All A'Buzz

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath to see my prom pics. It took me some doing to find them, and even once I found them, they were only wallet-size. I must have lost the 5x7s somewhere along the way. Needless to say, I apologize for any poor picture quality.

I did have quite a fun trip down memory lane on my scouring search. I found so many notes, pictures, and momentos from my high school years that brought back both good and not-so-good memories. For sure, I would not want to re-live high school again, but this little expedition was a fun one, if only to remember where I came from.

So, at long last, here you go. Feel free to laugh; just don't tell me you did - my delicate ego can't take it :)

Junior Prom ('95) with Tim #1
(What kind of Glamor Shots prom pose is this?!
...but look at those cool gloves!)

Junior Prom (themed 'Hold On To the Night' - thanks Amanda!) I attended with Tim #1. Tim #1 and I attended church and performed in the school plays with each other. A group of about eight of us, mostly drama folks, decided to take on this prom venture together. I remember this clan, which consisted of quite a few anxious-to-flee-H.S.-and-small-town-IL seniors, was an unusual bunch. Unusual in that they enjoyed mocking and even parodying the Nazis and the Masons. And the soundtrack to most all our get-togethers was anything by the Beatles. What can I say? They (or I should say we {choke}) were drama dorks. Naturally, our night at prom included several antics in keeping with this offbeat vein. It's funny - and a bit disturbting - to me now how at that time I thought so little of how bizzaire some of our actions were.

Now let me enlighten my Texas friends for a moment, up in Podunkville, IL, prom is not just a dance. It is an EVENT. Prom itself includes a sit down meal and dance at the same location with all your classmates and their dates. Included within the prom is what is known as the Grand March, where all the couples line up and parade into the ballroom together - basically like a bunch of bridesmaids and groomsmen entering a wedding reception. To make the March weirder, they allow parents to be there for this fantastic display of pomp. And then to top things off, the festivities always run into the next day when you, your date, and maybe a few friends make plans to go somewhere together - doing something besides driving-to-the-next-closest-town-for-dinner-or-a-movie which you did every other weekend. For example, after my Junior Prom, my group of unusual friends and I went up to Six Flags Great America for the day.

Senior Prom ('96) with Tim #2
(Holy Glow-In-The-Dark Skin Batman!!)

My date for Senior Prom (themed "Love Buzz") was my boyfriend of a few months, Tim #2. Again, we attended with a group of eight of our friends. (I think eight must have been the magic number a stretch limo could seat.) As a senior, I remember being so carefree at prom because it seemed like a pre-celebration to graduation which was just a few weeks away. I had a great group of friends that year, and I knew that freedom from my petty high school prison was within reach. My sister Steph, a sophomore, also attended prom that year with a junior so that made it more special; I won't post any of her prom pics here though as she might kill me.

I remember Tim #2 and I danced most of the night. He loved to dance and was a good dancer. After prom, the group of us took a limo ride up into Chicago and did a bit of site-seeing. While driving around, I recall standing out the top of the sunroof of the limo and saying "Nice Car" to the owner of an expensive car next to us at a stoplight. His response was, "Sell drugs and you can get one." Classy. Our Prom Day 2 event was taking in a Chicago White Sox game at Comiskey Park.

Sorry, I don't have any great funny or embarassing stories to regale you with. My proms were pretty uneventful in that regard - and yet meaningful to me nonethelss. The one thing that did piss me off about my proms was that both times another girl had the exact same dress I was wearing. For real. After all that shopping for the "perfect" dress and there it was - my perfect dress on someone else. What didn't they get? That was my dress! One of my younger cousins and our babysitter have informed me that nowadays certain stores make lists cataloging which dresses have been sold to members of which schools so this dress duplication can no longer happen. Crazy, huh?

Well, that's that my friends. Thanks to those of you who have already participated via Facebook or your blogs. For those who haven't, come on and join the fun!