2012 Memory Lane

I got the idea to do this survey from one of the blogs I follow, OK Dani.  I mainly blog about my kiddo lately, but I thought it would be nice to blog about something else for a change. 

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Gave birth to my beautiful baby boy.  Completed year 1 of 2 of my fellowship.  Function surprisingly well despite chronic sleep deprivation.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions.  I have short and long term goals that I make throughout the year.  I actually purposefully avoiding making new year's resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I had my first baby.  My uncle and his wife had a baby girl.  My aunt in Jamaica had a baby boy.  My male cousin in Jamaica had a baby girl.  A few of my co-workers and hubby's co-workers had babies.  A few of my blogging buds had babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Unfortunately, yes.  My maternal grandma died on Thanksgiving day (unexpected in Jamaica).  My husband's paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather died.  One of our friends (early 30s, had a baby this year) died a few months ago.  It's been a challenging year when it came to losing family and friends.

5. Did you visit anywhere exciting? We rented a cabin over the summer for a few days with our little baby.  My mother was with us so she kept the baby while we hiked and went white water rafting.  We also hung out in the mountains of Highlands, NC for a few days too (later in the year).  We visited family in Florida for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's always great seeing family.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? MORE SLEEP.  Balancing my life better.  More alone time with my husband. A real vacation (maybe with hubby alone--still trying to decide about that one).  Better diet.  An exercise routine.  I guess I want a lot, huh?

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 4--the date my little boy was born.  He came 8 days early but I was so happy to see my healthy bundle of joy (and energy).

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Having my son!

9. What was your biggest mistake? Giving in to mommy guilt.  Not realizing earlier that many things in life (especially challenges) are seasonal.

 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No but I had a medical scare.  After my 6 week postpartum check up I was told I had cervical dysplasia (precancerous cells on pap smear).  A repeat was done a few months later which was completely normal.  Apparently, it's not completely uncommon for abnormal cells to show up on pap smear postpartum due to scar tissue from delivery.  When I first heard the news all I could think of was my baby being without his mommy (I know, I'm a bit dramatic).   Anyway, I'm very thankful it was nothing.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Besides the Baby Bjorn baby carrier that I toted my little one in for months, I would say the I-pad I bought for my grandma.  She can Facetime us, take pics, receive pics listen to her favorite radio stations and other music, play games, make videos.  She was very happy to receive it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My baby boy and my baby daddy.  LOL.  My son is so awesome.  He's a joy.  He's sweet and smiley, cuddly and wiggly, giggly and a ball of energy.  I just love watching him achieve his milestones and explore his environment.  It amazes me that he behaves so well, especially in public.  I love that kid.  My husband has also been awesome.  I feel very blessed.  He's a great husband and a wonderful father.  I couldn't ask for more.

 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A few news events were appalling. No one in my personal life.

14. Where did most of your money go in 2011? TAXES and educational debt.  Kidding.  Well, not really.  We bought a lot of baby stuff too.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? MY BABY and being the best mom I could be.  I was so excited about expanding our family and meeting the new addition.  I must say that all the excitement was not in vain.  He was so worth waiting for.  He's just lovely.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? I unfortunately don't have one.  I was thinking really hard but couldn't come up with anything.

17. Compared to this time last year, you are: More comfortable because I'm not big and pregnant.  No longer nauseated because I'm not pregnant.  Not experiencing indigestion because I'm not pregnant.  More sleep deprived despite not being pregnant (thanks to my rugrat).  Still disorganized (pregnancy brain has turned into mommy brain).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Sleep.  Spend time with my extended family.  Exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying about everything (man, being a new mom makes an already neurotic person really crazy).

20. How did you spend Christmas? With my extended family in Orlando.  It was great celebrating baby K's first Christmas.  I am so thankful for all that I've been blessed with.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? YES, with my baby boy.  It was instant.  I'm still in love.  I love looking in those big brown eyes of his :)

22. What was your favorite TV program? I don't usually watch TV but this year after we put baby K to bed, we've been watching Law and Order SVU and NCIS (old and new).  We hardly let the little guy watch TV but the few times it's on, it's on Nick Jr.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope!

24. What was the best book you read? Sadly, I don't usually read for leisure.  In the past the answer would be some school related book.  This time it's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD.

 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? XM radio.

