The Red Carpet with Mynde

Only it was green.  And it really wasn't a carpet.  It was more of a parade.  A St. Patricks Day Parade to be exact.  If you had been there with me- these are the things I would have said to you.

 I LOVE the St. Patricks Day parade!

 I hope child protective services doesn't come down and find me for taking the kids out of school?

 How sweet that Sam put his beads on Kitty Cat.  Also sweet?  This was the first year at the parade where my kids stayed on their heinys and I didn't have to worry the whole time they were going to get stepped on by a horse.  Yay for small miracles!

 First up- the crazy motorcycle police guys.  I think they are supposed to spell out INDIANAPOLIS, but we'll have to just assume that is right because they never really get in order.

 Sam- contemplating his future career as a police motorcycle parade driver.

 Sweet niblets they are SO close!  Scares me to death!

 See that big giant horse?  He was totally NOT happy about being in a parade behind a bunch of lunatic police motorcycles and wiggling, pulling, turning around.  Then all the horses started turning around because he was.  I thought for sure it was going to make a break for it- and I was already planning how I was going to lay across my children to save them.

 This is the guy who drives behind the horses to scoop up their poo.  Poor guy.

Hey little leprechaun man- isn't 11:30 a little early to already have such a huge buzz on?  (I do believe he was a little tipsy- if I do say so myself)

 

 Hoosier Lottery had a group of professional dancers that would bust into moves occassionally.  I never got the call that they were looking for dancers.  Maybe because I would be a better fit for the ball shaped powerball guy?  Regardless- I was a bit hurt by the whole thing.

 The mom behind me was pointing out ruff ruffman to her kids.  HELLO?  Obviously that is....................who is that?

 Wow- look at the hair on that little gi.............wait a minute.  Is that a wig?

 Seriously, I spent like half my time looking at this child and trying to figure out if that was her hair or not.  Final decision?  Wig- like a beauty pageant kind.  I know because she at one point began shaking her head and playing with it.  Yep.  Gotta be a wig.  Or is it?

 The lawn chair brigade.  Gosh these guys are funny.

 Is it really safe to drive something close to that many people with a fur covered bucket on your head?

 Apparently.

 Seriously?  No one really knows who any of these people are.  Just folks with enough money to buy a spot in the parade.  I'm gonna save up.  Next year I could drive my easter egg in the parade waving and smiling and throwing crap at people.

 This was my view most of the parade.  A mom behind me squeezed her kids through ally and my lawn chairs and parked them right in front of us (while saying stay out of the nice ladies way girls- quick go get that candy- hurry run out there for the beads).  Every freakin' year this happens.  We arrive an hour before the parade so that we can sit up front, and then someone shows up 2 minutes before it begins and shoves their little honeys out in front of us.  I seriously wouldn't care if the big one wouldn't have whined the whole entire time that she didn't get candy from everyone in the parade.  And when they would throw a handful at all of us?  She'd pick up every single piece.  One time I made her share with Emily and Sam- cause we don't want little honey to be rude, right????  Eventually, their mom instructed them to go straight out to the float people so that they could grab anything they wanted right out of the cars/wagons.  At least it gave us a little break.

At one point- the little girl didn't get a set of beads from someone and she turned around and shouted "I hate you mommy".  Her mom didn't hear her, so she waited until she had her attention and shouted it again.

Mommy pulled her back and explained that was not nice.  So there you go.

T

 Wow- back away from the self tanner.  (I wish I could have gotten a picture of her face- wowzers)

 Finally- a float for the adults- but alas, no one running along passing out free beer samples.  Shoot.

 Where does one buy giant eyeball balloons anyway?

Great day!  Totally worth the kids missing partial days of school.  And we'll do it again next year! 

Except I'm bringing stakes and caution tape and blocking off our area 100%.  Not that it will help, but it will make me feel better anyway.

My kids are old enough that they are not all about the stuff they are passing out (finally- yay!).  Don't get me wrong, they love getting a little candy and such- but they also just enjoy the day.  The excitement, the floats, the music, the marching bands, the time to sit out in lawnchairs and just chit chat along meridian street.  But parades bring out the greedy in people- that's for sure.  By the end, the folks passing out stuff didn't even make it along the sides to where we were because there were constant mobs of people all over them out by their floats and stuff.

I missed about 300 pictures that I totally could have blogged about.  And I know you are disappointed to miss my thoughts as I watched one marching band mom (who was obviously a marching band participant herself) 'marching' and knee bopping and shoulder wiggling right along with the kids.  She was holding an umbrella or something- right up against her chest like her instrument.  It was great.  Or the street vendor who turned a shopping cart into his mobile display and the police officer chasing him out of the street.  Or the inner city marching band whose shoes didn't match and the girls outfits were a bit more risque- but they beat the rhythme out of the other bands!

So there you go- Gren Carpet Edition 2011.  See ya next March!