Hot Air Balloon Ride

A few months ago, I purchased a Groupon for a sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride for two from Morning Star Balloons. I have always thought a balloon ride would be fun, and figured I didn't need an excuse to do it.

We scheduled our balloon ride for July 16th, and luckily, Mr. Wright was able to arrange to go into work later that day. We met at the Hotel Park City at 6 a.m., along with some other balloon riders. After checking in, we were driven in a 15 passenger van, to the launch site about 20 minutes away. Unfortunately, I was in the very back of the van. I started to feel a little queasy.

When we arrived at the launch site and unloaded, they started setting up the balloons. I realized I had to use the bathroom, even though I went before we left the hotel. I knew I couldn't wait another 1 1/2 hours, and I wouldn't enjoy the balloon ride if my bladder was full, but what could I do? We were in the middle of a huge field! Luckily, I spied a very large hill a few yards away. I snuck off behind the hill, and made sure no one was looking. Sweet relief!

The balloon baskets had to be pushed off the trailers and put onto their sides.

Next they used giant fans, and a few helpers to open up the balloon.

They add a little heat to keep the balloon inflated.



Getting excited!



When the ballon was filled with air, the pilot walked in to make sure there were no tears in the material, and that everything was safe.

Once there was enough air, they were ready to turn upright.

The other balloon was ready before ours.

This was the other balloon, not the one we rode in

Finally, we were ready for take off too!

Each basket carried twelve people, plus the pilot. The basket had a center compartment where the driver rode, and four smaller compartments on each side. Everyone loaded in. We had to share our compartment with another girl. I felt like sardines.

Please notice how close I am standing to the "hot air" part of the balloon, as this comes into play later. Here is what it looked like from the inside:

Finally, we were in the air.

The views were breathtaking!



An airplane landed just underneath us.

The hot air balloon doesn't move very fast, rather, it glides. As the sun came up it got warmer, and I was right next to the fire-breathing hot air machine. The heat started to get to me. I'm not afraid of heights, and the balloon wasn't moving fast enough to give me motion sickness. But I think the heat combined with the queasiness from riding in the back of the van did me in...Luckily, I didn't throw up on anyone below, but I had to peel off my layers, and keep my head down. I felt like such a baby.

When it was time to land, we aimed for the school field. We caused quite a stir, momentarily distracting the local cheerleading practice.

As we prepared to land, we only hovered about a foot off the ground.

After a safe and uneventful landing, it was time to put the balloon away. I thought it quite comical that they roll it up like a giant sleeping bag.

We were each given a Certificate of Ascension, which is kind of a nice touch. Too bad the pilot doesn't know Calligraphy.

I asked the pilot how many marriage proposals he got per year. He laughed and said maybe 75%. He said once he even had a whole wedding party!

On the way back, at my request, I was able to sit in the front of the van.

If you ever get a chance to go on a hot air balloon ride, DO it!!!

Life Well Lived

I know I haven't posted anything in a really long time, but it's not for lack of vi-keri-ous activity. It's amazing how you don't have as much time to blog when you're busy, well, living.

I promise I will try to find time soon to blog about the following things:

• Whale watching
• Boating
• Las Vegas
• Hot Air Balloon ride
• Sunshine's birthday
• Family reunion

And I had better hurry and get caught up. I was going to blog about seeing Chicago at the Egyptian Theatre, but now the show has closed, so I've missed the boat on that one. Plus I'm leaving for another vacation to Portland, so I'll have that to blog about too.

I've also got some exciting news...another reason why my blogging might decrease in frequency...no, not THAT kind of news. I'm not pregnant.

Actually, I've been accepted into the Nurse Practitioner program online at the University of Southern Indiana. I start August 20th, which is in just a few weeks. The last time I was in nursing school, I had no time for friends, activities, reading (other than school books), or t.v. and I never saw my family. I had no life other than studying, going to school, homework, and sleeping. I'm hoping *fingers crossed* that it won't be quite that bad this time (but I'm not holding my breath). It should take me about 2 years to finish, maybe a little longer. Then I will be able to work in a private practice, seeing patients, and writing prescriptions, almost like a Dr.!

Wish me well!

Not A Triple Threat

In March I heard about a 10 week dance class, called "Dance for Musical Theatre", taught by Repertory Dance Theatre. The invite on Facebook said it was for "anyone who'd like to brush up on their skills, who'd like to have a comfortable place to begin exploring, or anyone who'd just like to come in and have fun making art!"