26. What did you want and get? A healthy little boy.  I also got joy and peace.  A new SUV.

27. What did you want and not get? Nothing really, I'm pretty content.  It feels good to be content.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 30, I can't remember.  My baby was 2 months old.  I was sleep deprived.

29. What’s one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I wouldn't change a thing, not even my losses and challenges.  Actually, that's not true.  It would have been better if I worried less.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? The year started out with me being big and pregnant in my third trimester.  My go-to outfit were dresses (which looked like shirts on my pregnant body), tights and boots.  Immediately post pregnancy I was able to fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans but I wore bigger, baggier shirts.  The year ended with me wearing more dresses and skirts, colorful skinny pants, and more fitted shirts.

31. What kept you sane? Prayer and my faith.  My husband.  My family and their prayers.  Having a reliable loving caregiver for my child.  Having a flexible and understanding boss.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None really.

33. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm not very political.  And if I was, I probably wouldn't comment about my opinion on this blog or any other public forum.

34. Who do you miss the most? My mother.  I wish she lived in the US but I know she loves living in Jamaica.

35. Who was the best new person you met? My son, obviously.  My life will never be the same, which is good.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012? I have to do what's best for my family (which sometimes mean disappointing nonfamily members, seeming rude, reminding others of how valuable my time is, being less OCD, being more chill)

37. What are your new years resolutions for 2013? I don't make new year's resolutions but I do make short and long term goals throughout the year.

Mrs. K

Partnering Up for Valentine's Day

So I'm NOT the biggest fan of Valentine's Day.  I've never been and this is nothing new to those who know me.  I don't really have any particular reason.  It's just something that my husband and I (even when we were boyfriend/girlfriend) never made a big deal out of.  Well, actually that's a lie--I take that back.  I think that in our first year of dating (while we were in college), I made him a heart-shaped pillow.  I even hand sewed it and stuffed it with cotton.  That took  a lot of dedication and hardwork. LOL.

Anyway, although I'm not a big celebrator of Valentine's Day I know that some of my readers/followers may be.  With that being said I wanted to draw your attention to my friend's coffee company.  Remember this post about the company a while back?  

Well BeanFruit Coffee Company has partnered up with the Peru Paper for Valentine's Day.  There is a deal where you can send that special someone a bag of organic Peruvian coffee and a handmade greeting card made in Peru.  

Guess who took this picture with her handy dandy digital SLR?

Briefly, BeanFruit Coffee Company purchases coffee beans from different farms located in countries such as Ethiopia, Peru, Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.   One of the many passions of the owner of the company is coffee, so he started his own company.  It's amazing how much this guy and his wife knows about coffee.  Anyway, besides being great neighbors they are good people in general.  A portion of the money they make support a local charity and an international one.  

The Peru Paper Company is also awesome.  The owner is local.  The handmade greeting cards are made by women living in Peru (from recycled materials).  This company allows some of Peruvian women to be able to work from home and still be able to help provide for their families.  I am doing it no justice trying to explain--just check it out for yourself.  By the way, interestingly some of the award shows such as the Emmys has used cards from the Peru Paper company.  Isn't that neat?  Some famous people who has her handmade cards include: Sandra Bullock, Tracy Morgan, Natalie Portman, Morgan Freeman.

These two companies are very impressive.  What a great Valentine's Day gift.  Not only are you giving something unique, beautiful, and useful to your significant other.  Your gift to that special someone is also blessing others miles away.  Although hubby and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day or drink coffee I plan to purchase a package for support.  Also although we don't drink coffee I'm thinking about using it to make a coffee dessert. Mmmm....

Please visit both sites to get more information.  Here is a direct link to the special package.  Enjoy your Valentine's Day!...but TRY to be sweet to your spouse everyday. LOL ;-)

Mrs. K

Hooray for great husbands who give awesome Christmas gifts

Dear Canon Rebel T2i,

I look forward to all our future adventures.  Oh, the places we'll go!

Picture Credit

Mrs. K

Merry Christmas from the K Family

We wish you a Merry Christmas 

from our family to yours 

We were so frustrated with the dogs we almost made this our Christmas card photo but...

The dogs cooperated and we got one or two good photos.

Don't forget the "reason for the season." Be blessed!

