Back in August we went for a hot air balloon ride. It was rescheduled from an earlier day (that’s another story). John, Renee, Jordy, Jason, Ellery, and our family all met up in Park City early in the morning. We drove out to the Heber City airport and were the first balloon in the air. We got to see all the rest fill up and take off from up above. It was a beautiful morning and the Heber Valley and the mouth to Provo canyon were spectacular.

The kids did pretty well considering they were exhausted. Alden threw his pacifier overboard and the two kids spent most of the ride down by our feet in the basket. The fire for the balloon was loud and very hot and that incentive for Eden to stay clear.

After a slow process of trying to find a suitable landing pad that wouldn’t get us run over by highway drivers or shot by local farmers, Daren Wilde (our pilot) shared some ballooning history with us. Among that was the following Balloonist’s Prayer:

The winds have welcomed you with softness.
The sun has touched you with his warm hands.
You have flown so high and so well,
that God has joined you in your laughter,
and set you gently back
into the loving arms of mother earth.