Mardi Gras Ball

Mardi Gras in Mobile is a big deal.  Unbeknownst to most, Mobile is where Mardi Gras started in the United States!  Every year there are parades, balls, and the schools and some businesses are even closed for two days to honor the holiday, SWEET!

Jaron and I were invited to one of these Mardi Gras balls a few weeks ago.  Usually these balls are VERY fancy – tuxedos, bowties, and floor length gowns, but we were told that this one is a little more casual, so we said why not!  (Don’t kill me, but I forgot to charge my camera…I was so mad at myself!) We were also told to bring our own drinks.  I was thinking, how the heck were we supposed to walk in with booze to a ball?  Cinderella would never!  

So we get all dolled up, finally get there and the place is packed!  Everyone is dancing and having a ball (see that play on words I did there – I’m that cool), then I notice that every single wall in the place is lined with coolers!  Now let’s just say that not a single person felt the need to be at all reserved.   Men and women, ages 21ish-100ish were breakin’ it dowwwwn.  They were shakin’, movin’ and groovin’ and I was loving it!  Nobody seemed to care what anyone thought.  People had neckties around heads, mixed drinks in bags (similar to the way juice used to come on our lunch trays growing up), shoes off, and were having pure fun. 

Seeing this made me first think, “This is NOT what I was expecting in a Mardi Gras ball”, but then we realized how much fun everyone was having and it made our group quite comfortable, so we joined these crazies on the dance floor and danced, sipped, and sang the night away.  

Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t have my camera.

Happy Mardi Gras!