165 : Get a New Dress

For the past couple years, I had treated myself to a new dress around the holidays.  It seemed like there was always a slew of parties to attend, and with all different people.  If I was lucky, I could pull off the same dress 3 weekends in a row without anyone (besides my Ex) seeing me in the dress more than once.  It was awesome!  It was challenging (and motivating) the first holiday season after I had a baby.  And even the year following (who had time to exercise when they had a full time job and an infant?) Then last year, I felt pretty good about myself- I had started weight watchers (see post #18) and oh, did I mention my husband told me right before the holidays that he was unhappy in our marriage?  Well, that will skim a few pounds off ya, right there!  I'm pretty confident I looked good in my dress last year, even though I was not good on the inside.  Fast forward to present day.  I'd accepted the fact that my marriage was over.  I had looked divorce dead in the eyes and came out on the other side.  I was successfully balancing a demanding job and being a wonderful single mom (most days).  So one day in early October I was checking my email a little too religiously and I saw a sale online that I "had" to check out.  Within minutes, I was somehow perusing the dress section and had 5 dresses in my shopping cart (okay, 3 different dresses but multiple sizes).  It was only fall, but these dresses had clearly sought me out, not the other way around.  Surely, I had to take advantage of this sale if it was right in front of me, right?  When they arrived, I did a fashion show for my 3 year old who said he liked them all after I reassured him I was not leaving.  There was one in the pile that stuck out to me.  I knew it was a keeper immediately because it was a size 4 and it fit!!  More importantly, though, it just made me feel good.  Putting on a new dress made me feel feminine, sexy, alive, beautiful!  It would be months before I actually wore this dress anywhere (and hopefully the 4 would still fit)  but for now I would go to sleep content from the high of my new dress.