30 things in 30 days for 30 years - DAY 30

Day 30 of the 30/30/30 challenge - Hot Air Balloon Ride!

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!!! Thank you everyone that has been following my challenges! The 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday have been some of the best of my life!!!

So how did I ring in turning 30 on the 30th day of this 30/30/30 challenge? In the best possible way - an early morning hot air balloon ride over the Willamette Valley.

The morning started ridiculously early, 3:45am!!! Getting a toddler up at 3:45am is no easy task, I tell you! She was not happy but we got up and out of the house by 4:15am met my mom in Oregon City at 4:45am and off we all went to the Aurora Airport to meet the crew of Portland Rose Hot Air Balloons. I was encouraged to help the setup process where they blow up the balloon and get everything ready. Mom, Doc, and Ana all watched on as the giant balloon filled quickly before us. The time was upon us. I had signed my life waiver and was ready to board this flying wicker basket and head off over Oz!

I was really really nervous, I got in and white knuckled the ropes and bars available for to hold on to for "safety" and "stability". UP UP AN AWAY!!!! Within seconds all nerves settled. The balloon was soo slow and soo smooth that it hardly felt like we were moving at all. By the time we got to 2300 feet I was so surprised by the subtle ride and the breathtaking views that I completely forgot that we were in an open basket simply floating in the air!!

Meanwhile Doc, Mom, and Ana were on "Balloon Hunt 2011" they followed us in the car all around Aurora, Canby, Lake Oswego, and areas of the Willamette Valley I had never seen before! The pilot took us up and down and up and down bouncing lightly around the sky.

A few days prior to my adventure Doc and I were talking about the upcoming flight and how it would compare to the take off and landing of a plane. We talked about flying in clouds and I had said I somewhat liked flying in the clouds because I felt like that was the closest I would ever come to touching a real cloud (no, fog is not a REAL cloud! Fog is dirty, like the slush on the side of a road after a nice white snow fall). Well, one best parts of the balloon trip for me was at one point we were completely engulfed in cloud! A REAL CLOUD! We could not see in front, behind, above, or below us!! Everything was white!! Naturally I reached my hand out and touched it! What did it feel like? LOL air!

Would I do it again? HELL YES!!!! I loved every minute of it. I really liked doing it alone on my 30th birthday, but I don't think I would want to go alone again, its to amazing not to share with someone - unless you are celebrating a milestone and need to reflect on your last 30 and your next 30+ then I highly recommend a solo trip!

Here are pictures taken both from me in the air and from Doc on the ground as he followed our flight!


Filling the balloon in the light of the early early morn!


Getting on board and ready for takeoff


We have liftoff!


Waving goodbye!!






Its actually a lot warmer up there than you would think because of this hot mama! So if you go, wear layers and a HAT! The burner gets pretty toasty.





Having SOOO much fun!!!


Looking up was so beautiful!


Enjoying the calm peacefulness


We got to close to a nest and this mama hawk got a little too close a few times!


The Willamette Valley is such a beautiful area


Don't look down!!!


The Willamette River






The pilot lowered the balloon as we went over the river




Then back up and then back down again, we got so low here I thought we were going to land in this field!



Taken by Doc during "Balloon Hunt 2011"



Suddenly we got into some serious cloud cover! Can you see the ground??


Can you see us?

Can you see us now? NUTS!!!


I am literally touching a cloud!!!








Time to start the landing process




Touch down!!!


Loading it up and heading back to the launch site for breakfast and champagne


Taken by the pilot on a camera hanging from the side of the balloon!


Thanks again to everyone reading and for all the birthday wishes and for all the help to everyone that made this challenge possible.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO DAY 1 - THE BEGINNING

30 things in 30 days for 30 years - DAY 29

Day 29 of the 30/30/30 challenge - Visit Fort Vancouver.

The eve before the big 3-0!!! I had plans on the 29th for quite some time, today was the day of Carol's wedding! I was so excited not only for one of my dearest friends pending nuptials but also because Carol once again helped me in my challenge by having her wedding in a location I had never visited.

Fort Vancouver to me is most known for its 4th of July celebrations. I have never gone but one 4th we spent with friends in the area and could see the fireworks from the comfort of their yard without all the headache of traffic.

Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1849, the U.S. Army set up the Columbia Barracks (later renamed Vancouver Barracks) above the trading post. While the Hudson's Bay Company continued to operate out of Fort Vancouver, every year saw less and less fur trade and more and more settlers and U.S. Army warfare against the HBC's former customer base. Finally, on June 14, 1860, the Hudson's Bay Company abandoned Fort Vancouver and moved its operations north of the border. The U.S. Army immediately renamed the combined location Fort Columbia, changing the name again to Fort Vancouver. Today, a full-scale replica of the fort, with internal buildings, has been constructed and is open to the public as Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Carol's wedding was to be in one of the hangers, Pearson Air Museum, at the fort. While having a wedding in a hanger may seem unconventional to some I can say that aside from my own (only because I am bias) her wedding location was the best I had ever seen! The planes made for an amazing backdrop to her old Hollywood themed wedding! The fort its self is breathtaking, open to the public it offers walking trails, parks, stunning land bridges, museums, a reconstruction of a 19th century village, the air museum, and much much more. Go to fort's website for more information on upcoming events and attractions.

The ceremony was sweet and perfect and the reception was fun and full of love, all the same words I would use to describe Carol! I am honored she and her new husband, Lenny, allowed us to be part of their big day. Congratulations to Carol & Lenny ~ We love you!





















CLICK HERE TO GO TO DAY 30 - THE FINAL DAY!

30 things in 30 days for 30 years - DAY 28

Day 28 of the 30/30/30 challenge - Do it in public!

