My doorbell rang yesterday, and both boys went running to see who it was. I knew who it was – I’d been waiting for him all day.
“It’s the mailman. And he has a BIG BOX! Can we get it off the porch?”
I held my breath as I fast-walked over to help them (don’t worry, there’s a top latch out of their reach that they can’t open). “Please be the box, please be the box,” went the thoughts in my head.
It was THE BOX!
I let those boys rip that box open like I’ve never let them do before – the faster the better! My little guy only cared about the packing bubbles and my big kid exclaimed, “It sparkles! What is it?”
It was my NYE dress and earrings. I was giddy!
I tore the bag open, held it up to me, and immediately admired the perfect length! I have a long torso and pretty short legs (yes, it’s true…), so most dresses and skirts need to be altered or ordered in petite. This dress didn’t come in petite, so I was taking a chance. It also was from ModCloth, a store whose sizing I haven’t quite mastered yet but from the size charts, their things run a tad small. So I ordered the size that fit the measurement guides and not proper tag sizing, which is so deflating sometimes (it’s an 8). Because of their free exchange policy, I ordered up knowing I could size down if needed.
I ran back to the closet, ripped my clothes off, and threw that dress over my head with so much enthusiasm, I couldn’t believe it. It went right on. It felt perfect in the hips, a tad big in the chest (which is what the size charts indicated would happen), and pretty good in the waist. I turned to look in the mirror, and a few happy tears fell out of my eyes.
I have dreamed of wearing a dress like this since I was a senior in high school. I still remember the dress in the catalog that I wanted, and I told my mom that I was going to get in shape and get it for the spring formal. Being the realist that she is (and you may gasp as you read this, but I truly took it as honesty and not hurt), she took one look at it and said, “you won’t look like that in it, no matter how great of shape you get into by then. You’re not built like that girl.” I was so deflated. I swore to myself that she was wrong, but she wasn’t. I didn’t even try to get in shape for it – I just forced it into the back of my brain and moved on.
Here I am, 21 years later (unreal), finally buying a dress that fits like that dress I pined over so many years ago. I guess it’s never too late to make dreams, no matter how silly, come true. HA HA!
This is my before picture – my “I may be healthy and thin enough, but my arms need some work” photo. This is my pre-PiYo photo, wearing the dress that is my motivation to keep on keeping on, even though I have some seriously sore abdominal and back muscles after a week of PiYo workouts. This is my, “2016 is going to start out healthier than any other year in my life” photo!
ever-changing evermore 