[Balloons]

[Balloons]

   5:07 PM       Laura

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I want you to close your eyes and listen to this song, and tell me what its of....




To me, its the sound of 30 balloons lifting in to the sky.



There is just something cool about hearing a crowd cheer for a balloon  that's lifting off to join its friends in the sky. And the power that comes from the massive amount of heat being poured into a balloon as it stands up.  The sheer number of people who cheer for little things like that.

I wish I had more video of the balloons standing up....

The Provo City Balloonfest has been a tradition in my family for YEARS! It happens for 3 days surrounding the 4th of July, where at least 10,000 people pack themselves into the little field behind the hospital and watch 30 balloons inflate and take off.  And I've gone to all 3 days EVERY Year, since practically the year I was born.  22 years.   If you remember this post, there's a picture of me back in '99 and Chris happens to be in the balloon behind me oddly enough.

Every year, my family wakes up at 5:30 and piles into the car to make it down to Provo and miraculously find parking right next to the field.  This year, I brought Danny,  Chris, and Kayla to join my family in this tradition.

We're going to take a break here and talk about my sister Anna.  Anna was born not able to hear very well.  We put tubes in her ears when she was like.. 3 or 4, and suddenly she started talking... but at times of stress, she covers her ears... I think she finds comfort in the lack of sound.  Well, she used to cover her ears when we came to this... so we gave her gigantic headphones, then she started covering her eyes with a blanket, so we gave her sunglasses, then, well, she started plugging her nose.   This year, we got her to forget her sunglasses, but she ended up hiding under the blanket by the end of the competition. 



The balloons will inflate and leave the field, and then a giant X is opened up.  The balloons have to make it back to the field and throw beanbags at the X.  There's also helium balloons that are tethered to the field for the hot air balloons to joust.

One balloon in particular, the 'Hare' Balloon, carries a target itself. All the balloons are supposed to follow it (Hound and Hare) and if it can't make it back to the field, its supposed to drop the target in a 2nd location, so the balloons can still play.

This balloon also hovers over the field, tethered to the ground with an American Flag hanging from its basket during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Every year, its the same announcer guy. 66 times that I've been there, I've heard the same voice every year.

This year, he wandered over by us.....

And I was a dork.

I finally gave in and asked him...

"Sir, I've been coming to this for 22 years, and I've heard your voice every time.  Can I have a picture with you? "
He seemed pleasantly surprised...
My siblings were all into getting a picture with him too.

This year, I also brought the ferrets.  Everyone brings their dogs, so I brought my ferrets on leashes... and EVERY kid on the field swarmed my poor family and the 3 ferrets... Parents asking questions about the ferrets, how to take care of them, asking if their kid could pet it, and hold it.  My ferrets were celebrities... the parents snapped pictures of their kids petting and holding the ferrets.   And I had to run around making sure all 3 ferrets were accounted for, but my sisters were just as excited to show the ferrets off as I was, so it wasn't a huge problem.

Here are some other pictures from the balloon fest for your enjoyment:

Yes.. I really am that mean.

My family likes to get involved in my Chris/Laura pictures.


This is definitely a tradition I'm carrying on with my kids as long as they keep doing it.

   P.S. Check out my 101 in 1001  and see how I'm doing!