The most miserable parade ever

Our town had a holiday parade.  Yup.  A parade in December.  And Lily's Daisy troop was all signed up to ride in the back of a truck through the streets of town.

I bundled her up.  Long underwear.  Winter coat.  Winter boots.  Hat.  Hood.  Fleece blanket to drape around herself.

I dropped her off at the starting area at 12:45 and then had to run to get Michael from a birthday party.  It was cold, but there were just some light flurries that made it seem almost a festive day to have a winter parade.

Fast forward 2 hours.  The parade is FINALLY passing through town...after the salt trucks have passed through.  The snow is falling fast and heavy and WET.  The boys have exhausted themselves playing in the snow on the side of the street.  The marching band passes by...looking completely and utterly miserable.

And then come the trucks with all the Daisy's and Brownies.

Girls are huddled together like groups of refugees in the backs of these flatbed trucks.  They are sitting in about an inch of snow that must have filled the trucks before they were allowed in.  Some are sobbing quietly, most are just looking very very pitiful.

Lily spotted me and started crying.  I got her troop leader's attention and got permission to just pull her out of the back of the truck.  I wasn't the only one.  Who could stand to watch their 7 year old cry her way through a stupid December parade?  I carry Lily away and she is crying so hard, "My hands hurt.  I am so cold.  My hands hurt."

We get her in the car and she continues to cry.  On the short drive home, we lose control of the car and slide off the road.  We were going less than 5 miles per hour, so no damage to the car.  Jeff patiently slides and skids the rest of the way home.

Lily announces that she is never going to do a parade again.

Mission accomplished?

That is the hardest earned parade badge in the history of the Girl Scouts!