At the annual Pride parade, men and women of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community crowded the streets of downtown Vancouver, and marched in great carnival-like fanfare west-ward, combing the fringe of Stanley Park and finishing at Sunset Beach.

Eli and I got down to the Beach Ave at 2pm, right on time to take the parking spot of a hippie VW van, not too far from the parade route.

We witnessed the flamboyant parade from beneath the shade of The Boathouse lounge where many others have also crowded for the event.

From our little bit of viewpoint, we watched men in dresses and heavy makeup sashay down the street, and pretty girls with amazing bodies make their declaration of attraction for those of the same gender. Slightly more than a handful of women came dressed in body paint, which was really quite a disgusting sight to behold.

Throughout the event, we had the “pleasure” of a gay man himself standing behind us giving us a running commentary of the people in the parade, whether that particular person is really gay or not. He was funny sometimes but more often annoying. He did also break a glass of beer, sending glass pieces flying – definitely not appreciated.

The crowd in the pub with us was substantially made up of heterosexual people each cuddling their partners and just watching the parade in silence, stealing a kiss from their partners from time to time. I’m not sure they were there entirely in support of the LGBT or just there at the right time and place. I know Eli and I were there for English Bay, where we spent a leisurely afternoon after the parade eased off the roads and into private parties.

It was a nice sunny and windy day out, great for sleeping on grass with nothing to worry about.

For Eli and myself, we did have quite a discussion about whether certain compromises and hybrids are possible in our near future, when God blesses us with children.

It is an intense and crucial topic that demands further discussion especially since we are crossing vast cultural differences and unchartered territory as far as our families go.

We cooled off the afternoon with a banana chocolate smoothie and blueberry pie from Starbucks where we cuddled some more and reminded each other that despite the differences, we love and adore each other, and want to stick together because we’re good together.

An afternoon nap on lush green grass beneath the shades of a large leafy tree an hour before evening mass was pure bliss.

p.s. Eli is such a sweetie by getting us a chocolate smoothie instead of a strawberry one which would have tasted better simply because “You (Carine) said you’d like a chocolate one”.