All Dressed Up...

Derick and I attended a formal military function last night..the first in a very long time. The event was an awards banquet, but we always enjoy an excuse to go out. Unfortunately, I had a terrible cold (it seems to be gone today), so I wasn't the most lively of dates; however, we did have an OK time & I think we looked pretty good, too ;)

Getting to the point...

Each of the award nominees were escorted across the stage, trailed by a random and very bright spotlight. Derick and I got totally tickled remembering our first date. Most of you probably know the story...

He (Derick) calls me in what I now realize was a panic, though at the time, I thought he sounded very calm. Remember, I had not spoken to this guy since he left for the AF Academy three and one half years earlier. Though there is a missing link few know about...I actually saw him the night before he left for the academy three and one half years earlier. Most of that story can be saved for later. But on that night, our other friend, Traci, and I mentioned that it would be fun to attend a military function and to keep us in mind if he ever needed a date. So he did.

You see, this other girl from Bowdon decided she didn't want to go with Derick to the military ball because she liked this other guy better. (If I could remember her name, I would say thank you here). So he calls me, asking if I might like to go. I said yes. I am guessing that, in that one conversation, Derick told me 3 times that I would need to dress up in a formal dress, much like a prom. OK, I got it! Dress up.

So I thought we might have a good time and I would at least be exposed to some pomp & circumstance and what not. I don't recall being nervous at all. Little did I know that that one evening would change the course of my life forever!

Anyway, Derick was senior and all of the seniors and their escorts walked in and were announced over the loud speaker. We already had a bad case of the giggles from standing in line waiting on the "S's" and our smiles were genuine when we walked in. But the best part happened when D tripped stepping from the carpet to the slightly elevated dance floor. His mom snapped a picture at that exact moment and I carried it with me for years. We didn't fall, in fact, it was an almost imperceptible stumble, but it was seared into my mind for life.

Last night we watched and waited for someone to trip in the harsh glare of that spotlight, but it never happened!