...lilac parade...

Yesterday, Mom & I took the Jr Miss girls to the Lilac Parade in Spokane! We had a fun day with them - took them to lunch at The Onion, checked out the floats under the freeway, and enjoyed some shopping & the Royalty Reception at River Park Square.

They are fun girls to be with...Mom & I didn't realize we were giving them such an education by exposing them to the "big city!" Tipping at a restaurant is an experience. Walking across a crosswalk is an experience. :) What a big world!

After we sent them on the float to staging (read: hurry up and wait for another 3 hours) - we went to check into our hotel. Mom & I decided a few months ago to stay the night in Spokane after the parade since we had a Junior Miss meeting at Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon. When we'd decided to go ahead and stay, I found a GREAT deal on a hotel room at the Hotel Lusso...

As we were going up the elevator to our room, we commented that we should've asked to have a room on the street side so we could watch the parade...we got off the elevator and followed the signs to our room. It appeared we were on the right side of the building...this was looking good!

We got to our room - it was fabulous! It was the corner room overlooking the street where the parade would be coming! I would sooooo stay there every time I go to Spokane!!

This is the view we had of the parade:

(This is Lind's marching band - not too shabby!)

Not bad!!

After checking into our room, we walked the two blocks down the street to River Park Square and did some shoe shopping and Pottery Barn browsing! We walked back to The Davenport and enjoyed a little Lilac Parade pre-funk in The Peacock Room:

We went back outside to watch the parade....I didn't get great pictures, but here's what I got:

The Connell float this year is in honor of Connell's 100th Centennial. It's very classy and elegant.

It's beautiful.

I heard there was an estimated 160,000 people at the parade! Crazy! There were people EVERYWHERE!

Jenni stayed the night with us in the hotel. We enjoyed sleeping in, being lazy this morning, then an IHOP cheesecake pancake breakfast (delicious - Jessica - GO NOW!), the BEST pedicures EVER, and then went to a Washington Junior Miss Orientation/Meeting.

Fun weekend!