An engagement is one of the most exciting times of a couple’s life. Sometimes, it happens spontaneously, and for others, the moment is months in the making and a huge secret. No matter how the proposal happens, everything becomes a blur when you ask, and they say, “Yes!” Sarah’s Gross’ boyfriend asked her out on a date during the holiday season in 2024. She put on her most festive snowman sweater vest. When Chris Robertson arrived to pick her up, he asked Sarah to change her clothes. In the moment, she was a bit heartbroken and offended, but that all changed later that day. Little did Sarah know that Chris had an elaborate proposal planned. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Gross (@sarahgrossmusic) Chris Hired a Photographer for the Surprise Proposal Sarah shared a video on Instagram recently wearing the snowman vest. Text on the video reads, “1 year ago I told my boyfriend that he was ‘trying to dim my sparkle’ when he asked me to change out of this shirt before we went out for our date… he was proposing to me.” Then, Sarah showed off her gorgeous diamond engagement ring. She explained to People she had no idea what was about to happen. “In the nicest way possible Chris said, ‘Maybe you want to wear something a little nicer for when we go out to lunch?’” Sarah shared. “I was genuinely taken aback because he’s never suggested I change any of my silly clothes, and I have a lot of them! When Sarah and Chris finally got to the Montauk Lighthouse, and Chris got down on one knee, and she saw the photographer, it “clicked.” She said Chris knows her so well and that she would want “nice pictures of that moment, without the sweater overshadowing the moment itself.” People love Sarah and Chris’ proposal story, and many could relate. “Mine asked me if I wanted to wear ‘something nicer’ on a hike so I wore neon socks, a backwards cap, and a shirt with my bitmoji with a shirt on with his bitmoji,” someone wrote. “I got engaged in a bright orange sports bra showing for this exact same reason queen,” another person admitted. This comment made us laugh. “i’m learning from this….maybe sometimes it’s okay to listen to men,” a follower wrote. Congratulations to Chris and Sarah. We love your proposal story and hope you have the happiest life together. This story’s featured image can be found here.

So many of us have the desire to compartmentalize our personality traits into neat little boxes. "Oh, she's such an INFJ. Oh, he's such a Gemini." Some of it is rooted (well sort of) in psychology, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, based loosely on Jungian ideas. Others rely on arguably less scientific data like stars and "rising signs." Humans aren't usually that simple.That said, there's still value in understanding one's own personality and inclinations. Here's a confession: I've taken countless personality tests because I just couldn't figure out if I was an extrovert or an introvert. Neither description quite fit, and as someone constantly trying to understand what makes me tick, this has been frustrating.Turns out, there are other options. The term "ambivert" got popularized in the 1930s (after being coined by Edmund S. Conklin in 1923), and it refers to a person "who has features of both an introvert (someone who prefers to spend time alone) and an extrovert (someone who prefers to be with other people) in their personality." @tedtoks Replying to @Factura? now knowing what an ambivert is, how would you describe yourself? #ambivert #introvert #extrovert #adamgrant #psychology #TEDTalk #worklife But for those who still don't quite relate, meet the otrovert. Just recently, psychiatrist Rami Kaminski published The Gift of Not Belonging, in which he discusses his coined term to describe a whole new type of personality. In an Insta-reel captioned "What is an Otrovert?" Kaminski mentions the polarization of introverts and extroverts. "When Jung invented the terms extrovert and introvert, he saw them as two fundamental orientations of the personality. I see the otrovert in the same way. A personality trait that faces away from the group."He continues, "Extroverts and introverts are inherently communal, while the otrovert is an outsider to the group. In itself, it is not a problem or condition, nor is it a diagnostic label. It simply means that while most people learn to develop a sense of belonging to a specific group through social conditioning, otroverts remain social but not communal." See on Instagram In writer Sarjna Rai's piece, "Struggle to Fit the Mold? The 'Otrovert' Personality Explains Why" for Business Standard, they write: "Unlike introverts or extroverts, otroverts are not defined by where they draw their social energy. Instead, the concept captures people who constantly feel like outsiders, and tend to look in a different direction altogether, not necessarily aligned with the rest of the group."While it's