Prom...

Yesterday was Katey's prom.

I had to work (of course), and missed all but the initial stages of her "dressing up". I had no doubt that she would be beautiful, but after seeing the pics even my biased opinion was shockingly far off.

The child was gorgeous... hair up and perfect, just a hint of makeup, a beautiful dress fitted to perfection... and she was surprisingly elegant, too. She showed amazing poise and grace in her heels (something she has struggled with in the past).

Anyway, while still at work, I wanted to call and check that all the preparations had gone well and that she had gotten off on time for pictures and the dance. I had no sooner called my wife than the crying started. Mind you, I was calling from my pit podium, so I wasn't completely "alone" when I was hearing all this. Liz was amazingly upset at the prospect of Katey going to the dance alone. "Alone" as in no date... she was going with three other girls, but these three other girls all had dates. Katey did not.

I wasn't worried about Katey "turning heads" because she didn't have a date. Katey is stunningly beautiful, and boys will always notice her... but she typically doesn't "dress to kill" the way she did last night. I was more worried about her schedule...

See, the girl had made plans for (basically) an "all-nighter" of an event. Photos before the dance, trip to the dance (about a 30 minute drive into Scranton, PA), dance and dinner itself, fun times at a restaurant after the dance, then off to an after-party party at a friend's house here in town. Both Liz and I voiced concerns about this all night schedule just a few days ago... but Katey was adamant that she could handle the fun and still make her scheduled start time at McD's this morning. So, right at 6AM this morning, the phone call comes that she is really (REALLY) tired and needs to come home. Liz goes to get her, and she goes immediately to bed for two hours before her shift starts. She asked about calling off... but neither Liz nor I would hear it. She made these plans... she can learn to pay the price for that kind of fun.

So... Katey is napping before her shift, Liz is napping to recover some of her lost sleep, I'm sucking coffee before I have to go back to the casino, and the boys are slaying commies and fascist zombies galore here in the living room with a friend.

Oh, and Katey's "lack of a date"? Seems she had so many requests to dance at the prom from boys that already had dates, she's become a bit unpopular with some of the more frumpy and unattractive girls in her class. Funny how so many boys that hadn't asked her to prom suddenly recalled that they wanted to, but never had a chance/didn't know she was going/thought she already had a date.... excuses by the truckload.

I'm damn proud of that little girl... all this and a work ethic, too.

Nicely done, Katey Jean!