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and at the plate.

Let me set the stage for you.  It was Nick’s first High School dance, he asked a lovely girl named Samantha to be his date, and she said yes.  We dutifully hit the mall and bought the obligatory black suit.  “Buy it a little big”, I was told by a more experienced mother of high school boy.  The hope of course was to get two years, four dances, and maybe a couple of weddings out of it.

I held off buying a shirt and tie that day knowing full well we had no dog in the fight.  Jordie was a senior by then, so from a girl’s perspective… this wasn’t our first rodeo.  Samantha would be deciding the color scheme of their ensemble.

I was delighted when Sam proved to be a “no fuss, no muss” kinda gal.  “Black and gold dress” she told Nick, with at least two weeks leeway before the big dance.  I was thrilled to find a gold, (but not too gold), paisley tie.  I love, love, LOVE me some paisley!  A complimenting pocket hanky I’m convinced was the key to channeling Nick’s inner ZZ Top that night; he was a Sharp Dressed Man.

As for Samantha?  She was a sight to behold in her black and SILVER dress!

sssssSTRIKE your out…

As we shimmy down Memory Lane, let’s now revisit the fashion fiasco of last year’s Sweetheart Dance.  This is the one where the girls ask the boys; Nick was asked by a very sweet volleyball player named Carly.  She gave us a much shorter window of opportunity to find a shirt and tie that would compliment her pewter dress and cranberry shoes, but all my angst magically disappeared when I found a lovely cranberry and pewter PAISLEY tie!  (Did I mention how much I love paisley?)

As soon as we arrived for the group photos that night it was clear once again, all was not in sync with the color Gods.  “Is cranberry the new pink” I wondered?   Admittedly… there are a lot of choices when it comes to pink. There’s pink, hot pink, fuchsia… there’s even that horrible 80’s version of pink called mauve.  Cranberry, I would argue… is a distant relative of pink at best.  Carly’s shoes however, were pink.  Hot-stinkin- pink. 

sssssSTRIKE your out…

Not to miss a beat, Nick was back in the game for Homecoming this year when  Belen, his close friend since kindergarten who had moved to Miami over the summer,  decided last minute to come back for Homecoming  weekend.  We were so thrilled with the news that I didn’t even gripe about having to run around the morning of the dance to find him a turquoise shirt.  In fact... it turned euphoric when I found another... wait for it... PAISLEY tie. (Be still my paisley-lovin heart!)

But here’s a question that comes to mind:

Has anyone born after 1990… ever heard of sea breeze green?  Because I’m here to tell ya kids... that dress is NOT turquoise.  It is sea-friggin-breeze-green! 

sssssSTRIKE your out…

So here we are again.  A mere 48 hours away from ‘Sweetheart Dance 2012’ and Nick just received photos of two different color pairs of shoes his date Jackie is vacillating between.   She did share however that her dress is a “flat” black…  (as opposed to shiny), which I suppose (?) matters. 

(Full disclosure: Nick’s suit is shiny black and it still fits… sorry Jackie.)

Perhaps I’m being too hard on these girls; not everyone is a control freak like me.  I used to discreetly snip a piece of fabric from Jordie’s party dress, then she’d deliver it directly to her date’s mother, always allowing ample time for her to shop.  Not only did this result in magnificent “his and her” party wear, but Jordan could count on a fabulous corsage as well. 

And the best part?  Those moms loved and appreciated Jordie.   OK, whatever… at least they didn’t write snarky blogs about her!!!

Which reminds me…  I better get Nick on the list for one of those crappy “extra” corsages the local grocery stores will have on hand Saturday in anticipation of those girls who don’t have their shit together.  Hope they have something in flat black.

Batter up…