Sunday, November 8, 2009

Day 24 : Into the heavens on a hot air balloon named Rosie

Today was one of those days where you know when your head hits the pillow you'll take a huge sigh and realize exactly how amazing the day really was.

Our day started at 4:30 am after a night of crazy heartburn, parking lot fights, and hardly any sleep. Momma loaded up on a few preventative meds hoping Ativan and Lomotil would prevent any potential flight disturbances. We made our way to the Anderson civic center in the dark, got checked in and waited on our balloon pilot to come find us. We were greeted by our pilot Wayne's mom and made our way over to watch Rosie get ready for take off.





Wayne briefed us on what to expect during the flight and the landing. We signed a forest of documents that reminded us over and over that ballooning is "inherently dangerous". Not much different than the pre-transplant documents Momma signed that said "oh by the way, your transplant might not work and you could possibly kick the bucket". We're all about taking risks around here.

The balloon was ready for take off so we hopped in the basket and Wayne's mom snapped a quick photo of us before take off.
The take off was really smooth and we were quickly high above the trees. Lib was wishing she wouldn't have passed up an Ativan around this time but she settled in after about 15 minutes.

A few shots from the air.




We stayed in the air for about an hour and 15 minutes before landing in a paved entrance to an Anderson neighborhood. The landing was alot easier than I was expecting -- well after avoiding a set of power lines that Wayne didn't seem to see at first. After Wayne and the chase crew got Rosie stuffed back into her bag they asked us to help get the rest of the air out of her.

We loaded in the chase car and made our way back to the launch field for a champagne toast. Today was a great day -- a memory that I'll hold on to forever. Thanks to Wayne and his crew for an amazing morning.

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3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 11, 2009 at 6:32 AM

    You guys are crazy and I love it! Maybe you could scare the Myeloma out of her by going skydiving next!!!

    For those who risk their life for sake of the Kingdom, will gain it.

    I am so happy that you guys are able to experience some abundant life amidst the storm.

    Keep risking it,

    Phil

    P.S. I see you rockin' the bracelet! I want to see mug shot with your "dominate" face on :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AshliNovember 25, 2009 at 11:24 AM

    That is amazing and awesome and just plain memorable!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 19, 2012 at 12:14 PM

    Trust me. ALL power lines were in sight. LOL. Ya got to give everyone a thrill. It was a true honor to have you ladies with us and I pray that you and your entire family have soft landings in all your future adventures.

    Wayne Fortney and Crew.
    www.AdventureTimeBallooing.com

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