Christmas Party #1

First, I must say that I'm having the best morning ever.

Seriously, people.

Best.
Morning.
Ever.

I love that boy.

Now for some updates...



Thursday 12/4
I had a horrible headache all day and ended up leaving work early to go home and lay down. The boy was so sweet. He came over and laid down next to me, put one arm around me, and softly stroked my head. It was very comforting.

The pills I took for my headache had caffeine in them so I didn't get to sleep. After the boy left, I made some food and laid on the couch. At about 6pm there was a knock on my door.

My dress had arrived via UPS, and not a moment too soon. Party is on Saturday, and I've waited until now to buy shoes, bra, and make-up -- cutting it just a little too close!

(Here's my dress...)





I still had a headache, but some things are more important than nursing one's pain. I immediately took the dress to the drugstore to pick out some complimentary make-up, then to Victoria's Secret to find a suitable bra. I took so much time trying on bras with the dress that I ran out of time to look at shoes.



Friday 12/5
Still had a headache. I got up early and called the chiropractor. Managed to get an appointment at 8:30am. After that, I took the dress to the dry cleaner to get steamed, since it came all wrinkly from being stuffed in a box during shipping. I did all that and still made it to work on time.

We had a slush fund lunch that day -- free food, courtesy of my department. I went out with my coworkers and ordered a sirloin steak and baked potato. It was so tasty good, and free. :)

I got peer pressured into ordering a beer with my lunch. ("Come on, everybody's doing it!") When it was time to go, my boss stalled because my beer wasn't empty yet. They wouldn't leave until I finished it! So I downed the last 1/3 of it all at once, and left the restaurant to pick up my dress.

My afternoon was shot. I came back from lunch drunk, still with a headache, which was worse now because I had beer when I should've been drinking water. I did next to nothing for the rest of the day and left work earlier than I should have. I went over to the boy's house, crawled into his bed, snuggled up and went to sleep early.



Saturday 12/6
The boy left at 4am to go to drill. He woke me to say goodbye, and when I opened my bleary eyes in the glaring light, I blinked in the realization that this was the first time I'd ever seen him in uniform. He kissed me and turned off the light, and I curled up and buried my face under the blanket, much colder without him.

At 8am, I dragged myself out of bed, scraped the frost off my windshield, drove home, showered, then met my friend at the mall. She had her boyfriend's six-year-old daughter in tow, a very cute and smart girl who looks just like her dad.

Our mission: Shoe Shopping.

They were slow and I was indecisive. My time was running out. Macy's was having a One Day Sale, and it was chaos. I spotted some simple yet amazing black 4-inch heels, but had trouble finding a salesperson who could get them in my size. Finally I tried them on, and they were sexy perfection.




Next I had a hair appointment. I got a haircut -- with bangs for the first time in several years, and the stylist gave me a curled and coiffed up-do that made me look like I was ready for senior prom. Um... anyone seen my tiara?

I got home just after 3pm. The boy was scheduled to pick me up at 4:30pm, so I had just over an hour to get ready.

When I looked in the mirror, I felt a little ridiculous. Granted, I was wearing jeans and a hoodie with my big pinned-up hair, but still... it just didn't look or feel like me.

Then I put on the dress.

One form-fitting cherry red dress, plus one pair of sexy black shoes, plus one now-amazing hair style. Oh yes. This is going to work out just fine.

I threw on some make-up, put on my new dangly earrings, switched purses, did the last minute checking and straightening of dress, bra and nylons, and then... waited.

The boy was late picking me up, he had been stuck in traffic. I felt so bad for him. The drive takes more than an hour even without traffic, and he had already been up there once for drill. He came all the way back to Salem just to get me, only to turn around and go right back again for the party.

When I opened the door to let him in, he just stared at me. And he kept staring at me during our entire drive to the party. He kept telling me how beautiful I looked. He made me blush repeatedly. He's so sweet.

We arrived almost an hour late, and we were worried that the boy might be in trouble. But nobody seemed to notice, and he didn't get yelled at the next day, so I guess it was all good.

I had been worried about being over dressed with my sexy dress and big hair, but thankfully I was not. Most of the women were wearing nice dresses and had their hair done up. Most of the guys, of course, were in uniform, which was really quite stunning. I had never been in a room with so many military dudes, and I've gotta say... uniforms are hot! The boy and I had a discussion about this. He hates his uniform. I keep trying to convince him that he looks amazing in it, but he doesn't agree. In my opinion, anyone who's in reasonably good shape to begin with will only look hotter in a uniform. It accentuates the male figure and brings out those broad shoulders that I love on a man. I think the boy looks awesome all dressed up. But I think he looks awesome anyway, so...? ^_~

The party had surprisingly good food and lots of beer. I met some of the guys the boy will be working with. They seem... I don't know... like typical army guys? Whatever that means. They're National Guard, so this was their one weekend a month of work. Most of them put their names in a raffle to get Sunday off, and most of them won. The boy wasn't allowed to enter his name because he's too new.

There were some table games, and I played a little blackjack, but it was lame -- the dealer had no clue what was going on. There was also Texas Hold'em (but you had to reserve a spot ahead of time), Bingo, karaoke (one dude sang Ice Ice Baby -- it was hilarious), and a giant wheel to spin for prizes. Mostly we just sat and talked and watched people, which was pretty interesting.

Overall, I think the army throws a decent party. It was much less awkward than either the boy or I thought it would be, although we definitely would've had more fun if we'd known more people. I had fun just being there with him. We took the back roads home, and he held my hand the whole way.

I changed out of my dress and took my hair down -- I pulled 45 bobby pins out of my head! My hair was so nasty from all the hair spray, but I was too lazy to wash it that night. I went to the boy's house with pajamas, nasty hair, and a face full of smudged make-up. He still loved me anyway. :)



Sunday 12/7
The boy woke up early again for another day of drill. He left at 6am. I slept in and had a leisurely morning. Woke up around 9:30, laid in bed for at least an hour, and finally got up, went home, and washed my stiff, over-styled hair. I did some laundry, went to a movie (Quantum of Solace -- not the greatest film, but Daniel Craig is still amazing), then came home and relaxed. The boy came to visit on his way home from work and I was so happy to see him.

We went out to dinner at one of my very favorite restaurants and had a really good conversation. He's a good listener, he puts real effort into learning about me. I learned some things about him too. It was really nice just to sit and talk. I enjoy his company so much.

He stayed with me Sunday night, and then Monday morning... well...

Best.
Morning.
Ever.

But I think we covered that already. :)



Christmas Party #2, hosted by my company, will happen this Friday. I'm taking the boy as my date. Should be a fun time.