Pretty Special!

I was in a dress for almost 10 hours and I never once stopped to think about it. I just….was, was me, was a woman, was completely at ease, was complemented frequently by total strangers, was just anyone else out in a beautiful dress, on a beautiful day. I was pretty, it was special and the day, Pretty Special!

On this April 7, 2021 day, the day was full of bright sunshine and mid-80’s temps! In April! In Cleveland! I had a rather full day, which we will walk through here. The day was centered on two events, dinner with Sherry and Annie and an opportunity to be a model!

I am on a website which send out e-mails from those in the arts community looking for just about anything. Auditions, production needs and in this case, a bridal salon was looking for models for a one day event. Basically, we would be human mannequins. I had to come in for a fitting. Not having been to this salon and not knowing what to expect, I made sure I was dressed appropriately for a bridal fitting. I did a bit of shopping this week to look just right!

The day started rather early with me taking great care in every aspect of my body. Once I did everything necessary, just before putting on my dress, I took a few of what I hope you will find to be tasteful photos.

Happy with myself, I finished getting dressed and out the door I went! First stop, my local library, three miles from our home, to pick up something. Stop no. 2, Chase Bank to make a payment. When I walked in, the woman who handled my payment (they don’t have “tellers” anymore), lit up and told me she loved my outfit! That was really so sweet, she did not have to do that and I could tell, she was delighted by me.

I picked this dress up at a recent clothing exchange and with the day so beautiful, it was exactly the right choice!

Then I stopped at Piece Unique to see my friend, Lisa. I wanted to share a recent photoshoot with her and simply just to see her. She is a very special friend and I am incredibly blessed to know her. She approved my “tasteful” photos, by the way.

Then I drove to the salon and almost had a real problem. I wore contacts as you can see above and while driving, one eye began hurting so much I literally could not see at all. So I pulled over and got everything in place and proceeded to the salon. But I was in misery, so when I got there, I had to take them out immediately.

I tried on about six gowns, most did not fit, but I was marked down for two good fits and I now await the news if I will be hired for this job! If nothing else, it was and always is, a joy trying on bridal gowns. BTW, until dinner that evening, I was in a mask the entire time, removing it only for these photos.

I sat in the mall where the salon is located and cleaned up some emails and then headed to dinner. I arrived early and had a cocktail at the bar during Happy Hour. There I struck up a wonderful conversation with the lady seated to my right (with the plexiglass in between). It was really delightful!

Finally, I joined my dear friends outside for a lovely dinner. We just sat and talked and the time flew by. I love both of these people and again, I am blessed to have them in my life. No great story, just a great evening.

Now remember my “About” story, 50+ years of this all making me miserable. On those occasions where I simply wore a bra under layers and layers of clothing, paranoid that I would be discovered, then tarred and feathered, a day like this one would have been unimaginable. I was in a dress for almost 10 hours and I never once stopped to think about it. I just….was, was me, was a woman, was completely at ease, was complemented frequently by total strangers, was just anyone else out in a beautiful dress, on a beautiful day. I was pretty, it was special and the day, Pretty Special!

PS I did not get the job, I never heard back from the salon. But that doesn’t bother me. Knowing who and what I am, they invited me in for the fitting (which I loved on its own). And I understand that they are running a business and I am not exactly bride material. I am almost 60 years old and I am sure the ladies they selected more epitomized their target demographic. I was just happy to be invited to “try out”.

If you are going to be attending the Lake Erie Gala in November and you have any interest, I will be hosting a dinner on Friday evening, November 15. I will make a reservation at a local (walking distance) restaurant and anyone from the Kandi’s Land community is welcome. I told a friend I will make the reservation and if I end up dining alone, so be it. But you all know, I want to create a wonderful evening!

So ladies, if you would like to join me, you have to contact me directly (use the “Contact” page here) and affirm your interest. Once I get on campus, the group will be the group, I want to relax and enjoy the experience. Whether it is one or 50 at dinner, it will be cast in stone at that point in time. I will run this one more time here on the blog, I will text a few that I have numbers for, but that will be that. As my BFF knows, I despise herding the cats, hate it. That said, I still do it on occasion. All are welcome!