Rose Parade floats CC's boat

When my friend Laura arrived from Georgia and said she had an extra ticket to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena and asked if I would like to bring CC, I jumped at the chance.

Then I got nervous.

I mean, bringing a toddler to an hours-long parade where we would have to wake up at the crack of crack, sit thisclose to our neighbor and pray that we wouldn't need to get up, much less use the porta-loo, seemed a little like the fifth circle of hell.

But I was wrong. I brought my little dynamo to the parade, and she was great. Not only did she sit on my lap and Laura's lap (left) the entire time, but she did so without whining, crying, screaming or trying to leap off the bleachers and onto the Shanghai appreciation float.

CC was engaged and genuinely interested in marching bands from Missouri, Ohio and even Tokyo. She loved the floats -- particularly the one with the wizard and the origami dragon -- and waited patiently when there was a pause in the action.

I know it's always a gamble when you bring a small child to a crowded, noisy event, but this was a unique opportunity -- perhaps once in a decade or even a lifetime -- and I didn't want her to miss it. I'm glad we were there, huddling together over juice, frosted animal crackers and Starbucks.

If you didn't get a chance to hit the parade, the floats are on display today from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena. Admission is $7 and free for children ages 5 and under.