DO IT (sex, intercourse, love making, humping, boning, etc) IN PUBLIC!!!

Seriously perverts, I am not going to post the details about our public tryst! Just know that a happily married couple expressed their happiness outside the privacy of their own secure and comfortable home!!

snicker - giggle - giggle!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO DAY 29

30 things in 30 days for 30 years - DAY 27

Day 27 of the 30/30/30 challenge - Sucking... Helium

That's right readers, I went 3 days short of 30 years without ever once sucking helium. Why? Because I thought it was stupid and also could potentially make me /more/ retarded so the benefit did not out weigh the "risk" in my mind.

3 days left of this now exhausting challenge! I was sooo ready to be done! So yeah, this is yet another lame entry but fuck they cant all be award winners!!

So, if like me you have never sucked helium here are the three easy to follow steps to sounding like a chipmunk.

1. Pinch a small amount of the balloon, close to the tie, between your fingers. Pinch it flat.

2. Bite (or cut) a TINY hole from the material that you are pinching. Keep holding it so that no air escapes.

3. Place your mouth around the hole, and release the area that you are pinching, but keep a firm hold on the balloon. You should feel air rushing into your mouth. If you do not, bite or cut a slightly bigger hole.

TIPS:

• Breath in an entire breath, not just a little one
• Not everyone's voice changes. Individuals with naturally high voices may not experience any change.
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded is normal, but if it becomes so severe that you can no longer stand, stop.
• To make the high pitch voice go away, take a few deep breaths to return oxygen to your lungs. Do the same when you feel light headed, to let oxygen get back to your brain.
• When you are done sucking in helium, try talking (or singing in my case)

WARNINGS:

• Although helium is non-toxic, unlike air, it does not contain any oxygen. Breathing only helium for a long time causes asphyxiation and loss of consciousness. You may feel dizziness and/or vision blur.
• Doing this does kill brain cells. Be sure to know that. (OH SHIT!)
  

I have a video of my singing an Alvin inspired rendition of my previous Karaoke triumph, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but I am not going to post it because I am in my pajamas and look like the 30 year old outcome of a magical night shared between a hippo and a tiny chipmunk. While my self respect is slim I had to pass on posting it. Since I sound amazing but I look like a deep fried turd I could not post something, so here is the audio of my helium debut. The snickering is Doc laughing at me, the low whining noise is our dog howling at my amazing voice - I LITERALLY made dogs howl!!! LOL and then the tiny voice singing after me is my toddler Ana who thoroughly enjoyed my display! I hope you do too!

CLICK TO ENJOY!



CLICK HERE TO GO TO DAY 28
:)

30 things in 30 days for 30 years - DAY 26

Day 26 of the 30/30/30 challenge - HOBO DAY!!!

"Happy Hobo Day" is the now annual greeting for May 25th! Well, it should be! Panhandling was the name of this day's game and I was really exited at first. I had my sign all made up "Turning 30 need money for balloons", Doc's old camo jacket and I hadnt washed my hair in over a week - note, that last part was not for the day's challenge, that's just normal for my life!

I actually decided that Hobo Day deserved clean hair, so I got into the shower and cleansed myself off with all the awesome practically free shit I had gotten the day before during my extreme couponing binge, slapped on a little makeup so I looked like a put together hobo that just needed a break for balloons!

I had no idea where to go but as the time grew closer I got more and more nervious. I did not want to go downtown for fear of getting into a hobo fight and having to go all ninja on a homeless toothless flea infected fabreeze needing vagrant. The thought of bringing fabreeze to the masses did strike me as pleasant and mother teresa-ish but if I am going to fabreeze anyone its going to be those worthless dirty fucking hippies on Hawthorn, stinkin up a rather delightful area of town. Thats right hippies, I am talking to you - I might have greasy hair and not wear a bra everyday but that is in the privacy of my own damn home and not in a busy shopping district! I also dont have ONE disgusting dreadlock filled with elmers glue, honey, and bugs. You disgust me and I will fabreeze you you dirty sonsofbitches!!! - wow, sorry for the rant.. back to the point, I did not want to move in on anyone's territory so I knew that I was going to get a crappy corner (insert prostitute joke of your choosing here).

Did you know: "Oregon has the highest proportion of homeless people in the nation, according to a new report on homelessness issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development." - Portland Tribune, click here to read full article.

I started to have second thoughts as we drove toward the freeway in Troutdale. I knew I wanted to find a safe place where Doc could be near by in the car - just in case - and I started to care less and less about how much money I was going to rack in. We found a spot just off the highway at a stop light adjacent to an empty parking lot for Doc to park in. I got my sign out and walked over to the corner.

Slowly and reluctantly I raised my sign. The humor in this challenge quickly morphed into humiliation as I stood there with my sign, unable to meet the eye of any passing drivers as they were visibly uncomfortable by my presence. The light turned red and for 30-40 seconds an array of vehicles were stopped, trying not to look at me and trying to decide if my sign was a joke or if I was just a funny - well put together - bum. Most that did look at me decided that I was an asshole either way and glared at me. The first glare I got threw me into a hysterical fit of laughter. I had to hold up the sign to hide my face and after that I became increasingly more humiliated and uncomfortable. After 5-7 full minutes I had had enough and was calling this challenge quits!! I ran back to Doc who had been filming me and crying with laughter the entire time.

So, in the end I walked away with zero funds and a platter full of appreciation for my life and all that I am fortunate enough to have, not just material things but the emotional and mental support from my friends and family and a big dose of humility. So next time you're driving by someone on the side of the road with a legitimate sign and need for help, know that standing there silently asking is not easy and that every little bit of kindness you can offer up will help!










CLICK HERE TO GO TO DAY 27