I’m Going to My Class Reunion. That Means I Got to Shop!

FireDad and I are leaving camp this afternoon in order to attend my class reunion. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. As the lady was cutting my hair on Tuesday brought to my mind in our discussion, it seems like a blink of an eye but when I stop to think of everything that has happened since I graduated high school, it’s mind boggling. College. The Munchkin. FireDad. Working at the news station. The wedding. Being pregnant with BigBrother. Falling in love with motherhood. Deciding to work from home. The miscarriage. The pregnancy with LittleBrother. Being published. Learning to parent two. FireDad becoming famous for his fifteen minutes. And life continues to evolve. Of course, that short list doesn’t even cover the half of it.

Let’s get nostalgic for a moment before I show you what I’m wearing to the “cocktail attire” event. (Perhaps it will inspire all you BlogHer goers!) And by nostalgic, I mean with pictures, of course! In preparation for the event, classmates have been scanning pictures from years gone by. I’ll share… very few here. Just one, taken one year, one month and seven days ago.

Now that we’ve had the trip down memory lane, let’s take a look at now. When the invitation came and read “cocktail attire,” my first thought was, “What am I going to WEAR?!” I mean, isn’t that every female’s thought when it comes to a class reunion? I have more hips than I did my junior year thanks to my lovely children. So, slinky and clingy was out. Plus, it’s July. (It’s randomly cold this year so long would have been okay in the end but, well, who would have thought that?) I searched for months and months before finding the dress and the best kept secret on the Internetz this side of etsy. (Though etsy comes into play later.)

I found BHFO Outlet on ebay by a complete fluke of internet clicking. I immediately fell in love with their easy to search format (by size, by color, by whatever you so desire). I originally searched for green but began to branch out. I bid on two other dresses before winning this (New With Tags/NWT) Maggy London dress. (That’s right. Maggy London. Dresses I had coveted elsewhere as they are very flattering to my figure but way out of my price range.) This little number came to live with me… shipping included… for under $40.00! I’m serious. The shipping for the dresses is $8.99 which is a little ridiculous but I kept that in mind with my bidding. I desperately wanted this dress and when I won, I about jumped for joy. It’s just below my knee, lined, chiffon-y, satin around the collar, nice waist, cute cleavage detail, satin buttons at the neck on the back which has the same (back?) cleavage detail and… perfect.

See?

(Oh no! It shows one of my tattoos! My grandmother will be displeased.)

Speaking of my grandmother, I called her immediately after I won and said, “Grandma! I got a dress for the reunion! But I can’t wear a necklace. Help!” We discussed things and colors and jewelry type things. We decided on silver shoes, silver bracelets and silver earrings. But I didn’t have silver earrings that I wasn’t bored with… so I turned to etsy. I found the perfect pair at SimplyShell. Silver plus some added beads that match the color of the dress perfectly. See?

And I had shoes from my friend’s wedding (when I was horrifically pregnant with BigBrother…).

I haven’t decided whether or not I’m wearing my glasses yet. I hate contacts anymore. I did buy some new eyeshadow. And the pictures are featuring my slightly shorter haircut, now with no gray! (To be fair, I’ve had gray since I graduated at eighteen years of age. It’s no surprise that I dye my hair to cover said gray. I just hadn’t done so in quite some time.) Really, with this dress, I feel fabulous. See?

(Can I have some bonus points for a clean house?)

To be honest, I don’t know what FireDad is wearing just yet. He has suggested a Speedo, socks and sandals. I think we’ll figure it out before we get there. Or, I hope we will.

There aren’t a lot of us attending the event, causing those in charge to have to move it to a new location. I’m super impressed with how the two ladies in charge pulled everything together. I’m excited to see those who are coming. I think five or six of the women are pregnant. (Not me. Done!) I haven’t seen any of those in attendance since sometime during the summer after we graduated. (Well, except for my high school into college ex-boyfriend… but… uh, different story.)

Thanks to the internet, I’ve reconnected with quite a few of them, especially thanks to Facebook in the past few months. I think, without that connection, I’d be a bit more nervous. I’d be wondering, “Is this going to be dramatic like high school?” I sincerely doubt it. I’ve gotten to read the things that these people write, view their pictures and talk with them in various ways over the past few months (some, a few years). They’ve all grown and changed and developed lives of their own, just like I have done over here in Ohio. They’re living their lives the best they know how, just like us. They’re good people. I’m excited to see them. (Granted, I’m not the slightest bit sad that my high school nemesis won’t be in attendance but I would have been nice even if she was on the list. I just would have kvetched at FireDad on the way home.)

Hypothetical kvetching aside, I had a blast planning for the reunion. I’m hoping I have as much fun with some old friends as I did shopping. If not, at least I have a stellar dress that I can wear to other events. And some snazzy earrings to boot.

Win.

_
[Note: We are at camp, likely without internet access, through July 25th. I will most likely be unable to reply to any comments or email until that time. Do not take offense. I'm not ignoring you. Just enjoying some (much needed) quiet time with my family.]