Pride 2017

A couple weekends ago was Pride 2017. Our area has one of the largest Pride weekend celebrations and both of my girls wanted to participate. Temperatures in the 90's, dog sitting the puggle, and the fact that the girls were meeting up with college bound students my youngest met at orientation kept me home this year instead of out in the crowds. I did, however, faithfully read all of the information and pass it on to the girls so that they could navigate the parking, etc. They left Saturday in the heat of the day early afternoon and we didn't see them again until almost midnight, and they did the same on Sunday, coming home in time for dinner.

Sunday, after dinner, they went through their bags of loot from the more than 350 vendors who had booths at Pride. The haul was quite vast, and they entertained us with stories about obtaining the items, with the vendors, and with some of the things they had to fill out to obtain the items. Here is their haul:

• A mini bazooka (that I will find and toss because Darcy won't stop blowing on that thing)
• A string bag
• A rainbow bracelet
• Several drink cozies
• Bottles of sunscreen (that they obviously didn't use since both came home sunburned)
• Several pairs of sunglasses (with various vendor names on them like Absolut)
• Two stuffed horses (that they gave to the dogs. Jazzy was thrilled with hers)
• A large ball (Elliot was thrilled with this)
• Packs of condoms (Tom and I suggested they put these in their wallets. They rolled their eyes.)
• Bottle openers
• Key chains
• Compact mirrors
• A rainbow arm band
• A cooling shammy (this is the BEST thing ever and I'm thinking the answer to my hot flashes)
• Handfuls of colored beads 

It was a different vibe the girls felt than the Pride festivities we attended last year in San Francisco, but the outpouring of love not hate was the same. I'm proud of my girls. Proud that they support ALL people no matter their gender, their religion, their beliefs, their skin color, their choice in love, etc. So important in today's world. We can not all be the same. We can not all agree on everything. We can not all like the same things, the same people, the same jobs, the same, same, same. It just can't happen people, but we have to be able to get along. To respect one another's choices even if they aren't our own. Respect. It's wasn't that hard for Aretha to belt it out and it shouldn't be that hard for all of us to accept.

Happy Pride to everyone!