Triopia Homecoming 2009

September 26th was the homecoming dance for Triopia High School. Although Christopher is a senior, he didn't have any desire to go at all. Bethany, however, was looking forward to it along with her sophomore classmates. It truly is a shift off my "autopilot" mom mindset from caring for the younger kids to helping meet the needs of the teenagers. I guess as your kids grow, your abilities and thinking evolve along with them. Since, my mom mind has only had a chance to "evolve" up to age 8 with Isaac. I have to concentrate when it comes to helping parent the older kids. So, with some planning, some time on the internet looking for a dress and a lot of time driving in the car to appointments.....I was successful in helping Bethany have a memorable, lovely day/evening.

Shopping for the dress was a challenge. Being busy with school and poms allowed Bethany time only to do some online shipping and it seemed every dress she found on eBay that she wanted was in China and would have to be made and shipped. We didn't want to risk NOT getting a dress ontime, so those dresses really were not an option, which was a disappointing blow time after time for Bethany when she would excitedly show me a different dress she had found. Knowing how frustrated she was and the timeline we were on, I stayed up one night the week before homecoming going from web site to web site that I knew from wedding dress/bridesmaid dress shopping and would have affordable cocktail dresses. I found one.... a website with lovely, affordable cocktail dresses. I scrolled down thru the dresses and found a very pretty purple one. (Bethany had been shopping for a purple dress.) I put that dress in my "shopping cart" and saved it to show Bethany the next day after school. As it would happen, when she was looking at the dresses the next day, she chose the exact same dress that I had spotted for her even before I showed her I had picked that one to show her! There were other purple dresses on the site, but we happen to have selected the same dress....a very good and affirming feeling, I must say. Well, we ordered the dress and I upped the shipping to get it here sooner than standard shipping would allow. The dress came and needed some altering, which I sort of expected because Bethany's body frame is so petite (shortening of the shoulder straps and shortening the hem length slightly).

The morning of the 26th, it was pouring down rain.....so it was a damp start as I took Bethany to a final tanning appointment and to her hair appointment at the local cosmetology school. Thank goodness by the time her hair appointment was finished 2 1/2 hours later, the rain had stopped. So, after a quick drive-thru lunch, we headed home where she did her nails (toes and finger) and make up and I made the alterations on her dress. After I helped her into her dress and she got a good look at herself in her mirror, with a beaming smile on her beautiful face she said, "Thank you for all the running around and all the help you gave me. It means so much." With that said and as I tearfully choked out my "you're very welcome", this step-mother treasured a gift of a special, precious moment up in my heart given to me by God and delivered directly to my soul by Bethany.

That afternoon, Jeff escorted Bethany to her friend's grandparents house for pictures with her friends, Adrienne, Brooke and Sydney. Later, Bethany and her friends went out to eat together at Lonzerotti's and on to Homecoming where Bethany had a great time and lots of fun dancing.

These are the cosmetology students who all worked on Bethany's hair at her appt.

Adrienne, Brooke, Sydney and Bethany

You're a tiger. Rooaaaarrrr!

Triopia's Angels?!

Best Friends: Sydney and Bethany