Today was Saint Patrick's Day, which I figured was going to be a bit of a bad one considering the day it fell on, and the fact that pretty much everyone is working tomorrow.
The only thing to really look forward to was the parade, and bringing Kaleb down town to see it.
A Typical Paddy's Day
Growing up, and especially in my teens, Paddy's day was about celebrating the occasion by getting absolutely wrecked - along with just about everyone else.
They used to be such a fun adventure. Meeting up, hanging out during the parade, finding a good spot to drink, and then drunkenly wandering around for the rest of the night.
As I got older I actually started working as a Steward on the parade every year, which was a lot of fun, and it was good, because it was the first time in a long time I would actually see the parade. Also, being involved in events like that was great for the whole community spirit of it. Another reason it was good, was that we'd get paid in drinks tokens, so for pretty much every Paddy's day of my 20s I barely bought any drink.
This year things changed, however, and most of the committee stepped down. With that change, most of the usual Stewards didn't join in and help out as we usually would.
It was nice though, being able to bring Kaleb to the parade, while having now responsibilities other than watching it.
Kaleb's Reaction
Last year he was a bit young for it, being just under a year old. This year though, he seemed really interested from the moment we got there.
The talks, decorations, and music were exiting for him, and during the music sections he was up dancing and running around excitedly. It was actually hard to keep him contained to one area.
The parade started with some flashing lights down the road, which grew closer. From the moment he stopped them he was curious. Then, as the marching band got to us he was fully aware of the parade, and was shaking with excitement seeing it all.
He was clapping when the rest of the crowd did, he was waving at everyone who passed, and he was calling out throughout.
Each time a car came along he would shouted "Wow, a car!" As he pointed at it and started to wave. When the firetrucks came along he was practically jumping for joy, as if he just saw his favourite celebrity. Shouting, "Nee Naw!" As he waved. Every bike, car, tractor, van, or truck that came along got a big wave, smile, and announcement. The people, and costumed mascots however, didn't get as warm a welcome, but he was still interested in them and greeted them with light waves.
It was such a fun day, purely based on his reaction to the parade.
I was half tempted to buy a pint, but decided against it in the end. We were only down for the parade itself, and essentially headed back up to the house after it.