impossible to group people into perfect categories, Rai explains that Kaminski claims the main thing that sets otroverts apart is their "reluctance to conform to group norms."Writer Avery White lists signs one might be an otrovert in the article "7 Signs You Might Be an Otrovert" for VegOut. Among them is preferring "high-signal conversations and low-maintenance relationships." They give this as an example: "You’ll happily spend three hours exploring one idea with one person—and then not speak for weeks without either of you taking it personally. In other words, low pressure, low expectations, high connection.Another on the list—and this is a big one according to Kaminski—is: "You can look extroverted in public—yet feel fundamentally 'other.'" This is actually the crux of the term, and in fact, what Kaminski formed The Otherness Institute for: as their website says, "those who feel they don't belong."The site also shares that recognizing aspects of this type in yourself and others (if it applies) will help "balance between your individuality and your function as part of the social matrix that determines your well-being. The experience of otherness in a togetherness-minded world can be emotionally bruising. Often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, otherness may lead individuals to feel strange, lonely, and unwelcome in groups. Left unidentified, otroverts' non-belonging can result in a frustrating, futile lifetime effort of trying to 'fit in.'" See on Instagram Some Redditors are scrambling to figure out if they fit into this category. In the subreddit r/INTP (referencing one of the Myers-Briggs personality types), the OP asks, "Maybe I am an 'otrovert?'" Under this, they write, "Dr. Kaminski described the otrovert child as 'neurotypical, friendly, curious, well-adjusted, and often popular' yet 'they resist being pressured into group activities.'"While this can seem inconsequential in childhood, joining the peer group "becomes critically important" in adolescence, said the psychiatrist, and teens "start to gauge their self-worth based on the group’s ranking of popularity (or unpopularity).'"Membership in a group, no matter how lowly, is better than being an outsider," he added. "Otroverts, however, are comfortable with being outsiders and find it impossible to feel like insiders, regardless of how welcome they are.'There are a handful of commenters who feel seen, but many push back, claiming the term could easily apply to other personality traits. One writes, "I think it's easy to resonate with this description... but as some warning noted, there aren't enough studies done about this term that people should be running to adopt it. I resonated with it after reading about it... But I have ADHD and persistent depressive disorder... both of which coincide with the descriptions of an otrovert."Time will tell if this new term sticks, but for now, it's helping a lot of people feel more understood. This article originally appeared last year.

When planning their wedding, most brides have elements they want included. Whether that’s the perfect dress, flowers, or music, they want their fairytale to come true. When Lizzie Dean’s father passed away unexpectedly, it broke her heart. Three years later, as she prepared to marry the man of her dreams, she wanted her dad to play a special part. Although he wasn’t there in body, she knew he’d be with her in spirit. But there was one more special touch that caught the attention of millions. Lizzie didn’t want anyone to walk her down the aisle except for her dad, so she made him part of the ceremony. @lizzieallyn love you Dad weddingaisle walkdowntheaisle weddingaislesong weddingvoicemails ♬ original sound – Lizzie Allyn Lizzie Dean Used Her Dad’s Voicemail As Music As Lizzie walked toward her husband-to-be, music from Interstellar played, along with a voicemail her dad left for her. “Hi, Lizzie, Dad here. I love and miss you, darling,” he said. “I hope you and Matt have a fantastic day, and I love you very much! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I am so blessed. I love you so much.” Lizzie posted a video of her entrance on TikTok, and the moment brought tears to the eyes of total strangers. “The fact that interstellar was about the dad trying to communicate with his daughter!!!” Someone wrote. Others didn’t shy away from how much the video made them cry. “I need a significant amount of time to recover from this,” someone wrote. This person couldn’t even watch it. “Respectfully I am NOT going to watch this because the INSTANT I heard his voice I started sobbing!! I don’t think I can handle it!!” They wrote. Hear Lizzie’s dad on the voicemail got the dads crying, too. “As a father of two girls. I’m not crying, you’re crying,” a dad shared. This story is beautiful, and we love how Lizzie honored her father. He’d be so proud. This story’s  featured image can be found here.

