All Academy Ball, Part One

For many, many years I have lamented that I never went to any of my high school dances. No Homecoming, no Prom, nothing, nada, zippo. I did attend a boyfriend's senior prom but he lived way far away in Chicago and I didn't know anyone besides him so it doesn't count as far as I'm concerned. 

To further add insult to injury, I worked in a flower shop which meant that I took orders for all the dances and then usually worked the day of the dance when EVERYONE would come pick up their flowers. I would go home alone and wonder about all the fun everybody was having. Oh, how I longed for a pretty dress, a handsome boyfriend and a beautiful bouquet of flowers on those nights!

I have reconciled those disappointments (although it might not appear to be the case) but on December 27th, it was like I got to have one of those magical evenings I had dreamt for so long ago. 

My husband and I attended our first All Academy Ball. Now that our son is a cadet at West Point, we have entered a new world full of exciting opportunities. After eating a scrumptious dinner, we burned the calories away with a night of dancing.  

It was a magical night that almost didn't happen because I didn't have anything to wear. I was going to make my dress but I am a VERY slow seamstress and my creative ideas don't easily translate into reality.  With only 24 hours left I had two choices 1. Find a dress 2. Go to the All Academy Military Ball in just a shirt and a pair of underpants. The second option freaked Nate out. It was agreed that I had to have a complete outfit in order to go to the ball and the clock was ticking...

First thing in the morning my hubby and I hit the mall for the day after Christmas sales. To my delight, I found many dresses in my size and my husband was the perfect shopping buddy. He kept bringing me dresses and I tried one after the other. It was a blast trying on long, flowing gowns and sexy, sassy dresses, many I wouldn't have picked for myself. 

After parading around the store in a variety of dresses, I found a long, black skirt. A few days prior I had purchased a sassy, black, frilly blouse and was overjoyed when the skirt and shirt matched even though they were bought at different stores. I hit the jackpot!

 

I found a cool pair of shoes on sale and then even had a sales clerk who helped me buy some matching, on sale jewelry. By the time we left the mall, I felt like I just might have fun on this special night. Mark and I had prayed on the way to the mall for the Lord to guide my steps as I went to the store on a day commonly known as being notoriously crazy. 

When I got home, I tried on my outfit. While prancing, I felt something on the bottom of my skirt. I turned around and you know those big plastic things they put on clothes to make sure you don't steal them??? Well, they forgot to take it off! This meant a return trip to the mall later that day which resulted in me getting another $20 off. 

Next I'll tell you about the All Academy Ball...I shall name that post Extreme Makeover, hmmm