St. Patricks Day

St. Patrick's Day in an Irish family is A LOT different than in any other family.  I married into the Irish and the Irish side of Andy's family is simply the best.  They are so fun, energetic and passionate.  This year the Daly family called all Daly's to walk in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Madison yesterday... a whole 9 people showed up :)  But those 9 people are the greatest 9 people I know!  We had a lot of fun yesterday and I believe it was my first time to ever walk in a parade.

We left in the morning to meet everyone down there and get dressed up for the parade.  I am definitely not one to dress up for St. Patricks Day- I usually don't even wear anything green- but with everyone else doing it, I joined in on the fun.

My Father-in-law (he soon added an orange wig).

Andy as a leprechaun.  He speaks fluent blarney.

I think I rocked the tats and shamrock glasses.

Soon we headed down to the square and prepared to walk the parade. 

I was quite confused by the parade.  Can't you see the confusion on my face in the above picture??  All around us were tons of political groups and protester groups.  And behind us... a Guatemalan dance group... huh??  I thought this was a parade to celebrate the Irish?  oh well, I soon learned the real reason for this parade.

 But first a picture of Finley being a good girl and taking all the action in.

Now for the real reason for this parade:  so a whole bunch of greedy, rude, poorly mannered children (and parents) can fill their old Halloween trick-or-treat bags with candy and beads.  They will push, hit, and beg (with no "please" or "thank you's" mind you) and steal candy from tiny unsuspecting ones setting them up in life to be defensive and be exactly like them.  Oh, it was awful.  These kids couldn't even stay on the sidewalk.  Luckily, I ran out of beads and candy and I didn't have to submit to their bad behavior.  The beads and candy I did hand out were to the sweet children standing nicely and patiently even though every kid surrounding them were quite the opposite.  Perhaps all parades are like this?  I have a feeling they are.

After the parade and sweating my ass off (it was 80... in march... in Wisconsin... crazy right??) we headed over to Andy's Aunts house and ate entirely too much food while Finley destroyed the home with the other children by exploring every toy in every corner and crevice of their home.  Her favorites were the Polly Pockets and the old Heman figurines that haven't seen a child's hand since I'm sure the 1980s.

I ate cheese, more cheese, potato soup, vegan Shepard's pie, grasshopper pie, cookies, and I drank beer.  I was NOT on my best behavior yesterday in regards to eating healthy.  But it was St. Patrick's Day with a bunch of Irish folk... it couldn't be avoided. 

My only regrets to the day?  One- I didn't throw my beads as hard as I could at all those naughty children's faces.  Two- I didn't drink nearly enough beer.  And Three- The tattoos on my arm weren't real and were left behind with those killer shamrock glasses.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?