I BOUGHT A DRESS!!!
YES I DID! And I didn’t have a meltdown, or cry in the store, or have a panic attack. I did it all by myself, too! Well- I did text my sister, a friend, Isabel, and her mom. But I ended up making the decision on my own. But first… when I last posted, I was feeling down after the holiday and visit from Paul and Isabel. But then… Wednesday rolled around. It’s my day off, and I didn’t have any appointments. I didn’t have to cook, clean the house, or really, do ANYTHING. I decided to embrace this more relaxed phase. I started the day with a Caroline Girvan Iron Series workout (more on this coming up in the Weekly Rundown, but after my recent more relaxed approach to strength training, these workouts are KILLING me!!!) Then… I went to Barnes and Noble. I sat with my tea and this stack of books. I read the first few pages of each of them, and decided to buy this one: Such a pretty cover! And it drew me in enough that I ended up reading the first several chapters in the store. It was really fun to go with the intent of making a purchase. I haven’t bought any books since January, so I figured I could get ONE. Then, Nordstrom Rack is right next to Barnes and Noble. I gathered my courage, went in to browse, and made myself try on several dresses, even though I was pretty sure none of them would be right. I was just trying to get started, you know? None of them were right, but I was vaguely encouraged by the experience. My next stop was supposed to be the mall, but I was passing TJ Maxx and I thought “Let’s just see what they have.” It turns out they have a LOT of nice dresses! Again, I wasn’t seriously expecting to find anything… but one of them worked. Even though Isabel’s mom- whose name happens to be Jennifer, what are the odds that we have the same name- was talking about dark green, I always had it in my head that I wanted navy. I texted Isabel and Jennifer, would navy work? And they both said YES. Here’s the dress. Ignore the fact that for some bizarre reason, I wore my oldest, saggiest bra to go dress shopping (um, WHY) and also that the expression on my face is totally dopey… It’s sleeveless (my arms are a part of my body that I actually LIKE), it’s the right length, and it camouflages my stomach bulge without looking like it’s actually trying to cover anything up. RIGHT??? Please just smile and nod. I just feel like this dress is very “me.” It strikes the right balance between not being too matronly, but also not slinky or low-cut (again- please smile and nod!) THIS IS A HUGE RELIEF. Now I have three months to figure out shoes, jewelry, and what in the world I’m going to do with my hair. Isabel has requested gold accessories. I was thinking silver, but it’s her wedding! I’ll do gold. The best thing about this dress is, I can continue to eat well and work out, and hopefully tone up a bit before the wedding- but also, if my body looks exactly like this, it will also be FINE. I don’t feel like I have to suck my stomach in or be self conscious. Phew. Have you had any major (or minor) victories lately? Top photo by Patti Black on Unsplash