The Dress

I'm not sure if we'll ever put flooring in our house.  Instead, we've discussed paving it.  At least that's what my 9 year old asked this week.  That's right.  Pavement.  And why not?!  After voting the other night, we came home and in our house - IN OUR HOUSE - each boy and girl had either a bike, a scooter, a plasma car or roller blades all riding around the house at the same time.  Oh, and a skate board.  Absolutely crazy.  It is no wonder we need to live in an old house with no flooring.  The day we get new stuff, it will all be destroyed in a matter of minutes.  So we stick with the old for a little while longer!

Speaking of sticking with the old.  We were able to go out to this lovely golf course for an awards dinner this past week.  I had no idea how to dress or what to wear.  My husband told me "formal".  I don't do formal very often, except at weddings.  I have been fortunate enough to be in a few weddings over my lifetime and I've kept the dresses if they're able to be reworn.  One dress stands above them all and I have worn this one dress countless times.  It is long to the floor, an off-white, flowy material with a beautiful neckline that could honestly be a wedding dress itself.  It is timeless and beautiful and I always feel great in it.  But the funny thing about this dress is it is now 20 years old.  I'm not even kidding.  But you would never know it.  The only thing I needed was an updated pair of shoes.  So off I went to the thrift store and amazingly, (well I actually somehow knew I would find a pair in my EXACT size) and bought a fantastic pair of leather shoes in a great brand for literally $5.  New, they would have been over $100.  Love that.  I even had a beautiful scarf that I had from before that I used around my shoulders as my cover and I was good to go.  I knew I was wearing a VERY OLD dress, my husband knew, but no one else knew.  I'm quite convinced God has kept this dress for me in perfect condition without a stain or a rip for just this type of occasion.  I absolutely love it every time I wear it.

The night was amazing.  I learned the awards were named the Ruby Awards after a young farm wife named Ruby Quaker who lived in this area almost 200 years ago.  She was such a go-getter and so industrious in the community, keeping the books for the farm, raising children, starting up a general goods store, and then at just 34, was one of the key founders for the local chamber of commerce, so naturally the awards are named in her honour.  The awards were for all people in the community who take initiative like this amazing woman did.  Students were awarded, businesses, key figures...it was actually such an inspiring night.  I wished I had known her!  For the last 3 years I've driven up and down Quaker Street that has been named after her family without even knowing it.  Quite the lady, quite the family.

Back to the dress.  Almost as soon as I walked in, I was waiting for my husband as we went to check to make sure which room we were supposed to be in, so I was standing on my own.  I was observing what other women were wearing and wondered if I was over-dressed.  It seemed to me like casual is the new formal and I was feeling a little silly, though my husband had assured me that I looked perfectly suited to the occasion.  While I was standing there, a woman walked up to me and said, "I LOVE your dress!"  Ha!  I almost had to laugh.  Then, when the evening was over, another lady came up to me and told me, "I absolutely love your outfit!  Gorgeous!"  Ha ha again!  At first, I felt, "They're just saying that because they know it's an old dress and they feel sorry for me!"  How ridiculous is that?!  There is no way they could have known, so that was feedback from heaven itself.  I was so glad I wore that dress and so glad I didn't spend extra money on something new when all along I still had something just perfect.  The two compliments had me walking on cloud 9.  My next task is to write my friend who got married so long ago and tell her I still use her dress from her wedding.  She'll never believe it.