No Quilting This Weekend!

I'm so excited!  This time every year Statesville, NC has a HOT AIR BALLOON Festival.
(about the only exciting thing held here)  Today is the first day of the three day event. This is one of
the oldest balloon festival still in existance.  Although it is far from a large one like out west, it holds its own.

About three years ago I volunteered to help work the festival and right before time to go home, the event planner come up to our booth and said she had one slot open for a ride in a balloon. OH MY!  if you could have seen me you would have thought I had just offered a million dollars!  I was jumping up and down hollaring ME ME!  I'LL GO!  and I did!   This was something I have always wanted to do. One of those things you have on a bucket list.   The weather was perfect for flying that day. 

As I stood and watch the balloon begin to fill with air and grow to what seem enormous, I couldn't help but be a bit nervous with all the excitement.  I was on my cell phone calling my sisters and anyone I could get ahold of to let them know what I was about to do. Of course NO ONE ANSWERED!  So I left these messages they probably couldn't understand.  Once we lifted off the ground.... I was amazed at how CALM I became.  No jitters, no butterflies, no weak knees, just Calm.  It seemed really strange to me to be so calm as we flew so high over the streets in the neighborhoods I drive everyday.  Looking down as   what seemed to be a picture I had once seen in a book.  But this was real!  It was unforgetable.

Since that flight, I have help crew and chase that same balloon.  Maybe one day I will get a chance (for free)
to fly again but until then just the rush of helping fill the massive piece of quilted fabric with air for lift off, will have to do.   And it does.  So I am off now in just a few headed to the airport where the festivities begin with a Balloon Launch of about 50 or so balloons.   I'll post pictures soon!