Karen Lao

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Big Bend, Marfa, and the Proposal

Big Bend National Park

This past Labor Day weekend, Brian planned a trip to Big Bend National Park and Marfa for us. Originally, we were supposed to spend the night in Austin and then explore Big Bend with Huong and Andrew. But Marfa was so close (2 hours away), and I'd always wanted to see the Prada Marfa installation, so I asked if we could go! He said, "We'll see."

When Labor Day weekend came, Brian said that we would go to Marfa. YAY! Except I was a little concerned and almost wanted to cancel the road trip because there was a gas shortage scare throughout Texas. We were convinced people were overhyping it, but it was real... throughout the main cities, there was no gas to be found. We had to constantly use the GasBuddy app to see where we could fill up. It was definitely a concern, and we even bought a gas canister as an emergency! 

We left Austin at 4 in the morning since Big Bend was almost a 7 hour drive away. It was amazing seeing the landscape turn into hills and then mountains. I've NEVER seen mountains in Texas before! I was so excited. When we got into Big Bend, we immediately did the Lost Mine hike. The views were amazing. I definitely appreciate Texas a lot more now.

Marfa

That night, we stayed in Marfa so that we could explore the city next morning. The first thing Brian wanted to see was Prada Marfa at sunrise. Of course I was down! So we woke up at 6AM the next day to make the 30 minute drive to the art installation.

When we got there, I took a couple of photos of Huong and Andrew in front of Prada Marfa. And naturally, I asked them to take photos of Brian and me too. Brian and I walked up to the storefont, and we posed for a photo, but then he turned to me, and said, "Hey..."

HE CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD!! We were just supposed to take a photo! Everything was happening so naturally, so this moment was entirely unexpected. He asked me to marry him, and the rest is history!

Thank you so much to Huong and Andrew for being a part of the surprise!! What a happy, happy weekend!