Hot Air Balloons

Saturday July 3rd we all woke up early. We got dressed quickly and headed out the door. We were in a hurry to get down to Provo to see the Hot Air Balloons launch. Every 4th of July weekend the hot air balloons take to the sky. If you wake up early you can watch the balloons get blown up and take flight. I was excited to go because a friend of mine, who lives in Utah, blogged about going last year. It looked and sounded like so much fun - we were not disappointed.

We got to the field right on time. It was a beautiful morning, although it was a little chilly. Right away we saw balloons being blown up. The first one to stand up was the bright pink pig. The boys got excited seeing the pig come to life. After the pig was up several other balloons began to inflate.

Then all of a sudden we saw the pig start to blow around. There was a slight breeze in the air. Unfortunately, the breeze was too much for the balloons and they had to let out their air. We were told there was a cold front passing through and the balloons should be able to go after the front went by.

While we were waiting the boys were able to get inside one of the balloon baskets. They were pretty excited!

After a while the wind died down a little so some of the balloons started to inflate again. We were fortunate to be right next to the balloon operator that was the most optimistic. He wanted to fly his balloon and a little bit of wind wasn't going to stop him. It was really cool to watch the balloons inflate. If you were standing close by you could feel the heat from the burners.

It was interesting to watch the process of making a balloon buoyant. It takes a lot of strengh and team work. At the beginning one person holds a rope tightly (attached to the top of the balloon) a distance away from the balloon. At the same time a few others hold the bottom of the balloon open. The operator starts the burners to begin filling up the balloon. As the balloon rises the operator takes his or her place inside the basket while the rope holder continues to steady the balloon. Those who were holding the balloon open now hold the basket on the ground. Once the balloon is steady in the air the rope holder lets go of his or her grip and returns to the base of the balloon. When the balloon takes flight the balloon crew quickly gets in their car and follows the balloon. As the balloon lands the balloon crew is there once more to help aide a smooth landing. It is similar to our life her on earth. As we begin this life the Lord is there watching over us (keeping us steady). We also have several others (family and friends) that keep us firmly planted on the ground. Once we are ready they let us go, but they are still with us. As we come to the end of our journey they are there again to welcome us home.

We had a lot of fun watching the balloons. Unfortunately the winds never really died down. We kept waiting, but it appeared the balloons would not get their chance that day. The kids were getting a little restless so Nana and Papa, the Krey's and Tanner decided to go back home. Chad and I decided to stay a little while longer with the other boys. We are glad we did because a couple of minutes after they left three of the balloons were able to take off. It was so fun to watch the balloons go up into the air and fly away. I guess the best things really do come to those who wait!!

One of my favorite parts of the morning was watching the boys faces. They were having so much fun.

Devon liked the balloons so much that he asked if he could take some pictures of them. I happened to have my small camera with me so I let him go to town. Devon had so much fun taking pictures. He took some really good shots. Maybe he inherited some of my passion for photography!

We had such a fun morning. If we are ever in Utah on the 4th of July weekend again we will be sure to go to the balloon launch!