Jr. Prom 2014

This was the real deal. The Jr. Prom. (even though she went last year and helped with the promenade.) 

The common thing here in town is to start asking in Jan. And it has to be some crazy, super-elaborate way of asking. So that's what I was expecting. And so was she. And she wasn't very excited about it. She kept saying, 'I wish someone would just ask me so I can just answer, without having to come up with some crazy creative way to answer.' 

One night she and Hannah went to a game. She'd been to the weight room and was still in her workout clothes with her hair all screwed back. When she came home, she was excited to tell me that Trent D. had come up to her at the game and just flat out asked her if she would go to Prom with him and she had flat out said yes.  I told her that her wishes had come true. She was happy to not have to wrack her brain to come up with an answer. 

Way back in Oct when she and I went to State Cross Country together, we went prom dress shopping in the South Towne Mall. We looked at every store and tried on lots of dresses. She had it in her head that she didn't want a traditional frilly-frou-frou prom dress. She is a very practical girl. To spend that much money on a dress she would likely only wear once was just more than she could stomach. So at Dillard's she tried on lots of nice, modest dresses that looked like something you'd wear to church. She found this red one that she really liked and declared that that was what she was buying for prom. I tried to talk her out of it. I guess I've always had dreams of seeing my little girls all dressed up like princesses. She laughed at me and said, 'Mom, this is backwards. You're supposed to be telling me to spend less money, not more!' I finally backed down and she got the red dress, saying that she'd dress it up with jewelry and shoes and a fancy hairdo.

I should have known she was right. She looked absolutely beautiful and very stunning in her dress. 

(Trent's mom had asked me about the color of her dress and such and I told her about it and then mentioned that it was just a regular dress and she thought that was perfect since Trent was not renting a tux. They both looked very nice and I commend both of them for using their brains and not spending more than was necessary for a nice date to a dance.)

Cambria and Trent heading to the dance

The group of kids they were doubling with had a nice Chinese dinner with fortune-telling at Trent's house. Cambria said the food was very good and it was a lot of fun. Then they all went home to clean up and get ready for the dance.

Exchanging boutonniere and corsage...

I think Trent's afraid of her with a pin in her hand!

Looks like he survived though...

How did she grow up so fast??

The gym was decorated very beautifully. Simple, but very nice. See that big thing hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the picture below? That's a gargantuan tumbleweed that was spray painted silver and had lights in it. There were other tumbleweeds used near the columns.  The food was fun and displayed nicely, with cute little chalkboard tags indicating what was what.

A panoramic view of the decorated gym.

This is when their names were announced. Her promenade partner was Dustin C.

I didn't get any pictures of the actual promenade. Curtis videotaped it. Maybe I can upload it here.

It looked as if she was having a good time. But I think she's really just very glad it's over.

After the promenade, they announced the Prom royalty. It is based on several things and when all was said and done, she was chosen as the 1st attendant. She has a very nice little tiara now! Which I'm sure she's dying to wear again. not. 

I think she was surprised to hear her name read as 1st attendant in the prom royalty...with Tim E.

Off she goes with her dad to dance. 

Good Things:
I like the traditions here that have stood the test of time.  

It seems like in the big city schools proms have degraded to school sponsored one night stands.
I love that here the jr. class is still presented by name, they still dance a special dance (promenade) that they've worked on for weeks, and that parents are invited to attend and are welcomed and expected to dance with their child.

4 down, 5 to go!