Woohoo!! We got engaged on Saturday, October 1st! Here is our story...
Rewind!! Almost a year & a half ago on my 26th birthday, Sonny bought us a hot air balloon ride. We were so excited to go because it was on both of our bucket lists! We scheduled it and on the morning of the ride we woke up around 4:45am and they said everything was good to go! We got ready and drove out to a park in Round Rock. As the minutes passed, we noticed the pilots pointing in the air at some lightening in the distance. That's when they told us that we wouldn't be able to go anymore because it wasn't safe. We were disappointed, but figured hey let's get breakfast at The Egg & I since we are awake! Ever since then... we had rescheduled the balloon ride about 10 times and every call around 4:45am was bad news for poor visibility or weather. We started to get frustrated and lose excitement. The last 2 times in particular that the balloon ride was canceled, it was right before our families were flying into TX and Sonny seemed so bummed. FINALLY on October 1st we got the same call that said we were good to go & to head to the park! We were so excited, but we knew there was still a possibility it could get canceled like the first time. But hey, the last 9 calls were "don't even bother coming" so this was a good start! We got to the park at 6:45am and the pilot's put a test balloon into the air to check the winds. Everything was looking good! The sun started to rise as we were waiting, and it made me wonder why we sleep through this every day! It was so gorgeous!!
Once they determined the weather was safe, they immediately started to assemble the balloon. Sonny had purchased a solo ride with just us and the pilot, and I was a little worried when I saw how small our basket was! On the other hand, the actual balloon was HUGE! The pilot said you could fit about 1,200 basketballs inside.
Finally, we were ready to take our ride! It was so surreal lifting off the ground and seeing the views. It reminded me of the few moments when you're about to land on an airplane and you can see everyone's houses and pools, but instead you could breathe in the fresh air and feel the breeze! It was so peaceful and quiet up there just floating around! Here are some pictures of our ride!
We flew over a lake and this is our reflection in the water!
There were 3 other pilots in their balloons behind us! It was amazing how many people pulled over their cars or stopped on their walks to take pictures of us in the balloon and wave to us! After about an hour, we prepared for landing in a field. It was super smooth and easy! Afterwards, we helped bundle up the balloon and pack it away. Then, we got a ride back to the park for our ceremony. They set up a picnic for us with champagne and croissants and we did a toast. They also gave us our certificate of ascension!
After we finished up we said our goodbyes to the pilots and started heading towards the car. We put the certificate away, and then Sonny asked me if I wanted to take another picture. I was confused and asked why because we had already taken a bunch of pictures and there were no more balloons or anything to capture. He started hugging and kissing me and telling me how much fun he had and how he loves me so much. So cute!! He started saying a bunch of random things that I can't remember now, but it prompted me to say, "You're acting really weird..." and he replied, "It's because I'm really nervous!" and that's when it happened! He told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him!
I couldn't even see him or the ring because I had tears in my eyes! I think I was shaking for a full 24 hours afterwards too! Before we left, I snapped this picture of him on one knee because everything happened so fast, and I wanted to remember and relive the moment forever! We decided that we should go eat breakfast at The Egg & I again just like we had a year and a half earlier! We quickly snapped some pictures together and started sending the news to our families and friends!
Little did I know that I wasn't breaking any news to them! Almost every single person I knew had known about this proposal for 4+ months! Let's rewind again... remember when I said the last 2 times the balloon ride got canceled Sonny seemed particularly bummed? It was because he had purchased the ring back in June and scheduled the ride the day before my parents and niece flew to TX. He was hoping we would go and be able to celebrate with them all weekend. He called my parents the night before, and asked for their permission to marry me. Little did he know that he was on speakerphone and my parents were at my brother's house with EVERYONE listening! My grandparents, my great aunt and uncle, my niece, my sister in law, everyone! They all cheered and were so excited! Unfortunately, that ride was canceled so Sonny tried again to book the ride the day before his whole family was flying into TX for a reunion. That ride ended up getting canceled as well :( Luckily, we were finally able to fly on October 1st, but it still didn't go quite as Sonny had imagined!
Remember earlier when I said the basket was so tiny? Sonny had originally planned to propose in the basket, but there was barely enough room for the 3 of us to stand without touching, and there would hardly be enough room to kneel! Plus, he thought it might be awkward to get emotional and celebrate with the pilot just a few inches from us! His "Plan B" was to do it during our picnic while we had our croissants and champagne. He thought it would be just the 2 of us, but he couldn't have been more wrong. We sat with 4-5 other pilots the entire time and they reminisced about their flights and people they knew in the industry. Sonny didn't feel comfortable interrupting everyone and having all attention on us. It wouldn't have felt right to share that moment with so many strangers.
So, the proposal didn't end up perfectly how he wanted it to be, but it was perfect for us! It's a cute story we will always remember and it makes us smile and laugh! The most important part is that he is mine forever! We have been dating almost 4 and 1/2 years and I've never been so happy and ready for this in my life! We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all your congratulations and well wishes! We feel so blessed to be surrounded by positive people who are so happy for us!
That night we celebrated by having dinner at Brio Tuscan Grille, the restaurant where we had our first date nearly 4 and 1/2 years ago! It only seemed fitting! We shared a bottle of wine and reminisced about the day we met, moving in together, moving to Texas, purchasing our first home, and now our engagement!
I can't help but to include the ring in every picture I take from here on out! It's so perfect and sparkly, and it was custom designed by him, which makes it mean even more!
We are looking forward to what the future brings and couldn't be happier to share our lives together forever! #futuremrandmrsbenso
