Mardi Gras in NEW ORLEANS!!!

Ok .. so, for those of you who do not know how Mardi Gras works here in New Orleans...it lasts about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. The kids even get out of school for a whole week!! AND EVERYTHING, well JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IS CLOSED ON MARDI GRAS DAY!!! Which is FAT TUESDAY!!! On that note...

My Aunt and Uncle came down here from Michigan for Mardi Gras this year. They have only been once, and that was in 1967! Yes, people come here JUST FOR MARDI GRAS!!

We ended up walking to the parade from another one of my Aunt's houses because she lived close to where we were going to stand. (my mother says it was about 8 blocks and not as close as we said it was)

My mom complained the whole time while walking to the parade, from her toe hurting (she said she THINKS she broke it...that is a whole nother story) to her back aching.

We finally get there and pick our "SPOT" and wait an hour or so for the parade to begin. Hearing griping on when the parade was going to start, where the parade was going to turn, were we going to miss it....BLAH BLAH BLAH.....NOW HOW CAN YOU MISS A PARADE IF YOU ARE IN THE STREET??? Can't you see the HUGE FLOAT COME BY YOU??? She also thought that we were not in a good area to get the beads...UMMMM OK...we were right where it started....HELLLO!!!!!!

She was especially upset when she saw that people had what she called a "BETTER SPOT" than we had. OK....yes they were by their vehichles and a portolet.....BUT........THEY SLEPT THERE!!! She begged to differ with that, but we even saw people going to get fresh ice for their watered down ice chests....NOW, why would they need fresh ice??? BECAUSE THEY SLEPTTTTTTTT THERE TO SAVE THEIR SPOT!!! YES....PEOPLE SLEEP ANYWHERE TO SAVE A SPOT!!! Anywhere they can plop down with a blanket, kids, tent, ice chest, strollers, ladders, stands, everything but the kitchen sink...some even bring their own portolets so they don't have to stand in line waiting to pee in a nasty puked in, crapped in portolet, only to find out AFTER they pee that there is NO TOILET PAPER!!!

Well, we were standing in our own little spot. Me, and my two youngest, with my husband and other family members. It had been about 3 long hours, when a lady starts raring up! Her husband was mad as well, for a reason that was unkown to me yet. The husband had been drinking alot so he was gone....I finally see the lady yelling at my other Aunt. Now, this Aunt and Uncle are from here, and have rode on and done floats for 30 years. So, we ALL know too well how people get over a stupid bead!

Come to find out, my Aunt from Michigan had been walking (running) with the floats and the people next to us were mad because she was taking their beads. OK.....how is that taking your beads???? Let me say this.....IF you ever come to Mardi Gras here...

Be prepared to get SLAMMED with beads if you look good.....be prepared to have a drunken someone next to you complaining about how that is their bead...YES BEAD!!! Be prepared to get knocked off of your feet over a stuffed animal. (I have even had an animal yanked out of my child's hand before...and tell me, why do I still go?) People get CRAZY over getting ANYTHING!

Needless to say, after the man and woman kept on, I was Mardi Gras out! I was ready to leave that parade, before the guy really started to fight! So, we headed home!

Now remember, we had walked about 8 blocks to get there. So, you can imagine that my mom was NOT ready to enjoy the nice walk home. She had continuously begged us to go get our cars so she would't have to walk back. Well, no one was going to drive in a circular pattern over and over to get a car there. COME ON....THEY BLOCK ALL THE ROADS OFF!! So, we walked home hearing the same stuff all over again. FUN FUN...I hope she doesn't read my blog lol!

My days of camping out is over, we go for the kids, but you can forget sleeping there to save a spot. On the other hand, my 16 year old daughter is a major campee!!! I don't think she missed one parade, and that is A LOT OF PARADES!

She also paid $160.00 for the Endymion Extravaganza, and her boyfriend did NOT have his thinking cap on when they were supposed to go get his tux....NOPE..he was smart enough to wait until the day before their BIG NIGHT OUT...So, guess what? He paid $300.00 to OWN his tux....YEP he now OWNS a tux that he will probably outgrow before he uses it again!!!

In case you do not know what this is....When the HUGE FAMOUS parade is done with their route, they stroll into the Superdome....this is why you PAY to see it...Now, you have to wear a formal to this and you have to PAY to see the SAME EXACT parade that is on the street, where of course, people have slept there to see. But hey, you don't have to sleep on the street and you are guaranteed a spot!

The funny thing is, the ticket ONLY PAYS FOR YOU TO GET IN! You buy or should I say BRING all your alcohol, any drinks or food, and anything else you may need. Such as tennis shoes, because you get there at 5 PM and you start seeing the parade at 11 PM....THAT'S RIGHT! ANDDDDD...you even get a great bathroom with NO TOILET PAPER...AKA A PORTOLET!!! YEP.......IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL FORMAL DRESS YOU GET TO USE A PORTOLET!!! You can just about imagine by now that yes, your dress will be ruined by the end of the night! Unless you have an amazing Dry Cleaner!

So....that teaches you what?? IF you indeed ever go to the EXTRAVAGANZA....wear a dress you no longer need, get fitted for a tux AHEAD of time, bring you some toilet paper if you want to use that nasty portolet, and bring some tennis shoes!!

More on Mardi Gras DAY and my daughter's Mardi Gras in a few!! I woke up to my 3 year old crying with croop and my husband had been taking care of her all night! I was out like a light before 5 PM. Thank God for a good husband.

Now, my 2 year old woke up and decided he wants cereal...no he wants a donut stick...ok get that...nope he wants an oatmeal pie...ok fine...then he cries saying he doesn't want that, OK WHAT DO YOU WANT????? He then takes the oatmeal pie and sqeezes it in his hands....then cries it is broken......OK??? YOU SQUISHED IT...THAT IS WHY IT BROKE!!! I think it is time for him to go back to bed!!!!!