I Love a Parade

...but only if I'm with Z.

This weekend is the kick off of Portland's week-long Rose Festival celebration. One of the first parts of the festivities is the Starlight Parade.

I found out a few months back that my older brother, David (the one on the right in the photo), would be appearing in it. He's part of a charitable group that dresses up like characters from Star Wars. He, in the past, has been a Storm Trooper. Funny thing is, we used to play Star Wars when we were kids. He was always Luke or Han. We were sad to see him turn to the dark side. I understand that he's been working on a Jedi costume, so it'll be interesting to see which he'll be on Saturday night. My kids think of him as some kind of celebrity.

Last fall, when the high school's marching band was in full swing, Q was playing soccer. She never thought she'd get to play in the marching band, but it seems she'll get her chance this weekend too. She will be playing the flute (usually she plays bass clarinet) with the Aloha High School marching band in the parade. After the first practice she went to, she came home commenting on how much fun it was. Well, duh! That's what Z and I had both been trying to tell her. We both marched with our high schools back in the day.

One last little tidbit about the Starlight Parade. It was Z's and my first official date together--just the two of us. It was a BLAST! I knew that night that he was the guy for me. I could totally be myself and let my hair down around him. Someday, I'll share his side of the story, and when he know he was going ot marry me. If you haven't heard it yet, it's better to hear it from me than from him.

So, this Saturday night, we'll all be there with our dinner packed in the ol' picnic basket. Another parade with big Z!