Balloon Festival

Mom and Dad, after 16 years of trying to get there, finally attended Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta! They seemed to have much better luck with the weather when Jen and I attended. That year, the balloons only lifted off one overcast morning. The rest of the time, the weather was too windy or even rainy.

But this year at the fiesta, Mom & Dad, Becca & Dave had beautiful mornings to see all sorts of shapes of balloons--regular and otherwise-- taking off into the New Mexican sky.
Getting up at 5 am is hard but watching over 300 balloons go up in the air, it makes it worth it.

Especially when one of the balloons is Vader. Darth Vader. Lord Vader. Sir Lord Darth Vader. Sir Lord Darth Vader of Cheen wait, never mind ...