Mrs. K

Parties make this time of year so much more enjoyable

So far I've gone to 3 Christmas parties.  Woohoo!  Last year we went to 4 (and I think that's the record...so far).  These are not including family gatherings.  I enjoy going to these parties.  Here are some things I like about them:

1) Getting dressed up fancy.  On a daily basis I wear what I call "work clothes" which is usually isn't anything fun or fancy.  When I'm not in "work clothes" I'm either in "house clothes," "workout clothes," "night clothes," or "going out clothes."  I know these labels may seem strange to you.  Don't worry you are not alone, my husband finds them strange too and he laughs at me whenever I say anyone of them.  Anyway, these parties give me an opportunity to parade around in a nice dress, heels and fancy (but inexpensive) jewelry and not look too crazy.

2) Putting on make up (ie. mascara and lipstick).  I wear lip gloss all the time but not lipstick.  I feel the make up completes the outfit although it is kept at a minimum.

3) Seeing my husband dressed up.  I've mentioned before that my honey is a basketball shorts wearing down-to-earth kind of guy.  Although I think he looks great everyday, whenever he dresses up in a suit he looks amazing.

4) Socializing.  Yes, I am social butterfly.  Well in a way I am.  You see at my husband's work functions, I wont initiate a conversation with someone I don't know.  But if they come up to me and start talking--it's on.  Although if it's someone I know, I have no problem going up to them first. I also like meeting the people that my husband comes home and talk to me about from work.

5) Watching co-workers/professionals get tipsy and start talking/behaving without inhibitions.  Yes, it's pretty fun watching this, especially when they start dancing.  It's a sight to see.  From a sober person's point of view it's hilarious!

6) Eating the food.  I am not ashamed to say it.  I look forward to the food and I love the diversity of food offered.  Except for the party for my department, the food at the other 2 parties were awesome.  

7) The smiles and the laughter.  I like seeing people from all walks of life fellowshipping and having a great time.

8) Cutting a rug on the dance floor.  My husband doesn't like to dance as much as I do although he is a good dancer but he has learned over the years to just go with it.  He usually is prepared to be on the dance floor with me most of the night.  I love it all from the "soul train line" to the "cupid shuffle."  I also like to watch others try to dance.

Anyway, these are just a few things that I like about parties that make this time of year more fun.  Hear are some pictures of my husband and I at his department's Christmas party this past weekend.  We both had a great time but had to go home a little earlier than normal because he had to work the next day.

I wanted to show the coat I wore over the dress.  It was a cold night.

Ok, I know I look like a "mad 'oman" (Jamaican patois for crazy woman) but I posted this picture for 2 reasons: 1) I wanted to show the pin (see my bootleg arrow) not seen in previous pics. 2) To make you laugh since I'm a goofball--hubby and I were being silly when we took this picture.  I hope the big eyeballs didn't scare you too much. LOL!

By the way thanks for all the thoughtful comments left on my last post.  I appreciate them all.  Also, I will be posting my 2010 Christmas card in a few days--I'm too lazy to do it right now.  I'll also post about my "Insanity workout" videos progress so far some time soon.

Mrs. K

Family Photos

Yesterday we took our family photos for our Christmas cards and they came out well.  Last year this is what the process looked like (note the progression): 

K family 2009 Christmas Series: 

Took a picture of Sampson just for fun because he was looking so spiffy in his Christmas bow-tie (that I made).  Sampson was probably thinking: "Boy this is going to be a long night."  And he was so right.

Take 1: Trying to get situated in front of the fireplace.  Ok, maybe it's tough because it's the first take (at least that's what we were hoping)

 

Take 2: Maybe grabbing Gideon's (our not so smart Great Dane) back leg will help.  Aside: Please excuse Gideon's unneutered male parts.  He was still too young to get it done at the time.  He's neutered now.

Take 3: Ok so now Gideon decides to not run away but faces away from the camera trying to nibble on Sampson.  Sampson obviously is not enjoying the attention and is trying to hide.

Take 4: Fine!  Gid doesn't have to be in the family picture, we don't care. Ok, I'm kidding yes we do.

Take 5: Sampson and I showing our mad face.  My hubby being his usual patient self.  We were all thinking: "Gideon get your butt over here, I can't stand all this sweating anymore."

Take 6: Wow, can we catch a break please.  Really? Tongue sticking out? By this time hubby and I have fixed fake smiles just in case we capture a good picture.  By the way, where's Sampson.

Take 1 million: Ok we are getting closer.  Gideon's now cooperating but his ear is all funky looking inverted.

Take 1 million and 1: Almost there...

