Parade Night

I feel compelled to write tonight ... mostly because I know Mel and Marlene would love to be here. Since I know what it's like to feel far away from the "action", I'll give them (and the rest of our readers) a glimpse of our day. Btw, after I wrote last night, Doug agreed to walk the midway of the fair with me ... I felt like I was in high school again. We rarely go out after dark together, so it was fun to leave the boys sleeping at Mom and Dad's and head downtown. Good talk. Good ice cream (homemade, hand-dipped, not walkaway sundae, Chris).

The boys and I went to play at Blaize's house ... Sam would have loved to stay longer, but the two of them (Blaize and Sam) played well for awhile. Zach and Brielle slept most of the time we were together. The boys fed the chickens (Lucy and the twins) and tried to get Dizzy (the cat) to stay away. :) Of course, trains, tractors, drums were all a part of the fun.

We went with Mom and Dad to the Fair to eat around 5pm ... Hess' pork bbq sandwiches for everyone followed by Fink's French fries. We ran into Durrell, Heidi and family then also Uncle Dave and Aunt Ruth who had just checked in. We parted ways after the fries, and the four of us hit the rides. Sam loved them all and Zach was big enough to enjoy a couple too. Parents rode free accompanying the kids, so we bought way more tickets than we intended to need. That made it more fun for the boys. Again, pictures will be added to these posts later. :)

As we used the last of our tickets, we hit the portalets (Sam's first use is success!) then Doug was off to get a homemade root beer float while I went to get a funnel cake. This is when I noticed that my purse was missing from the stroller baggage area. :(

Assuming it was stolen while we were busy waving to each other on the rides, Doug got on his cell phone and started cancelling all the cards, cell phone, etc. Our biggest concern was my ID since it would be essential for our return flight to NOLA. Ugh. We were already late for the parade's start so we continued to make our way to the "family spot" at Sauder Tire. Needless to say, this put a damper on our spirits about the parade and the fair. However, we have a fortunate ending ... the purse must have fallen out of the stroller, was turned in, and picked up (w/all cash inside) at the fair office. Wow ... grace from God ... undeserved. If you know me, I never carry a purse--but I took it for fear that I would lose my cell phone or wallet from falling out of the stroller. Who would have thought?

So, in the end, Doug missed most of the parade since he was on the phone cancelling everything in my wallet. Then, he and Dad went to report the incident to the police when they were directed to the fair office and found it.

As for the parade, Sam loved it! He sat on Grandpa's lap for awhile, then beside Grandma at the front for the rest. He was disappointed that we didn't see horses (we missed the beginning), but still called, "throw me somethin', mista" every once in awhile. They did throw lots of candy so he wasn't a complete oddball expecting something (all he knows is Mardi Gras parades where you come home with bag fulls of beads, balls, and stuffed animals!). Zach, on the other hand, seemed to be in his own little world just enjoying the night air and playing with his blanket, cup, and paci. He could have cared less about the parade although he did watch some of the bands and especially small motorized cars driven by the Rajah guys. Even though I was a bit distracted, it was fun to be there and a highlight was seeing Titus and Judy Weber who were youth leaders when I was in youth group. We spent so much time on their farm... sleeping in tents, capture the flag, volleyball! Good times. I haven't seen them for 10 years or so. Ferrill and his family and Samantha's parents were there too ... always good to see them.

More adventures to come ... tomorrow!