Lunch Break

My 10-year high school reunion is this Saturday. I knew it was coming, but was still surprised this morning when I realized that July 30th was only 5 days away. The dress is "cocktail attire," and while I have a lot of lovely work dresses, I wasn't happy with my few rather worn cocktail dresses. I tried on the one I wore to my firm's "prom" back in 2008, but I couldn't zip it up more than 2 inches past the waist. It's probably good that I can't fit in to something that was skin tight even at my unhealthy post-Bar skinniest, but it was still a depressing moment.

So I decided to give myself 60 minutes out of the office today at lunch to find a new dress. I found this one in 10 and I LOVE it.

Ten minutes after that, I found these shoes. I love them even more than the dress (and only 2 units of love less than I love my rainbow shoes).

Are they not 4.5 inches of fabulous? (and way better than the shoes they put on the dress model above?)

I am suddenly VERY excited about this reunion. I'm making JP go because I figure anything without kids can be called a date night, even if 100+ other people are going to be there. Plus, he's hot and I want to show him off. (I should really make him read this blog every now and then, I say such nice things.) And, since I've decided the only thing that can make my dress look better is a glass of champagne, he's going to be my designated driver.

I tried on my dress and shoes when I got home from work today. Landon clapped and told me I looked like a princess, Claire was unimpressed, and JP just stared. Success! And I can wear the whole ensemble to the annual firm formal this fall AND to my friend's black tie wedding in the spring. And I don't need any jewelry besides a pair of gunmetal grey studs I already own! It was one of my most productive lunch breaks ever- forty minutes after leaving work I was on my way back with a dress, shoes, and to-go bag of tacos (the dress and shoes, while lovely, were not filling) feeling giddy with my post-shopping high. A high which was soon crushed by a mountain of work and depo prep and emails.

On an entirely unrelated note, I finally picked up the video camera when Claire and Landon were playing with the dump truck. I feel like it captures both the adorableness of the two of them together, and also shows how they restore my soul. Work is crazy and JP and I are still figuring out this new life we're living, but when we sit down to dinner together as a family or when I hear the kids giggle and shriek together, the shot of happiness I get keeps things feeling more balanced than they really are.

I can't watch that video without laughing. And watching it, with my two children playing in the house my husband and I bought together, makes high school feel a whole lot further away than just 10 years!