By Michele Robertson
Locals Rhonda Jones and J.W. Suptin tied the knot on Friday, October 11, in Albuquerque during the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Surrounded by family and friends, the couple were married in the early morning hours, shortly before their first balloon flight as husband and wife. Which also happened to be Jones’s first flight.
“I have been involved with the fiesta since 1978—worked sponsor hospitality almost all those years. I got hooked years ago on the marketing effect and the number of people this event reaches. Albuquerque’s fiesta is the Super Bowl of ballooning with 650 balloons, 900 pilots, and 114 special-shaped balloons,” Suptin said.
He wanted to do something different for Jones, “she’s wanted to take a balloon ride, and what better way to have your first flight and get married in front of 80,000 people?” he asked.
“When we retired, we both wanted to seek out different activities and not sit around the house.
After attending (the balloon fiesta) the last couple of years, she has grown to love one of my interests,” Suptin said.
An excerpt from their wedding vows: Their first connection involved bike riding. It seems that JW had noticed Rhonda, so he sometimes “happened” to be riding his bike in her vicinity as she walked the beach area, hoping to strike up a conversation. Sometimes, he rode by her house, hoping to catch her eye. The story goes that she never really noticed his efforts. The real event for their finally meeting was a friendship between JW’s sister, Gina, and Rhonda.
These two grab hold of life instead of waiting for life to come to them. They combine their similarities and differences into a complete picture of a great couple. The vegan and the carnivore, the Texas lady and the New Mexico boy. Neither can say enough good things about each other or about their hometown of Carlsbad. They would like everyone to at least visit if not move to the Cavern City. You would think they were somehow connected to the Chamber of
Commerce. They live by “You only get so many years on the planet...you need to make ‘em count and embrace life every day.”
To see the happy couple say, “I Do,” check out the Balloon Fiesta Live! Recording on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peYyoO9Kr8se.com), approximately one hour and 17 ½ minutes in.
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