Up, Up and Away

It is just a little after 5:30 in the morning here. My husband and our young friend C have already left the house, on their way to the other side of downtown Houston to meet a hot air balloon. They are going for a ride.... and yes, we asked C's parents first if she could do this, and they were happy to let C have the experience. They are so good that way-- letting C choose what she'd like to do or not do (within good reason, of course) in order to give her a firm sense of confidence and independence.

I had arranged this balloon ride as a gift for my husband... a birthday gift from a couple of years ago. He had always wanted to do it, so I thought it would be a surprise. Turns out that the surprise was how long it took to actually take the ride. He had scheduled it many times, and each time the ride had to cancelled because of weather. I had just about given up hope of the balloon ride ever happening. This balloon flight is for two people, plus the "pilot" of the balloon. When I gave the flight certificate to my husband, it was with the understanding that I wouldn't be the second passenger.... going up in a hot air balloon was never on my must-do list.

When we decided to have C come here for one last sleep-over before school starts, my husband called the balloon man to see about a ride/flight this weekend. They scheduled the day, but we didn't find out for sure till 5:00 this morning, being that the weather has to be checked just before going up. So the early phone call this morning was well-received by the two adventurers in this house, and off they went-- one with a cup of coffee, the other with a bottle of chocolate milk. They should be up in the air by daybreak.


Last night when C came over here, she was surprised with a "scavenger hunt" that my husband made up for her. Her first "clue" was in the form of a letter from Scotland Yard that we had waiting for her on the back seat of the car. It looked very official, given my husband's talents with the computer. He had ten clues scattered around the house, and I have to say that I was impressed with C's quick-thinking.... she knows this house as well as we do. The prize at the end of the hunt was a certificate for lunch out this afternoon... where we will all go and try to keep C in her seat because I know she'll probably still be flying high after this morning's balloon ride.