First brigade ball

This past Friday night, Steve and I went to our first brigade ball. I started out excited about it (well, after I got over Operation Dress Stress and Deathcon Shoe Search) because we would get to go out! alone! and talk with adults! and wear something besides sweat pants! and perhaps drink alcohol!

Well let's be real here. I drank a LOT of alcohol. After not drinking for 9 months (baby incubation period) and then breastfeeding for 6 months and then Lent for 40 days (which, technically, we are not outta the woods with that yet, but I pretended it was Sunday), one glass of wine did me in. But did I stop there? No, why? We were having a good time! I got a cosmopolitan and Steve and I both got BIG EYES while we watched the bartender fill up half a Solo cup with vodka. Better judgement SHOULD have kicked in and said, "Is this really a good idea? You haven't even been through the receiving line yet, which is UP THE STAIRS, and you are already not so talented at walking around in high heels and floor-length gowns, so you might wanna just STEP AWAY FROM THAT LOADED DRINK WOMAN." But I just flicked that little thought off my shoulder and sipped on my Very Strong Drink.

After becoming thoroughly tipsy, the GUEST OF HONOR and his WIFE approached us (out of at least 200 people standing around ???) and wanted to chat it up. They were familiar with Auburn and had been there many times so we talked about that for a while and I tried very hard to appear sober and respectable and like this wasn't the first time I've had a drink in over a year. Who knows if I succeeded at that or not. But by the time we were finished talking with them, we had to get in line to go through the receiving line. And our drinks were still FULL. Steve knew better than to go against his conscience, so he ditched his drink, but remember that I had already left my conscience way back there with my first glass of wine? So I proceeded to chug the rest of my drink while simultaneously walking up the stairs. That turned out about as well as you'd imagine it would.

I managed to shake everyone's hand in the receiving line and a General's wife fixed my necklace (you know when the clasp works its way around to the charm) and then she gave me a big hug. Maybe drunk is a good thing! People can relate to that! Maybe she wished she didn't have to stand in that stupid receiving line while 2LT's wives were down below getting lit.

Somehow, after the receiving line we ended up in the line for pictures. I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe the staircase down just looked too challenging at that point. Either way, I hope my eyes aren't doing that crazy half-open thing because then I would REALLY appear intoxicated and that wasn't the whole look I was going for for my First Brigade Ball Photo.

We eventually ended up in the ballroom at a table with a bunch of guys and gals that Steve will be joining and working with starting this week. They turned out to be a riot and we had a good time being at their table. Then we met the Colonel and I was introduced as the new FRG leader.
Wait. Whaaa??? I figured they would at least wait until I was sober before I could agree to a decision like that. I guess I will wait around to see if any of them were sober enough to remember naming me that.

And after eating some really awful food and watching people do ridiculously large shots of the Regimental Punch, we had to call it a night. A ball that lasts five hours BEFORE dancing? Kinda lengthy, Army, kinda lengthy. Maybe they should consider starting these affairs at 3 in the afternoon so people who go to bed early (like US) could have a little FUN afterward? We were so tired that we came straight home and passed out. No dancing for us. We did have fun going out alone and not worrying about Sammy since he was in such capable hands while we were gone!