It has been grey, gloomy, rainy and damp for days.  It is Mardi Gras today here in New Orleans and I find I am feeling blue and certainly not in a partying mood.  I find myself longing for the warm Sun. 

While some people love Mardi Gras, I truthfully have less of a fondness than most my friends.  In college, I used to stay in the studio all Mardi Gras Weekend, Friday - Tuesday. I LOVED it because I would have the studio’s to myself most of the time.  I went to a few Mardi Gras parades, but the only reason I  went  was to spend time with some long time good friends.

  We talk on the phone, and Facebook seems to keep us connected such a way that we hardly realized that we had not been in each others presence for over two years.  It might have been longer, we couldn’t remember.   

  On Saturday night we went to the  Endymion parade. The next day, I felt very drained. I had not drank alcohol, but I think the excitement of the parade just wore me out.   I slept late for the first time in a long time, and when it came time to head over to the parade route, it was raining outside my house.  I almost didn’t go, It was so grey and gloomy I had a hard time getting motivated.  So when I challenged the weather man and arrived at  Uptown New Orleans for Bachus, it surprised everyone.  My friend, Kristina smiled and said, “WOW! Stacy! Your here! You must love us a Lot!”  I said, “Well, you have a tent, Jambalaya, and a potty, so I’m good, and yes, I do love you a lot. ”

They know me well. 

I was happy that I had gone to see my friends. Truthfully, I have cloistered myself in the studio working on the ART & Soul Studio and Abraham Centre.  I really haven’t done a lot of face to face visiting with my favorite people. 

What I would have loved instead of Mardi Gras would have been a beach, a spa and fruity drink with a straw with the warm sun on my skin.   

Every time I go to a Mardi Gras parade, I get injured with Beads.  The beads seem to get larger and larger. If your hands are not in the air waiting to catch, you had better be aware of what is coming your way.  One year I got a black eye from a flying strand of giant pearls. I was too scared to hurt the hand I broke  last summer, so I wised up  this time.  

I kept Gloves on  this year and I ducked most of the time and let other fools grab the beads.  Thankfully, MOST of us came out injury free.  Most of us...One lady looked at my Gloves with amazement and she said, “Your smart!”

For real.

It seems all of my friends have young children, so we go to watch the parades where the families go. I have never gone to the French Quarter during Mardi Gras, but I have always had a secret desire to enter a costume creation in the Bourbon Street Awards.  This year I thought about entering my Newspaper dress on Mardi Gras day, but it was 90% chance of rain and well, newspaper and rain might be a bad combination.  I also forgot secure 4 body guards in time. My momma said that if I am wearing anything Flameable, I need heavy security.

The kids have such a great time and it made me remember the days when Joshua was a little boy and he wanted to go to all the parades.   We would always bring home loads of beads and cheap toys and then the bags would be in my way for a few months until I finally threw them out or took them somewhere to recycle.

This year, I brought only one thing home. While we were watching the parade, and looking the other way, a red heart landed at my feet.