Beautiful People,

Each year, on an ordinary Friday at the end of September or the beginning of October, Albuquerqueians wake up, get dressed, pack their lunch, get into their cars and suddenly they find themselves in the fantastic world of Jules Verne, Margret H.A. Rey and Dr. Seuss.

Hundreds of hot air balloons are floating in the sky, above the freeway, the streets, the shopping centers. Colorful balloons are gliding over the Sandia Mountains, the Rio Grande River, the parks, and everyone looks up and smiles.

For a few moments, there are no worries, to-do lists, plans, sadness, regrets, or guilt. For only a couple of minutes, everyone is joyfully gazing at the clear blue vibrantly dotted skies.

This morning, schools across the city invited kids and their parents to a first look at this year’s Balloon Fiesta. Pilots inflated their balloons at schools’ lawns, answered questions about gravity and physics, and launched up.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. It is a nine-day event, during early October and has over 500 balloons each year.

This year, I’d like to honor two businesses that believed, invested, and opened their doors in Albuquerque. The first is Wells Fargo that marks 30 years of piloting balloons and sponsoring charity events in Albuquerque. The Second is the newly comer Nordstrom Rack that will start operation next week.

So if you’re around, enjoy the next nine days, and if you’re far from the Southwest- come visit us next year. It's breathtaking.

XO,
Sharon