Small town parades

It's the same thing every year. On a muggy Saturday in September at high noon a parade marches down Main Street in My Small Town, USA. Honestly, I don't look forward to it. I don't like getting hot & sticky and seeing as though I'm not from around these parts, I lack nostalgic feelings for the high school marching band & local football team, the Miss Tiny Tot winner, and the pee wee football league.

But, there are a few things I've grown fond of over the last five years.

• The Red Hat Society ladies - very cool. I should really google them because beyond wearing cool purple clothes and gorgeous red hats and looking like hip old ladies, I don't know what they do.







• The library float. We are now card carrying members of My Small Town, USA library, just beginning to explore the children's section with Boo.






• The local politicians. Marrying a hometown guy means I get the inside scoop on what these folks were like in high school.
  
• Seeing my neighbors. I finally feel like a part of this community because I run into people who actually know me. Although I must confess, way more people know Boo than me.
  
• Watching Boo's face light up when she hears the police siren kicking off the parade, the energy she has scrambling around for candy thrown from the floats, and the joy she feels when someone in the parade smiles directly at her and waves.

This year was really no different than the last. It was a muggy day, the parade started promptly at high noon, and we returned home with enough candy to last a year. And no parade outing would be complete without the traditional toddler meltdown, followed by the post-parade nap. It's time for mine.