Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Started in 1972 to celebrate the 50th birthday of radio station KOB 770, the very first balloon fiesta took place April 8, 1972 with 13 balloons and 20,000 attendees. Fast forward 40-ish years and over hundreds of balloons and over 100,0000 people attended last week's international balloon fiesta.

There is something innately majestic about these enormous, colorful, looming balloons that dot up the sky with the presence, and there is a lot of sky in Albuquerque.

My friends Catie, Sam, and their adorable puppy Olive were my gracious hosts during this trip. Catie and I woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for our morning excursion to the festival spot. The line for parking was about an *hour* long! Lucky for us, our friend Jess worked at a building nearby with ample parking and a quick walk down to the festival field. If you plan on attending the festival next year I highly recommend arriving no later than 6 AM to give yourself plenty of time to park and walk over.
All in all the experience was stunning. I'll stop rambling now so you can enjoy the pictures. Would love to hear your thoughts, don't hesitate to leave a comment below!