This post is going to be a little different from what I normally do because it’s going to be about……………PROM!!!

Yes, I had the opportunity to go to a Homeschool prom at an actual ballroom last Friday.  It was absolutely amazing.  But this post would be very short if I left it at that, so, I’m going to tell you the full story.

                My prom story started last July, believe it or not.  And this part is going to be the most difficult part to tell, so let me just get it over with.  As you may or may not already know, I was in a relationship at the time.  A very short relationship, I might add, but still.  Anyway, the relationship basically started with him asking me to prom.  Not like those promposals you see on Instagram, but while we were standing in line for lemonade at the fair.  If I had been smarter back then, I probably would have recognized the fact that 1) it was the middle of July and prom wasn’t until March, and 2) that he just randomly asked me while I was in line to order lemonade.

                But no, I didn’t see the warning signs like I should have.  Although I did sort of know that the prom thing wouldn’t happen and that it would all pass.  As you can see, I was right, and by the time prom came around, I was dateless.

The dateless part doesn’t bother me at all.

                And neither does not going with that particular guy (I’ve met a lot of guys in my life span, but none quite as bad as this one.  There are a few other words I would use to describe him, but of course I won’t say them here).

                The part that bothered me is that once again, someone said they would do something and didn’t follow through with it.  I hate that.  I absolutely hate it when people do that.  So thus, on the eve of prom, there I was on the floor surrounded by tissues and shaking so hard I could barely breathe.  This is not an exaggeration at all.  I was on the floor crying, the night before one of the best days in my life (and I hope to god you’re reading this.  You know who you are.  These words won’t ever do justice to how let down I felt). 

                So if there are any guys reading this, or anyone for that matter, I have one thing to say to you: don’t say you’ll do something and then not follow through with it. Please.  Don’t let anyone down the way I was let down.  I’m the kind of person who expects you to do what you said you’d do.  If you say you’re going to buy me an ice cream cone, I expect you to buy me an ice cream cone.  If you say you’re never going to talk to me again, I don’t expect to hear from you.  It’s a simple concept.

                Anyway, back to the story.  So with all dark emotions back in their cage, let’s move on to a brighter side of the story.  I just thought that part was important, because those feelings played a huge part in how I felt about going to prom after that hurricane of a relationship ended.  And now I’m going to move on with the story just like I moved on from that part of my life.

                The dress.  I think that’s what I’ll talk about next (I’m trying to do this in order).  So for everyone asking, I got my dress online from Macy’s (which by the way, is one of my favorite stores ever).  I was a little sad that I didn’t really get to go “prom dress shopping”, but at the same time it was great that I literally ordered it and it came within a couple of days and I didn’t have to spend hours trying to find one in a store.  It was also really cheap as well (I think it ended up being around $40-$50 with coupons that we had).  It fit perfectly, and the only thing we had to do was take it up a bit (I’m very short, so even the smallest size was long on me).  But overall, I was really happy with it and it didn’t give me any problems on prom night.

One of the best parts of getting ready was getting to go get my hair done at a salon.  I’d never been to a salon to get my hair done before (it costs a good penny), but it turned out great and didn’t fall out at all during the whole evening!  The only bad part about it was taking out about a million bobby pins at one in the morning.  

So on the day of prom, I met the group I went with at my friend’s house to take some pictures.  Taking the pictures was not a lot of fun because there were so many parents trying to take pictures at the same time and it’s never any fun standing so close to people.  But we did end up getting some good shots like this one

And then we were on our way to prom.  Forty-five minutes later we arrived at the ballroom.  An actual ballroom.  This place was absolutely gorgeous, and just to give you an idea of how gorgeous it was, here’s a picture (which doesn’t even do it justice at all).  By the way, this isn’t a photo from prom, it’s just a picture I found on their Facebook page because I don’t have any good pictures of the whole room.

When we first got there, we had to register and find our name on a place card and then take our place cards to our reserved table.  I got to sit with some new and pretty awesome people at my table, so shout out to them!  Anyway, so after everyone got there, the people in charge went over a few guidelines and things like that.  Then we prayed and the waiters and waitresses brought out the salad.  It was a three course meal which included a very fabulous desert.

After dinner, I went to the restroom which was really disappointing because they decided to start playing the music, and sadly I missed the cupid shuffle.  When I got back “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas was playing and that’s how I knew it was going to be a good night (pun intended of course).  And after not even five minutes of dancing, one of the straps on my heels broke and so I couldn’t wear my shoes for the rest of the night (which turned out to be okay because most of the girls had their shoes off anyway).  It was great except for the painful blister I have on my toe that is still there a week later. 

                The music was fantastic (even though the majority of the songs I didn’t know), including the live Celtic music band that played some classical music such as the Grand March and the Virginia Reel.  For the most part, the steps to those dances were simple and were easy to catch on to and were very fun once everyone got the hang of it.  There was also a DJ that played some more familiar songs to dance to, and of course a few slow songs.  During those, I took the opportunity to give my feet a rest and take it all in.  I watched everyone dance, some with their dates and a few with their best friends (oh and I did dance with one of the guys in my group so that was cool).

                One of the greatest things about prom was the fact that everyone got along.  If there was someone there you didn’t like, that feeling of dislike was forgotten and you were friends for just those few hours.  It’s really hard to hate people when you’re at prom, and it was fun to meet people there that you didn’t know before.  Everyone was nice and everyone was happy.  

                Another thing about prom: you don’t realize how late it is and how tired you are until you leave.  I had trouble staying awake on the ride home and there was a lot less talking compared to the ride there.  Also, you realize it’s been hours since you ate and when you get home, you set out a bag of pretzels which will never be opened because you’re too tired to eat.

It’s no fairytale story, but to me prom was a magical night that could not have been more amazing.  There's no better words to describe it.  And hopefully next year I’ll have an even better story to tell. 

Thank you:

To my parents who bought my ticket

To my grandmother who bought my dress

To my other grandmother who paid for my hair to be perfect

To Joe and Carrie Dile for driving me to and from prom

And to the lovely people I had the pleasure of spending the evening with