Take 1 million and 2: Yay! We did it.  All of us thinking: let's not do this again next year.

This is the picture we used for a Christmas cards last year.

This year it took less time (even with a new addition to the family--Eliza).  Our neighbor, Paul, owner of Bean Fruit Coffee Company helped us out.  He was so patient throughout the whole process but I think he had a good time taking the photos.  It may have been my husband and I bickering or the cat digging into my husband's leg while he was trying not to scream like a girl or each of the red balls (ornament) falling off the dogs' neck because they were romping or the disgusted look in our eyes at the dogs for not cooperating. lol. 

Whatever it was, our neighbor had a good laugh while the hubby and I were sweating bullets trying to get the whole thing figured out.   I don't know why we do this to ourselves.  It's like we are gluttons for torture.   We both agreed that we can't wait to have kids so that they can be in the family picture.  We may just put individual pet photos on there when we have a kiddo.  

Anyway, I will post the 2010 photos in a few days. If you plan to take family photos this year hopefully your session was less eventful.

Mrs. K

Holiday events so far...

Disclaimer: I have no personal pics of any of these events because my camera is acting up.  The shutter won't open.  I had plans to take lots of them but I guess not.

As you may remember from my previous post, last night I went to a Christmas party for my work.   It was so much fun.  I'll recap a little.  So unfortunately my hubby was sick (cold symptoms) but he tried to be a good trooper and came with me anyway (despite given a free pass to not go).  

On top of being sick he was also scheduled to work the next day.  After being there for a few minutes he looked miserable and not his usual upbeat, social self.  We discussed him going home and me getting a ride home with one of my colleagues so he left after half an hour.  I felt a little bad but he was totally ok with it.  Besides I love social events like these and I had been looking forward to the party for quite some time.  A friend visiting from out of town also went to the party with me.  She was in town interviewing for job.

The party was filled with laughter and lots of dancing.  The food was pretty bad though but we expected it because that's been the trend for the last few years.  They need a better caterer but that's besides the point.  Anyway, I danced so much that I was drenched in sweat (I know it's gross but I had so much fun).  It was also nice to see some of my bosses get loose.  I wore a black fitted (tight) dress that went below the knees.  Sorry there's no picture and I'm bad at describing things so I won't even try.

Dress I wore to the Christmas party last year

Tonight I saw the Nutcracker Ballet.  I went with a girlfriend.  Once again I have no personal  pictures.  Anyway, it was very entertaining.  Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open so this is all for now.

Picture credit

Mrs. K

Post Thanksgiving Update

I know I've been MIA for some time now.  I'm still trying to recover from the turkey coma.  Here's a recap.

1) Thanksgiving with the in-laws turned out great as I anticipated.  The food was yummy.  I didn't overeat (too much).  It was different from Thanksgiving with my family but that was alright.  The dogs did good on the 6 hours drive there and back.  On Thanksgiving day they kept breaking out of the crate to join the festivities.  It was so much fun hanging out with my husband's family.  They are hilarious.  I spent a lot of time with his adorable nieces and nephews too.  Kids are so adorable pre-teen.  One of his nephews (who is 5--almost 6) asked me if we had any children yet.  I busted out laughing and asked my husband and his mom if they told him to ask me that.  They didn't.

Some of the food served

2) There was no Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping for me.  I did get a few things but I didn't camp out hours before.  I strolled in the stores around noon when most people were finishing up with their shopping. I don't think I'll ever do the Black Friday thing.  I love sleeping and I'm also freaked out by the thought of being trampled by some eager shoppers.  One of my purchases that I'm happy about was the dress that I got for the Christmas party at my husband's work.  It's so cute.  I'm sure I'll share it on a future post.

3) I have not done any P90X or other workout since the day before Thanksgiving.  Although my goal is to workout most days out of the week I didn't feel too bad.  My Insanity workout video came in the mail and I plan to start it Monday.  I know it will kick my booty so I don't mind slacking for a few days.  Once I start I plan to stay committed to it.  I'm excited about it but also nervous.

4) I finally sewed a few things.  My husband's genius sister (who is pregnant with twins by the way) figured out how to use my ancient sewing machine.  She taught me a lot.  I finally was able to sew without jamming the machine.  I made a cell phone cover (which I probably won't use) and a tiny pillow. Yay!  I feel so accomplished. 

