Then and Now

Spurred on by Mrs. Goodneedle's post about her high school prom, I thought I would also reflect on that time of my life. I was lucky enough to go to two proms, once in my junior year and again in my senior year. My first prom was also one of my first dates with Hubby, who ended up being a keeper, just like Mr. Goodneedle. There are two memories of that prom: first, my mother made my dress and I just loved it. Second, Dear Hubby failed his driving test on the afternoon of the prom, so we had to make a mad scramble to find someone willing to double-date with us. Otherwise, oh dear, Hubby's mother would have to drive us! How embarrassing that would have been since she was our high school librarian! Here is how we looked on that day in May 1970.


Here we are at my second prom. Hubby did finally have a driver's license and he was also a college man by then. He was still just as skinny, not having gained the infamous "freshman 15" that year. His hair was longer as were his sideburns. My mother made this dress for me also, but this one left me with a complex. My mother thought the lace down the front along the "princess seams" was very slimming. Did I need slimming? Since that day, I've always thought so. I'd also had my hair done that day for the first time in my life. Ah, milestones. This is the same prom Mr. and Mrs. Goodneedle attended and I believe the theme was "Traces of Love". For the four of us, it turned out to be more than traces, more like a lifetime of love.

But we've come a long way and, I dare say, improved quite a bit over the years. Here we are at our son's wedding in May 2005. Hubby's hair is no longer strawberry blond and he is not the skinny guy I once knew, having found the "freshman 15" plus a few more over the years. I still worry about being slimmer, but I have the confidence and wisdom of age now. We have come so far since being 16 and 17 and I wouldn't trade our life together for anything.