My Princess Evening

I have a very nice life.  I am content with how things are, but let's be honest -- things are simple.  My days are trips to WalMart, swiffering dog hair and laundry.  I love when the grocery store has a BOGO sale on something I use, and while we aren't going wanting, I know *exactly* when payday is, and I plan things accordingly. We have a good life, but it's not a glamorous existence.

This weekend was the annual office Christmas party at hubby's work.  They do a big, fancy, no-holds-barred bash every year.  It's at the Hilton Downtown, in the ballroom, and they encourage employees to get a room and stay overnight.  They offer us a substantial corporate discount and most people stay.  We do.  

I already knew what I was going to wear, a silver floor-length evening gown but everything else was up for debate.  I decided I wanted to do something special with my hair, but had no idea what.  Thanks to dedicated friends and Pinterest, the unanimous decision was made that I needed this:

I 

I showed the stylist this picture and she came up with this:

I was very, very pleased. I hadn't come with a comb or a clip or anything, but she had a string of silver beads she wound into the 'do ... very, very nice!!

I had my gown, my Princess hair, silver glitter nails and jingle bell earrings. I was set!

We got to the hotel around 3:00, plenty of time to check in and get settled before having to get ready.  Because of the excessive amounts of travel Hubby had done this past year he had accumulated enough points for an Executive Upgrade.  Well, if you *insist*!  We got an upgraded room, access to the Executive Lounge, and various complimentary upgrades.  Wow!  We got to the room ...

and the first thing I noticed was the REAL coffee pot with REAL coffee mugs and REAL creamer (not that powdered junk) and complimentary water bottles

Then I opened the closet.  Robes!  Thick, fancy, luxurious robes!

And free slippers!

The view from our window was nice -- downtown Houston isn't the most spectacular of things but it was nice:

We were next to Discovery Green

and if you looked around the corner, you could see the Toyota Center

We unpacked (I put on the freebie slippers!) and I started to throw myself on the bed, but I remembered my Princess Hair.  She used a bunch of bobby pins and a bunch of hair spray, but I didn't want to risk it.  I made Hubby roll around on the bed, tho, and he declared it plush. 

We then went down to the lobby to look at the decorations. (I debated going down in my freebie slippers, but since this wasn't Walmart, I thought I shouldn't LOL).  They had a huge, life-sized sculpture (?) made out of chocolate.  It smelled so good I almost wept. 

We then wandered to the ballroom to see the decorations, but we were met by Hotel Manager who was very, very polite and very, very apologetic ... but the ballroom was off limits.  

So we went back to the room.  Since we had time to kill I flipped thru the Room Service menu.  Dear Heavens. 

We stuck with the complimentary water bottles!!!

We did wander over to the Executive Lounge for complimentary hors d'oeuvres and sodas.

And then it was time to get ready.  I was already sporting my Princess Hair and my makeup was minimal so all I really had to do was get dressed.

I brought these shoes

but discovered that I couldn't walk to the end of the hallway without looking like a drunken newborn calf, so I wore my backup pair of shoes

By this time, the ballroom had been transformed into an elegant sea of black and white:

There were 3,000 people there, luckily Hubby's peeps had staked a claim on a table.  What a fun, lively bunch of people!   I felt like I had known them for years!!

They opened the doors to the buffet -- there were five identical stations, one had salads and fruit, one had warm side dishes (potatoes, risotto, grilled veggies, etc), one had meats (chicken, salmon) and one was desserts. 

They also had carving stations for roast beef (those were WILDLY popular, I myself went back twice) but the true objects of lust were the shrimp towers:

After we ate, we danced, we chatted, we laughed, we drank, we talked, we took some obligatory selfies

And one picture of us coming off the dance floor

And before we realized it, three hours had passed. 

Oh!  See that ring?  It was an early Christmas gift from Hubby:

In an adjacent ballroom, they had set up a casino and given us $3,000 play money but the tables were all so crowded we never got a chance to gamble. So we went back to the buffet stations and ate more!!

We have been SO lucky to find a wonderful dog sitter who comes to our house and lets Killer outside while we are gone, she texted me pictures. Poor Shadow, looks so traumatized and abused LOL!

After a few more dances, a few more glasses of wine, a few more trips to the buffet tables and LOTS of laughter and good times, it was time for the Princess Evening to end.