I've known for a long time, that when it comes to musical theatre, dancing is not my strong suit. It's not really that I CAN'T dance. I can get it eventually, but I'm sort of a slow learner, and it doesn't come naturally to me.

The class was to be held on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. til 12:30 p.m., to accommodate people who are involved in local theatre productions, on weekdays and Saturdays. This worked out perfectly, since I am in a play, and also have band. I could pay per class, or buy a punch card for the whole 10 weeks. I figured, I might as well jump right in, so I paid a pretty penny for the punch card.

The next Sunday morning, I set my alarm, (hey, 11:00 a.m. is early on a Sunday), and arrived promptly for the first class. At first, it was just me and the instructor staring at each other. I asked if the class was for all levels, he said yes. I asked if he could give me a private lesson, if no one else showed up, but he wasn't allowed to. He said that the state requires there to be 6 people in order to hold class. But finally, more people arrived.

We started by warming up our bodies for a whole song. Then, we did ab crunches for a whole song. Despite recently having a baby and not working out, I was able to do crunches for the whole song, without stopping. I was very pleased with myself. I noticed some of the other dancers DID have to stop to take breaks.

Next, we did things like chassés, leaps, and pas de bourrées. I was only vaguely aware of these terms, and pretty much had no idea how to do them, but I did my best to follow along. 

Here's a little bit of background information on my own dance history. I took a dance class from a neighborhood lady when I was about 4 or 5. I have no idea if she had any actual dancing experience herself, but I did learn plié and relevé.

Then, in Jr. High, by some miracle, I made Dance Company. Maybe they let everyone in who auditioned, I don't know. They usually put me in the back row, not because I was tallest, but because you couldn't see me as well back there.

I think I may have taken a beginning dance class in high school, to fulfill my PE credit. Since there were a lot of football players in the class, I wasn't the worst one, but it did take me a while to learn the dance. I also signed up for Beginning Dance for Non-Majors in college, thinking that since it was for non-majors, it would be more my speed. WRONG. I couldn't keep up, so I dropped the class. And that's basically the extent of my formal dance training. Pathetic.

Back to "Dance for Musical Theatre". After our floor exercises, we start learning the choreography. The dance was relatively easy to learn, though the details were surprisingly technical. I was able to keep up with the others...barely. But that mirror! Not only did it accentuate how much bigger I was than everyone else, it also made it apparent how much better than me they were. While the rest of the class looked like this,

I looked like this,

which made me feel like this:

Clearly not a dancer

I felt like I should be in the Remedial Dance class. If only the other dancers were bad beginners like me, I wouldn't feel so stupid. I haven't had the courage to go back, even though I paid a lot of money for it.

Plus, you know, 11:00 is EARLY on a Sunday morning. I think I'll sleep in.

Put one foot in front of the other

You may remember from a previous post, that I had begun training for a half marathon, when something happened that put a stop to my training.  Indeed, I haven't been on the treadmill, or done any kind of exercise since December!

I had already registered last fall, (before getting hurt), to enter the Salt Lake City Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in April. I wasn't planning on doing it at all, since I hadn't trained for it. But then my friend convinced me that since I had spent the money on it, I might as well walk it. I KNEW I could walk it, since I had done at least that, (and maybe more), 6 months pregnant.

I am always a little nervous the night before a half marathon, and frankly, this time was no exception. Doubt swirled in my head. Was I making a HUGE mistake? Maybe the medics would have to pick me up on the side of the road. Maybe it would take me longer than the 3 hour allotted finish time to walk it. I decided that I would at least try to run part of it. Maybe do a run-walk combo.

The morning of the half marathon, I did not feel ready. My Nike+ wasn't working, so I wouldn't be able to gauge my running pace. My iPod, though left on the charger all night, was completely out of battery. Aahh! I would have to forge a distance of 13.1 miles WITHOUT any music to pump me up?!? I did some stretches, and jogged a bit to warm up, but it felt half-hearted. I knew that no amount of stretching or warming up was going to ready me for a race that I hadn't trained for.

You can see the apprehension in my face

My thoughts were decidedly negative, but I didn't want my doubts to be a self-fulfilling prophecy and sabotage my efforts. I had no idea how fast a pace I could even maintain, but I saw a pacing leader holding a sign for a 12:35 pace, so I decided to join her. There have never been pacers at the Salt Lake Half Marathon before, but I was really glad they were there this year.