A 66-year-old man who had been missing in the rugged backcountry of New Zealand for over two weeks has now been found, even though rescue officials called off the search three days ago. Graham Garnett was discovered alive yesterday sheltering in a hut in the Kahurangi National Park by a crew of contractors who were […] The post Missing 66-Year-old Hiker is Found–Even After 2-Week Search was Called Off in New Zealand appeared first on Good News Network.

If you Google "chocolate chip cookie recipe," you'll find millions of different recipes and methods for making them at home. All feature slight variations that make them unique. Baking temperature, for example, is one detail many bakers disagree on. Top results recommend baking cookies at 375, 350, or even, in some cases, 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Many of them claim to be the "absolute best" chocolate chip cookie recipe.Science may have something to say about that, thanks to some delectable new research.A team of food scientists and researchers from the University of Guelph recently conducted a rigorous examination of the effects of baking temperature on cookies.In a paper fittingly titled "Morphological changes and color development during cookie baking—Kinetic, heat, and mass transfer considerations," published in the Journal of Food Science, a team led by Maria Corradini presented an impressively detailed study.The researchers set out to methodically track what happens to cookies during baking. How does color change over time? How do shape, size, moisture level, and thickness evolve at different points in the process? And, crucially, how do all of those factors shift when different baking temperatures are applied?It's safe to say this may be the most comprehensive scientific examination of desserts ever conducted. The most delicious experiment ever.Photo credit: CanvaThe paper explains what the researchers were looking to uncover and why it matters:"During baking, several physical and physicochemical changes occur, such as shape expansion/contraction, color development, and the generation of desired flavor compounds. Studying the physical and physicochemical properties of baked goods and the influence of heat and mass transfer on them can provide valuable information to the cereal sector to improve and optimize the baking process, control the quality and safety characteristics of products, and guarantee appropriate handling of this product."Though the study focused specifically on cookies, many of the findings could also apply to other baked goods, such as bread, crackers, and granola bars, which make up a sizable portion of the average person's diet.The researchers found that, not surprisingly, temperature had a big impact on how the cookies turned out.Cookies baked at the highest temperatures set quickly in the oven and ended up the driest after the 12-minute bake. Cookies baked at the lowest temperatures retained the most moisture but tended to spread more and develop less ideal shape and structure.While everyone has their own preferences for gooey and doughy cookies or crisp and crunchy ones, the team did find one specific temperature that really hit the spot. Food & Wine summed it up this way: "Within the lab conditions of the study, 205°C (just over 400 F) struck a middle ground — hot enough to promote structure and doneness without excessive drying. That balance may help explain why many experienced bakers gravitate toward slightly higher oven temperatures than individual recipes typically call for."Veteran bakers across social media have plenty of opinions about the ideal temperature for baking cookies, with many advocating for the higher end of what most recipes suggest. Cookies baked at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit often develop a lightly crisp exterior with an extremely moist center. In the lab, researchers baked each batch for 12 minutes. In a home kitchen, however, baking "until done" at lower temperatures typically requires more time and may actually result in a drier cookie overall. - YouTube www.youtube.com What's particularly fascinating about the study is what its findings could mean for future baking research.In the conclusion of the paper, the authors write, "This study serves as an initial and fundamental step for developing a future comprehensive model that can be used to simulate the baking process for producing cookies with better quality and safety."Now that the baking process has been modeled in such extreme detail, researchers are one step closer to "virtual cookies," Corradini told the Institute of Food Technologists. She added that, one day, companies may be able to experiment virtually with different recipes and baking methods without wasting food ingredients or energy.The research could also lead to more efficient food production processes. Corradini has partnered with a team at the University of Foggia in Italy, "who used a very high-resolution biomedical 3D printer to produce biscuit prototypes. They found that they could design a biscuit that needed much less time baking, thereby saving energy." The findings are of particular interest to commercial bakeries that spend billions on energy. Photo by Juno Jo on Unsplash Commercial bakeries in the United States spend close to a billion dollars on energy each year, so they're constantly looking for ways to make the process more efficient. One study found, for example, that cutting bread-baking time by 20% did not reduce quality or safety.Studies like this could help lower those costs, potentially making baked goods more affordable and accessible. And even if they don't, they might inspire us amateur bakers to try a slightly more aggressive baking approach at home on our next batch of snickerdoodles.