The Kiss

Easter is my favorite holiday. I love the thrill of celebrating Jesus coming back to life! What better celebration than knowing that death has been defied! If you don't know the story of Easter, I'd suggest reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. If you have read it, read it again. It's good stuff.

Oh Easter! I am not a winter person. Easter marks spring in my book and just another reason to celebrate!

And what's a celebration without a little food? Easter brings the arrival of jelly beans and Peeps. Oh, how I love Peeps. I love biting into their chewy, gritty little bodies. They're even better when left out to dry for a few days. Oh soooo good.

Not only are Peeps delicious, they are art. I love the Peeps Show from the Washington Post. Peeps take on a whole new role, from political statements to entertainment. I have always dreamed of entering, but just never had the courage.

This year when I stumbled upon the the AAFES Exchange Patriot Peeps Contest contest, I knew this was my answer. I had a chance at winning if I came up with the right theme - the rules stated that it must be a patriotic scene that evokes emotion.

First things first - I needed a good team. I enlisted The Man and my mom and we started brainstorming. The Man suggested The Kiss in Times Square on V-J Day (interestingly enough, it's actually called Duffy Square after Chaplin Francis P. Duffy and the 69th Infantry Regiment. Another ode to American Military History. Okay, I'm a nerd.).

Back to the story...

We had a theme and we began researching and studying the kiss. I was busy formulating a plan to build the diorama when The Man had a change in plans and was on his way to Utah for work for a few weeks.

One third of my team - gone!

Oh well. I had probably gotten all that I was going to get out of him anyway. I soldiered on.

I headed to my parents house to work (their dining room table was the perfect workspace, my dog is (sort of) welcome and The Boy could hang with Grandpa). My mom had a box picked out and we started in.

You wouldn't believe how sticky Peeps are when a little of their sparkle goes missing. We had Peeps glitter and Peeps body parts all over the place! At one point, my parents' dog, Molly, had a Peeps body part stuck to her leg that Odin licked off.

I never claimed Peeps diorama building was pretty.

Odin and Molly hanging out.

After hours of work and about one million pictures, here are the final results!

Overview of the scene.

I like this shot because you can see most of the details, from the flag flying high,
to the BX/PX and Peeps advertisements on the central building,
to the onlookers with their detailed outfits!

This is the modern day shot that I turned black and white for authenticity.

V-J Day in Times Square

A white-clad peep is surprised as an uninhibited sailor peep plants his lips squarely on hers.
Passersby, including a friendly sailor, two chatting chicks, a business man and nurse,
stare at the celebratory kiss while iconic advertisements add to the celebration of
Victory over Japan in New York’s Times Square.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot...we won!

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