It WILL NOT rain on our parade!!

Today Sam and I, along with Gee-Jo, Papa Kenny, and cousins Dylan and Danielle, participated in the heralded Vinton spring tradition, the annual Vinton Dogwood Festival! Now, I'm not even going to try and lie...I haven't missed a single one!! Cam and I always thought of some horrible excuse to come in from JMU, and a couple of years we even talked some of our friends into coming in for the big day...promising them a very good laugh! Apparently in Vinton, ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE can enter into the parade. This makes for a parade that goes something like this....high school band, lots of random cars carrying lots of random people, the Emeraldettes (might I add they did not throw batons on fire this year and I was QUITE disappointed), more random cars, lots of scary clowns, random cars carrying every princess known to man kind..and how could I forget every Fire and Rescue Station within 50 miles has to be represented...did I mention random cars. (Cam and I frequently remark that one year we are going to enter our car just to prove the fact that anyone can be in the Vinton Dogwood parade, then we would proceed to blare music and wave to the kids). Having said this, even though WE (Vintonites) frequently discuss how lame the parade actually is, every last weekend in April WE (Vintonites) cannot deny the feeling of excitement as our little hearts go pitter-patter in anticipation of the big parade day...ok Chris's heart really doesn't skip a beat as every year he finds a way out of attending the sacred parade! Here are some highlights from this year.

Sam tackling Dylan...He loves his cuz!

Why the frowns? So actually it did rain on our parade(note the downpour in the backgroud)...no worries...Vinton had faith and the sun came back out! Kudos to Gee-Jo for remembering the picnic shelter at Thrasher. We didn't get a drop wet!
The sun is out and Sam is digging some bag pipers! Speaking of sun...how do I apply sunscreen three times to Sam and not think to myself "maybe I am getting some sun, better put some on". Needless to say I'm sporting the first official burn of the year!!
We turned those frowns upside down!!! And yes mom still makes us clap and wave to EVERYONE! And yes we still stand up when the veterens go by!

Back at home...finally....so I made Dylan run ahead to the house and get Chris to push the stroller up the last hill...have you seen the mini mountain I live on?

Might I give a SERIOUS shout out (do the kids even use that saying anymore??) to Amy Jo for proudly displaying her Vinton Dogwood Flag all the way in Williamsburg!!! OK so really she flew her flag high to appease her favorite little sister who so very generously gave it to her for Christmas a couple of years ago, and DEMANDED that she fly it every year during parade time...no matter how far away from Vinton she may be!!! My hope this Saturday is that at least one golfer walked off the green of hole 9, looked over at AJ's quaint little outdoor space, saw her dogwood flag so proudly put in a place of honor, and say... "huh...the Vinton Dogwood Festival ay...Aren't they the dogwood capital of the world?...Why, Vinton, wouldn't that just be a dandy little place to visit!"

Tear Amy....Tear!!!! You have made this Vintonite very proud!

**** Funniest part of the day: On the way to "find shelter" prior to the torrential downpour I hit a bump with the stroller and out fell, upside down, my newly acquired 2 scoops of Maggie Moo's better batter with oreos...that almost provoked a true tear as the moments to follow I had to sit and watch from a picnic table my ice cream melt away in the rain...thanks mom for sharing some of your vanilla!