Springtime Tallahassee parade + weekend update

Oh, Tallahassee. There are some things about you. The annual Springtime Tallahassee parade is one of them. Aaron and I missed last years parade, but we saw the krewes as we drove through town and we knew that we would have to attend this year's festivities. My sister-in-law Shannon was in Tallahassee visiting, and decided this would be a good example of local "flavor." Indeed it was.

Appearances by Toddlers and Tiaras:

Leon County jailbirds walking in the parade:

Bizarre and hilarious krewes from across the Southeast:

the governor-alien:

and the Dark Side:

so it is true. Pepsi is the official drink of the Dark Side. 

It was absolutely crazy, and I'm disappointed my camera batteries died early in the parade. There were so many krewes that we couldn't help but laugh. I am still perplexed as to why there is such a heavy Mardi Gras theme, but at least we got a lot of beads. Not those kind of beads. 

My sweet husband was shooting nights all weekend, which I felt bad about since his sis had travelled to see us and he was gone most of the time. He got home at 6 a.m. Saturday morning and slept until 9 a.m., deciding to go with us to the parade. Poor guy was a zombie when he left for set at 1 that afternoon. 

It was so fun to have a houseguest who was up for going to my favorite spots in Tallahassee and of course Thomasville (the best thing about Tallahassee), even driving her car because my oil needed to be changed something awful. Hostess fail.

Our weekend was full of laughter, catching up and good wine. All fantastic. I'm so thankful for her visit and company; I feel so refreshed and got some great perspective and wisdom from a wonderful woman. One of the truths of being a newlywed, for me, has been that I feel sort of like a misfit, or maybe just that I didn't have a part, in Aaron's family; not because of anything on their part, but perhaps just because that's how family dynamics play out; you have to "find" your niche and prove your part. Shannon really makes me feel like I belong, and I very much appreciate that. We love you, S!

Since our visitor left, I've been out by the pool, serviced my car and changed the oil and done no house cleaning. But the pool time was worth it. I love that it's the beginning of April and I can lay out; but I know that come July and August it will be too humid and hot to lay out. Does that sound crazy to you? I never thought I would actually say that, because my hometown in Texas, which is essentially a straight line from Tallahassee, was horribly hot and humid, too. In Tallahassee it's just different. Maybe it's the every-single-day-on-the-hour downpours that leave the town steaming; I don't know.

Anyway, that's life. Aaron's working night sets, which sucks, but there are onl two more days on the show. We had a wonderful guest. Toby is fat.I'm still doing 30 Day Shred, but I have slacked off R, F, S. Life is good.