{ Father-Daughter Dance }

A very special evening occurred this past weekend in our household; David and Saylor's first Father-Daughter Dance. This was an event for all the Girl Scout troops in the county area---about 100 girls plus fathers attended. They made it a point to emphasize NO MOMS ALLOWED. They did everything short of tattooing it on our rears. The theme of the dance was "Hollywood Glitz and Glam".

Before I can tell you about the evening, I must start with how super awesome my husband was about this idea. He didn't once give the impression that he dreaded it. In fact, he got into it and started teasing Saylor by practicing his dance moves to Hannah Montana songs. Each time the subject of the dance was brought up, he whooped and hollered with excitement to her delight. He put serious consideration into what he'd wear. He showed genuine excitement over the upcoming evening. Saylor on the other hand, was nervous although she was looking forward to it. She was nervous about dancing in front of others....she can be very very VERY shy about things. She teased her Daddy by asking, "Please don't dance in a way that embarrasses me."
On the day of the event she had stopped walking entirely and replaced walking with an excited skipping as her form of getting from one room of the house to the other. She was happy and looking forward to the night ahead. I asked her if she wanted me to paint her nails and instead of a yes or no answer she merely responded with a, "Yay!" which again must have meant yes. I asked, "Do you want me to put just a tiny bit of blush and gloss on you?"---"Yay!" was her response which included her bouncing up and down and taking great delight in the way her ringlets bounced in unison. So I got out my palest blush, clearest lip gloss, and a little sparkly pink eyeshadow. She begged me for some mascara and I gave in. She was feeling all dolled up and kept smiling at herself in the mirror. Seeing her excitement was so sweet. After a spritz of perfume, my earrings, and her "Pearls", she was ready. My husband looked very handsome, as well. They were a dashing duo.

After the dance, David was ready to wrap up the evening by taking his little girl to IHOP for some late night pancakes. However, she ended up ordering popcorn shrimp. They swung by the house to pick me up. Saylor told me, "Mom, some Dads didn't even dance with their daughters. They just sat there and talked with other dads even though their daughters kept asking them to dance. But, not Daddy. He and I danced EVERY dance except for when we took a break to eat some cake and sweet tea." It doesn't get any better than that in my opinion. My husband said the last song was, What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong. A perfect song to end a memorable occasion. I am so happy the two of them had such a special wonderful evening. I still have memories of my Father-Daughter dance when I was in Girl Scouts. I hope my daughter never forgets this special night.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten
S.W.A.K.