My Prom, Circa 1994

It seems like eons ago, BuzzReaders, that I was going through the traumatic days leading up to my senior prom. Weeks before the actual prom I was hunting for a dress and a date, discussing arrangements with my best friend, and putting a lot of hopes and expectations into one perfect night that, in retrospect, was really a night like any other--with better shoes.

I attended Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri (see my first post to learn why KHS was so special) and the Class of '94 prom theme was: For Just A Moment. (No, I don't know what that means, but I had to look it up to remember it.) A lot of my stress over this night stemmed from the fact that, just a few short days beforehand, I still had no dress and no date. It was a toss-up as to which one had me more stressed. In the end, everything worked out--for the best--and here are some reasons why:

1. I ended up going with Corey Tucker, my best friend's brother's best friend. We were good friends, too, so that totally eliminated all that additional boyfriend/date/pressure/stress stuff. He was sweet and brought me a beautiful corsage (which I still have). In this picture (from left to right) are my best friend, Debbie, her date, Joey, me (yes, that's really me!), Corey, my friend, Susan, and her date, Ben (whom I almost didn't recognize without his Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt on).
2. My mom made my dress. In her early years (late teens and twenties) my mom was a theatre costumer, so she can sew just about anything. (Because she was used to sewing things that wouldn't be seen from less than 10 feet away, sometimes the details were a little raw, but if you can dream it she can sew it!) So, when I still hadn't found a dress the week before prom, we headed to the fabric store, picked out a pattern, and bought yards of beautiful black jacquard. It was the perfect dress (even if one of the stays popped out halfway through the night). Here's a closer picture of me in the dress and my best friend.
3. Even though I didn't get to go with one of my many crushes (I only got up the nerve to ask one of them, and he already had a date) I had a great time. Especially since my main crush at the time purportedly had an awful time with his date. (Not that I found joy in his misery or anything!) Here's a pic of my senior crushes. From left to right in the front are James (he's probably some super-famous doctor right now), Ryan (main crush and now an engineer), and John (a hard-core cross-country runner who ended up at a tiny college in Minnesota).

My prom wasn't perfect (see the aforementioned lack of proper date and stay-popping dress, and to top it all off it was raining!) but it is a perfect memory. From the perspective of history, I wouldn't change anything. (Except maybe asking Ryan to the dance... I mean, how can you resist a guy in a 101 Dalmatians tie and cumber bun?)

Hugs,
TLC
Growing Up Godly, Summer 2008
Dutton Children's Books

what I'm reading ... Top Ten Uses for An Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro (as soon as I get to a bookstore!)