faced with increased competition and slowing growth across the EV market, Tesla reported its first year-over-year car sales decline in January. However, Telsa isn't the only car company to face declining sales, and the EV giant recently reached a new milestone, outselling Audi globally for the first time in 2024.

Wall Street appears optimistic about Tesla's fortune during the Trump administration. Tesla shares are up nearly 70% since the election, and some on Wall Street expect them to rise higher still. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas recently raised his price target from $400 to $430 and revised his bull case to $800.

Craig Irwin, a managing director and senior research analyst at Roth Capital Partners who recently changed his Tesla buy status from neutral to "buy," told BI that he estimates that "the pool of Tesla enthusiasts" has doubled since Trump's reelection.

"Right now, you have technology-oriented conservative fighters that are going to say, 'You know, I think Elon Musk is a cool guy — let's go see what this Tesla car is about,'" Irwin said.

Not all shareholders are convinced that Musk's affiliation with Trump will have a positive impact on Tesla. John VonBokel, a shareholder who voted against Musk's pay package the second time, said he "can't make sense" of why Tesla's share price has gone up so much.

"Certainly Trump is not going to go in there and write code to make FSD better," VonBokel said, referencing Tesla's Full-Self-Driving beta software, which requires drivers to be ready to take control of the vehicle at any moment. VonBokel said he sees it as a "classic situation of the market seems to think this is worth more than I think it's worth."

Charlie Redmond, a Tesla shareholder since 2017, told BI that he doesn't see the relationship with Trump lasting more than six months. He said the main benefit he sees from Musk's involvement would be convincing Trump to keep the EV tax break, which Trump has talked about getting rid of. Musk has also said he supports ending the credits.

Tesla shareholder and investing author Kiana Danial also said she sees the relationship likely falling apart at some point. If that were to happen, Danial said Musk has "always been unpredictable" and she believes any stock dip in the short term could be regained.

'Musk has shown that he can multitask brilliantly'

Some of the Tesla shareholders told BI they believe the second shareholder vote approving Musk's pay package galvanized support for him as the company's leader. Engberg told BI he thinks retail shareholder support "is the greatest it has ever been."

"Musk is Tesla, and Tesla is Musk," Wedbush analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives told BI, adding that the court battle has "become a soap opera" and he expects Tesla to win its appeal at the Supreme Court level given "overwhelming" shareholder approval of the pay package.

In addition to some shareholders being invigorated by the Tesla shareholder vote and Trump's victory following Musk's endorsement and fundraising, a majority of the investors and analysts BI spoke to said Musk has proven his ability to take on multiple projects at once.

"Musk has shown that he can multitask brilliantly," said Irwin of Roth Capital Partners.

David Abrams, a Tesla shareholder who started investing in the company about three years ago, told BI he thinks Musk's involvement in politics could have some level of impact on his focus on the company. However, he said Musk has "proven over the years that multitasking is one thing that he is undeniably good at."

"He keeps throwing stuff under his plate and you would think at some point the focus would go away," Redmond said.

Abrams said that while Musk may be spread thin, his companies likely have enough people in place that they can "largely run on their own." Other shareholders also said that at this stage of the company, Musk doesn't need to be involved in every step.

"Elon's an important leader, but it's about delegating and he's really good at that," Tesla shareholder Larry Winer told BI.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Alexandra Merz, a staunch Tesla advocate and shareholder who goes by the username "TeslaBoomerMama" on X, said the company hasn't relied on his constant attention to run the business "for a long time."'

"He doesn't need to be the one opening factory doors in the morning," Merz told BI, adding that he doesn't turn "every bolt in every rocket" at SpaceX either.

Others pointed to DOGE's seemingly limited timeframe. Merz told BI that she is "in no way concerned" that Musk will be involved with the government for decades.

"Keep in mind that DOGE is set to expire on July 4, 2026," Tesla shareholder Cianna Swartz told BI.

Are you a Tesla shareholder? Reach out to the reporter at [email protected]

• Captain RK Smithley flies McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire bombers for New Mexico-based 10Tanker.
• Smithley dropped red fire retardant over the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles.
• Mountainous terrain, winds, busy air traffic, and drones have complicated the mission.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Captain RK Smithley, a pilot flying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody airliners converted into tanker planes for a New Mexico-based company called 10Tanker. The DC-10 is one of dozens of aircraft assisting in fighting the California wildfires near Los Angeles. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a third-generation ground firefighter who ended up in the air fighting fire, so my career has come full circle.

