WINK News meteorologist lives out her dream at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

It’s like a game of Where’s Waldo, but this time, all our eyes here at WINK were looking for a certain little leaf.

“I had a whole costume from head to toe and acorn hat, a leaf outfit, a bodysuit underneath,” said Lauren Kreidler, WINK News meteorologist.

Kreidler is proof that dreams really do come true. Born on Thanksgiving, being a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade has been a longtime goal of hers.

• READ MORE: Meteorologist’s dream of joining Thanksgiving parade comes true

“I kept wanting to pinch myself and being like, ‘Wait, is this actually happening right now?’ Like, just even looking around and seeing the Radio City Music Hall and all these things you’re passing by and all the streets,” Kreidler said.

She waived out to a sea of millions.

“You would just look up, and people were just looking down from these buildings. Like, as high as you can see, as high as your neck would go,” she said.

She rubbed elbows with some pretty familiar faces.

“Jimmy Fallon was just like, ‘Hey!’ And I was like, ‘Ah!’ That was weird!” Kreidler said.

Kreidler always thought it would be cool to not only see the parade but be in the parade. However, year after year, she tried with no luck.

“Reaching out to people wasn’t as easy as I expected, so I was able to finally work my way after many years of trying to get into this parade,” Kreidler said.

And now that it’s done, the burning question is: Was it all it’s cracked up to be?

“Oh, yeah, yeah, it was better than I anticipated, which is crazy because I feel like I set the bar really high,” she said.

Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was rainy.

“We got soaked. Like, my hair is still wet, very, very wet,” Kreidler said.

But like the saying goes…

“‘Don’t rain on my parade’ came true today because it was pouring rain, but it didn’t matter. That was the best part: it really did not matter,” she said.