Mardi Gras Parades

Hugh Laurie, aka Dr. House, as the King of Bacchus

Before going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras I don't think I really understood the concept of the Mardi Gras Parades. I mean, I had seen the floats on The Real World: New Orleans (the first one in 2000), but I guess I didn't realize that you got beads just for asking!

It's a tradition to say "throw me somethin' mister" as the floats go by! The first night we were there, Reid and I were excited to get any beads. It was so much fun being out at the parades, drinking (I seriously love open containers being allowed!), and cheering for the floats. But as the trip went on, we wanted the nicer beads and throws.

Apparently the parade krewes really like giving things to kids, so I had this little girl on my shoulders for part of Endymion. We cleaned house! Thought Kristen and I didn't do too bad on our own, as you can see by the 'before and after' photos above.

Apparently it's rained during Endymion the past few years, so the krewe was very excited to have wonderful weather (it was actually the nicest day of our trip) and a huge crowd at the start of their parade. I think it was my favorite parade part of the trip.

It was a little colder when we went out for the parade on Kristen's birthday, but we still ended up getting some pretty cool stuff. Reid was hilarious wearing a lighted, tentacle thing on his head and Kristen was able to get a lot of cool stuff since she was wearing her birthday sash.

We even ventured out in the rain on Mardi Gras day to see Rex, but I didn't last long. My hands froze and once my hands are cold, I'm miserable. But after such an exciting week, the rain provided a welcome break and a day that we got to spend lounging around the house.

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