5) I almost forgot.  My honey and I went to the UF vs FSU football game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We lost miserably.  It was so disappointing.  This was a huge rivalry and our first loss (to FSU) in six years.  Our entire season has been crappy so it wasn't such a hard blow.  It would have been worse if we had a good season then lost to them.

Anyway, that's it for now.  I have a Christmas party to go to for my work today.  Should be fun.  Will let you know more about it after.  I love getting dressed up and going to social events!

Mrs. K

Random Updates

This is a post to update you all on what's been going on over the past few weeks.  My previous posts have not really said much about what I've been doing.  So here we go.

1) I cooked three times last week (that is one time less than the previous week) but that was planned.  We had a few dinner invitations that we could not pass up so we had to kick cooking to the curb for a few days.  Besides we knew about the dinners ahead of time so that doesn't count.

2) I've been eating more healthy.  I already eat fairly healthy (ok, sometimes I do) but there's always room for improvement.  I have to eat breakfast daily.  On days when I'm not eating breakfast with my husband (which is at least 5 days per week) I have oatmeal.  Yum!  I'm actually one of the rare kind that actually like oatmeal (you know the one without all the sugar and stuff already mixed in). 

So that I get at least a few servings of fruits per day, I mix fruits in my oatmeal.  You name it, I put it in there.  My favorites are grapes, strawberries, peach.  This is sometimes together but other times individually.  I wish I liked bananas because I think they would go well with oatmeal.  On some days I try to eat a fruit with lunch too.  

Speaking about lunch, I usually bring lunch to work with me.  I try to do it daily but on rare days I get lazy or have a planned lunch date.  I've never been a big veggie fan but I've been having veggies with dinner.  Hubby is also not a big vegetable fan (God help our kids) but we are slowly introducing new veggies in our diet.  It's been going great so far.

3) My husband's older brother spent a few days with us.  He drove cross country from Wyoming (out of his way) to visit us then drove to FL to join his parents early for Thanksgiving.  It was so much fun having him here.  He and my husband are both really goofy.  Of course they pulled me into it and we all had a great time.  By the way, my husband's brother is single and is looking for a future wife so if you know of any eligible bachelorettes let me know.  I'm half joking.  He is a great guy and he is hot {hi honey, he is not as hot as you but he does have an awesome body}. Ha!

4) As we are talking about awesome bodies, I've been working out more.  Ok, so I'm no where close to having an awesome body but I'm trying.  If you remember I'm trying to stay in shape so that I can get pregnant then become out of shape again.  Kidding.  Really though, I've been exercising regularly now for the past few weeks.  Last week I did 5 days of P90X workout videos.  Those were serious but I felt so good after then I started hurting about 2 days after each workout (but it's the good kind of hurt).

5) The P90X videos are not so bad actually.  I know, I can't believe I just said that either.  Ok they are tough.  The Ab Ripper X is the worse.  Anyway, since I'm feeling so healthy and athletic, I've decided to give the Insanity workout videos a try.  I like a challenge.  They are extremely expensive but I've convinced my hubby to get them for me as an early Christmas present. Yay!  I'll let you know how it goes.  I've got a feeling I wont still be cheering after I've done the Insanity workouts.  I'm surprised that I'm liking home workouts so much.  It's actually a lot easier for me to roll out of bed and go downstairs to work out than go outside.

6) Thanksgiving will be spent at my husband's family's house.  Christmas will be with my family.  Thanksgiving will be in north Florida and should be tons of fun.  We plan to drive down on Wednesday night.  The hubby may drop me off at his parents home then go to the "family house" where he will spend the night with some male relatives.  They will likely get up early Thursday morning to go hunting.  I'll drive to the "family house" with his mom and help get food ready. 

I don't have to cook anything but I think I want to make a dessert.  We'll see.  They'll have tons of games and other activities to do.  It will be very different from Thanksgiving with my family.  There will be no curry goat (this is what I will miss the most).  But I will have a good time regardless.  I plan to try everything but I will NOT overeat.  The feeling is just too uncomfortable.  By the way, our dog children will be taking the 6 hour trip with us. Yikes!

Hubby and I with my grandma from a past Thanksgiving

7) Lastly, not much progress with sewing.  My sweet neighbor has brought me over some books to help but they are way too advanced for me.  She is retired and has offered to donate some time to help me.  I plan to take her up on that offer after the holidays.  Also I plan to take my sewing machine with me when visiting my hubby's family for Thanksgiving so that his sister can teach me a thing or two.

