I love a parade...when it's housed in a large open air conditioned building

So, here it is. July is noted as one of my least favorite months of the year.  It's really hot, there are monsoonal rains, and it's the 4th of July.  Enough said.  This particular day in my life, every year without fail, blows up in my face.

Enough said.

As a kid, our routine on the 4th was overwhelming.  Get up, sweat it out at the local parade, go to one aunts' house, go to one grandma's house, go to the other grandma's house, go home and shower/put pajamas on, start to feel sick from heat stroke, drive somewhere to watch fireworks, go home to light fireworks, light someones pajamas on fire with a sparkler.

See?  Full day of torture.

Well, as those of us in the UT know, the 4th of July doesn't hold a candle to the 24th of July - Pioneer Day - The "Day's of '47", celebrating when the Mormon Pioneers entered the Utah Valley to set up Zion.

This day in my childhood was considerably more relaxed.  We'd go for a drive through East Canyon with my parents pioneer book reading about certain spots where a pioneer had an epiphany.  We'd go swimming, maybe to a movie...much more chill.

Except, my parents would make us get up in the morning of the 24th, head down town, and stand on the hot, hot road and watch the 25th of July parade with its churchy floats, high school and post office bands, and Santa Claus at the end.

Not sure what it was like when I was very little, but from as early of an age as I can remember, I loathed the parade - all parades for that matter - and as soon as I was allowed to ditch (not sure what age that was), I ditched.  I was willing to miss out on all the activities and cousins of the day to avoid that parade.

Flash forward 20 or so years to last night.  My sister invited the boys and I to go with her family, my mom and my brother to view the floats for the 24th of July parade at the expo center.

Air conditioning.

Music.

Refreshments.

Clowns and balloons and face painting.

It was great.  It was fun.  The boys were in awe of some of the neat floats and it was very cool to be able to see them close up.  To see all the hard work that went into putting such a creation together.

It was impressive.

While exciting the event back into the July hot hot heat my sister turned to my mom and said something to the effect of,

"Please tell me that this didn't exist when we were kids and that's why you made us go to the dumb parade every year?"

Her reply, "This was the best way to see the parade!"

I wholeheartedly agree.