Last night in the midst of pouring rain and very chilly temperatures I attended my first parade of the Mardi Gras season. Sherlise (below) turned 19 and for her birthday we decided we'd go to the parade and then go back to the quad (where Mission Year lives) and have cake and play games.

The parade was supposed to start at 6 p.m., however, we have all lived here long enough that we should have assumed it may start late. And late it was, by about an hour. We are fortunate to be located very close to one of the main parade routes, St. Charles Avenue, so we didn't have to drive and find parking, but we did have a few blocks to walk in the rain. So we set out with Sherlise and I under one umbrella, Jenn and Teryana under another and Drew, Matt, Devonte and Edward fending for themselves. We made a game of it as we jumped over large puddles and ran under rain pouring off rooftops. By the time we got to a place with an awning where we could watch the parade in a relatively dry manner, my shoes were squishy and my jeans were wet almost to my knees. Then add a little wind and it makes for a chilly, chilly night.

And when I say we found a place to "watch" the parade, that may be a little deceiving. This is a full-on, totally involved sort of parade "watching." You do exactly what you are told not to as a child, run into the street as a float comes by because the closer you are, the more likely you are to get beads or throws, which may be anything from cups to stuffed animals.

I should probably also mention that this parade, as are most on St. Charles, was family-friendly and contained nothing of what many people think of when they think of a Mardi Gras parade. I had so much fun laughing and playing around with everyone and even getting soaking wet. I learned a few lessons about how to get beads and throws and I am ready for our next parade tonight!