Anyway, that's my little update.  I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

Mrs. K

Halloween 2010

Remember that Halloween party I mentioned about in a previous post.  Well I had a blast.  Almost everyone wore a costume.  One of my fellow co-workers had it at her beautiful home.  I called her the Pakistani Martha Stewart.  She decorated so well and the food she cooked was awesome. It was potluck so everyone brought food but I must confess that the host's food was by far the best.  It was even better than my food.

I made fried sweet plantains.  I made two types: salty and cinnamon sugary.  They were OK.  The best was the meatball biryani, no the lamb kabab, no the thai chicken.  I can't decide.  My co-workers and I are a diverse group and I loved tasting everyone's food.  The punch was great too and was accessorized with gummy worms.  Yum!

Halloween 2010

So for the costume.  I told you guys before that I did not want to spend too much money on a costume so I pieced a bunch of stuff together.  I came up with the idea that my husband and I should switch roles.  My husband was dressed as a Jamaican Rasta (with dreads and all and a fake blunt made out of a brown lunch paper bag).  I was dressed as a Redneck.  I guess we were dressed as the exaggerated/stereotypic version of each other.

I had a mullet wig, plaid shirt, billy bob teeth and some extra padding (I wrapped some bed sheets around my entire abdomen so I could look like I had some belly fat).   With all this garb, my colleagues did not recognize me. 

My outfit was definitely not attractive (actually it was hideous) but it was funny and cheap.  It was definitely unique compared to the other costumes that were witches, devils, hippies, etc.  What was confusing to me and others is whether I was a man or a  woman.  I just told them that I was confused.  So much for a sexy Halloween costume-- maybe next year!

One holiday down, two to go!

Mrs. K

Halloween: past, present and future

Picture Credit

Ok, so I'm 28 years old (almost 29) and I've never dressed up for Halloween.   This is somewhat of a big deal for me because this is the last year without kids that I will be able to dress up.  Meaning--no sexy Halloween costumes after this year.  Ok, I'm kidding.  I'm not sure why it was relevant for me to mention anything about children in this post.  I guess they have been on my mind more lately.


Anyway, Halloween is one of the first holidays of this season and everyone is talking about costumes, etc and I can't help but get excited.  At my job, my department is having an after-hours Halloween party where all attendants must wear a Halloween costume.  I have contemplated not going but I love parties and other social events so that's not an option.  I've also thought about being oppositional and just not wearing a costume (you know, show up as myself).  Then, I thought about what a great opportunity it would be for me to get dressed up "for real this time."


I say for real this time because I have a story to share.  Of course, it's embarrassing.  I seem to have a habit of sharing my embarrassing stories and confessions with you.  I guess I like torture.  So here it goes.

Each year there was a Halloween dance for 8th graders when I was in middle school.  That is if you had a costume.  So if you were wearing a costume you could skip classes all day (legally), go around to other classes to talk about your costume, and then go to the dance later.  All this was during school hours.  Of course I did not want to miss out.  There was one problem--my family!  We had never dressed up before and since they thought Halloween was "an evil"  holiday it made no sense to even ask about getting a costume for school.

So this is what I did.  I went to school on the day of the dance dressed in regular clothing but brought "my costume" in my book bag.  When I say costume, I mean a dress that I wore to a family friend's wedding 2 years before.  LOL.  I actually can't stop laughing as I'm writing this. 

When I got to school I changed into the dress.  It was a peach above-the-knee length dress with lots of frills.  I also put on my white shoes and white stockings.  I know, I can't even remember what I was thinking.  As crazy as this sounds, it got me into all the festivities which was exactly what I wanted.  I can't remember if I was embarrassed or not.  I do remember feeling a bit weird when we went around to the other classes and I had to tell what my costume was.  

The only thing I could think of was Cinderella (although I totally was not dressed like her--pre or post fairy godmother).  Now that I think about it, I should have said Tinkerbell especially given the length of my dress.  Anyway, I was the black Cinderella in a short dress for that day.  And the dance was a lot of fun--I don't regret it one bit!

I was reminded of this story as I contemplate whether to wear a costume or not.  I will let you know what I decide about that party and my real costume.  I'm sort of cheap (when it comes to certain things--especially one-use stuff) so I'm sure I won't buy anything.  Those sewing skills could really come in handy right now.  Too bad I don't have any yet :)


Mrs. K