See, a race is more than just putting one foot in front of the other. There's a science to running, that I have never quite wrapped my head around. I have no idea how to make sure that I am running the same pace, or if my splits are equal. I have no idea how to do track repeats, or fartleks, so even though this was my fourth half marathon, I'm still pretty much a beginner. I've known friends who have gotten faster and faster each year. I have no idea how they do it.

The race started, and I stuck right by the pacer. I found I didn't need my iPod, as I engaged in conversations with the other runners in the pace group. Running with the pacer took all the guess work out of running. I decided that I would run with the pacer, as long as I felt good, and fall back to a run-walk combo only if I needed to. I found that I felt great at mile 1, despite seeing other runners who were already walking. At mile 3, I saw some runners huffing and puffing, and sweating profusely, but I was not even winded.

I kept on going, right alongside my pacer. I drank when she drank, I chewed Shot Bloks when she did. I usually start to feel a bit fatigued around mile 6, but this time, I still felt strong. I knew from previous years that the last 3 miles are the most difficult, especially because they are uphill. My pacer had plans for that. She kept us a little faster on the downhills or flat stretches. By the time we got to the big hill at the foot of State Street, we were 3 minutes ahead of schedule.

In previous years the hill just about does me in, and I end up walking it. This time I tried to keep on pace with my pacer. Having someone to run with, and even cheer me on made such a huge difference. I was able to run up the hill, until the last block. Then since I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule, I allowed my self to take a small walking break along South Temple, until about 50 meters from the finish, when I ran across the finish line.

Crossing the finish line is an emotional experience every year. Part of it is that I can't believe I actually made it. Part of it is elation that it is finally over. Part of it is pride in my accomplishment.

My official finish time was 2:43:43, and I am MORE than happy with that. I didn't train for the race, but I just kept telling myself, "You can do this, you've done it before, so you KNOW you can do it." "That's only minor discomfort, you can push past it." "You've got this." I believe our self-talk is a very powerful tool. How you use it is up to you, and can be the difference between success and failure.

Death Changes You

My aunt, Quilt Bee, recently passed away, and this post is about her. 

Aunt Bee was a hippie. Her husband was killed in a plane crash when I was just a baby. They never had any children, and Bee never remarried or dated.

She lived a pretty solitary life. She never allowed us to celebrate her birthday. We saw her more when we were kids, but as we became adults, we only saw her once or twice a year, around Thanksgiving or Christmas. She became more and more isolated, sometimes even refusing to come for holidays.

Bee was heavy for most of her adult life, and I mean REALLY heavy. She never wore make-up, or painted her nails. She never wore jewelry or hair accessories. She wore her hair in a braid down her back. Her fashion consisted of brightly colored patterns and prints, on clothing she made for herself.

She hated having her picture taken, and rarely smiled.

Bee had two Bachelor's degrees and was a very talented quilt maker. All of her quilts were sewn by hand, not on a machine. Her quilts have won contests, and are displayed in museums. The quilt below has been at the University of Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Gene Autry Museum of Western Art. 

Starry Path

This quilt is currently displayed at This Is The Place Monument, in their Deseret Village.

This quilt is displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Star Crossing

She designed this quilt, made by her quilting circle. It's hard to tell, because the picture quality isn't very good, but that is a cowboy on a horse, in the mountains.




She also made this one that looks like a mountain scene.

She created this whimsical quilt, called Once Upon A Time, a favorite of everyone in my family. This quilt has a lot of detail. Look it over and see if you can see everything in it.

The quilt is meant to look like a scroll. At the top of the scroll is a brown owl. There is Jack Be Nimble's candlestick, and corn stalks with a raven down the left side. Next to the corn stalks sits Humpty Dumpty on a precarious mountain cliff. Along the right side is the Frog Prince, a Cheshire cat, and the Gingerbread Man. Next to the Gingerbread Man is the Gingerbread House from Hansel and Gretel. Of course, in the middle is a castle nestled among the mountaintops and clouds. There is a whale in the ocean. Along the bottom is a dragon, who appears to be trying to escape the story. Next to him is the treasure he guards. Quite clever, don't you think?

Here are some more of her creations.

This is a quilt she made for me when I was a baby. The Pooh scenes are painted on with acrylic paint.

When my sisters and I were younger, we would go to Bee's house to paint. We would make wonderful creations entitled Life, the Universe, and Everything. She would take us to see the latest Disney movie. I distinctly remember seeing The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast with her.

I remember once growing up, Aunt Bee was babysitting us while my mom was in school. My sister, Skinny, had to be about five years old, and it was dinner time. She piped up that it was Aunt Bee's turn to bless the food. I think I might have held my breath.

