Saturday, June 28, 2014

Buy The Dress

I found the perfect mother of the groom dress at 75% off.

Wait, what? Wasn't the previous blog post about the oldest just graduating from high school?

Yes. I'm a planner. Plus, 75% off.

I queried my Facebook friends, who were nearly unanimous in their delight to spend my money. Get the dress, they urged. Some even argued I would find "many uses" for it. For a full-length, sequined gown? Perhaps they confused my stay-at-home mom life with, I don't even know whose life, maybe Vanna White's?

I bought the dress. Alas and alack, it doesn't work. "Mist" is not my best color.

Oh, well.

I don't know if I would have used it for a mother of the groom dress anyway. However, the experience reminded me of another dress I bought for "no reason" half a lifetime ago.

During a summer while I was in college, for no particular reason, on a day like any other, I went into a dress shop in my hometown. I had never been in that shop before and I don't recall ever shopping in it after that.

On that no particular day for no particular reason and for no particular occasion, I found a great dress. Black velvet, two piece. The peplum top had an elaborate sequin pattern and the skirt was the perfect length. The dress was $99. Back in 1987 or 1988 that was a lot of money for a dress, especially to a college kid whose cash came from waiting tables at Ponderosa.

I loved that dress. I dragged my mom to look at the dress. Mom is a frugal lady who hates to shop, and I was under no illusion that she would perceive need or reason for the dress. I just wanted her to see it. Mom liked the dress too. I thought and I thought and I thought.

And darn it, I bought that $99 perfect dress. I don't know why. I needed to. I didn't wear it--where does one even wear a velvet, sequined dress--but I was glad to own it. I moved it with me down to North Carolina after I graduated from college.

During a winter years later while I was in graduate school, for every reason, on a day unlike any other, I was wearing that dress when I told a certain (dare I say wonderful?) young man who asked me to marry him, "Yes." Tomorrow we celebrate 23 years of marriage. Life is short. Buy the dress.












9 comments:

  1. So not the point of the post, but Mr. Wonderful was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma as in the frat from the movie Skulls? This does not compute...

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  2. Heather, not just part of a fraternity. Mr. Wonderful was Little Sister Chairman of Phi Kappa Sigma! I am telling you, the man has a past. Lucky for him, I caught him at the tail end of that part of his life, when he was getting ready to go "inactive" with the fraternity. Had we met a nanosecond earlier, we probably would not have been interested in the other. I would have been WAY too studious/serious for him and well, little sister chairman? Are you serious? What the heck is a "little sister"?

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  3. I need time to process... Just added Skulls to my Amazon watch list...

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  4. LOL...oh, the man has stories. Many, many stories. I am convinced it is only God's grace and the prayers of his parents that got him through college alive.

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  5. wonderful story, which I now remember. beautifully told. Sometimes we can't afford the dress...but the point to live life as fully as we can with promise and hope is perfect.

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  6. This is awesome! ... and don't forget to buy the necklace... and the scarf. ;)

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  7. Hi Holly! I'm Heather and I was just wondering if you would be able to answer my quick question I have about your blog! If you could email me at Lifesabanquet1(at)gmail(dot)com I would greatly appreciate it!

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  8. Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.

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