Something in Red

So while riding the high of finding out that his radio station, Merle 96.7 FM, had been nominated by the Academy of Country Music for TWO awards, Radio Personality of the Year (Jack Ryan) and Radio Station of the Year, something that no country music station had ever accomplished against WIVK (and WIVK was not nominated this year), my exuberant husband proclaimed on Facebook, "Go get you a dress!  We're going to Vegas!"  

For those of you who are unaware, the ACMs hold their annual Awards Show in Las Vegas.  We've been several times in the past, but this time, well, this time, it was for totally different reasons.  Our station had been nominated.  We'd be sitting on the floor with all the country music corporate big-wigs and country music artists and stars.  This time, it wasn't just for fun; it was for business (and pleasure) and for celebration of my husband's vision, his hard work, and his commitment to "dancing with the ones who brought you," Total Country, the new and the old.

Any old dress just wouldn't do.  Lorrie Morgan's song "Something in Red" kept playing through my head, though I really wanted something in blue.  I had no idea it would be as hard as it was to find "the dress" I was looking for. 

When I started out, I was grateful that it was prom season--a large selection to choose from, right?  Ha!  Apparently, long dresses and "mullet" style dresses are the trend now.  Finding a short dress, a "fun" strappy back, with sequins and beads, in blue, AND in my size, that was a tall order.  The sales ladies kept urging me to "just try it on," but the boutiques in town, for some unknown reason, carry dresses only in sizes that I probably wouldn't have been able to fit in pre-babies, much less post-babies, so "just try it on" was an exercise in futility.

So my search turned to the internet.  Normally, I love shopping on the internet, but with something like this, it was a real crap-shoot.  What if it didn't fit?  What if it didn't fit right?  We all know how something can look great on a model but look terrible on us real people.  But since I couldn't try anything on, I had to take the risk and order a dress. 

After endless pins, texts, and emails, I finally made a decision:

It felt great to have that decision settled...for three hours.  

A phone call from the company I ordered it from put my life into a tailspin.  The dress, my dress--in the size and color I needed, was back-ordered until May.  Stupid prom!

Back to the internet.

One week later, I decided on this dress:
 

And I waited on pins and needles for another week until I received an email confirmation that the dress shipped.  Then I agonized for another week until it came in.  It took me two days to work up enough courage to try it on.  

It fit.  Perfectly.  Relief!

That relief didn't last long, however, as I quickly realized things weren't over.  Fortunately, I had jewelry and a great pair of shoes I had picked up on the random a few years ago that would work perfectly.  But I still needed a strapless-backless bra, a purse, a mani/pedi, a hair "touch-up," and a SUN TAN!  In the past these things wouldn't have stressed me out much, but with work and the kids, time was limited.  

So how did I spend my Spring Break? Getting ready for the party!