Up, up and away

A sweet sixteen party did not interest Joy. She wanted to go for a ride in a hot air balloon! -She is our adventurer. : )

We ended up having to get up at an hour that started with a 3! Oh my! I'm so glad I didn't realize that would be the case earlier in the week. We had a little road trip to take before the sunrise balloon ride could take place.

Here's Joy and 'M' "signing their lives away" as they said.

Then they made a video... of their wills, "just in case."
 -Andrew, you might be happy to know that if Joy didn't come back safely, she was leaving everything to you. : ) 'M' said she wanted to be buried with her iPhone and her Bible.

Uncle Phil has been on a hot air balloon before, and last night he kept warning Joy about power lines. -So after they made their wills, they made a plan too jump out of their balloon together, if it got to close to any power lines. ; )

An expectant woman read the waiver and realized she needed to inform the balloon company that she was pregnant. She didn't want them to tell her she couldn't ride. Hubby and I thought they would let her ride but not require her help in the setting up of the balloon which was apart of the ride. She asked our advice about whether she should inform them or not and I said 'Yes!' (what else would I say? I'm a type A, rule follower) Guess what? For legal reasons, she couldn't go on the balloon and then she was mad...at me. She was pointing at me and saying it was my fault. (that was one awkward situation) She called her unborn child a 'jerk' for keeping her from being able to ride. (praying she doesn't call her child such things after it is born!) The company offered her a rain check (such a GREAT company for so many reasons) and so all ended well. Her party of 4 decided to wait until she could ride too and they left. After the waivers were signed, it was time to leave.

Everyone got in the vans and drove to the field...

Just before sunrise!

That is one mighty big basket!

It was cold and Dad loaned the girls his jacket and sweatshirt for more layers

They blew up the balloons and then turned on the burner

All smiles

-Then not so much!  -Bless M's heart, she was terrified!

Then the sun came up!

And they were on their way!

Or just about!

There they go!

Into the sunrise!

And before we knew it they were the third speck from the left!

Why did we let our baby go two thousand feet up in the air again?! -I can't remember! ; )

Then it was time to hop in our van and join the crew in chasing those specks in the fog to the landing spot

Here is balloon number one getting ready to come down. Joy was in the one to the far right...too far right.. They missed the landing spot due to the missing weight of the expectant woman's group. 

And right about now, I'm freaking out about power lines and hoping our girls don't JUMP out after all ; ) 

Here's where I'm glad they are safe even if they aren't landing.

Off they went for another 30 minutes in search of another field to land in...

We decided that chasing them would be pretty much impossible and knowing us, we'd surely get lost, so that is when we decided to go to breakfast instead. LOL!

If we had chased their balloon, the landing would have looked similar to this, except it would have been next to some cows 'with horns' and had a barbed wire fence that they had to crawl through.

 So, I think I'm glad I didn't know about any of that until they were safe and sound and on the GROUND at the champagne brunch! I think I aged a year before it noon!

~Becky, who slept like a woman in a comma when she got home! ; )