A week ago Wednesday Joely read a narrative in her vocabulary book about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. She was fascinated by the story of how the hot air balloons can take off and then come back to the same place to land in Albuquerque. She determined then and there that she wanted to go up in a hot air balloon. She became quite animated and excited about the prospect.
But knowing the odds of that happening anytime soon, I just told Joely how fun that would be to do…someday.
Then the next day I was chatting with a friend on Facebook and she offhandedly asked me if we were going to the local balloon festival that weekend.
What? Balloon festival…as in HOT AIR balloon festival?
Yup, sure enough, that very weekend there was a hot air balloon festival only 30 minutes from our home. And what's more, at the festival you'd also have the chance to go up in a tethered hot air balloon. Absolultely perfect, I thought.
And so we kept the festival a secret from the girls (Jaden had overheard Jeff and me discussing the festival, but he was sworn to secrecy). We told them that the festival was a special treat for Joely, but we didn't tell them what it was about. Jeff just gave the girls three obscure clues about the festival. The festival had something to do with 1) gas, 2) nylon, and 3) wicker.
Needless to say, the girls still had no clue.
When we got to the festival, none of the balloons were up yet, so it wasn't immediately obvious what the festival was about. We walked around a bit until we saw where there was a deflated balloon lying on its side. As we approached, we told Joely to look carefully to see if she could figure out what the festival was about. We neared the balloon, and Joely examined it carefully. Then after a few moments her eyebrows rose, her jaw dropped, her face became animated with joy, and she shrieked, "It's a hot air balloon! It's a hot air balloon! I wanna ride in it!"
What an awesome feeling that was to see her so happy about it!
To make a long story short, we ended up being the very first in line to ride the hot air balloon. Joely, Jaden, Jerah, and I went up in it and Jeff stayed down to take video/photos. Granted the balloon only rose about 40 feet in the air, but we were still up in a hot air balloon, and how many people can say they've done that? It was such a neat experience, doubly so for Joely since she had aspired to do it only two days before.
Later that evening at sundown, all 16 balloons at the festival were inflated. Then they proceeded to do what they call a "balloon glow." At intervals, all the balloons turned on their burners, either in one long pull or in short spurts. With the sun down, it made a spectacular site.
Joely became so excited she started running around our chairs shouting, "This is so much better than I expected! I LOVE this! This is so awesome!" Watching her pure enjoyment of the evening was definitely a Finer Thing!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
That's AWESOME! what a great look on her face!
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Growing up we always had hot air balloons for our Harvest Festival Weekend in OCT. One year they did a balloon glow and gave rides in tethered balloons. I LOVED going up and seeing the surrounding farm lands, identifying it all from high in the air. What topped it off for us was the people who owned the balloon we went up in knew my aunt and uncle who lived 300+ miles away.
Maria´s last blog ..Thirsty Thursday
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Awesome, in an oh-my-gosh-I-would-so-totally-be-afraid-of-dying kind of way!
We used to go to the balloon festival in Lake Dallas. Balloon glows are spectacular!
Ashley Moreno´s last blog ..This ain’t that kind of blog….
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Oh, how cool is that?!
I sure wish I didn't have a fear of heights but I think hot air balloons are cool from me watching on the ground. LOL!
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Ok my heart is full of joy after seeing that last picture! What a tremendous blessing!
sarah´s last blog ..Finer Things Friday- Being Canadian
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I have lived in Albuquerque for almost 19 years. Balloon Fiesta is awesome. I never get tired of it. It's definitely worth the trip if you can ever work it out to come.
Robin´s last blog ..Backyard?
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That looks like such an awesome time! Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures!
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How about that timing?! Incredible!
Riding in a hot air balloon is on my "Bucket List."
Amy @ Finer Things´s last blog ..Finer Things Friday: Freedom
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I followed a link from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers so this is my first time reading your blog… and I had tears in my eyes reading this post! What a thrilling day for your daughter!!! I love how this worked out.
And, riding in a hot air balloon is on my short list of "things I want to do in life", so I can just imagine what a thrill this must have been for your daughter!
Dana´s last blog ..Nature Walk with 2 Surprises (at bottom of post)
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Amazing pictures and amazing watching your baby be amazed!
I would love to take the children to see hot air balloons sometime. What an adventure!
Blessings,
Kimberly
Kimberly @ Raising Olives´s last blog ..How We Homeschool: An Overview
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How super cool is THAT?!
There is a festival near us every fall and I always think about going but never do it. After your inspiration, perhaps this is the year…
Amy @ MomsToolbox´s last blog ..Making a Powerful, Prayerful SOAP Change
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