The Perfect Dress

Every bride to be desires the perfect dress for her once in a life time special day.  The dress must be the right shade of white or color, the right style to fit the shape of the bride, and the dress must be comfortable.  Will the bride find the dress at the first location or after searching several locations?  How many opinions will she need to hear before she knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she has found the perfect dress?  No one knows the answers to these questions.  The certainty is that the bride will persevere in her quest to find the perfect dress.

After Stephanie’s announcement of her engagement to be married in the fall, a trio of us began the search for the perfect wedding dress.  Every dress Stephanie tried on was unique and beautiful.  Every store had exquisite dresses.  Not every dress reflects the specialness and uniqueness of Stephanie’s personality as with any bride to be.

Initially the search party consisted of Stephanie, Hannah, and me.    Later three of Stephanie’s best friends joined the search team: Hannah, Nicole, and Jennifer.  We all had a BLAST searching for the perfect dress!!! 

We drove to Norman’s Bridal, The Dress, David’s Bridal, Karl’s Tuxedo’s, and more businesses in downtown and south Springfield.  The shops were filled with dresses from lacey and poufy to simple and elegant.  Stephanie modeled different dresses to observe the feel and look of each dress.

                                                           This dress is too white.

                                                          This dress is too feathery.

                                                  This dress is too mermaid looking.

                              This dress is too fluffy (Actually, Nicole calls this dress Swan Lake.)

                                  

                                                             This dress is too lacey

                                                            This dress is too black.

                                                                               

                                                         This dress is too shapeless.

                                                                        

                                               This dress is follow by too much of a train.

                                                                              

After many hours on different days of searching these five ladies and I were becoming tired.  A lunch and rest to revive us and we were ready to continue our quest for the right dress.  And wonder of wonder and miracle of miracles Stephanie said, “This is the dress!  This is the one!”  She just knew in her heart and so did the rest of us. 

This dress is just right: the right shape, the right shade of white, the right amount of lace, and the dress is comfortable.

“Ring-a-ding-ding” went the bell as Stephanie shook it up and down.  She was smiling a huge beautiful smile.  As a mother I must say that seeing Stephanie’s beautiful smile was worth all the hours spent in locating the perfect dress.  It was more than just finding the perfect dress.  It was about time spent together with my daughters and her friends.  It was about making a cherished memory to be enjoyed for years to come.

For me there are times I find it difficult to live in the moment.  I am either remembering the past and wishing to go back or looking toward the future and trying to anticipate what could happen.  When I do this, I miss the special moments in my life.  It is my goal to truly feel and enjoy the present moments.  I am so very grateful to be experiencing these moments with my daughter. 

Frog Legs or Chicken Pegs?

Most people will agree with me when I say that my husband, whom I love very much, is an ornery man who loves to tease people.  It is a sort of twisted pleasure of his. 

It was the spring of 1986.  Steve and I were excited.  We were excited about accomplishing our goals.  We both had worked hard and diligently for 3 years.  Steve was near completion of his senior year of Pharmacy School at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC).  It was time to celebrate our accomplishments.  We are grateful UMKC provided several opportunities to honor the pharmacy students with celebrations.

The class of 1986 was invited to Kaufman Stadium by Marion Labs to eat at the restaurant there.  We went along with the class and sat with Melinda and Hamid Abdanan.  They were serving us at our table with appetizers.  One of the appetizers looked suspiciously like frog legs.  I picked it up, sniffed of it to see if it had a wild game smell, started to eat it, and stopped.  Steve, “I asked.  What is this?”  He replied, with a smile and raised eyebrows, “Peg legs which is part of a chicken wing”.  I did not believe him. 

In the meantime our friend Melinda had a big mouthful of chicken peg leg.  “I said do not eat that?  It is frog legs!”   Pluh, pluh, pluh!  Melinda spit out all the food in her mouth onto her plate.  Steve and Hamid got a really good laugh out of that one. 

I still did not believe him so we called the waiter over to our table.  Holding up one of the pieces of chicken, Steve asked, “What is this?”  The waiter, looking confused, said, “Chicken, Sir.”  Steve looked at me and smiled in satisfaction.

Grrrr!  Steve was right!  Deep down in my heart, I knew Steve was telling the truth about the chicken.  I can not imagine him not telling the truth but the coy smile and raised eyebrows threw me off. 

