I was SO excited. After the debacle down in the Quarter the weekend before, I finally was going to get to see what Mardi Gras is really all about. Because I hate doing everything by myself, I found out a couple of the ladies I work with (Shaun and Tracy) were taking their families to the parades in Metairie. The Metairie parades (different from the New Orleans parades) all go down Veteran's Memorial Boulevard and cross in front of the mall. Shaun and her husband were taking their daughter and son, along with the son's girlfriend, to see the parade at the very beginning, while Tracy and her husband were taking both their boys to catch the parade at the end.
I stayed at work until about 7pm that night then decided to head-out and meet Shaun. Again, I have a problem not getting lost and Shaun had to come across the mall parking lot, meet me, and hop in the Volvo to give me personal directions to parking. We park and walk back to her family, and the parade began. There were bands and floats and dance teams-OH MY! At the beginning, the kids all looked so happy and excited-the Metairie parade route is something like 6 or 8 miles long (just keep that in mind when I get to the end of this story). I caught a TON of beads! I felt like Mister T by the time it was all over and done with.
After the parade passed Shaun and her Family and I, I decided I'd had so much fun, I'd like to catch it again at the end with Tracy and her group. I hopped in the car and 20 minutes later (traffic), I found myself standing on the neutral ground (to those who don't live here, that's also known as the median) on Veteran's awaiting the parade at the end of the route. The parade started to approach, and it was even more lively than at the beginning! The bands were playing and actively marching, the dance teams were all over the place, and the beads were just a flowing! One thing I immediately noticed, though, is that the kids look EXHAUSTED, and rightly so! I cannot even begin to imagine having to dance and march and play for 6-8 miles. Some of these kids march in parades back to back to back, too! Talk about being a trooper.
While standing amidst the excitement and flurry of activity, like some cruel and practical joke, here came the rain, falling on all of our heads in torrential streams. Thankfully, Tracy is nothing if not adequately prepared for all situations when it comes to her children: coats, sneakers, rain ponchos, and umbrellas! She mercifully gave me a poncho which I tied around me at the neck like a cape because I couldn't seem to figure out how to put the bloody thing actually over my clothes, and Tracy and I huddled beneath what had to be the biggest umbrella I'd ever seen. Still, despite the rain and winds whipping about, the beads flew and the kids marched on. I was lucky enough to receive two very special items actually handed to me off the floats through all of the rain, so it was worth every bit of cold, soggy tennis shoes and soaking wet jeans that I went through.
I've seen and marched in parades before, but my first Mardi Gras parade experience was, by far and away, the best one ever. To have shared it with two wonderful women and their families made the experience even more enjoyable. I'll cherish the memory every year, for years to come, and I know sheer delight and excitement will pour through my veins next season as soon as the first marching band hits their first note.
One of the floats:
A very rain-soaked Tracy and I:
Shaun and I:
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