Daisy. My name is Daisy.

Every balloon, like a person, has its own life story, history, adventures and destiny. The owner of each balloon has its own relationship with that balloon, because it has lifted me or anyone else who has flown in it into the unknown, brought adventure or achievement.

So this morning I am inspired to share the life story of this balloon. It began 12 years ago at a time when I didn't have the power to buy a brand new sports balloon. Daisy is a sports balloon. Like diapers, balloons are divided into categories - there are passenger balloons, there are expedition balloons, and there are sports balloons.

For me the goal of getting into sport ballooning was quite simple. At the time, I was an office girl, and ballooning was my legal alibi to blow off work and go on adventures. I even now want to write about my previous reincarnation, because life in the office for 17 years and my new life are like two reincarnations, life then and life now. At that time, as it is now, there are an infinite number of nice people around me.  Nothing has changed much, and then, as it is now, I had excellent relationships with women, because in the women's world I always feel like a fish in water. This all comes from deep deep childhood feelings that my mother loves me, and so a woman is a secure foundation in life. That's why I go safely with women, building not only friendships, but also for doing business.

But back to the story of Daisy and women... One of my reliable, emotionally close partners was PBK or the Baltic Media Alliance group with three outstanding ladies at the helm. These were Julia Postojeva, Marina Primakova and Kristiina Rossman.  We managed to find a win-win solution for each other that I could have a sport balloon and PBK could have channel 5TV advertising on my balloon.  As the Baltic Media Alliance was a large media group, the leading media for Russian-speaking audiences, the balloon served as an excellent PR tool wherever it appeared.  When I was flying in Russian matches, the Russians asked me from time to time if I was in a relationship with Putin, because ORT, or channel no. 1, which was on my balloon, encouraged these associations. No, I didn't have a relationship with Putin, but I did have one with three great ladies.  And I will be forever grateful to these girls for their support.  At that time, as soon as a balloon with five ads from Russian TV channels on my balloon left fresh from the factory, I had to give the balloon a name. It was quite simple - call it Julia, Kristina or Marina, because it was these three ladies who supported and helped me. Fate fell in favor of Marina.

Thus, in 2010, the sky was decorated with a new sports balloon - MARINA. This was 100% my balloon. I was so lucky to be able to fly with it alone!  At sports events, the event director very often plans a solo flight, when only the pilot is allowed to be in the basket. Together with MARINA, we enjoyed the damn cold morning flights in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, when after the morning flights at negative temperatures and two and a half hours in the air I trembled like an aspen leaf until the team girls met me at my landing place in the local "točka". And then after the memories of frostbite faded it was ONLY special. Together with MARINA, we flowed over the beautiful vineyards in the Frankenhal region of Germany and won a prestigious place in the women's championship. It was not a pedestal prize, but we were in the top ten. With MARINA, we traveled across Russia. I even almost got married there. These stories would be more than enough for a thick and glorious book called “MARINA.”

Then my destiny turned a corner and in 2017 I ended up in Asia - Thailand.  I loved this land from the moment I arrived there.  My love for the earth turned out to be so great that I dreamed of how my balloon could turn into a hot air balloon that combined the beauty of my land with the Thai symbol – The Elephant.  While in Asia, I asked my trusted artist Lolita Kalniņa to draw four elephants with the four Latvian seasons on their bodies, including the pagan symbols of strength on their thick legs. The design for four Latvian elephants with each Latvian season came amazingly easy, where two of my loves in my life - Thailand and Latvia - intertwined.  Since there is a place for five banners on the balloon, please draw the last elephant, a typical Asian Thai elephant that has traveled to Latvia. But at that moment, after finding out how much these five elephant banners would cost, I realized that this idea could only be a dream because at the time I didn't have enough money to print my five dream elephants for the balloon.

I returned to Latvia and thought again about how I could realize at least part of my dream. And then I turned to another woman who had supported Sky Amazons for many years. Our team jackets have long been decorated with the SKYN condom logo and Līga Brīnuma, the marketing manager, has been our team's Angel for years. That's how the fifth banner was made, which was not an Asian banner, but it was an advertising banner. Like this I could get close to reaching my dream: the balloon was decorated with four elephant season banners and one advertising banner. I have been flying with the balloon like this from 2018 until yesterday.  And I will be forever grateful for the support we as a team have received. Mega human thank you forever and ever!!!!!! Covid and its mess in the world have upset many things. But in my life, it has brought deep stability and a solid foundation under my feet.

And now with Līga’s permission and a friendly agreement, the fifth advertising banner was removed and my dream from 2017 has come true, my sports balloon is now decorated only with the banners of five elephants! Yesterday, Edgar Galaktionko made his first solo flight. It was also the intoxicating first time for Paulina Oleinikova, when, as a future balloon pilot, she flew her first training flight. Paulina wrote afterwards that she felt drunk with alcohol, but it was only with the fresh, cool air and the magic of the flight. And, of course, balloons are addictive, because flying releases adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine and all other things that cause addiction. The fifth Asian elephant also flew for the first time yesterday, "strolling" through the Latvian sky in minus ten degrees, joining the family of four-season elephants. With all of these new changes, when the balloon has a whole new identity, the balloon should be christened with a new name – “DAISY”. Why Daisy? Because it is one of the five most popular names for girls in the world.  And it means "day's eye." My Daisy, my "Eye of the Day" is my new Guardian Angel.



In 2022, I again have more plans... well, with Daisy.  But about the plans, shhh… better not to tell until it has already happened, these dreams of mine from December 2021! Thank you to the whole world and every person I have met along my life’s path!  Because we are in this world to help each other, human to human!