so excited to have attended the gay pride parade, especially after the federal government legalized gay marriage in all fifty states {6.26}!!! what a celebration it was!

we headed down there {traffic was a bit heavy} and found a sweet parking spot, only a few blocks away from the parade route. we strapped olive into the ergo and moseyed on over to the event. as we got closer, the crowds got crazier and the outfits got wilder! hahaha! i wanted hc to snap a picture of me and olive, i laid eyes onto a drag queen just hanging out on the corner of the street. perfect. i walked up to her and asked if we could take a picture because i loved her wild ensemble. she happily obliged and ta da! groovy. olive was like, “what mom? who is this person.”

we ventured left but quickly realized how bananas it was over there and decided to veer right. we chuckled at the folks that thought it was a good idea to bring their babes in a stroller. um, no, it wasn’t a good idea. there was hardly any walking room! standing room only and we were packed together like sardines.

we quickly regretted going right as we were caught in the middle of a swarm. the crowd was tight and not really moving anywhere. we inched and inched our way through. it was hot, stuffy, and people were sweaty. yum. every few minutes, we took a few steps. it felt like we were going nowhere fast. olive remained calm despite all the people that were bumping into her. there was one moment where she started kicking her legs out at people. it was kind of funny. she was like, “get away from me” as she kicked her legs at them. haha! we finally broke through and jumped to the sidelines at an open spot. phew.

we weren’t keen on where we were because, one it was directly in the sun and two, we were a few feet away from the parade and i wanted to be closer. so hc and i decided to brave the crowds again and find a better spot. we shuffled back into the thick of it and scored a sweet spot under the shade of a building and we were right next to the parade route! yes!

[found this diva and asked for a pic together!]

[my baby…she’s so sweet // we were fighting some major crowds]

we watched all the fun floats go by and olive slowly started to enjoy it. she was held up by her daddy so she could see better. she loved the music! as each float came by, they all were playing something different and she would bob her head in approval or fist pump the air! she loved watching the balloons go by or anyone in a furry costume, she would wave hello and say, “doggy!”. so sweet!

[tommy the hawk]

[stanley cup!]

[shirt by sunday soldiers]

we waited patiently as each representative walked by. we were looking forward to seeing our friends matt and johann walk in the parade. the true reason why we attend now. it was always to support gay rights and the community but ever since johann and matt have been walking in the parade, we come out just to see them and cheer them on! so, there they were! the two of them holding up their church’s sign! i forewarned the peeps in front of me that i was going to scream and scream i did! i jumped up and down screaming matt’s name. he saw us and waved and told johann we were there and they both waved. it’s always a quick and exciting moment when i get to see them during the parade!

[matt and johann!]

[baby girl was getting so tired]

[i love her so much!]

[cruising along just fine and dandy]

it was only minutes until the parade ended after we saw matt and johann. it felt like it went by so quickly! we had such a great time watching everyone go by and all the fun floats, crazy outfits, wild people, and loud music beats we boogied to!

cheers to another fun parade and celebratory time in honor of the legalization of same sex marriages in the U S of A!

xoxo