Happy Anniversary!!

Today is mine and Brian's 19th Anniversary!!!!  We celebrated it this weekend by going away to a Bed and Breakfast near the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia.  This is the second time we've stayed in a B & B.  It was really nice.  Brian is not much of a B & B person, and for that matter, neither am I.  What I mean by that, is that neither of us likes the idea of staying in a common house, sharing a bathroom, or meals with strangers.

Both of our B & B experiences have been exactly the opposite of that.  Each time we've had our own little cottage.  We've had total 100% privacy with no other people to interact with at all.  This weekend our cottage was 2 floors with a sitting room downstairs and the bedroom and bathroom upstairs.  There was a fireplace on each floor.  Our cottage was by the pool so right outside our front porch was a beautiful swimming pool that we mostly had to ourselves.

It was very relaxing and peaceful.  We spent a couple of hours Sat on Skyline Drive which was beautiful.  We came back to our cottage and took a nap of all things.  That night Brian told me that he wanted to give me my present.  We were going to go out to eat, but not to get dressed up.  In fact, he told me to wear tennis shoes.  (So far, it was not sounding like my idea of a romantic Anniversary Dinner....but I went along with it.)

We drove about a half an hour and finally arrived.

Guess what my present was????

It was a ride in this!

Let me just tell you, I was very excited.  Number one, because I am tough to surprise.  And, Number two, because I really wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride....(remember it was on my list!?)

The Balloon pilot's name was Bob.  Bob told Brian he'd need some help to set up the balloon.

(I guess he asked Brian because his other passengers were myself and 5 older women...not elderly, but older than us.)

There is Bob setting up the balloon.  The basket started out laying down.

Here is the balloon as it filled up with air.

Getting close to being full!

Bri was really helping out a lot.  I was glad he was there!

Now it was time to turn on the flame.  

And set the basket and balloon upright.

We were off and flying!

It was amazing how much we could see and how smooth the flight was.

Here we are!

This picture is looking straight up into the balloon.  The flame had to be turned on every minute or so to keep us up.  It was hot, hot, hot!!! In fact, I thought my hair was going to burst into flames because of the hairspray I'd put on earlier!

Isn't the shadow cool?

We'd been up for about 30 minutes when all of the sudden the wind came to a complete standstill.  We were stopped over a strip of trees.

We started getting lower and lower. 

We went all the way down into the tree tops!!!  This was not a good feeling.  Bob told Brian to lean over the edge and try to grab the tree tops to steer us away from them!!!!!  

I told Brian not to lean over the edge and grab the tree tops!

Next, Bob tried to bounce the basket off the treetops!!  This was also not very comforting.  He informed us that we only had a few minutes of fuel left!  He told us all to hold on tightly to anything we could.  

I could not believe it!

Here is where the balloon came down.  Amazingly we were all fine and the balloon did not get tangled in any trees.

Bob yells for Brian and 2 others to hop out and pull the basket and balloon away from the trees. 

They do it and have to run through a field of weeds, thorns and thistles three feet high while trying to pull a heavy balloon.

They make it to a clearing.

Now Bob wants them to take a running start with the basket and balloon and try to boost him up over the trees because there is a freshly mowed field on the other side of the trees.  He tells everyone to get out to make the balloon lighter.  Everyone except for me.  He wants me to stay in the balloon with him since I had shorts on.  

I looked at Brian with my eyes as wide as saucers.  At the moment, all I wanted to do was to get out on the ground with everyone else.  

Brian looks at me then looks at Bob and says, 

"Sorry Bob, she's getting out."

He quickly pulls me over the edge to safety.

Bob used some fuel to double check the field on the other side of the trees and to see if by chance there is some wind.

Still no wind, so he comes straight down.  Bri and the others try to give a running start and push Bob & the balloon towards the treeline.  Instead, Bob goes straight up.  Brian tried to hang onto the side of the basket and was literally hanging onto it as it lifted into the air.  His feet were about 3 feet off the ground before he jumped back to safety.  I wish I had a picture of this because it really was funny looking, but I was worried that he wouldn't jump off in time and he'd get hurt.

Finally Bob decides there is no way we're going to get him over the trees.  He yells for us all to push him over a fence in the other direction where there appeared to be a break in the trees big enough to fit the balloon through.  

Here we are....well not me, I was taking the picture.  Look at Bob riding along while his paying customers carry him in the balloon!  They pushed him through the opening.  Then we all had to climb over a small stone wall and a rusty barbwire fence.  Brian goes first....no problem.  Then the old ladies go next.  One gets over while 3 get stuck on the fence.   (I am not kidding...their pants were hooked on the barbwire!)  It was absolutely crazy.  Brian finally manages to help everyone over the fence.

As Brian was helping us, Bob was yelling to grab the rope so he could land.  It was unbelievable.

Finally, our ordeal was ending!  The balloon was on the ground in a field.  Now all we had to do was deflate the balloon, pack it up, load the whole balloon and basket onto the truck, and ride back to our cars!

The whole ride was supposed to last 45 minutes.  Instead, it was 3 hours of mayhem!

So, now I can cross "hot air balloon ride" off of my list.  I can assure you that we won't be doing that again.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime event.

What a story we have!

Happy Anniversary Brian!  

I love you.