Niantic, CT Christmas Light Parade

As I told you all in a past post, I am going to start living my life and sharing a lot more of my experiences with all of you!

Last night Jamie & I attended the Niantic, CT light parade with my Grampa & JoAnn, My sister Bretta & her fiancé Adam, as well as JoAnn's daughter Colleen and her awesome 8 year old daughter Morgan!  This night was such a true reminder of what the holidays are all about...and what life is all about!  It was also my sisters 24th birthday..Happy Birthday Bretta!

We started off the event by heading an hour and a half south to Niantic, CT...which for those of you who don't know is right on the ocean coast in CT and its a very beautiful, peaceful community, a place I have always enjoyed!  We enjoyed watching some ice sculpture art before heading back to my Grampa's house, which is just a short walk away from the downtown setting!  We enjoyed some hot cocoa and great conversation before walking back downtown to find a spot where we could nestle in to watch the light parade!

I enjoyed the walk back with my new friend, Morgan, who might I add is such a wise little 8 year old goal..we spoke about her goals, of becoming a surfer, and how much we loved milkshakes and dancing and music.  She told me about her school field trip to see an orchestra and about how much she enjoys dancing and singing in her school's chorus.  She told me, "If we don't have goals, how will we know what we are working towards?".  I could have sat and spoken with Morgan for hours and hours, her little mind full of some very wise thoughts.  We spoke about how you keep the good people in your life (the nice friends) and how you stay away from the bad ones, she even sang me a song about finding good friends.  I learned a lot from this 8 year old little girl last night, and realized that, this is how I want to raise my children to be, one day.  It was like talking to a fellow like minded adult.  It brings me almost to tears to think about how a little girl can tell me something like this, but I know adults who can not even fathom what it is like to be truly happy!!

Once we got back to downtown, we found a great, central spot where we could watch the parade and the fireworks.

The light parade was spectacular, this community really went above and beyond for this event!  Floats that sang, moved, even some that were over 15 feet tall!  One of my favorite parts was watching all of the children in the dance troupes and sports teams come by.  I had been in parades as a child and it was always a very exciting time when the community comes together to celebrate you and the holiday season!

 

After the parade ended, we walked back to my Grampa's house and sat and enjoyed each others company for a bit to warm up before we headed back home.  We laughed about the thick RI accents that Jamie and My Grampa share and joked about memories from the past.

I had a really wonderful time last night with my family and plan to make this an annual tradition with my family and the family I plan to start soon.  I will be bringing my children to this parade for many many years to come!

Thanks for reading loves!

XOXOX,