Prom

Prom at the Utah State Capitol Building.

I thought trying to get a girl ready for prom was stressful. And it is . . . trying to find the one elusive, perfect dress. But with boys, it's a whole new stress. The tux part is easy.

The date and dinner part can give you sleepless nights. Nate asked his date rather early and then he spent two months trying to find a group that would have him.

He didn't want to be a part of any group, but a group where his date had friends she knew and would be comfortable. Everyone he talked to already had enough people in their group, so he ended up forming his own group with a foreign exchange student he knew from cross country.

At the last minute another kid joined them. And good thing because his mom supplied the most beautiful salad and dessert for their dinner.

Then is was off to promenade where they got to glide down the stairs looking like Prince Charming and Cinderella.

Later than night, Nate came home to find his ACT score in the mailbox. Unfortunately, no one was up to whoop and holler with him. He was hoping to beat his two older siblings' scores of 34.

He thinks if he had answered another question or two correctly on the English or science portion, he would have gotten a 36. He wants to try again for that perfect score. 


A score like that is going to get you mail like this.

Erik's Junior Prom

Erik was pretty sure he didn't want to go to prom or at least he was thinking about it.

After he was done thinking about it, he asked Hannah Steinagel, our cute neighbor up the street.

There was bowling, lunch, and then dinner at the dance studio

before heading off to promenade. I've got to talk to that boy about how you offer your arm to a lady. You don't drag them down the stairs.

Courtesy of Claudia Jackson

This prom was a lot more stressful than Kiersten's.

Good gravy (yes, I do make good gravy!), how do you get this guy to be serious about anything when he's making poses like that :)

The stress with Kiersten came in finding a dress. That part was easy with Erik. Getting him to communicate with his buddies about what they were going do and what they wanted to do with dinner was torturous. I finally gave him some options for dinner that he presented and we had a plan. I'd do the roast, gravy, and rolls. The other moms would pitch in with the other stuff.

Dinner was simple to keep costs down. The fact that they charge them $40 to get into the dance is ridiculous (and then Tyler and I had to pay $10 to just get in a watch). I understand it's at the capitol building . . . BUT really.

By the time they rent a tux, date, corsage, dinner. It gets pricey. I'd rather he were saving his money. I paid for the tux and half of his ticket which about equaled what I spent on Kiersten's dress and Erik paid for the rest.

Ashlyn and her friend Allie also talked non-stop for three days about how they were going to get to serve dinner to the 5 couples. Oh, were they were giddy with excitement.

It reminded me of the days when I was that age and we would get asked to help serve at wedding receptions. That's something they just don't seem to do anymore.

Ah, two down. Three to go. It really is a fun time of life. I am enjoying every day knowing they are getting fewer and fewer.

These are the days of . . . 
*SNOW! Yes, we woke up to snow this morning. I'm hoping my peach blossoms survive. I think they will as long as it doesn't get cold.

*Feeling like a yo-yo. I spend hours looking at houses in a city we could potentially relocate too, only to have it not work out. The latest is CUNA Mutual has a position in Atlanta that could very well work out. We are now talking about renting our home. There is also a job interview with MassMutual here in SLC tomorrow.

Kiersten's Junior Prom

Never did I ever think I would some day have a child go to prom. It was so far away. So out there. But it came . . . and went.

Kiersten was gorgeous. She was so dead set on finding an orange dress (her favorite color) but when she tried that blue one on, we both knew it was the one. It was a good fit and the color was beautiful. Several times throughout the week I had told Tyler that Friday night we were going to promenade. He couldn't quite figure out why we were going to prom.

Small towns still do a dance involving the juniors. I did it at my prom. I know at some they invite the parents to do one dance afterwards with their child. I told Tyler to be happy he didn't have to do that. Prom was at the state capitol building in the rotunda. Everyone participating in the promenade got their name read as they descended down the staircase. Kind of magical and fairytalelike. But I was so nervous for Kiersten, knowing she was in heels on a very slippery marble floor. I just prayed she would make it down the stairs okay.

All this hoopla of asking and answering and finding a dress and corsages and dates and hairdos made me think back to my own prom.

