Some Like It Hot

The Krewe of Xanadu ball - themed "Some like it hot" - was last night - officially kicking off our Mardi Gras experience. I don't think any description I can give will really do the experience justice. First, some context. The Krewe is made up of 250 women. Each brings a date (spouse or other) and can invite a few other couples. Thus, at a minimum, there were probably 1200-1500 people at the ball. It was held in the convention center of the Lafayette Cajundome Convention Center. The center was transformed by the Krewe by placing a stage that spanned the entire length of the center floor, shaped like a "T." At the intersection of the "T," the throne for the king and queen. Along the remainder of the east-west line were the chairs for the court. Any Mardi Gras decoration you can think of could be found somewhere.

Then, the show. I don't even know where to go with this. There is the parade of the court, 2 at a time, pyrotechnics, lines of about 30 scantily clad women all dressed in identical red miniskirts (punctuated by the surprise appearance of our realtor in said line), more pyrotechnics, faux-jewel encrusted costumes, another line of 30 scantily clad women in neon tights and hot pink hair, more pyrotechnics, Elvis (two of them), beads that are so big they hurt your hands when you catch them, and finally, I believe there was one moment with indoor fireworks. The Krewe wears costumes, the remainder of the attendees sport their black tie best - with the quirks of Mardi Gras adding a twist of style - boa's, flashing glasses, spinning lights, glow sticks, and colored head wear. Beautiful people everywhere.

A band topped off the evening, ranging from pop standards, jazz hits, and chanka chank. We hit the dance floor, and for the first time, we felt like we knew how to dance the two step. I have no idea how I was able to wake up and play soccer at 8 am this morning...

Thanks for the invitation Raquel!