Where is my Fairy Godmother when I need her?

Oh, my, what a problem to have!

Because of my work at the paper, I've been invited to a ball! A Crystal Ball, no less!

It's given by a community foundation that serves several counties in our area of the state, including ours. It's also one of the organizations that sponsored the Project TATE thing I did (remember, Madidi and Morgan Freeman and how the heck did I get rooked into this?)

(Oh, update on that - we had about half of our funds left over after we finished that project, and we're buying Dance Dance Revolution units for each of the elementary schools with the rest. How cool is that?)

Well, like I said, I got two tickets. I wasn't sure about the dress code, until I saw them yesterday.

"Black Tie Preferred."

Yikes!

Now, I could've winged it with a dress. There are loads of fancy dresses on clearance now, after the holidays. Plus, we have a designer resale shop here in town. It's the other half of this equation that has me a bit worried.

Jason doesn't have any real objections to wearing a tux - it's just that, well, frankly I don't know if our budget will handle a dress for me and a tux rental for him.

(He doesn't really enjoy when I drag him to these things anyway. He'd rather be home watching Are You Being Served? on DVD.)

Compounding the problem, my BFF Marcia is getting married in two weeks! And she's Catholic, and she's asked me to read two scripture passages during the ceremony. I've never been to a Catholic wedding, but I have been to an Ash Wednesday service and a funeral, and I understand that the scripture readings are an important part of the ceremony. She's have a small ceremony with no attendants, and she felt this was a way I could be involved.

She asked her other BF to read a second set of scripture, but she got cold feet, so Marcia asked me to read both. No problemo, I told her.

(The other friend isn't being left out. She's manning the guest book, or some such.)

Anyway, I needed a new dress. And I made an executive decision: it's more important to me to be there for Marcia than it is this community foundation. They're nice people and all, but they aren't her. And if I don't go to the ball, very few people will notice, but everyone will be seeing me at that wedding, and I have to look good.

So yesterday, I went with my mom to visit my dad in the hospital - nothing serious, we think, just some unexplained dizziness and nausea they want to check out because of his medical history - and we went dress shopping. And while I found a really cute number on the clearance rack, I tried it on and it just was not to be.

What the heck, I decided. I picked out a full price (alright, full price was $40, but still, I have my cheapness standards) dress. And it fit! And it looked great!

And I had them put it on hold so Jason could get it today after I got paid.

And then I came home and found a 15% off coupon on the internet for that store! Score!

So, barring, a Fairy Godmother (or some Fairly Oddparents, I guess Cosmo and Wanda would do just as well) I won't be going to the ball.

Although, I guess I could enlist the aid of the mice which have been showing up at my mom's house.

And that would totally freak Amanda out.