prom night

a few saturdays ago, as meredith and i were walking back to our house from the local 7-eleven redbox location, we came across a peculiar sight on the main stairs of the provo city library. congregating around the steps were what looked like parents, children and, most interestingly, teenaged couples in formal attire. as we loitered around the outskirts of the gathering, we gathered that this was an old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness promenade.

prom·e·nade

   [prom-uh-neyd, -nahd] noun, verb, prom·e·nad·ed, prom·e·nad·ing

1. a stroll or walk, especially in a public place, as for pleasure or display.

2. an area used for such walking.

3. a march of guests into a ballroom constituting the opening of a formal ball.

4. a march of dancers in square dancing.

5. a formal dance; prom.

so basically, it was a promenade in multiple senses of the word. a master of ceremonies announced each couple as they marched down the grand staircase amid the cheers and applause of their waiting families. 

to me, it was magical. how cool that this school makes such a big deal out of prom night, giving families the chance to see their kids, some of whom will be graduating and leaving the nest soon, all dressed up on what promises to be one of the most memorable nights of their lives!

it made me wish that i had gone to prom in my high school years. usually i don't care about that at all--i mean, i didn't really care about it at the time--but i guess every once in a while i wish i had some really awesome prom/school dance stories to contribute to the conversations that sometimes come up or to tell my own kids when they are getting ready for their own dances. it doesn't matter all that much (i don't think), but it's one area of life that i don't have a lot of personal experience with. 

this wasn't meant to be a pity party; i don't think i'm any worse off, socially or emotionally or anything, because i didn't go to prom. but i was glad we randomly came upon that promenade at the library last week. i should probably play dress up and go to a formal event sometime soon, right?