The End of an Era.............

When I was around 4 or 5 I took up twirling. I was a "half step" in Stephanie's Stepettes. I don't think I did much twirling, I just liked the itchy costumes and marching in parades. Years later I found out that my friend Courtney was also a Stepette (much longer than I was). She called me this week to tell me that the Stepettes were ending and they wanted alumni to march with them in their last parade at the Carterville Free Fair Parade. Lynn, one of the founding sponsors, has done so much for me in the past years while I coached so of course I said yes. It was so fun to get together again. Most of the alumni had kids of their own. Of course I cried a couple of times due to the fact that I always cry at parades (weird, I know!) and because this is an organization that has been around for over 30 years! I was proud to be apart of their last horrah! Here are some pictures.

Me in 1985, not much twirling seen here.

Same parade, I don't look very enthused.
The Founding Sponsors, Stephanie and her mother Lynn
Courtney and Madalyn marching
I pushed strollers while the alumni carried their children. This is

Court and Madalyn and her cousin Allison and her son Jackson.