Starting at age 16, I spent 16 years as a volunteer firefighter in southwest Pennsylvania, where I'm from, before I became a pilot. I flew for World Airways in these same McDonnell Douglas DC-10s for 10 years and another 15 years in the MD-11, which is basically a modern version of the DC-10.

We're the biggest tanker fighting the California wildfires

To fight the California fires, 10Tanker has four DC-10s and two — ships 912 and 914 — here in San Bernardino at the old Norton Air Force Base. I'm on Ship 912. The DC-10 is a capable airframe for our size, at 420,000 pounds. We're dropping 85,000 pounds of fire retardant on our target.

It's a very good airplane for what we're doing — we're the largest tool in the Forest Service's arsenal because we're the biggest tanker out here.

January is an odd time for wildfires in California

This fire is unprecedented. In 10 years of doing this, I've never flown fire in the United States in January. Working fires in January usually means we're in Australia, Mexico, and Chile.

We're in the off-season. That's why all four of our DC-10s aren't here; the other two are in maintenance. Typically, we park our airplanes in October or November, and we'll do recurrent annual training in February and March before the first airplanes go out on contract in mid to late March.

We're one part of a large team

There are different contract tankers that fight fires. We're all on the same team, from the little single-engine tanker carrying 700 hundred gallons to us big ones carrying 9,400 gallons, and all the stuff in between.

I can't stress enough how much of an orchestrated team effort it is. We work as a team with the tanker base, with the mechanics who keep us rolling, the air traffic controllers to get us out there, the guys fueling the airplane, and all those retardant loaders. Some airplanes out here are what they call "initial attack qualified," which means they can go out with just aerial supervision orbiting over top, but we in the DC-10 have to have lead aircraft that we follow to guide us on the drops.

But at the end of the day, the real heroes are the guys and gals we're helping — the firefighters on the ground. They're the ones that we're there to support to the best of our ability so that they can help protect lives and property.

The 10Tanker flies a very specific mission

It's not as simple as flying over the fire and pushing a button and all the stuff comes out.

Helicopters are generally dropping water to directly attack the fires, but air tankers — or fire bombers as I like to call them — are designed to carry fire retardant, which is designed to build walls around fires to stop or at least slow down the fire so that the ground firefighters can get in there and get things under control. The retardant is colored red so that we can see it build lines and change angles on it.

We start our days at 7 a.m. — basically sunrise — at which time the airplane is prepped, ready, and fueled to go. How many flights we can wedge in between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. depends on how far the fire is from the base, and how much daylight you have.

We flew four missions on Friday to the Palisades and six on Saturday. The record for 10Tanker is about 11 runs in a day, with a 20-minute reload time in between flights.

LA's weather and geography have been a challenge

These fires have been bad not only because of the destruction and the wind, but also because we're fighting fire while wedged into tight air space between the LAX, Van Nuys, Burbank, and Santa Monica airports.

The Palisades fire is around 24,000 acres; I've worked 300,000 and 400,000 acre fires that were massive compared to this one. But the destruction and air space and the 60 to 80 MPH winds kind of made this a cataclysmic event. Entire neighborhoods and towns burned until the winds died down enough for us to get in there and get to work. It's been a terrible situation.

We're threading needles, like going straight down the side of a mountain. The DC-10 is very capable; we yank and bank it around like a fighter. If we were flying passengers, these maneuvers would be considered an emergency descent.

If drones fly, we can't

Drones have been a big problem here in California. "If drones fly, we can't" is an axiom we use in aerial firefighting. Normally a drone will shut down an aerial firefighting effort.

At one point, we moved to a different section of the fire to get away from them so that we could continue to help save lives and property, along with the work that firefighters on the ground are doing to get this thing under control. We had a drone come sailing past our left wing on Saturday; the Super Scooper air tanker from Montreal got a hole punched into its wing because a drone ran into it.

The drones have to stop because they're jeopardizing our lives and safety in the fire traffic area. It's unacceptable. Get the drones out of there so we can do our jobs.

