Turn You Inside Out

An excerpt from my email to a few friends on Monday:

"I don't know if it was S in his tuxedo telling me how fantastic I looked all evening, the big glass of gin & tonic I drank, or the little goodnight smooch I got, but this morning I woke up with my pajamas on inside out."

Really, what else is there to report?

I suppose there are a few additional details.

Let's start with this little beauty, the right hand ring. When I went shopping last week, I decided to search out a little bling to jazz up my black cocktail dress. The dress has a v-neck, and I didn't have a necklace that felt fancy enough.

At the store, I started trying on a few things on, but a saleslady saw me floundering and took pity on me. Turns out she is the accessories guru at the store, and I hit a home run with her on my team.

First, she found a black v-neck dress for me to change into. Then, she started getting out the sparklies. I may have tried on every necklace in the store. Nothing was right. Other gals who were out shopping were coming over and commenting. Sales ladies were placing their votes. Accessory Guru even took off her own necklace for me to try on. Still: meh. But then she found this ring in the back of the drawer. Love! I've been wearing my precious most evenings after work, around the house. I'm actively seeking other opportunities to showcase my new lovely.

Also, I purchased hair spray for the first time in my adult life. I don't know, I plead temporary insanity and an accessory high for leading me into the Aveda store. Surely, they'd have some options other than whatever shellac was used on my actual prom hairdo? I threw myself on the mercy of the clerk again, who recommended a spray that isn't sticky or stiff and should just lightly cradle my hair into place. It did, and my hair was appropriately tossled and only slightly voluminous.

It's hard to take a picture of yourself when you're racing around the house, trying to get pretty on time. Just imagine that I looked better than ever. Modesty prevents me from repeating the shower of compliments I received throughout the evening, but I certainly felt like a million bucks.

I got a call from S when I was in the final stages of fancifying. His sister-in-law and her friend decided to attend the party, and would be meeting us for a pre-party drink. I wish I had a picture of my face when he divulged this information. As it turns out, I was glad to know a couple of additional people at the party. They were both friendly and nice to me, and I only caught S giving her a "shut up" look once or twice. I liked how she wasn't afraid to bust his chops a little bit, and he seemed to enjoy and tolerate a little good-natured ribbing. He big brothers her--she's about 10 years younger than him--even though they aren't actually related, and I thought that was pretty cute.

We'd been at the party a while when he pulled me aside, out of a conversation where I'd been nodding and smiling along to a stranger's story I didn't 100% understand. He wanted me to know that he appreciated my being a good sport, and wanted to make sure I was having fun. He also wanted to tell me that he didn't want to make any assumptions, but that he'd already bought hockey tickets for us for next weekend.

I wonder if it would be weird to wear my new ring to a hockey game?