Debra Drummond | MichiganMoves Real Estate in SE Michigan

Attendees at last weekend's Ice Sculpture Spectacular in Downtown Plymouth were captivated by this very personal proposal ... "Cat I love you. Marry me?".

It was surrounded by crowds when I snapped this photo, and everyone I talked to who saw the sculpture wanted to know more about the story behind it.

Today we learned 'the rest of the story' in this morning's Detroit Free Press.

Randall Walker, a 32-year-old Royal Oak man, commissioned the unique proposal for $500. On Friday evening, Randall got down on one knee and proposed to Cat Yurk, whom he had met through eHarmony.com last year.

According to the Free Press article, the crowd cheered when Cat said yes.

Don't you just love happy endings!

Have you noticed an increased number of homes and condos for lease? While it seems logical that since the market has softened, sellers would entertain the idea, I was surprised by the extent of it, particularly with condos. For example, homes leased in Northville and Plymouth rose by 133% and 126% respectively, while the number of condos leased in Plymouth rose by 187% and the number of condos leased in Northville jumped by 218%...more than double!

During my first six years in the business, I wrote only one lease. In 2007, I wrote three, all on properties I had listed for sale or for lease. It's not really surprising because between credit tightening up and people being nervous about their jobs, they are not as eager or able to jump into homeownership.

So if you're trying to sell but not having any luck, you might want to give leasing a try. A great resource for leasing homes and condos is Craigslist.org, but be wary of any overseas inquiries as there are a few scams out there.

Opening in Kellogg Park on Friday, January 25th and running through Sunday, January 27th, the Spectacular features ice carvers from around the United States and from as far away as Japan.

Over 100 sculptures are expected to be carved, mostly from single blocks of ice. Several sculptures will be constructed using between 5-100 blocks of ice, and you can watch the carving process from the beginning of stacking the blocks of ice to the finished works of art.

Each day's events include sculpture competitions and an evening light show at dusk. Special additions this year include snowshoe interactive demonstrations, live reindeer, and wood carving demonstrations.

Check out the schedule of events, print out a downtown walking map, and plan to be impressed. It's an experience the family won't soon forget!

Next Saturday, January 26th, you might want to check out Downtown Northville's 3rd Annual Fire & Ice Festival.

Start the day with the Northville Parks & Rec sponsored "Flamin' Flapjacks! Fundraiser". Held at the Northville Community Senior Center from 8:00 - 9:30 AM, their "sizzling hotcakes will put fire in your belly". Advance tickets are $5 per person or $7 at the door.

Cruise over to the Planet Fitness parking lot around 11:30 AM. Participants in the Kiwanis 3rd Annual Polar Bear Plunge will be strutting their stuff in a costume parade and awards ceremony just prior to taking their big 'plunge' into the Rouge River around 12 Noon. The 2007 Plunge raised $5,000 for the organization and they're hoping for a bigger event this year. Click here for more details if you want to join these hearty souls.

Then venture to the new Town Square between Noon and 4 PM for food and fun. Enjoy chili cook-off and salsa competitions, along with ice sculpture demonstrations and entertainment. Downtown Merchants are also rumored to have hot sales planned.