• Warning: Spoilers below if you haven't seen "Back in Action."
• Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz play former spies who have to save their kids from a villain in Netflix's "Back in Action."
• Director Seth Gordon told Business Insider he wants to cast a big name to play Diaz's father in a potential sequel.

Netflix's "Back in Action" follows Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz), two former CIA spies who, after leaving the agency to start a family, are thrust back into the espionage game 15 years later when their cover is blown and their kids are kidnapped.

The action comedy concludes with a thrilling fight on London's River Thames where Matt and Emily save their kids — with the help of Emily's estranged mother, Ginny (Glenn Close), a gun-toting former spy — and the bad guy, Chuck (Kyle Chandler), dies in a fiery wreck.

In the final sequence, Matt and Emily are cheering for their daughter at her soccer game and appear to be back to living their normal lives.

But suddenly MI6 agent Baron (Andrew Scott) appears and informs Matt and Emily that they never found Chuck's body. They now want to enlist Emily's father to help them with the search. Matt is shocked, as Emily never told him about her father.

The ending clearly sets the stage for a sequel that will add another big name to this already star-studded potential franchise.

"I've got a couple ideas, yes," "Back in Action" director Seth Gordon told BI when asked if he has any actors in mind to play the father role. "I'm not going to say because who knows what's going to happen, but there's definitely a plan of what we could do."

It certainly would have to be someone who can have a playful rapport opposite not just Diaz and Foxx but Close, as the two characters have a history.

Gordon said the fun of developing the project was plugging in comedic elements of the family dynamic — Matt and Emily's son spending too much time on his devices, while their daughter lies about studying to go out partying with friends — around the action sequences.

"This came out of all these conversations I had with the producer Beau Bauman of what we deal with with our kids," Gordon said.

"I think what really works in the movie is you see this family deal with traditional family issues in their very specific and crazy way, so I think that would be a good thing to continue in the sequel," Gordon said.

He's already thinking about what else he could do in a potential follow-up: "What are some other life events that you got that involve the kids where things could haunt Emily and Matt from their past?"

"Back in Action" is available now on Netflix.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Saturday edition, a roundup of some of our top lifestyle stories. Being ultra-wealthy might seem great in theory, but it doesn't come without issues. A therapist who's worked with clients worth at least $30 million shared the types of problems they often discuss.

On the agenda:

• Young adults with clean diets are getting colon cancer, and we're starting to understand why.
• Stylists share 7 items the rich and famous are actually wearing right now.
• "Friday Night Lights" star Taylor Kitsch paved his own way.
• Red flags to look for at fine-dining restaurants, from a high-end chef.

But first: Let's hit the slopes.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Keep your tips up

Winter can be a drag for plenty of reasons. There's less daylight, cold weather, and your nose won't stop running.

But for all the downsides, the winter season comes with a big benefit: ski season.

With all due respect to pristine beaches and breathtaking hikes, there's something truly magical about getting first runs on a trail that just got a foot of fresh powder. (Growing up on the East Coast those types of days were few and far between, which only made them more special.)

Let's address the elephant in the room first. The sport is incredibly expensive. The gear and clothing alone can easily set you back a few thousand dollars. Then there is the process of getting to the mountain, staying there, and buying the lift ticket itself.

There are still ways to keep costs down. A trip to the slopes doesn't have to be a costly hassle. Just look at Amtrak's "Ski Train" from Denver to Winter Park.

Speaking of resorts, don't be fooled by the big names. One writer who has hit over 20 US mountains wasn't impressed by Brighton Resort, finding it too crowded. Arguably the biggest name in skiing — Vail Resorts — also has what we'll call a complicated relationship with the ski and snowboard community.

Not a skier? Not a problem. There are plenty of ways to enjoy yourself at some of the jaw-dropping accommodations on the mountain. And après-ski might translate to "after ski," but you don't need a lift ticket to enjoy the festivities.

It's also never too late to learn. For starters, I recommend reading my newsletter colleague Amanda Yen's great piece on the mistakes people make on the mountain. Otherwise, you risk being a "gaper."

