"Missing Out" Dream

I have always had pretty vivid dreams. Like most people who remember their dreams, I have the standard "naked in a public place," "late for final exams," and "everyone speaks a foreign language" stress dreams.

Lately I've been having a dream that makes me feel like I'm missing out on fun. I'm at a restaurant or the airport and I know there is a Mardi Gras parade about to start, but for some reason I can't get up and go to it.

I think it's rooted in all the fun I've had at Mardi Gras in the past. For those who have never been, it's not a drunken, boobs for beads fest. As a matter of fact, every time I've been to any sort of Mardi Gras celebration I have neither shown nor seen any boobs. I've been lucky enough to have had some wonderful Mardi Gras experiences mainly because of my dear friend Holly.

Shortly after Holly moved to New Orleans she invited a group of us to be a part of Krewe of Tucks. This meant not only going to Mardi Gras but riding in a parade and getting to go to a ball at the start of the season. The Krewe of Tucks is a bit more irreverent and not as formal as some of the others so we were able to join, as long as we paid for it. It was worth every penny for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the ball we had masks painted on our faces. One of Holly's friends from New Orleans, Amiee, was a maid in the Krewe and in Tucks the maids are French Maids.

The ball was fun but the real experience was a few weeks later during all of the parades. For the Tucks parade we got up early on Saturday morning to prep our float with all of our beads (ready to throw) and get our faces painted, again. I think the theme that year was Around the World, our float was "Made in China," and we were China dolls.

Holly prepping her beads on our float

It's a family oriented crowd

It was really an indescribable experience. I don't know that I ever need to ride in a parade again, but I always get giddy and carried away on the wave of excitement at any Mardi Gras parade.

Mardi Gras day 2001: Holly is cool enough to pull off the wig. I'm a devil in a blue dress

That next Fall I meet Carl and we stayed with Holly for Mardi Gras the following year. Since Carl is from Louisiana, Mardi Gras was nothing new for him, but it was a blast to go with him.

We turned around right after this picture and Carl got pinged in the forehead with a doubloon. I think the Paige threw it at his head on purpose. Carl had a red mark on his forehead the rest of Mardi Gras.

Tucks parade 2002

Mardi Gras day 2002. Holly pulls off a wig again. Carl wears his favorite costume of all time. When I met him (at a halloween party) he was dressed as a nun. He was a big hit at Mardi Gras.

Every year there's another Mardi Gras and I'm not there. 

I know I'm missing out.