fools "walk"

Last night was the second annual "Only Fools Run at Midnight." At about 10:30, Hayley, Melissa and I signed up for competing in the 1 Mile Fun Walk. Afterward, we headed back to my place where we dressed up quite sexily...

Melissa was wearing a Carmen Miranda head piece (like the Chiquita Banana Lady), along with a mermaid skirt, and a gypsy scarf wrapped around her waist.

Hayley was wearing a ruffly, metallic-turquoise dress, big black boots with knee-high black and white striped socks, and a Mermaid wig and crown.

And I was wearing a wetsuit, a big yellow and black hat with spikes, a wacky-colored scarf, peace sign converse shoes, blue and white striped knee-high socks, and of course, an innertube!

We pulled up to the fire station where the race was to start, and hurried in the door. I had an especially hard time getting in the door, and finding a place where I would fit with my big innertube. However, the innertube worked much like a bumper, so it worked out. A man got up on a podium and began speaking muffled words, and soon thereafter, parts of the crowd began moving into a circle. The only thing to do was join into the circle, right? So we did. We began walking around the fire department in a big circle, with spectators on the outside. Melissa and Hayley had no idea what was going on, so they just nervously held onto my intertube while embarrassingly giggling. We kept circling, and circling, and circling while people laughed, pointed, stared, and snapped several photographs of our hideous apparel.

"Well, judges, what do you think?" said the man over the loud speaker.
"What we're being judged!?" I realized what was up. The Mermaid Princess and the Fruit Head just about lost it right then and there. But we continued to circle... Until finally, the walk began!

We began cruising down the road among many other strangely dressed individuals. Then people began jogging, and power walking. "What is going on!? I thought this was a FUN WALK. Not a competitive power walk/jog!" I began exclaiming. We literally had to run in order to keep up with the walkers! I didn't understand. The "1 Mile Fun Walk" was turning into a 2 mile competitive run! But we continued on... At one point, someone asked if they could store something on my innertube. How dare they! That would be like asking a fat lady if you could store something in her roll! When we finally ended up back at the fire department, an older, jolly man kept snapping pictures of the three of us.

Once everyone had finished the race/walk, we wandered inside where there was water and orange slices for refreshments. A man got back on the microphone, congratuled everyone, and began giving awards for different categories of costume. We were quite surprised, we figured there were awards, but even categories!? Wow. After I reached around my back and found that someone had left their empty water bottle on my innertube, we realized it was time to go. We left before the awards were over. Maybe we won something. Maybe we didn't. We were swimming in enough of our own personal glory (AKA: Laughter).