Emily’s Musings

Oh how I have missed celebrating our nations birth in Utah. For seven LONG YEARS now, David and I have not been in Utah to celebrate this event. Our absence (you know, our experience celebrating this event in other states and of course out of the country) has only made us realize how AWESOME the events and festivities leading up to and including the 4th of July are in Utah. There are so many family friendly activities to do.

One of my favorite events is the hot air balloon race. The race starts early, (around 6:30 am) but it is TOTALLY worth getting up for it. I had to remind David of that fact when he really wanted to sleep in when the alarm sounded (at 5:00 am). And get this . . . WE, THE SLEEP/NAP NAZI’S, EVEN WOKE UP HANNAH EARLY TO GO TO THIS. Yeah, it was that important.

In case you were wondering, this is what the inside of a hot air balloon looks like when it is being blown up.

Trust me, it looks a lot bigger in person . . .

The field was overtaken with onlookers and big balloons. Everywhere.

This is Hannah’s signature look when she is experiencing something for the first time. Even though it looks like she is bored out of her brains, she is actually having a great time. She kept calling them “A BANOONS!” and would point to the launched ones and say, “COME BACK! SIT DOWN!” Hannah has been fascinated with “banoons” since we arrived in the states almost two months ago. Considering the first time she saw a helium balloon was a few weeks ago, I’d say she’s on the fast track to “balloon knowledge” now that she has seen hot air balloons.

Hannah especially liked the pig and the strawberry designs . . .

This is one big pig . . .

I just love to see the balloons rise so quickly. They are so beautiful against the sunrise and the mountains.

If you find yourself in Utah for the 4th of July, please mark this event on your calendar. It is TOTALLY worth it. EVEN IF YOU DO HAVE TO WAKE UP EARLY.

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