Krewe of Muses - Four Weeks and Counting

I will admit, the parade has sort of taken a back burner position for me since ALL I can think about is the Saints home playoff game Saturday afternoon!!!  It is going to be a very rainy day, so I preemtively ordered clear plastic boots covers for our spectacular majorette boots.  My friend and fellow Saints fanatic Sarah will be picking me up for breakfast at 9:30 at Cafe Adelaide.  Yum!  Then we plan to spend the whole day dodging rain showers at her brother's tailgate spot.  I seriously cannot explain how excited I am.  I think I'm going to have to take Nyquil to get to sleep tonight and tomorrow night!
    As for the parade, this week has been a week of logistical planning.  There's a lot that goes into that day, so we riders have to be ready for everything.  We fly in Wednesday night in time to get some rest for the big ride.  Thursday morning, we will head to the grocery and get salty snacks (which keep you from having to potty on the float) and beer for the float's cooler.  Then we'll head over to the parade's den, which is the warehouse where the floats are stored, to load my glitter shoes, any extra beads I ordered (the main package I order is pre-loaded and labeled by type of bead), my warm weather clothes, and my food and drinks.  We always take a few minutes to look around and admire the humor and beauty of the floats.  In another life, I'd like to come back as a float designer!!!

A picture of my sister and me loading beads and shoes on to the float.

   Once things are settled in the float, I am ready to start my day with the ladies!  We meet at a friend's house where we will have our makeup done - picture tons of glitter and fake eyelashes.  Together we head to my float's annual luncheon at Galatoire's.  Galatoire's in the quintessential Mardi Gras restaurant where people wait in line for hours to get their favorite table, and it such an amazing place to start our Muses celebration. 
By the end of our meal, we are more excited than can be put into words to head to our next event - the Krewe of Muses pre-parade party!!
   The pre-party is held at the Contemporary Arts Center and is exclusive to riders only.  There are tables of food and well stocked bars, there are decorations galore, and a huge dance floor!!  There is a table for every float where you gather with your fellow riders and chat the day away.  At the pre-party, the winner of the headdress contest is named.  This is a huge honor for the float that wins as you get to ride in the very first float of the following year's parade.  We spend hours catching up with friends and dancing and singing the Krewe's annual theme song.  Then around 4:15 comes the sound of what seems like one thousand sirens as the motorcylce unit of the NOPD arrives to announce that we are ready to board our floats and start the long drive along the river.  About forty minutes after boarding, we will get to the starting point of the parade and wait for a while until the two parades that precede us have sent their last float rolling toward St. Charles Ave.  And somewhere between 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm, we will begin to hear whispers that we are ready to roll.  Before too long, we will be riding along the grandest street in the city tossing treasured trinkets to strangers and friends alike.  It is truly a magical experience and one I cannot wait to a part of again this year!!