Up, up and away! — by holley

My marriage has reached new heights! I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride ever since I was a little girl. I can remember whenever I saw one floating in the sky thinking to myself how lucky they must be to be up there. What are they seeing?! It was so rare to see them floating in the sky, so whenever I did, it was awe inspiring - I was captivated. I am not a thrill seeker or do things for a rush but just the science behind having a nylon fabric hold you in the sky with hot air blows my mind.

I have wanted to do it for the longest time and I have begged my husband for years. You can do it in Charlottesville near home in DC and several other places that we have visited over the years but I could never get him to go with me. You see, he doesn’t like heights! But this year for our 6th anniversary, I couldn’t go out to Napa and not float along in a hot air balloon. I shared with my husband that inspirational quote - do one thing a year that scares you and much to my surprise, he said Yes!

We work up bright and early for our sunrise balloon ride. We chose to ride with Napa Valley Aloft for our experience. No coffee was necessary for me that morning as I was so excited! Once we got to the grounds, I was just in awe at how large the balloons and baskets were, how the production crew had the set up down to a science, and how quickly the balloons filled with air and heat; and then off they went. One by one. It was louder than I though with the fans and fire but once in the air, it was so peaceful!

Finally it was our turn. Within seconds of climbing into the basket we were floating away. That was the coolest experience. Almost immediately we were above the trees and not too much longer after that we were 3,000 feet in the air. It was so quiet. Surprisingly warm and no feeling of wind. You really don’t move much and when you do it’s because someone in the basket moved. I enjoyed the views of the valley floor, the mountains in the distance, and also the other balloons near us drifting across the valley - different colors dancing across the sky. What a way to greet the new day! I even coaxed Bobby to release the death grip he was applying to the basket to snap a few photos. Ah, the things he does for love. I’m a lucky lady. I think he earned some chore free weekends to watch football this fall. Happy Anniversary Bobby. I love you!

For a detailed journey with videos of our hot air balloon adventure be sure to follow me on Instagram and check out my hot air balloon highlight reel saved on my Instagram stories @byholley