Whew. Somehow I managed to survive the last week and tell about it. I have been so busy that I barely have time to do anything, much less blog. My apologies. Last week was the Tigard Festival of Balloons and I managed to drag my butt out of bed each day at 4:15am to work the crew.

To be honest, each day as my alarm went off, I swore I would never do this again. I mean what was I thinking? Giving up on precious sleep to go and work before actually going into the office. I had to be crazy. But by the time I pulled into the parking lot, my blood was flowing and I was ready to help.

Whether I was holding the control lines during the cold inflation, velcroing the crown, helping weight the basket, or “milking” the envelope when it was time to pack things up, I was happy to be there. The entire process amazes me and when I am there, I can’t think of a single place I would rather be.

Then when all the hard “work” (I feel guilty even calling it work because its so fun, but my muscles are definitely feeling it today!) is done, the fun and excitement begins. Once the pilot is given the ok, they are ready to take off.

Then the crew packs up the truck and finally has a moment to look around and bask in the beauty that has unfolded around them. Half the time we are so busy with the balloon we are launching that you don’t realize the sheer number of balloons there actually are until you look around and the sky is filled with bright balloons.

Now it’s chase time. I was so excited that this year we were blessed with good weather and light winds so I could chase a balloon. Since Saturday was Simeon’s birthday (Happy 28th Sweetie!!) Becky and I convinced our pilot to take him up for his first ever hot air balloon ride. He was so excited!! As Sim rose into the atmosphere we loaded up into the truck to chase him down. Armed with walkie-talkies and cell phones (some pilots have CBs) we tracked the balloons path. After a few sudden turns and managing to avoid dead end streets, we found an area (mostly) free of power lines with a large enough area to land. Thankfully our pilot Laurie tossed out the drop line and we gently lead them to a nice sticker bush free patch of ground.

Then we packed the balloon and basket back into the truck and celebrated Simeon’s first flight. Paul, Laurie’s husband did the customary ceremony starting with the history of ballooning and ending with the Balloonist Prayer and a toast. There is nothing like a couple glasses of champagne before 8:00am!

Then we returned to the festival, gathered our friends and headed to breakfast. After all, it was nearly 9am! Then everyone went their separate ways to enjoy the rest of the day. We returned to the festival around dusk to enjoy the Balloon Glow and the fireworks.

Its amazing to think that the propane that allows the balloon to glow is also the magic ingredient that allows it to take flight. I understand the physics behind it, but it never ceases to take my breath away when I see it.

Simeon was thrilled to not only have gotten to take his first flight on his birthday, but to have a celebration that ends in fireworks could not have been more perfect. We enjoyed the warm summer weather and the gorgeous sights around it. It was amazing.

Happy Birthday Pie. I hope you enjoyed all the trouble I went through to make this the most memorable birthday yet. And I couldn’t have done it without the help of our wonderful friend Becky. Thanks.

Oh and there are way, WAY more pictures in the Balloon Festival Glow and Balloon Festival/Father’s Day gallery. Enjoy.