A Thanksgiving to Remember

This morning my alarm clock went off at 8:55. Why, you ask? The Macy's Parade starts at 9:00! I had no idea I would be this is excited to see it again, but I AM!! In honor of what will forever be known as "the best Thanksgiving EVER," I want to take a look back at last year.

Thanksgiving 2007-NYC

At 5am Joe and I arrived at a building directly across from Macy's, some hotel. There were lines wrapped around the corners leading into the hotel, so we found the clown line and jumped in. Luckily, this was one of those glorious fall days in New York. The previous 3 days had been cold and rainy, but not today. Clear and eventually up into the low 70s, as I recall. Once our IDs had been checked, we were shuffled into wardrobe. We donned our giant,multilayered cowboy clown costumes, and were whisked off to wardrobe. We entered a giant ballroom full of makeup tables, maybe 150 or so. A man with a microphone announces "We need a cowboy clown!" An artists stands up, and off I go. I get my mustache, red nose, etc. Then back to wardrobe to frantically look for my hubby and grab my oversized yellow hat. We rush down some stairs and onto one of several charter buses. And off we go to Central Park West. We're dropped off and pointed in the right direction. Now we are just to find our appointed corner and wait to join the parade.

So we walk down to the corner of Broadway and 82nd, passing Kermit, Mr. Potato Head and Shrek on the way. We were close enough to touch those giant balloons, still roped down in the street! Once at our corner, we spend the next 3 hours in a constant goofy grin. It was, without a doubt, the coolest thing I have ever gotten to be a part of. We saw celebrities mere feet from us (Neo, Ashley Tisdale, BIG BIRD!!!, Dolly Parton (scarier in real life), and so many more. We wandered around and saw all the floats, clowns, and balloons.

Then the fun begins! The announcer comes on and he and Matt Lauer give everyone a pep talk. "Let's make the best parade ever!" Then, as the parade starts, the announcer invites the next group to "join the parade!!!" We were in the last 15 minutes of the show, so we literally watched the whole parade pass right in front of us!! I touched Shrek's foot when he came by, cuz I was in the street!!!! When we were finally invited to join the parade, we yelled and "yahooed!" and ran down into Columbus Circle. The next hour was a blur of insane fun. Millions of people smiling, waving and taking your picture. Kids hug you as you come by, parents grab you to take a picture. I'm someone's holiday memory from last year!! You look up at the tall buildings and see faces pressed against EVERY window. And walking down the middle of Broadway, especially through Time Square is an experience all it's own. Every once in a while, we'd stop and have a bar brawl or do the cotton eyed Joe. But mostly we just laughed and waved and threw confetti. We even made it onto TV!

Being a part of such a huge event was such a huge blessing to us. It has been something we look back on and smile quite often. What a difference a year makes. Gives me hope that next year will be just as different from where I stand today.

Happy Thanksgiving!