One last thing: Show some respect to the ski patrol. Contrary to what every bad '80s movie has taught us, ski patrollers aren't the enemy. In fact, they're critical to the mountain and oftentimes have to work multiple jobs to survive living in costly mountain resort towns.

So get out there and have fun. Just don't jinx yourself by calling last run. It's "two with a wink."

Combating colon cancer

Colon cancer among patients under 65 is becoming alarmingly common. While a convenient explanation for the rise is diet and weight, doctors and lab scientists told BI the cause wouldn't be attributed to a single thing.

Other factors that defy genetics and lifestyle, like pollution, microplastics, and artificial light, are pervasive in our lives but difficult to study. Fortunately, with recent research and well-funded multinational studies, we're on the cusp of some big results.

What's really causing the disease?

Also read:

• A new report breaks down the alarming rise in cancer among working-age women

Styles of the rich and famous

Dressing like the moneyed set goes beyond flashy logos and designer brands.

BI asked high-end stylists what their wealthy and celebrity clients are wearing right now. Their answers: timeless silhouettes, minimalist details, and high-quality fabrics.

Quiet luxury continues.

Also read:

The clothes successful men always wear, from expensive athleisure pieces to designer denim

Taylor Kitsch pioneered his own path

After his breakout role as Tim Riggins on "Friday Night Lights," Kitsch was set up to become the next big thing. Then Disney's "John Carter" was a box-office flop.

Becoming the next blockbuster star wasn't Kitsch's main goal, anyway. Instead, he explored character-driven roles that he finds more fulfilling, like the opioid-addicted car mechanic Glen Kryger in "Painkiller" or his latest role as Isaac Reed in Netflix's "American Primeval."

Now, he plans to get his own project off the ground.

Fine-dining warning signs

Many high-end restaurants offer tasting menus, which include multiple courses and are often about more than just the food.

Telly Justice, the executive chef and co-owner of the fine-dining restaurant HAGS in Manhattan, told BI the red flags she looks for when selecting a tasting menu.

The menu can tell you a lot.

What we're watching this weekend

• "Severance": After three years, the twisty psychological thriller starring Adam Scott finally returns for season two on Apple TV+.
• "Back in Action": Cameron Diaz makes her acting comeback in a new Netflix action movie alongside Jamie Foxx.
• "SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night": Peacock's new four-part docuseries pulls the curtain back on the sketch comedy series with cast interviews and never-before-seen audition footage.

See the full list

What to shop

• Star-studded jewelry: We put celeb-favorite accessory brand Heaven Mayhem to the test after Hailey Bieber sent the internet spiraling over its affordable earrings. Spoiler alert: We're big fans.
• Sweater re-stock: It's a tough job testing out cashmere sweaters for men, but someone's gotta do it. See our picks for the very best.
• Dry January winners: We tested over 40 non-alcoholic spirits, wines, and beers to bring you a list of our favorites.

More of this week's top reads:

• The new Miss America said allowing winners to go public with their significant others is a good way to 'boost recruitment' for the competition.
• Millennials and Gen Zers are hooked on plushies — and that's good news for the toy market.
• I've been to 3 Alpine-style towns in the US. Each was charming and made me feel like I was in Switzerland.
• Exclusive: 'Back in Action' director recounts finishing the Netflix movie amid Jamie Foxx's sudden illness: 'A bit of a miracle.'
• Kate Middleton says she's in remission nearly a year after sharing her cancer diagnosis.
• I spent 48 hours in the 'top city to visit' in 2025. It was nice, but it definitely didn't live up to that title.
• The viral 'Wirkin' bags are disappearing from Walmart's online store. Here's why.
• BMI, one of the most popular ways of telling if you're a healthy weight, is bogus. Here's what to use instead.

The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

School workers say they resorted to crowdsourcing help among each other following PowerSchool's breach, fueled by solidarity and the slow response from PowerSchool.

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‘I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car,’ the actor said

Assailant reportedly kills himself after opening fire at judges

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

There is renewed talk of a coal power comeback in the United States, inspired by Donald Trump’s return to the presidency and forecasts of soaring electricity demand.

The evidence so far only shows that some plants are getting small extensions on their retirement dates. This means a slowdown in coal’s rate of decline, which is bad for the environment, but it does little to change the long-term trajectory for the domestic coal industry.

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