Father Daughter Dance 2011

Three weeks ago, McKenna got off the bus waving a blue paper wildly. From my spot where I waited for her in the car, I could only guess what information the blue paper would hold.

She was barely in the car before she started telling me about the Father Daughter dance that she "hoped with all her might" that her daddy would take her to. My mind started to spin instantly. As much as I wanted to believe that Earl would share McKenna's enthusiasm I had to keep in mind that we were talking about the same guy who didn't attend the prom. I was nervous.

A few hours later, McKenna met Earl at the door with the blue paper in hand. I sat on the couch with my back to them both cringing slightly. I didn't want to force Earl into an uncomfortable situation but I didn't want to witness McKenna's disappointment either.

I was pleasantly surprised when, after McKenna finished her "pitch", Earl said, "Sure, we can go to that."

We spent the coming weeks deciding on an appropriate dress for the Hawaiian theme. On Saturday morning we went for a pedicure and left the salon with flowers on her toes to match the flowers on her shoes. I think it's important to point out that those are indeed "jelly shoes". Yes, they are back in style. And I'll admit to feeling like a little kid in Kmart buying all sorts of fun colors! There are definitely perks to having a little girl.

The dance went off without a hitch. I don't have pictures from inside the event because obviously there were no moms permitted and asking Earl to tote a camera to the dance was pushing the envelope a little too far.

The two of them had a great time. There were crafts, refreshments, raffles and dancing of course. The entire event was put on by a Relay for Life team and McKenna and Earl were happy to report that the dance helped the team raise over five thousand dollars. Money well spent all the way around.