Last night was my first night of Mardi Gras. It was incredible! So far beyond what I had expected. Everything was amazing - the floats, the marching bands, the excitement in the crowds.
It was also Tulip's first Mardi Gras. Yes, we decided to take our nine week old puppy out and about in the wild crowds. You know, to socialize her. It actually turned out to be a great plan. Jessica knew that the Thursday night crowd would be the most benevolent of the bunch (and they honestly were really good). We packed a little backpack with water bottles, a doggie water bowl, poo bags, a camera and we were off. We were able to park at a friend's house (thanks again, Crawfords!) and set off to find the perfect viewing spot. As we walked, anyone and everyone who saw little Tulip cooed and stopped to pet her. She was quite the belle of the ball! I had tons of fun screaming and shouting and scrambling to collect beads and throws. It was so fun. When the first float went by, I waved and cheered and Jessica shouted from behind me (she was holding Tulip) "Scream louder! Wave bigger! No, BIGGER!!" She was not kidding. The more I screamed and jumped and waved, the more and better stuff I got. I ended the night with a wreath of beads so thick it practically went from my shoulder to my chin, two purple plastic water cups (I have a strange addiction to that particular sized plastic cup), a squishy football which will be conferred to Tulip for playing, AND a Jester's hat with bells!!!!!!! The hat was so fun and I wore it the rest of the night. (Note: all that cheering and waving and jumping is hard work! Arms and legs are very sore today. Maybe some stretching is in order.)
Tulip's favorite throw of the evening? The people down the sidewalk from where we were standing were having a nighttime picnic, and would casually toss aside their fried chicken bones and french fry ends, to her extreme delight. I didn't see her in action as I was up front waving and shouting, but Jessica said Tulip was in puppy heaven. When I returned back to them after the float had passed, Tulip still had fried chicken bits in her whiskers and on her face and was contentedly licking her chops. The rest of the night she was on the lookout! Too bad for her she's never going to get fried chicken at our house!
All in all, it was a fantastic night. Jessica and I wore the new Mardi Gras polos I bought for us as a treat. We each saw people we knew in the crowds. Tulip was so well behaved. And BONUS, she was so tuckered out that she slept in until 7:20 this morning! (And really only woke up because I needed to take a shower to get ready for the day!)
It was a late night, and I didn't have time to load my pictures. They will come, I promise!!!
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1 comment:
Sometime, we are going to have to come down during Mardi Gras. It sounds super fun. And, well done Tulip!
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