Homecoming 2014

This past weekend was homecoming for the girls. Friday was the football game and Saturday was the dance. Last year they both went with a huge group of kids from their high school magnet program. This year Maddy went with a group of girls and Darcy went with a date.

I never went to high school dances. Not homecoming. Not prom. Back in my day, back in the dark ages, you only went to these dances with someone from the opposite sex. No one went stag and no one went with a group of people from the same sex. Heaven forbid. You had a date or you didn't go. I never got asked so I didn't go. I never had the experience of picture taking or corsages or sweaty palms as you danced cheek to cheek.

The girls started dress shopping a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't invited to accompany them. They went with girlfriends, parents money in hand. Darcy texted selfies of herself in various dresses back to us so we could help her decide. Madison shopped silently. Both came home with beautiful dresses with minimal price tags and they spent a lot of time discussing shoes and jewelry. Madison loaned Darcy her new pair of heels that she had just bought this summer, as well as her earrings from prom. Darcy offered Madison one of her necklaces.

The day of prom Madison was picked up by her friend and the two of them went to another friend's house to get dressed. They wanted to be there because the friend lived on the water and they decided that was a more beautiful setting for picture taking. They had dinner together and then went to the dance.

Darcy was asked to homecoming by her "boyfriend". He bought her the iced coffee she likes from Dunkin Donuts and on the cup he wrote, "Will you go to homecoming with me?" She accepted and he showed up at our door, corsage in hand. As did his parents, camera in hand.

While I didn't go to high school dances I knew the routine. I cleaned my house prior to their arrival. My husband mowed and beautified the lawn. We had our cameras ready. We made the two kids tramp from one side of the yard to another, looking for the perfect light, the perfect picture. We chatted and then bundled them up in his parents' car and sent them to the dance (his parents driving).

In five hours they were both home again, shoes off and hair back to normal. How was the dance? They both shrugged. "It was fine." "Good."