Up, Up and Away!

Good evening, Kitschies!  Consider this a two-fer Tuesday post. :)  The day ended up pretty good - I made  a pretty good new recipe tonight (that I'll post later) and the hubs is off playing with his bestie, so I've had time to do some stuff.  You know, important stuff.  Like, paint my nails and do this post.  LOL

Every October, Albuquerque is home to the International Balloon Fiesta.  What is it?  Hundreds of balloonists come together and strut their stuff.  While it really is an awesome site (the pictures don't do it justice), it causes such a hassle for the locals, especially those of us who have to travel across the river to get in to the city.  So many people come to this event, it causes a nightmare for traffic because the drivers don't pay attention to road and there's a lot of accidents...on top of the already extra heavy traffic.  Tourists.  Balloons.  Already bad Albuquerque drivers.  It's not a good mix.  But, even with all the yuck, there is some awesome.  All pictures are clickable.

 Literally hundreds of balloons lift off just after daybreak most of the days of the Fiesta.

And while it's pretty to watch, it's nice to kinda be a little bit away from all the action.  Too many people!  Too many balloons.  Such a mess.

I understand why people get distracted from the road, but come ON people!  If you live in Albuquerque, balloons in the sky become pretty ordinary after a while.

Distance is good.  My hubs' office is just a street over from Balloon Fiesta Park, so we usually just hide out on the property and watch from there.

There's even events in the evenings!  This is a balloon glow.  A bunch of balloons inflate but instead of lifting off, they run their burners together to "twinkle".  It's really pretty...and LOUD!

Some days can be warm.  Others can be COLD!  This is me and my hubs hanging out before one of the glows.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Nate.  This was taken outside of the Fiesta - you can see the balloons in the background.

This picture kinda explains it all.  I am not a morning person.  My mom used to tell me that I *was* a happy child in the morning.  I think my hubs can attest to the fact that that is no longer the case.

Every couple of years, we break down and actually *go* to the Fiesta.  We went last year.  Nate loved it!  Mason was still pretty tiny, so he had no idea.

There are more than just your "regular" hot air balloons.  On the last weekend of the Fiesta, there is Special Shapes Rodeo and all kinds of different shaped balloons come out.  This is my favorite Special Shape.  The Kissing Bees from Rio.

Awww...the Kissing Bees.  So cute!!  They are tethered together by their hands until liftoff. 

This is one of my favorite "regular" hot air balloons.  It's hand-dyed and is gorgeous!

The hubs, a bashful Nate, a 3 month old Mason and me.  It was pretty cold that morning.

There ya go.  That's why I hate and love the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  It runs through this week and I'll be happy when they're gone.  Maybe not the balloons, really, but the stupid drivers.