The story behind the dress

After I wrote my Valentines' post I got to thinking about the dress I wore to the dance and realized it deserves a post of it's own, because it tells how truly sweet and thoughtful my husband is.  So the story begins the summer after my senior year of high school when I competed in the Miss Utah pageant.  In preparation for that my mom, pageant director, and I attended a conference where various vendors had set up booths selling everything from dresses, suits, shoes, make-up, you get the idea.  Well I found an evening gown that I fell in love with.  It was a dark red satin with intricate beadwork that was fitting through the top and flared just a little at the bottom and when I put it on I just felt so good in it.  It was sleeveless, but it came with a shawl that I figured we could cut up to make sleeves or a little jacket out of.  My mom had reservations and it took me about a week (maybe even two) to talk her into it.  Then we went out to the dress shop where it was and bought it.  We took it home and as my mom laid it out to start the jacket she was going to make for it we found a huge stain on it.  Sigh.  So we took it back.

Well fast forward a few years. J and were married with a baby and we were walking through the BYU bookstore on our way home after a long day of classes and work and I saw this dress on display.  I told J my sad Miss Utah story (I know it is not really sad), and that this dress was very similar to the one I didn't get (except it was a brighter red, velvet, and came with a jacket).  So he wanted me to try it on "just for fun."  So I did and we both loved it, but we were poor college students, with a baby and I didn't need a new dress let alone an expensive one that I didn't have a reason to wear.  So I chalked it up to fun and we headed home.  Believe me when I say I was very surprised to later open up a Christmas package containing this dress!  My husband's validation?  I would need it for all of the military balls we would be attending in the army.  But the truth was that he wanted me to have the dress I loved and I love him for that.