First Campaign Event!

We rocked the Pasadena Parade! 

We ended up with 9 kids and 17 adults, which is great considering it was raining up until the moment we started walking! I totally understand that the rain kept some people away. I was concerned about my kids in the rain too. But we were just going for it and we lucked out that it dried up at the last moment. My Aunt Bea cuddled C. (in her butterfly Halloween costume) and Jeremiah's sister cuddled J. under a blanket on the float. So they were taken care of, which is good since both of their parents were unavailable!
We didn't make a rain plan until the morning-of and we borrowed the truck and trailer. So this home-made float was assembled with duct tape, plaster-buckets full of play sand, logs dragged from the woods in the background, and spare construction parts from our garage. VERY home made. Next year we really have to step it up! But for this year, Hey, we were there. That's the real point.

Jeremiah showed up at the parade to drop off the float trailer wearing his work overalls and a ballcap. My dad was practically disgusted and sent Jeremiah back home ASAP until he could come out in public looking like a serious politician. He came back in a suit and a trench coat (it was raining). [irony: Jeremiah's the most down-to-earth guy running and he's in his spiffiest clothes showing that he's taking this seriously. The next politician in the parade behind us in the incumbent, Steve Schuh, who's a multi-millionaire living on Gibson Island (and funds his own campaigns with hundreds of thousands of dollars) and he was wearing casual clothes to look like he was just one of us. That guy also stood on street corners in jeans with a pickup truck in the last election. People who knew him joked that he probably rented the truck so he'd look like a regular person. Just a funny observation on how looks are so deceiving in politics!]

I was busy all day shuttling people, packing the supplies, taking care of the kids, giving directions, catering, and basically doing all the organizing work (and some float decoration).  We decided not to rent the other 2 segways when the rain wasn't stopping, figuring that less people would show up for a rainy parade. We didn't want to spend the extra money for fewer people watching the parade. I think we made the right choice. Just having one segway got enough attention and smiles that we're TOTALLY doing Plan A for next year! I ended up being the driver bc our other drivers didn't end up coming and our backup driver showed up too late to get trained.  That added to my stress just a bit!  

We also didn't have time to find a way to hang the Chiapets banner on the float, which made the kids in animal costumes a bit of a mystery I'm sure. But next year we'll make sure that piece gets added bc I still think it's a good idea. The kids threw other kids lots of candy and the adults gave other adults Jeremiah's campaign card, which actually struck up some interest and conversation with the crowd.

I was petrified being the segway rider. I've ridden a few times in the backyard (this is Jeremiah's dad's segway, by the way) but only on Turtle speed and never very securely. I totally said, "well, it looks like it's me or nothing. Hand me my helmet and how do we turn this thing on?" It was as last minute as could be possible. I never looked in the mirror or took off my coat or tucked in my hair or anything. I just pulled on the campaign shirt, helmet, and costume and took off down the road (the real road!) on the segway to catch the parade.  

I blocked traffic bc I was scared to get onto the sidewalk from the road and wasn't about to go fast and I was very shaky at first. But when I got there and my family and friends were laughing at me, I thought "well, even if I crash, it won't be too humiliating because at least I don't look like I'm taking myself too seriously." As my friend Jenny said, I mentally went to a safe place and had an out of body experience. Every time I saw someone snicker at me, I smiled really big and waved at them, including the teenagers that coughed "mall cop".  And every time the segway lurched forward and I thought for sure that I was going to fall over, I sang "dun dun dun da da, dun dun dun da da..." (sometimes out loud) to give myself courage and character.  It was ridiculous. I was in another realm, just fighting for my life on this dang segway, doing spins and swerves and waving for pictures. I deserve an Oscar!

Worst Moment: Some people get panic attacks from stress. I get eye problems. In the past when this has happened I've gone to the emergency room, several eye doctors, experimented with different contacts and solutions in case of allergies, and repeatedly worried that I had contracted pink eye. In the end, I think my eye problems are psycho-somatic. I think they are brought on by stress and I can not do anything mental or physical to get rid of them. 

It can happen to one eye or the other or both. It can happen with glasses or with contacts. It starts sharply with a red eye and then descends into extreme light sensitivity, with eye pain, swollen and lazy eye lids, and lots and lots of watering.  I've found that if I give into it and rest my body with my eyes closed, I can make it go away in 24 hours or so. The sooner I try to push it, the longer it lingers. That's what makes me think it comes from stress. Doctors have called it a scratched cornea, and that's what I tell people so I don't seem crazy, but sometimes it happens without any known scratching. It just starts. 

So from bedtime after the parade until 36 hours later, I wore an eyepatch. It totally freaked the kids out. And now today I did the preschool shuttle for J. with glasses and grannie sunglasses on top to keep out the sun but my eye still got unfocused and forced shut.  We've been playing a lot of games in dark rooms lately! Outside play happens at dusk!

Best Moment: My friends Jenny and Kim brought their kids over for an impromptu playdate the day after the parade. My babysitter had a sick visiting relative at her house so I had to find a backup sitter for that day. But then with my eye I couldn't drive to work so I cancelled and stayed home with an eye patch instead. My friends came over to distract the kids and help me get them lunch. They were a great help and great to relax with.  

Thoughts of the Day: Next year we need to plan for several recovery days after each campaign event. Between cleaning the house, following up with thank yous, blogging, doing pictures, doing press releases, and generally resetting life, we're only just now getting done with the parade (mostly), 2 days later. We tried to get back to life right away and that was stressful and impossible. Next time we'll plan for this!