Arianna: Prosser Balloon Rally

Written from the pilots point of view...

The sky is royal blue. The sun has not yet advanced beyond the horizon. The last of the night's stars are fading with the growing light. Dressed in my pajamas I step outside and take a long, deep breath. The air is cold, though not as crisp as last year. I look up; the sky is clear and cloudless.
My team and I leave the hotel where we are staying and drive to the airport to set up the balloon. I keep my window rolled down and allow the cold morning air to wash over my face. The drive is short and, when we arrive, not even the faintest hint of gold has yet reached the horizon. We are the third team to arrive at the airport.
We spread the Big Blue Tarp out over the damp ground. This helps protect the balloon from tearing or getting too wet. Next we heave the canvas bag containing the balloon out of the trailer and begin laying the material out over the tarp. My balloon is designed to resemble a patchwork quilt made of green and gold. Pastel and royal greens mingle among pale and rich golds creating graceful patterns that weave their way across it's surface. We attach the material to the wooden basket and triple check that it remains secure.
The airport is becoming full now and the roar of enormous fans can be heard all over town. I plug our fan in and turn it on. The fan blows huge quantities of air into the balloon. Slowly it fills, the fabric billowing mightily. I look inside of the balloon's cavernous belly and watch the patterns wave as it is inflated.
Finally, there is enough air inside to start adding heat. I squeeze the trigger on the big propane heater attached to the basket. Blast! It emits great streams of flame. Blast! Even after all this time the sound still startles me. One of my team members holds onto a rope at the top of the balloon. He stretches it out, allowing the hot air to circulate evenly. The basket is now tilted at an angle. There is almost enough air for the balloon to stand upright. And... now. The balloon is standing. More team members are now holding ropes to make sure that the balloon, and I with it, do not float away before we are ready.
A crowed has gathered. Thousands of people all talking, gasping, admiring and laughing. I can take one person up in the balloon with me. I scan the crowd in search of the one person I would like to take. Then I see her. She is a mother with teenage children. I beckon to her and invite her to fly. She climbs into the basket with me and I instruct my team to release the ropes. One... Two... Three!
We are rising rapidly into the air. My guest gives a surprised gasp and then grins. I grin back. I pull the propane trigger. Blast! We are rising higher and higher. We soar over trees, past birds, and over fields. The breeze catches us and we move toward the Yakima River where even more people have gathered on the bridges. The cold air rushes past us and numbs our faces and hands. I breathe deep, taking in all the smells of Prosser. The smell of cut hay mingles with cooking food. The scene is awe inspiring. On the ground a person's view and perspective is limited. In the air you can see for miles.
We pass a flock of geese heading south for the approaching winter. They fly around us and it seems that they say farewell before departing. Below us the river sparkles in the morning light. Spectators are waving up at us. I gradually bring the balloon down. We glide over the bridges mere feet above the onlookers. And then, I let the balloon down towards the water. We are going too fast. We are going to plummet into the cold water. At the last possible moment I pull the trigger and we slow down. The very bottom of the basket skims the surface of the river. We ascend skyward. I judge the distance between our current position and where the river curves out of sight. One more time. Again I let the balloon down and we skim the surface.
As we lift back into the air I feel exhilarated. The joy of flying fills my person. We soar. We soar and we do not come back to earth for a long time.

News from Liara

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, or in other words, Friday. It is also the 20^th Annual Balloon Rally this weekend. The Balloon Rally has been held on the 4th weekend of September since 1990 (I'm not exactly sure how it got started).There will be 29 hot air balloons, some of them old and a few that I don't recognize. We usually go and see the balloons EARLY Saturday morning. And we usually see some of them on our way to church.

Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival. It celebrates Prosser's "rich agricultural heritage and features hand crafted arts and crafts, fine art, photography, food vendors and live entertainment." (quote from "Prosser Record Bulletin".

And on Sunday I am turning 13 (I don't really know what the plan is for that so don't expect me to tell you).

What a fun filled weekend don't you think?

Maya is at Grandma Gigi and Grandpa Bob's house and is going to go to a Luau with them today as well. Arianna is making Fajitas. And me? Well, I'm am writing this blog entry (a sarcastic Whoopee!).

This morning, while I was having breakfast, Theodore yelped like he had gotten bit by something but I couldn't see what it was (still don't know what it was, probably a bug or something like that).

At lunchtime I wormed the goats (because I forgot to do it yesterday). For those who don't know, our goats names are: Hazel (Mutt), Sophie (Pygmy), Pearl (Mutt), Sonata 'Goldie' (Lamancha), Dustdevil 'Dusty' (Lamancha), and Gwen (Lamancha).

The worming process takes about half an hour. What we do is first we mix the grain with the herbal wormer, then we put Hazel on the stand in the alleyway, tie up Goldie and Pearl and leave the smaller three (Sophie, Dusty and Gwen) untethered.Then we give them their grain, sometimes having to push Sophie away from the other goats' grain and keeping Gwen from sticking her foot in her bucket. But, other than those small set backs, everything works out smoothly.

Arianna: Seek ye first the kingdom of God

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. I have grown up with this scripture and am very familiar with it. However, I have not had cause to test it until now.

