Engaged at Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Waking up at 3am was not fun. But what’s even worse is getting stuck in severe traffic. From conversations with the workers from our hotel (Hyatt Regency Tamaya), it was clear that the earlier you get to the event, the better off you’d be. They suggested leaving at 4:30am. Sounded like a good idea, until you realize if they told everyone that, I’m sure a lot of people had that same thought, and the chances of traffic is likely. So we decided to leave even earlier, at 3:30am. Trust me when I say, it isn’t fun being in the car with someone who detests traffic (I’m talking about you, otherwise-sweet boyfriend).

We arrived at the event at 4am. Perfect timing, as we were able to park immediately and there were hardly any traffic. There were no clear instructions on where people were able to sit down and view the balloons, so we grabbed one of the picnic benches on the outskirts of the field (seating ended up being really hard to come by because everyone just wanders around the field). Thankfully, I had app games, hot chocolate, and Krispy Kremes donuts to keep me warm and entertained for the upcoming few hours until Mass Ascension at 7am.

At 6am, when darkness was still upon us, they began to light up five balloons to see what the weather condition is like in the sky. As they fired up their balloons, one by one, they went up, creating this neat-looking twinkle pattern in the dark sky.

7am was when Mass Ascension was supposed to occur but there was no ‘mass’ ascension, like what we had thought it to be, where all the balloons go up all at once. Instead, a few balloons would go up at a time, I’m sure for safety reasons. People were able to wander around the field where the balloons were taking off, so I wanted to do the same.

But for some reason, Joseph kept getting frustrated whenever I wanted to wander off from the picnic table by myself. He had made friends at the table, you see, and our stuff was there as well. I, in turn, was getting frustrated that we were in this beautiful event and I felt like I couldn’t take the pictures I’ve been anxious to take since we started planning this trip! Trust me when I say that my annoyance level was high.

So he grudgingly came with me, which I had no problems with, and we wandered into the thick crowd, pushing further and further deeper, until he asked if I could just stop and find a “romantic spot”. Keep in mind, nearly every inch of the field by this point was covered with people but we were able to find a tiny plot of grass to the side.

The whole time we were moving, I was taking as many photos as I can with the two cameras I had in hand. So when we got to this little plot of grass, he calmly (which I took as irritatingly) asked if I could just stop taking photos for a few minutes and just experience it with him. And so I did. But as soon as he had said those words, he himself brought up his camera and started taking some photos!

I went off on a rant at him. He shushed me again, and I thought, oh no, he didn’t!!!

To calm me down some more (by the way, I was never that upset. Just slightly irritated), he starts telling me how much he’s enjoyed our journey together, (mhmmmm *grrr hiss*), and proceeded to get down on one knee.

Wait, what?

And in that moment, I said yes!

I immediately started tearing up, he started shedding a tear, and we were both just emotional, haha.

I didn’t notice, but he told me afterwards that, in the midst of it all, while he was on one knee, someone had actually tripped on him! hahah. That’s how packed it was on that field that morning.

But guys, I can’t believe I’m actually engaged!!! It’s been just a little over two weeks now! I absolutely love the ring he picked for me, and I can’t stop staring at it! Never thought I’d be one of those people that constantly looks at their ring, tbh, haha. And yes, the Pinterest obsession has happened!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *