Wow, what a crazy week here in Kansas City! What started with three and a half hours of holding my breath ended with a joyous celebration the likes this city hasn’t seen in 50 years. When the Chiefs won the Super Bowl Sunday, it was an incredible feeling that I really didn’t (and still don’t) have the words to describe.
Tag: parade
I Cried on the Fourth of July
Independence Day started so innocently with family breakfast on the way to the local quintessential small town parade in Parkville, Mo., with plans for the carnival after. We parked the minivan, walked a couple of blocks, nabbed a front-row spot, and laughed and made small talk with our five-year-old son while sipping on sodas until the festivities began.
It was supposed to be a completely care-free and fun-filled day, but soon after the vehicles began rolling down the hill in front of our little spot along the road, tears began to fill my eyes. As hard as I tried I couldn’t hold them in, especially when the face of one of the gentleman on a flat-bed trailer matched that of mine.
Two full trailers of American veterans, most fairly old (the teary-eyed man one of the exceptions), led this little patriotic parade, and it touched me. I mean, really moved me. In just a few brief seconds, thoughts of their lives at war, their sacrifice and their friends that never made it home rushed into my head and pushed out the tears. I was suddenly overwhelmed with pride! I was proud of my country’s heritage, proud of these men rolling along in front of me, proud of the round of applause that erupted at their arrival, and proud to be an American!
Somehow my husband standing behind me knew I was fighting back the tears and wrapped his arms around my waist (which pretty much made me only cry harder), but suddenly I realized how he knew I was so moved, because when I turned around I realized he was misty-eyed as well. What a great way to celebrate the day! Not only did we get to spend time with friends and family this Fourth of July, we got to remember how lucky we are to live in this country. I truly hope many of you got to do the same.
We Were There!
As many of you may know by now, the Kansas City Royals won the World Series Sunday night, beating the Mets four games to one. It has been a thrilling time in KC for many months and Sunday’s win put an end to a 30-year dry spell for our baseball team, which last won the series in 1985. Since I am a transplant to the area I wasn’t around for that win in the 80s, so this year’s victory was extra special to me.
So along with approximately 800,000 other people (almost twice the city’s population), I and my five-year-old son ventured downtown to catch a glimpse of our heroes yesterday morning at the “ticker tape” parade. We quickly abandoned the shuttle service, which was insane, and received a ride from the hubs who was working that day. We arrived two hours early and luckily found a front-row spot amid some friendly folks and managed to amuse ourselves until the parade began.
My little guy was a real trooper. The only thing entertaining on hand was a short stack of post-its and some restaurant crayons from my purse. After we went through the paper, he asked if he could draw on the sidewalk. I gave him permission to do so and he let his imagination flow during the remainder of our wait.
After the parade rolled by, we began a more than one-mile trek back through town toward my husband’s work. There were cars abandoned everywhere (I mean everywhere) and people exiting the city on foot as far as the eye could see. . . and what a sea of blue it was to behold.
Some people called us crazy; some called us lucky. We didn’t have to go. No one would have faulted us. But this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my son and me; and although he may not have understood the magnitude of what was happening, I have the pictures that one day will prove that we were there and we were “Royal.”