Pretend that we're Warm

It's Carnaval time in Brazil! It's a lovely time of year for me to pretend I'm somewhere warm and exotic, instead of in the Midwest in February. One of my part-time jobs is teaching a Brazilian samba dance class at Notre Dame. So, I get really excited when Notre Dame hosts a carnaval party by bringing in a band and dancers from Chicago.

The band, Chicago Samba, is wonderful.

In Brazil, carnaval is a really big deal. It's like Mardi Gras times 100. Bands and dancers parade through the streets. No one goes to work for a week. The whole country stops life to party, drink and dance.

I can't lie and say that the carnaval celebration here in the Midwest is quite that big. But, we do what we can when we have to walk through a foot of snow to get there. My friends and I pretend to be warm and go out for a fun time.

{A flower in your hair makes a girl feel warmer. I'm on the right.} {My friends, enjoying the music at carnaval.}

{It's hard to get good pictures when they won't stop moving!}

Such a fun night. I've been hating the snow and cold lately. So, a night where I could pretend I'm on the beach, in Brazil, was just what I needed. Hopefully, it'll be enough warmth and fun to last me for the next couple of months...