Tuesdays Unwrapped: little traditions

I don't know if we even call it a tradition. But it is one.

It's just not one of the big ones--like turkey on Thanksgiving or church on Christmas Eve. Those are non-negotiable. It's more of a little tradition. We have all sorts of them...many of which seem so normal we don't think of them as traditions. They are just what we do.

This weekend we participated in a once a year tradition. On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we get up early and get our sleepyheads down to a large park about 20 minutes away to see the Balloon Classic. Between 80 and 100 hot air balloons hit the beautiful Colorado blue sky at 7 am. With the mountains in the background and a little lake for the balloons to touch their baskets down in, and the bright colorful balloons...the sites are just breathtaking. We get close enough to touch them as they inflate, and applaud with the crowd as they each take their flight.

At least that is how it is supposed to go. How it goes most years. However, this was one of the other years. Where the weather doesn't cooperate. We woke to fog...and when 7 am rolled around, the scheduled mass ascension was scrapped due to a low ceiling. They did "stand up" some of the balloons, so we could see them.

But instead of seeing this:

we saw this:

It really didn't matter too much. It was just good that we did it. We didn't mind getting up early and not seeing the balloons lift off. It would have felt worse (somehow) to have stayed in bed. We would have felt we missed out. We went, we wove our way through the inflating balloons. We enjoyed being with friends and family. We went out to breakfast afterwards. (that is another very important part of the tradition). It wasn't the perfect morning, but it was great, because we did what we do. I did get two pictures I like from my camera before the batteries died:

I love the colors.

Pickle with her little energizer bunny cousin.

Traditions are some of the thicker threads that make up the fabric of life. They serve to provide some pattern and consistency, whether they are woven in everyday or once a year. And they add to the beauty of it all.

I read this quote on Facebook today-"my dear, my life is made up of these small things. I gather them up and they make a life." (shout out to Phoebe who posted this quote from a coworker). I read it and thought--this quote goes with Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting At The Sky. I'm linked up there today--click over to read more of the wonderful and ordinary unwrapped as the gifts they are.