I have not marched in the Meriden Daffodil Festival Parade since I was about 12.  I do not think I have been to a parade since I was around 17.  But, those years up to that..man…I was deeply involved.  My mom was a P.T.A. mommy all star.  True story.  I don’t know how she did everything that she did, she is the bomb.  So, while raising three kids, as part of the all star gig, St. Laurent School did the float thing in the Daffodil Festival Parade.  When we were little little, we were all daffodils.  The cutest thing ever.  My mom is the original genius.  So, I have marched in the parade a couple few times in my past, and attended a couple few as well.  Daffodil Fest patron long time though, and now Tj’s mom Anne tries to make it for the festivities, so it’s a family thing too.   We look forward to it.

So, going along with the when I was little thing, I remember Kelley Moore (The Omnibus)  from Kelli’s Salon (now Salon Nathaniel in Meriden) would have a float in the parade.  And she would not only have a float…she would have a FLIPPIN FLOAT.  And my mom said it best, she would cause a spectacle.  And it was amazing.  On so many levels.  One, she was awesome, and the floats were fabulous (I think I remember fog?  strobe lights?  definitely rocking music!!) AND she was a WOMAN with her own SUCCESSFUL business, in MERIDEN, having FUN!  Hmmmm.  Maybe I was more inspired than I realized.  Anyways, I sort of promised myself then that I would have a float someday.  One of my own.  And this year the opportunity to have one in the parade presented itself, and off I went with it.

I feel almost as though we have been training for it all our lives.  I mean, it’s like Halloween at Strawberry Park, but on wheels.    And in my hometown!  Hollar!  And for Sassy Mouth’s grand entrance?  A giant sparkly camera.  Check.  The float was adorned with love, and the most beautiful prints from MPIX.COM, (the white borders, sharp, huh?!? oh Mpix, you do such printing!!)  ahhhh it looked just like my website, but like a parade float, right?  right?  haha.  BIG UPS to TJ for his crafting skills!! I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without him!!! Even though I made him leave Lens Crafters today because he wouldn’t stop coughing, I do really love him, long time.  And Kevin Carlson from Carlson Cuts and his fabulous wife Bethaney brought this beautiful daughters (I got it right!! to ride shot gun with them at Kevin’s pimpin jeep and wonderful trailer paraded my giant sassy camera through Hubbard Park.  Oh YEAH!

So..we got the float…my cousin Micaela said she wanted to march and throw candy right away…but doesn’t everyone throw candy?  I like to be…a little different?  First the thought of sassy lips…then the idea of mustaches and lips on sticks came next…first on dowels, then out of foam…My sister Christina found the lips on etsy from RetroRox, and messaged her about making a matching mustache.  We needed it to say Sassy Mouth somewhere, I said write it, Christina said stamp it.  Pretty smart.  I designed the stamp, and Terbear Collectibles did a beautiful job crafting it.  I love etsy, and all the talented people on it.  The Sassy Mouth was supposed to be on the actual paper, it wasn’t until popsicle sticks were decided, and the stamp was scene next to the cut outs, did the stamp move to the stick.  Some sparkle spray, and just like that, Little Sassy Sticks were born.

And those there sassy sticks, they unified people.  All ages loved em…and looked adorable with them.  People of the world, they joined hands, and started a sassy train…a sassy train.  And it was magical.  The hippies on the grassy knoll loved them, the kids, the grown ups, the crazy, the cool, the  famous (Elvis and Marilyn!!??!) the old people, the adorable, the hysterical, the magical, and everyone else.  They loved the Little Sassy Sticks.  They loved them long time.  And we did not see one on the ground the entire rest of the festival.  Not one.  Those were a hot item.  Take that giant alien.    Such a hot item, in fact, that we are making 300 for 99.1 PLR’s Cinco De Mustache on Saturday.  For real.  Awesome.

Float..Check..Little Sassy Sticks..Check..Trailer..Check..Driver..Check…Pictures..Check..TShirts…Check…Giant Camera…Check..

Daffodils?  Daffodils?  Where are they?

Thanks to early spring, they came and went, and this year, people celebrated at the Meriden Grass Festival.  I didn’t seem to matter much, people swarmed the festival, and it was sort of nice to not want to cry as you watched people stomped all over them taking pictures..or when they would pick them…NOOOO!!  You don’t PICK the DAFFODILS!!  Lol.  I didn’t have to be the Daffodil Lorax this year.  That was nice.  But the Sassy float had daffodils..Oh YES we did!   No worries, no worries.  I got this under control.  Oh man, but in the thousand years since the last parade I went to the judges moved, we all swear they used to be on the other side of the road.  So we faced the camera that way.  partial fail. Haha.  The judges are on the other side now.  Ah well..they enjoyed their staches and lips just fine. 

Now, the marchers.  Big ups to everyone who showed up and represented, I am so sad we didn’t have a group hug, but I know you were all hungry.  I don’t blame you, it smelled delicious up in there.    So here is a big blog group hug.  Thank you all for coming, representing, passing out sassy sticks, and being awesome.  Wait until you find out what we are doing next year.  You are going to love it.  Heather, you especially.  Thank you all, I hope you had a good time!!  And I <3 you all long time.  For real.  And to all the sassy fans that cheered and yelled when we went by, but ups to you too!! It was great to see so many sassy peeps as we went by!! If I didn’t see you, Im sorry, my head was spinning!!!  Here is a blog queen wave for you!!  My brother got all the up high shots sitting on the back of Kevin’s jeep, and TJ and I took the ground assault.  It turned out magical.

So here is our Daffodil Festival adventure for 2012.  I will tell you one thing…we brought a whole lot of life, love, and sassiness to the festival this year!!!  <3   Maybe in my next post, I will tell you about the donut machine years at the Daffodil Festival….My mom and dad were a pretty amazing team.  True Story.

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Bet those judges wish they knew it was a camera now…