A parade.

This picture is from January 2009 from last years Children's Gasparilla parade. I thought it would be the perfect activity especially since it was at the height of Jackson's pirate fascination. It is nice because it is alcohol free, unlike THE Gasparilla Parade that his held a week later. The kids loved it. They loved all the pirates, the beads, and the ride in the wagon. I disliked it because of the massive crowds, the exuberant parking prices, the 3 mile walk to the actual parade site from parking, and finally getting there and not being able to see much of anything because the crowd is ten people thick. The kids had a great time and that is the most important thing and it made it all worth it. However, I was sure I would never go again. And then this year's parade came around. I knew it, and I knew I wasn't going. Then 2 hours before the parade, I get a call from one of my favorite people. She has four passes to the children's parade that she can't use. As flashes of last years event explode in my mind, I can't pass up a chance to give another reason why I'm the greatest mom (lol) for FREE. Free bleacher seats, that is. Free bleacher seats that are on the opposite side of the massive, pushy crowd. So I take the kids inside, pack up their pirate gear, and take off. We get the tickets, get a friend to come, too, and make our way to parking...ugh. We get there and after a few amazing miraculous events, we score free (not illegal) parking! And its less than a half a mile to the parade! We got to our seats right before it started and the kids were able to have an unobstructed view the whole parade and score a neck full of beads and a smashing boa. Now that's how to do it right! Thank you (times a million) to the Pack family and John for the redemption of the Children's Gasparilla Parade... I may plan on doing it next year.