30 Comments

Hey Justin! Very cool story. It seems to hold a couple of meanings. I hope you and Courtney are well.

Love,

Uncle Scott

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Hey Uncle Scott! Thanks so much for reading. I’m happy you enjoyed it. Definitely. I try not to write about current events/politics, but this was just too bizarre to pass up, haha.

All is well on our end. I hope the same goes for you and Aunt Deb. Love ya!

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Feb 7, 2023Liked by Justin Deming

Every so often we get a bizarre balloon related news story. Well done immortalizing this one!

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Haha, thanks Geoffrey. I couldn’t resist. 🤣

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Justin Deming

Oh, that was a good one. Didn't even get where it was going until after the fact. Ha!

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Oh that makes me happy to hear, Tiffany! I tried keeping the suspense and building toward the surprise, so your comment thrilled me! Glad you liked it. 😊

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I absolutely loved this. Mostly because, for all its absurdity, it's completely believable. I never hosted a gender reveal party or attended one. They kind of became hip after my kids were already born. There was a story in my local news a couple of years ago about one that went wrong. Explosion got out of control. 🙄 No one got hurt, but it caused a lot of panic because you could hear the BOOM from miles away. I can't say I'm a fan of the idea of gender reveals. It seems like one of the many ways we decide who our children are going to be before they have a chance to figure that out for themselves. But I guess people just need another reason to eat cake and drink Tito's, so .. party on. 😂 Great story, Justin.

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Haha, thanks Meg. I felt the same way when writing it. It’s beyond absurd, but just as believable as anything else these days. For a solid day or two I had the idea in my mind and knew I had to follow through with it when they actually brought the thing down.

I agree with you regarding gender reveals. They’re pretty strange. Oh my gosh, the one near you sounds horrific! Talk about coming into the world with a bang, yeeesh! I swear, gender reveals almost become competitive in a sense and people try to one up each other. Crazy stuff. 😅

Thanks so much for reading! 🙏

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I'm back to share this with you. 😂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CouuWegOL51/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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Hahahaha! Now that takes the cake. 🤣🤣🤣 Thank you for the laugh!

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Clever.

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Thanks, Jim!

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Great story! Kept me engaged until the last sentence. 🙌🏼

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Awesome, I love hearing that! Thank you very much for reading. 🙏

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🤣🤣🤣 That would have been a great real-life end to the story. Loved it.

And I agree about Twitter (and most social media.) It is bad for your mental health. I deleted my Twitter account a few months ago. I don’t miss it one bit.

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Haha, thanks Mark! I would have much preferred it! 🤣

Some days I am very close to deleting mine too...very much on the fence with it these days.

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Fun story!

And, how fun to see your uncle is a reader and left a comment.

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Thanks, Jenise! That honestly might have been the best part for me.

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Totally got me!! 😂😂 Loved it, Justin!

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Score! 🤣 Thanks a bunch, Claire!

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"Ripped from the headlines!"

I loved this story Justin!

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Haha it truly was! Thanks, Jason! 😄

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This was awesome. It's almost like alternative history fiction. If it were more like this, then I would read a lot more of it 😁

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Thanks, Brian. Writing it was almost like free therapy! And yes, haha, you and me both! 😄

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Justin Deming

The world is MAD, Justin. Are you sure you want to add to the madness? Of course, you do! Why wouldn't you? I, personally, haven't read or watched the news since 2016, so I don't know anything about spy balloons or anything, but I always read Justin Deming. So much more valuable to me. A well-written silly piece, perfect to start a new week. Thanks

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You’re much better off, trust me. I try not to pay attention, but sometimes it feels like I can’t avoid it! (Mostly I blame Twitter. Don’t ever get one.)

Honestly, this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me about my writing. Thank you so much for the encouragement and for the thoughtful words. 🙏

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Feb 7, 2023Liked by Justin Deming

You just get better and better, Justin. I notice. As far as "news" goes, I have no twitter, no tiktok, no instagram, no facebook, no CBS, NBC, no FOX, no nothing. It is all the same depressing and hateful stuff over and over ( my opinion, only). I would rather spend my time thinking and writing. (However, my brother calls and fills me in if there is "news" that is worthy of knowing. Have a great day. I look forward to the next fireside.

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Awww, you got me. I thought I knew what was up til the very end. That sounds very 2023 alright. One isn’t shocked by much these days.

We are currently in Yuma, Arizona and recently we discovered something seemingly floating in the sky over Wellton. We puzzled on it for three days. I thought it was a satellite or some other fixed structure even though it was impossible to see the supports or lines of any kind at our vantage point. Dave thought it was a balloon or something along those lines, yet I pointed out it was in the same exact spot day after day. Finally we learned it IS a balloon, tethered somehow, and it watches over the Yuma Proving Ground as that is where they shoot practice artillery rounds and such. ☺️

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It is a very 2023 story, isn’t it? Ha! Happy you liked it, Kim.

How interesting. If I saw the balloon in Yuma I know I’d be just as fascinated. My wife and I are always scanning the night sky. I’m relieved to hear that you and your husband found out its purpose!

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Us too! Arizona is one of those frequent UFO sightings places.

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