Up, Up, and Away

Remember how cool being a little kid was or that feeling you got from letting a balloon fly away, hoping that someone would find it?  Well, that's exactly what happened when three kids in England attached a letter and stamp to a birthday balloon and let it sore away.

Peter, Abby, and Ella Gardner's balloon traveled almost 6,000 miles from there home in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, to the tiny Asian nation of Laos.  The kids had no idea that their balloon had even reached anyone--until they received a postcard in the mail from Mr. Chang, of Laos.

Decorated with tons of brightly colored elephants, the postcard from Mr. Chang explained to the children what life in Laos is like.  At first, the children didn't know who the postcard was from, but after reading the postcard, they were shocked and excited that their balloon had actually reached someone.  "We'd totally forgotten about it until the postcard arrived. It took a few minutes to realize what it was," said the childrens' mother, Wendy Gardner.  She also added that the family never expected for the balloon so far.  "I'm really surprised that the balloon traveled so far. We'd only put a first-class stamp on it, because we thought it might get to Wales or Cornwall. We didn't expect it to reach the other side of the world."

Needless to say, the kids have found a tradition that they will continue to uphold for a long time.  I may have to give this whole message tied to a balloon thing a go--it could be cheaper than the postal service.  This reminds me of all those kids who write letters to Santa each year, and actually get replies back.  Not from Chris Kringle himself, but from postal workers with hearts.  Have you ever tried something like this?