And then there was Prom...

I am so sorry I've left y'all hanging for so long; it seems like this month has continued the constant Angel Attack that April started. Bathrooms are still in flux waiting on the hall bathtub that had to be reordered because they ordered the wrong drain hole. Classes are still going strong. Actually CLASS. One, singular. But damn. The assignment Saturday took 4.5 hours to complete, and the last section of it was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants effort. I seriously didn't have a clue about where to get a clue. But the bullshit is strong with me and I got 20 out of 20 points and a lot of nice compliments.

And then there was Prom.

I'm always prepared for any outcome.

• TQ wants to go, but doesn't want to get dressed.
• TQ wants to get dressed, but doesn't want to go.
• TQ gets dressed, we go, she has a meltdown and we don't get out of the van.
• The world ends in a fiery cataclysm.

Fortunately none of that happened. We got dressed, went and met with the busses, and headed to the venue. Most of the Prom goers travel together on the big Greyhound team busses, but that's just too much for TQ; we go in the momvan before they head out.

Two years ago, it was held in a "hacienda" in Borger. Last year, it was held in a barn northwest of Amarillo. WAAAAAAYYYYY northwest of Amarillo. Took 45 minutes and many turns down caliche country roads to get there. This year was not much different, but easier to get to. A party barn northeast of Borger. I ran over two snakes and had to wait for a herd of antelope to cross the road to get there.

Here is our Prom Princess arriving:

Begonia Pink chiffon halter with a bedazzled sash of her choosing.

Let's talk about that sash for a minute or two. The dress is pretty but plain, no bling, so I let her pick out a sash at David's Bridal (these ladies need two huge hugs and a lot of bravos, so sweet to TQ). She immediately went to the sales table, very much her mother's daughter, and picked out something that looked like if Elvis and Liberace had a love child and that love child got a BeDazzler for Christmas....

The price tag said $498, the discount was 75%, which still made it ridiculously expensive. We got it to the checkout and the floor manager knocked another 50% off because "it was two seasons ago." I don't care, I'll take it.

When the kids arrived, they walked down this long wooden walkway, I'm guessing what the bridal party walks down when they have weddings out there. We let all of the others go down before we started; suddenly, a young man comes running back, offers TQ his arm, and asks if he can escort her in. He not only walks her down, he walks her into the barn and over to the table where he and his friends have saved her a seat. Cry #2.

Let's talk footwear. There were ropers, sneakers and flipflops.

The only pair of red CFMs were on one of the young men.

He lost a bet.

This was one of the coolest venues I've seen for one of these things. The interior was country chic, eclectic hanging chandeliers from the wooden rafters, BBQ for the menu, and a DJ who played country and rock for the dancing. Now let's talk music. There wasn't any rap, hiphop, jungle boogie. There also wasn't any new Nashville what the hell is this "country". There was Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr, Hank III, Willie, Waylon, etc. Music you can two-step and waltz to. And yes, these kids can dance.

TQ isn't the most coordinated, but she loves to dance and she had plenty of opportunities. The young man above spun her around the dance floor a couple of times, and the Woo! girls made sure they included her in their group dances. The Woo! girls, if you need explanation, are those fun-loving, high-spirited girls without dates who aren't wall-flowers. They dance together or alone in a group, and you can always find them by following the "Wooo!'s"

We got there around 7ish and lasted until 10ish. She ate, she danced, she laughed. She had a blast. I can't believe this is her last Prom. She's 22 this year and legally out of the school system. We've got a post-school program lined up starting in August, and between now and then we have Graduation. Next week, we go to the Art Room and get her cap and gown. The graduates-to-be will put them on and do the traditional Senior Walk through the High School, Junior High, and Elementary schools. We'll see how she does with that, but yes, there will be more pics. More happy TQ face.