The Rose Parade!



The Natural Balance float with Norman getting ready to surf!



Norman watching the magic show.

 

On your mark! Get set! Go! Back to California we must go for the Rose Parade. Heading back to California is quite a daunting task with the camper attached so we decided to ditch the camper at our campground in Williams,Arizona for an easier 500 mile trek back.  As we are running out of steam on this trip, I have to admit that i'm not excited about back tracking 500 miles to a state I felt we have spent a lot of time in already! Karen and Norman have a great opportunity to be in such a prestigious event that it really makes the drive back much easier!  We rolled into Pasadena in the evening and the kids were great, sitting in the back of the truck for 9 hours! We were greeted at the desk with a giant gift basket from Natural Balance full of dog treats and goodies for Norman! We have about week stay in Pasadena, most of which Karen and Norman will be on the float or preparing for the parade.  The kids and I were treated like royalty with back stage Tours of Universal Studios and a stretched limo ride to and from.  The kids were on cloud nine more so from the limo ride than the tour. Natural Balance spared no expense when it came to the New Years eve party also.  There was a magician, which Kaylee really enjoyed, and a Beatles tribute band which Karen really enjoyed!  Kaylee got called up on stage for the magic show and I was so proud of her as she ran up without even hesitating!   At one point in the magic show when Kaylee was on stage, Norman jumped up into her chair and proceeded to watch the show just like all the people were.  This caused quite a stir with the surrounding audience, with lots of whispers of "look at Norman"!  Bryson and I called it a night before the ball dropped because he was falling asleep on my shoulder. The next couple of days we spent watching the Rose Parade and visiting the float which is displayed the following few days so the public can get an up close look at them.  Karen and Norman had to be at the float each day so I took the kids to the beach a couple times. I'm so proud of Karen and Norman for not only being a part of the Rose Parade, but actually being on the float as a centerpiece is truly a once in a life time opportunity!

Wrapping up the 2nd tour of California I have to say I'm glad to be out of California!  Yes it has some amazing scenery and some beautiful weather, but the amount of people crammed into one state is amazing and overwhelming!  Karen was offered and extended position with Natural Balance which includes a 10 show series on "Animal Planet".  This means she must be back in California the end of January for filming with Norman! With that being said we both agreed it is time to start making tracks to the east coast of the United States!