We have a friend here with a beautiful British accent who we often laugh with about the differences between British and American English. One of the strangest terms is if you are invited to a “fancy dress party” in the UK, you better put on a costume as if it were Halloween. Not a costume party — “fancy dress.” Add in the news that what we call a swimsuit they call a “swimming costume” and I’m guessing that the Brits don’t understand what a costume is? Oh, and when they say “pants,” it actually means underwear and a “vest” is one of our white undershirt tank tops. Things get confusing pretty quickly.
Anyway, in the US when we say fancy dress we mean formalwear so I teased Ashley that we were going to our version of a fancy dress party when we went to the Marine Corps ball last week. I was in a costume kind of mood so I went with a Downton Abby inspired headband to go with my short black dress.
She loves it when I dress up and she can put makeup on too.
Almost 20 years in and I still struggle with the fastener at the neck of his uniform.
Caleb told me that my headband looked like headgear. Really, kid? I don’t look like I have braces. Then he clarified: “Not that kind of headgear. The tape that rugby players wrap around their heads to protect their ears.” Oh, awesome. Thanks. No more Rugby World Cup for you!
Then he told me that I looked funny because I was all dressed up, but have a big bruise on my shin (from CrossFit). Josh tried to explain to him that someday when he has a girlfriend or a wife he will need to choose his words carefully and be complementary. He asked, “So I shouldn’t tell the truth?” Oh goodness. Yes, lie like a rug. It will make your wife (and life) much happier.
We had a fun night out. It’s hard to believe that next year might be our last ball since Josh intends to retire October of 2017.
A week later, it was Calvin’s turn to dress up for the Homecoming dance.
Girlie is enamored with the idea that Calvin has a girlfriend and goes on dates.
While we were waiting for his date to arrive, she was dancing around the living room with the corsage.
Off to the dance!
Since Josh and I were driving home at the end of the night we decided to go have dinner at the hotel where the dance was being held. They have a Thursday night version of Friday brunch — a 4 hour buffet with fancy food, drink and entertainment.
The theme was Hollywood night so the background music was movie soundtracks. The food was divine. This was just from the first pass: Ceviche, shrimp cocktail, lobster salad, and corn chowder. Between the sushi, peking duck, ribeye steak, grilled fennel, fancy cheese, and prosciutto we were stuffed, but still had to explore the dessert table.
A little creme brûlée, cheesecake with chocolate crust, and why not have Baked Alaska with a firework exploding out of the top? Calvin had a great time at Homecoming and we lived it up while waiting to drive him home. Win. Win.