I didn't know what would happen, because my Aunt Bee was not religious, and didn't attend church. She had never prayed before, to my knowledge. I started to tell Skinny that no, Aunt Bee doesn't pray, when Aunt Bee surprised us by saying that she WOULD say the blessing on the food.

Another time when she was babysitting us, I was playing outside with some friends. Aunt Bee called me inside for dinner. Some mean girls in the neighborhood saw her and began taunting me, and saying how fat she was. My aunt had some kind words for me, and acted as if their words didn't bother her at all. I was always amazed that she could let it roll off her back like that.

When I was a theatre major in college, I was in an original play, called Cafe' Odyssey, at the Lab Theatre (now called Studio 115). It was one of my first post-high school performances. I'll never forget how Aunt Bee came to see the show. I was really surprised she came, because she didn't really like to go out in public. It really meant a lot to me that she came to support me.

That's me 3rd from the left, as Erato, the Muse.

Last year, my aunt Bee was diagnosed with diabetes. Around that same time, she was on an antibiotic for a dental surgery, and consequently acquired C-Diff, which causes horrible diarrhea. She had it so long, the diarrhea caused her to lose 50 lbs. That coupled with her new diabetes diagnosis was enough to finally motivate her to change her eating habits and to start exercising for the first time in her life.

She started by walking back and forth from her apartment to the trash dumpster a few times. Soon, she could do that for 10 minutes. Before she knew it, she was up to 30 minutes. Then an hour. She was really starting to lose a lot of weight, and the rest of us were starting to notice too!

This picture was taken 6 months ago.
You can already notice weight loss in her face, and her clothes are hanging off her legs.

At some point last year she was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She didn't want anyone in the family to know, except my mom who picked her up from the hospital after surgery, and went several times a week to change her dressings and empty her drains. Eventually she became weaker and weaker.

One evening she became dizzy and disoriented as she was trying to get to the bathroom. Somehow, she fell and was too weak to get back up. She spent the night alone, on her bathroom floor, in her own urine, vomit, and feces, until she heard her neighbor leave for work and could yell for help. Isn't that awful? Doesn't that just break your heart? That's when we knew she probably couldn't live alone anymore.

She was admitted to the hospital, and then discharged to a skilled nursing facility. My mom got power of attorney, so that she could talk with the doctor about her care. When the doctor did more testing, he said she had 6 months to live at most. With chemo and radiation, they could prolong her life, but she wouldn't feel very well. Bee opted NOT to do treatment.

My mom and Aunt Zombie visited Bee daily. I tried to visit as often as I could. I figured when you're stuck in a medical bed all day, you want something to cheer you up and make you feel pretty so I brought some Sally Hansen nail polish stickers one day. We did her nails like this, and to my surprise, she LOVED them!



I thought they looked just like one of her quilts



I got her these lace arm warmers, and did her nails in hot pink zebra stripes

Another time when I went to visit her, she was tired after a long day. As we spoke, she seemed to miraculously transform before my eyes, into an innocent young girl. Her skin seemed smooth and supple, and she was sweet and youthful. I swear I saw six-year-old Aunt Bee in the bed, next to my chair.

She wasn't always this child-like person. She had moments of clarity. But as the illness took hold of her, her personality began to change. She suddenly requested the necklaces off the necks of my mom and Granny. For years, she had worn her long hair in a simple braid down her back. Now, she allowed my mom to cut her hair short. And she wanted to wear things in her hair. She wanted BLING!

She transformed from someone who didn't want anyone to know she was sick, to loving having visitors. She was able to see cousins she hadn't seen in 40+ years, and old quilting friends. She received letters from high school friends, and phone calls from old boyfriends. She revelled in the attention. She commented that she didn't realize how many people cared about her!

Meanwhile, this person who had pushed people away for years, and had even kept family at arms length, suddenly became a very sweet and loving person. She even allowed us to celebrate her birthday. It was our first birthday party for her, but it was her last. She was 64.



Here she is all decked out in a scarf, necklace, bracelets, and a flower for her hair.

My mom and Aunt Zombie were with her the hours before she passed. She kept asking my mom, "What are you doing here?" My mom would reply, "Bee, we always come to visit you every day." Over and over again, she asked, "What are you doing here?" Finally, after my mom told her again, she said, "No, not you...ALL of YOU. What are all these PEOPLE doing here?" My mom was alone in the room with her.

I hope her husband was there to greet her.

We love you and miss you Aunt Bee!

It has been a honor to get to know her again in her final moments. She left us a wonderful legacy.