My Daughter's Prom

It's been a hectic last week, I apologize to all my friends and fans. Thanks for all your support while I was MIA. (missing in action) What's been keeping me so busy? Well, My sister called me on skype and asked if I knew it was dad's birthday. No, I didn't of  course. Sometimes I work all day, through the night and into the next day with a few hours sleep in between only. So here we are at my dad's 76 birthday party. 

Yes , you all see, I was not joking about putting on the  50 lbs since I took my picture in September. Well, luckily my dad's birthday was at my sister's house so I only had to take a day off, back to work I thought. I had forgotten....

 My daughter was going to her first prom this week. It has taken every day of scouring the local thrift stores and going away disappointed, would we ever find a dress? Mama, maybe I shouldn't go my daughter said, Abbey her friend had spent $500.00 on hers and her other friend had spent $300.00. We will find a dress I told her. Every day I have wished and prayed for a dress for her and we found it finally, twenty dollars for a Fredrick's of Hollywood teal and silver party dress. I looked it up and the dress sold for $500.00.

Where does all the time go?
Seems like just yesterday she was a baby. We had many sleep-overs and pizza parties with her friends. Now here she is going to a prom, already decided on what college, with wedding plans coming up shortly. It saddens me that she will be gone soon as I reflect on the many children that have come and gone in my life. I quit counting at 42, many of them foster children I raised and loved just as my own. Now here I am down to my last child, my son who is 13 . I can't believe, it seems like it was only yesterday. That's the bad part about being poor I think..its not the things you go without, it's the time you miss trying to provide for your family. I probably didn't realize she was almost grown because I spent most of her years away from home working many hours at my job. There was always those needed extra dollars that time and a half pay would bring so I was always volunteering for Saturdays and even Sundays. I was always the one who stayed to wait on the last truck to come in. I had worked hard at convincing my boss, Yes , women can drive a forklift! Just so I could stay and get the extra money. Since my son was shot and requires constant care , I have been home. The volume of work trying to start an online business has been worse than being gone. The computer demands attention at all times and the months and years have flown by. I was a little disappointed ,having picked her up early from school, when she told me she was going to her friends house to dress. Could I take her and pick her up? I was happy though, my little tomboy was going to get to be a princess, a day in all girls life they don't forget. I never got to go to mine. Circumstances at the time I had to quit high school, working three jobs to take care of my two sisters.
Anyways, to go on with my story here, I pick her up at her friends. All I could see was purple lips and bushy hair coming at me with glaring gold shoes and a gold necklace way too large gleaming at me. Her dress had  some silver in it which made the gold look even worse. I could tell she was miserable. Mama, why didn't you tell me this dress looked like a granny dress? She was upset and depressed. I couldn't believe the terrible job her friend had done on her hair! It as pulled up on both sides, pinned and all frizzy with a big bushy ponytail in back. Quite frankly, she looked awful!
It's a tough thing when you don't have much money but I hadn't made my house payment yet. We had 2 hours before the prom! Luckily where I picked her up was close by the local walmart and the hairdresser. How much to curl her hair, I asked the lady. Fifty-five dollars was the response from the hair dresser. My daughters chin went down.The two hairdressers looked at each other. I quess the lady realized we didn't have that type of money because she kindly said we're not too busy, If we don't have to pin it, it will just be twenty-one. I happily put my daughter in the chair and told her I would be back. Where was I going to get shoes to match that dress? 

I started walking to Walmart, knowing there would be nothing there that would be suitable for a prom. Luck and God was with me because there was a new shoe store! The perfect shoe was in the window, when I went in the store they were even on sale! but alas they had none in her size and were sold out. What size is the one in the window? I asked the lady. You guessed it! It was her size! I purchased the shoes and went to the Walmart. They had some press on nails there the perfect teal color of the dress! Sixty-five dollars and 2 hours later I had become her hero! The smile on her face was priceless! Here she is my princess.

Thanks again everyone, especially to my friend dan leonard and Willie B to name a few who kept me going the last few days.  We'll be back with the news on Sunday!