Day Three Hundred Fifty: Hot Air Balloon Flight

This morning, Jeff and I got to check off a bucket list item by going on a hot air balloon flight. I have always wanted to do this, and I was absolutely thrilled that we had the chance! We met the crew about 6:00 am and were airborne by 7:00. We travelled about 10 miles, reaching a speed of 17 mph, at our fastest. The trip took a little more than an hour, and then we all had celebratory mimosas upon landing. It was beautiful and peaceful and such an amazing experience!

Blowing up the balloon

Adding some heat

In the basket and ready to fly

Up with the sun

We dipped down into this
fountain, and I got soaked!

A perfect landing

Here's to another great First!

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Three: Steak Dinner on a Plane

We were sad to leave Rapa Nui, but the service and perks awaiting us in the first class cabin of our flight back to the mainland made it a little easier to say goodbye. While we enjoyed the sleeping arrangements the most on the way to Easter Island, we probably enjoyed the dining the most on the way back. It was truly the first time I have had a steak dinner--complete with real silverware, cloth napkins, and my choice of complementary wine--on a plane, and it felt pretty fancy!

Day Two Hundred Eighty: First Class Flight

We have flown business class before but have never had a true first class experience until now. Jeff and I decided to spring for the upgrade for our trip out to Easter Island because it was a long flight, at 5:30 am, after a long day and night of flying and waiting around in airports. It was well worth the splurge to get to lay out flat and get several hours of quality sleep with "real comforters and pillows," which greatly impressed the kids! There were several other nice perks as well, and we had a wonderful and easy trip.

I could get used to this!

Day Two Hundred Three: C.R. Smith Museum

In need of a "mental wellness day" and a change in our learning environment, we spontaneously decided at breakfast to cancel our regular school day and head over to the C.R. Smith (American Airlines) Museum in Ft. Worth. We practically had the place to ourselves, and it was just what we needed today. We got to learn about the history of flight in general and American Airlines specifically. In addition to seeing all the cool displays, we got to make crayon rubbings of different planes, construct a variety of paper airplanes in different styles, play around with the principles of aerodynamics, and build whatever our minds could imagine with the Big Blue Blocks we fell in love with in D.C. at the Building Museum. One of our favorite displays was all about the flight that Captain Sullenberger landed in the Hudson River in 2009. In fact, when we got home, we watched the movie, "Sully", with Tom Hanks, just to round out our flight-focused day. I'm so thankful we have the flexibility to make our days be whatever we want/need them to be!

Strapped in and ready to watch a movie about the history of flight

I was pretty proud of my paper airplane, which coasted easily through the holes of the point board