I am a tai chi teacher who loves what I do. I have been teaching for five months now and have learned to love the people whom I serve. Tuesdays and Thursdays, without fail, I am in the studio practicing and then instructing a small group of dedicated students. I love watching them grow and progress; seeing them gain confidence and grace. They have been my highest priority and many other things are set aside until after class. Until I questioned what is more important?

Every month during the school year my home school group has a temple baptism trip. I love going to the temple and love the spirit that I feel there. But this year the temple trips have been scheduled in a way that infringes on my teaching time. I was faced with a choice: the temple or tai chi?

The argument played back and forth in my head: go to the temple, that is the most important thing. No, I made a commitment to those people. Besides, I'm serving! For days I debated back and forth and all the time that scripture from Matthew ran itself through my mind, “Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God.” I was angry, easily frustrated and stressed until finally I made up my mind: Reschedule class for that day and go to the temple as we are counseled to do.

The peace was instantaneous. I felt resolved and strong, knowing that all would work out according to the Lord's plan. I do not yet know how everything will fall into place but I know that it will. The Lord will grant me the strength, the time and the knowledge to do His work and to be all that I can be. I leave this witness in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

News from Liara

Hello again to whoever is reading this.

Tomorrow is Saturday. We will be celebrating Mom's and Grandpa Bob's birthdays. Mom will be turning 42 (which is the answer to life, the universe and everything) and Grandpa is turning 68. We will be going to a place called Avalanche. We saved up Pearl, the goat, gave a donation as well) and got Mom a gift card to a spa place called Z Place. Mom will love it. We can't wait to tell her.

In nine days I will be 13 years old (YIPEEE!).

Nothing really exciting happened this week (unless you count the goats getting corn this after noon) .

I finished my report on The Yearling. That book is one of the saddest books I have ever read but I would recommend it to anyone who loves animals, hunting and gardening ( and likes tragedies, or is completely ignorant about how sad it is, like me, until I read it).

Last night we watched “Coralline” and all I'm going to say is, if you like bizarre dark movies and buttons then that movie is the one for you (and I thought “Meet the Robinsons” was bizarre).

“Wipeout” is done for the summer so no more of that TV show until next year.

Today the results for our CAT (California Achievement Tests) came and my score is 77, which is above average.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Season Two will be coming back October 3^rd ( WAHOOO! YES! Dance a jig, STAR WARS ROCKS, etc.)

I can't wait until it gets cooler 'cause that means no more wasps and flies (another loud cheer and applause).

I am writing a book. Arianna and Maya say it's pretty good. If you want to read it, too bad. Mom says it has to be edited by the red pencil first.

Well to all you poor saps who've got nothing better to do than read this, I bid thee good day.

First days of Seminary

I have been excited by the opportunity to attend seminary for many years and, as the first day approached, my anticipation grew. My enthusiasm was grounded on the desire for an added measure of the Spirit and a stronger testimony of the Lord.
The previous spring, seminary teacher Jill Durrant invited all the youth who would be starting their freshmen year to join her class for a morning. This way, we would have the opportunity to learn the ropes and how things were to proceed in the autumn. I had already been acquainted with Sis. Durrant but it was at this “seminary sample” that I really got to know her. She is an incredibly funny woman who always has something enthusiastic and cheerful to say. Having been a seminary teacher for a few years, she also had a very clear knowledge of how to interact with teenagers; a trait that gained her much participation. It was at this time that Sis. Durrant told us of her goals for the year. “This year we will be studying the Book of Mormon,” she said, “and I want all of us to have read it three times by the end of the school year.”
My first reading took place over the summer. I read seven pages a day and in July finished reading all the way through. The second reading will take place throughout the school year as we study together in class. The third will be a reading marathon when we will all get together on a weekend and read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in one day. Knowing the goals and ambitions for the class made a difference to me because it allowed me to prepare to meet those goals.
August 26 was my first day of seminary. I arose at 5:45 to get ready to go. I have always loved to watch the sun rise and now I have the opportunity to do so every morning. Since starting seminary I have gone every weekday morning and will continue to do so until the end of the school year. I am thankful for the ability to learn, to study and to grow stronger in what I believe.

Week in the Life of Liara

Last Friday we went to the Carnival. It was fun to say the least! Mom got us all-day passes so we were there from 5:30 to 9:30. We went on almost all of the rides, but mostly we went on the Zipper, the Yoyo and the Roller Coaster ( I can't remember what it's real name was).
The Zipper made me and Arianna sick but Maya went on it about 8 times in a row and, somehow, she convinced Arianna to do it twice in a row. When she came out she could hardly stand so we sat down for a while.
The Yoyo made me feel like I was flying, until I thought about what would happen if the chains on my seat broke.
The Roller Coaster was fun as well and we went on it 3 times in a row.
Note to self: Next time there is a Carnival leave your glasses home. You nearly broke them in the Zipper.
Yesterday was my piano lesson, and I got a music book that I really wanted. It's called Pictures at an Exhibition. This composer, Modest Moussorgsky, wrote music to the paintings he saw at some museum (I couldn't find out were but I did look, so nobody get after me)
Wednesday is also the day I job shadow at Therapy Services, but there was not a whole lot that I could do because none of the patients came until 3:00 and I was there at 1:00.