My first date ever was to prom. Josh Gordon, a sophomore like me, and I would sit in Brother Norton's Old Testament seminary class and talk the entire hour. I wasn't a very good kid so not sure why I ended up with an A+.

He asked me a week before prom (which was 5 days after my 16th birthday) with 3 roses at the school office. That didn't give me much time to find a dress. I'm sure my mother about went crazy with such short notice.

I was excited to go even though the look on both our faces looks painful.

I remember buying the dress through a catalog which was a good thing because the next year I wore it again for my own junior prom. My date was Mike Larson, a boy in my ward. 

I remember doing a progressive dinner and doing something afterwards at a friends house, but that's about all I remember. And maybe that's all I remember because I at least have this one photo.

Reminiscing is sure fun but man, I'd never want to go back to high school again. Although, a friend and I were talking this morning on our walk about living our lives over again but differently. I know if I ever had the chance to go back to high school, I would not be the same person that I was back then. I would be more self-confident, self-assured, more kind, and worry less about others opinions. I worry less about the trivial little romances that seemed to pop up and instead make more lasting friendships. And the permed hair! would definitely go. There is wisdom that comes with age.

Good things
photos
walks
journals

Roller coaster week of emotions for Kiersten

Monday Kiersten got asked to prom by her friend Boy #1 in an unusual turn of events. He actually wanted to ask another girl and this girl was excited and waiting. Kiersten and Boy #1 even talked at lunch about how it would all go down. Then later Boy #1 handed Kiersten a note that said he was too chicken to ask her (Kiersten) face to face and would she go to prom with him.

Well this threw her for a loop because she was privy to a little information that Boy #2 was going to ask her, someone she's been hoping would.

Tuesday was the ACT test day for all juniors. She and Boy #1 went to lunch afterwards in celebration of it being over. Again, she tried to talk him into asking this other girl. In dropping him off at his car in the school parking lot, she accidentally backed into another car, causing some minor damage (bottom dent and scrape, not the top one).

Oops!

I was in Salt Lake and she was in the truck. A call home to dad was made, wondering what to do. He advised her to leave a note with her information on it and meanwhile he called dispatch and they decided to send an officer. Kiersten came home and picked him, and while they were waiting for the cop in front of the school, the little black car she hit drove by. So a chase was pursued (not really, but it sounds cool). They followed her to her house and ironed out all the nitty gritty.

Tyler made a few phone calls to auto body shops and meanwhile we're waiting to see what the final verdict is and hoping we don't have to go through the insurance.

As Kiersten is telling me all this, she also mentions how the ACT test kind of stunk, especially the science portion. The kids in my English class the next day backed her up. Nobody was happy with it. She's taken it once before and got an incredible score. Her counselor on Monday pretty much told her that it would be extremely hard to increase it by even a point. But a point is the difference between full tuition for 4 years at Utah State and half tuition at the same school.

The good news of the day was Boy #1 texted her to say he got brave and asked the other girl. Now Kiersten is dateless. And what a shame if she doesn't really get asked again.

Fast forward to Thursday.

Thursday night a knock came to our door. Ash and Alex were quick to respond, finding a canning jar of popcorn, a note on the doorstep, and someone in a hurry to get away.

As we're all investigating this gift left for Kiersten, a knock came to the door again. This time Boy #3 was at the door making sure he got the right house. So now she's got a second chance at prom. Boy #2 should know that all the cute girls are going to get asked and you don't want to be the slow one.

Grandpa Sharm gave her a tip on how to respond. It included Hot Tamales and Mike n' Ike's. She put one red Mike n' Ike in the box of Hot Tamales and said if he finds a sweet one, the answer is yes.

Kiersten basically has three groups of friends she likes to call family. The orchestra group that Boy #1 is apart of. The cross country group that Boy #3 belongs to. And her regular friend group that her other dance dates have come from. I think I just ended all those sentences with prepositions. Is rethinking and rewording even necessary at this point in my post?

I guess we're in the market for an orange prom dress (we've already got the orange sweatshirt). Keeping my fingers crossed that either we find one or find something that will be good enough.

What a week of up and down emotions.

Good things
working in my yard
temple nights
fitbit