Those of you who follow my friend Katie’s blog already know that I attended an Oscar party she hosted on Sunday. It was so much fun hanging out with friends, talking and (not) watching the Oscars, and of course, for me, taking pictures! Not to mention, Katie is really good at planning party snacks, so there was plenty of delicious food to enjoy (and because Katie is a great friend, I knew all the Weight Watchers points values ahead of time!).
But beyond all that, there was one other, major reason that I really enjoyed being able to attend this party: the ability to fulfill a lifelong (secret) wish.
Ever since I can remember (and we’re talking back to little girl days, here), I have wanted to look and feel like the beautiful princesses I had read about in books and seen on the screen. For me, being a princess meant not only dressing up in a beautiful dress, but feeling like I “fit” the dress. The dress in my mind always had not only bright colors, a beautiful skirt, and lots of sparkly stuff, but it also had a tiny waist.
Now, I’m not here to debate the pressures that society puts on women to confirm to unrealistic stereotypes, so let’s not go there. 😛 It’s my blog, and the point is that my view of the perfect dress, whether right or wrong, is something that has always alluded me.
Until last week.
When Katie sent out the email about the party, inviting us to dress up or down as desired, I immediately knew which dress I wanted to wear. My cousin’s daughter, now a freshman in college, had attended her senior prom last spring in a dress that was positively amazing. But my cousin’s daughter is also a cross-country runner and quite tiny. Still, I texted her anyway, first to see if she still had the dress, then (more importantly) to find out what size it was. The good news: she still had it! The bad news: it was a size 2. [gulp] I sent her back an “LOL” in response to the size and said, “Well, it was a nice thought!” Dear, sweet girl that she is, she immediately replied, “No! The top’s a corset; it’ll fit you, I promise!” Nothing like getting a self-esteem boost from sometime less than half your age. 😉
I headed over to her house that very night, half anticipating, half dreading the thought of trying this thing on. But when I arrived, I was in for a shock. After a little help from my cousin, who laced up the back nice and tight, I was stunned to find that it fit! I won’t lie–there wasn’t an ounce of give in that bodice, lol, but considering that I’m much closer to a size 4 or 6 than a size 2, I wasn’t going to argue. 😉
When I stepped back and looked at myself in the mirror, I’m not ashamed to admit I almost cried. I’ve worn many a fancy dress in my life, including homecoming dresses, prom dresses, sorority formals, and of course, my own wedding dress, but it wasn’t until I tried on that beautiful dress with the jewel-encrusted bodice and fluffy pink tulle skirt, looking at a tiny waist that I couldn’t believe was mine, that I truly felt like a princess. Standing there in my cousin’s daughter’s bedroom, I said the first thing that popped into my mind: “I want to go back to high school. In this dress.” 😉
I am not ashamed to say that I loved wearing this dress so much that I wanted to capture the moment of it on film for posterity. But of course, because I have that “photographer’s” mindset, I couldn’t settle for just a quick shot or two at a party. Nooooo, not me. I had to go all out and drag my son around town to do an all-out photo shoot. In the snow!! I even added some artsy filters to the finished products, just because I could. 😉
I assure you, I was freezing in every one of those pictures, but it was truly worth it. Every time I look at the pictures, I remember how much fun I had wearing that dress: lifting the rustling tulle skirt every time I moved, watching the jeweled bodice shine in the reflection of windows and mirrors, and just feeling…beautiful. 🙂
So that’s it…that’s my pretty pretty princess story. Thanks so much for indulging me in this rather selfish post about wearing a size 2 dress. I guess if there was a point to all this, besides how much I love looking at myself in that dress ;), it’s that if you work hard to improve your health, and stick with it, you can reap rewards you never, ever imagined you would. This particular reward was 41 years in the making, and just that one day of wearing that dress made every sacrifice I’ve made in the last 14 months, including all the passed-up desserts and 5am training runs, worthwhile. 🙂
This will be my last post for about 10 days, because I have a project I’m working on for DS#1’s hockey team, and I need to put all my spare time into it. I will be back, and I’ll share parts of the project then. Thanks for reading!
You look beautiful!
Thank you!
Yay!
1. I was excited to see this post tonight.
2. I was wondering why you didn’t post about the Oscar party.
3. You’re dress is even better after knowing your story.
4. I want a waist!
Enjoy the time with your son!
Ha ha, I want a waist, too…mine has issues most days. But corsets are pretty cool. 🙂
Thank you, Kelsey!
You look beautiful in those pictures.
Thank you so much, Mark!
WOW! WOW! WOW! I love the dress you look so pretty !!! A true princess!!!
Oh, thank you, Joy! You make me smile.
I saw you in that dress in katie’s blog and thought it was beautiful. You look great! Congrats.
Thank you, Holly!!
You looked absolutely gorgeous! I don’t blame you one bit for feeling that way! 🙂
Thank you, Angela! It was a darn good feeling. 🙂
Wow! You are too beautiful for words. That definitely is a princess dress. That dress reflects the awsomeness that is you both inside and out!
Thank you so much Jenn. You are the best!!
STEPH!! You look so amazing, but even better – it is so clear that you FEEL amazing! Congrats!
Kate {of} UptownBlacktop.com
Thank you so much, Kate! Your kind words really make me feel great!
You look gorgeous! I love the pictures. Truly. My favorite is the one on the train tracks – what a neat idea. I also like the beach with the water in the background. I’m so glad you got your Princess Day 🙂
I love the train track photo too. I love the swish of the skirt. So pretty!
I love the train track one, too! 🙂
Thank you, Kelly! I had so much fun doing it…it was just a great day. Even though it was freezing!! 😉
Truly a beautiful princess–inside and out!
Oh, thank you so much, Mary!!
What a BEAUTIFUL lady inside and out 🙂
Awww. You rock, my friend!! Thank you!
Okay, this post brought tears. I want this to be me in 40 pounds… but I need to more than want it. I need to go get it done. Thank you for giving me a little more fire! (P.S.) This is Bethi from disneymommi.com but I am blogging on a new site now — http://www.g0ss.com (P.P.S.) The 0 in g0ss is actually a zero… just wanted you to find me!!!
Oh, thank you, Bethi! It CAN be you!! xoxo And I’ve been enjoying your new blog! 🙂
Fabulous! What a beautiful princess! 🙂 My 4 year old in my lap “reading” with me, keeps saying “go back to the princess mommy, I want to see her again!”
Oh, Christie, your daughter’s comment made me all teary. I love being called a princess by a four-year-old–that makes it REAL!! *sniff* xoxo Thank you!