The view at night was nicer:

I was sorry for the evening to end -- it was magical.  I truly felt like a pampered and indulged Princess.

We did linger over coffee and newspapers in the morning (in the Executive Lounge), but the Princess Hair was gone and I was back in Capri pants. It wasn't the same. This is all that's left of my Princess Hair -- 

Except for the memories. Everyone deserves an occasional evening of luxury and glamour, and every woman deserves to be treated as if she were a cherished Princess. 

Next week, it'll be WalMart and laundry and BOGO sales on cheese again, but I'll always remember being indulged and cherished.

After all, I *did* bring home the free slippers, and I can wear them any darn time I want to!  

Change

Change. Not one of my favorite things. I like consistency, routine, tradition, sameness. I always listen with some confusion when people talk about what the menu is going to be for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I keep thinking, "What is there to think about?  The menu is the same that it's always been for the past 25 years ... and that's the way it should be!"  I like familiarity. I drive a 10 year old car that has over 100,000 miles on it because, in large part, I like my car.  I like knowing the idiosyncrasies of my car and I like the feeling of familiarity in sliding behind the wheel.  

I don't rearrange furniture, I don't paint the walls.  I've had the same haircut for a decade.  I'm comfortable with routine.

I have two friends right now who are both in the midst of major moves -- not just selling/buying a new home and moving, but a new job, school, church ... huge changes. I have another friend who just moved, locally, but she also quit her job to be a full time mommy to her two little ones. New house, new neighborhood, new career path.  All three of these families are eager and excited for this new phase of their lives. 

I can't relate.

The thought of new and different, of change, terrifies me.  Even if it isn't a huge, life altering change, I don't really see the need to change things up just for the sake of changing things up.  My husband doesn't agree, and we often have ... discussions ... about his need to see and do new things and my complete resistance.  To him, jumping in the car and heading out to explore a nature trail he read about in the paper is a fine idea.  To me, it's fraught with disaster and peril.  

I have a child who is just like her daddy.  She went off to college without a backwards glance -- she just knew college was going to be an adventure and she was going to love it, and sure enough, that has been her reality.

My other child joined the military -- obviously he is content with change and with not setting down roots and permanence!   

So there I am, the lone wolf in the family. I cling to my routine and my consistency. I like ... I NEED ... to know what today, tomorrow, next week will hold. I like unpacking the Christmas things and seeing the same old, same old.  I like knowing my morning coffee will be in my favorite Pooh mug, I like being able to walk thru the living room in the dark, knowing where every stick of furniture is. 

I really, really love the things in my house that have been passed down from generations now in Heaven, I almost get weepy when I hang ornaments that have been on a Newsom Christmas Tree for over 60 years, or I get out a gravy boat that has sat on a Newsom a Thanksgiving table since before my children were born.

I don't understand people who face change with excitement and enthusiasm.  I am a bit jealous of them, for I think they probably go through life a bit less stressed than I do, but it's just not in my genes. 

I'm trying, I'm working on it -- but deep down, I'm not comfortable with it.  

I have to make changes in little, incremental steps. We just rearranged the living room, and while I will admit it looks better, I'm still not comfortable with it.

I'm wondering what this Christmas will be like. All my children will be home (Hooray!  Thank you, God!) but I'm wondering if I'll be able to see them as adults or will I revert to "mom-ing" them, because that's what I'm comfortable with?  I know how to "mom" young children, I'm not quite sure how to treat grown children.  

To those people who can relate to what I'm saying, I'd love to hear words of wisdom.  To those who can't relate, please be understanding. Don't judge or expect great, huge changes -- and please understand why, if you use *my* morning Pooh mug for your coffee, I might just have a breakdown.

I like my routine, my comfort zone, my rituals. It works for me. But I also acknowledge that it can be restrictive and can stop me from fully experiencing life. For example, I *want* to get a dramatic new haircut -- really, really badly -- but the thought of actually DOING it is scary.  So I keep throwing my hair back in a ponytail.  It's comfortable.  It's secure. It's ... safe. 

I'm really curious as to what it'll be like once the (grown, adult) kids are here.  That'll be a test.  Maybe if I pass with flying colors, I'll get a haircut!  And who knows?  Maybe, one day, a new car?  

Ah, change. Little, baby steps.