I felt a little embarrassed that Melinda spit the chicken out due to my warnings.  The four of us looked at each other and busted out laughing.  

William Arthur Ward said, “To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity.” 

Buddy's Mouse

Steve was a pharmacy student, and I was a research assistant in the Kansas City area in the middle 80’s.  Even though we missed our families greatly, it was an amazing learning experience for both of us to learn to depend upon each other more and more. Our relationship through our experiences strengthened as a result.  Even though we were studying and working hard, we found ways to laugh every day. 

Once in a great while we would shop for clothes, cookware, books, and appliances at the Bannister Mall near Grandview, Missouri.  On this particular day we were browsing in a toy shop, when my eye caught a life size fury little mouse.  I gasped, “Steve look at this.  It looks so real!”

“It does for sure!” agreed Steve.

“I have an idea!  Remember how Buddy is afraid of the mice in the milk barn?”  Steve shook his head yes.  “And you know how messy he is.  Let’s buy this mouse.  The next time we visit my family, we can place it strategically somewhere to startle Buddy.”

Laughing, we staggered to the check out counter to purchase our little pet.  The clerk with dancing brown eyes and a wide grin took our money and put our mouse in a small brown paper bag.  She knew what we were up to. 

As we left the mall, the wheels in my mind began turning round and round.  Where would we leave the mouse?  How will we slightly hide the mouse without being seen?  Steve and I brained stormed different ideas. 

“I know just what to do!  Remember how Buddy and Dad arrive home with hot bologna sausage, crackers, cheese, soda, bananas, and other snacks from the small convenience/package store nearly every Saturday afternoon?  Both of them devour the fatty food and love every bite. They are so messy on that counter leaving all the food and wrappers out scattered all over the place.  It becomes one jumbled up heap!” I reminded Steve as he smiled at me with ornery twinkling eyes.  “The advantage is planting our little fury friend in the mess.  I can just see Buddy moving from the sink to the counter to the refrigerator and back.  After he leaves the counter area to sit at the kitchen table, I can prepare a small snack for us and nonchalantly put the mouse in the mess.  After I leave the kitchen at some point Buddy will go back for second helpings.  I would bet on it!”

“Great idea!” exclaimed Steve

We wanted so desperately to observe Buddy’s reaction, when he bumps into our fury friend.  What would his reaction be? Over the course of a few weeks I play different scenarios in my mind anticipating over and over again my brother’s reaction, when he finds the mouse.  Would he jump in the air, back off, or yell?    

Finally, Steve and I acquired time away from school and work to travel to the Bolivar, Missouri area to visit our families.  Just as planned Buddy and Dad came home with hot bologna and all the fixings on that Saturday afternoon.  I watched Buddy devour a banana and throw the peeling on the counter in the midst of meat, crackers, wrappings, and other food items.  Perfect!  Buddy picked up his plate and left the counter while I sauntered to the counter.  I discretely removed the mouse from my sweater pocket and placed the mouse on the banana peel as if the mouse were eating the peeling.

Picking up my plate I went to the table to sit down, to eat, and to observe. 

The moment I sat down Buddy rose from the table saying, “I need some mustard on my sandwich!”  Carelessly he set his plate on the counter, opened the refrigerator door with an arm load of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise.  I heard the refrigerator close.  Buddy took two steps to the counter coming to a halt, and then he threw his arms in the air almost dropping the containers of condiments.  His mouth dropped!  He screeched! 

I could hold the laughter inside no longer.  I had the privilege observing his reaction.  It was all I had expected.  Buddy gave me first a startled look, followed by a frustrated, and an angry look.  He then busted out laughing.  Dad and Mom looked and asked, “What is going on?”

Buddy says, “Sis just tried to give me a heart attack with this mouse,” as he picked it up by the tail.

Mom and Dad go to the kitchen counter to look.  “What a joke!” they chuckled. 

Reminiscing upon this fond memory of connecting with my family through laughter, I realize just how blessed my life has been.  I knew this little joke would bring joy and laughter to all, especially to me.  As the years fly by I understand more the importance of being someone with the type of spirit that lifts others up everyday.  It doesn’t have to be a joke.  It can be a smile reflecting a joyful and happy heart. 

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…