Presidential Wears

Our lives have been entangled the past few weeks. Both consciously and subconsciously, work and personal, with the impending visit of President Obama, who arrives in Brasilia tomorrow. I have lent my husband to his and his family's safety and happiness upon arrival here, many a late hour and weekend this month. The boys are wondering who the man in the suit is that leaves shortly after they awaken in the morning and who gently kisses their sleeping heads at night when he gets home. However, this sacrifice does not come without reward. Tomorrow afternoon, I will slip on a very special dress that I stumbled upon shortly before our departure to Brazil. You know, in the unlikely event that I would get to meet someone important, WAY important.

Well it seems unlikely has become likely. When I spied this dress designer dress on a discount rack, four months ago I had to have it. I nearly wept when I peeked inside at the size....and then I did what any crazed fashionista would do, I tried (to try) it on. When Sam's attempt to zip it up from his tiny dressing room stool failed, I gathered up all my self esteem, cantelevered my half-zipped self from my slatted dressing room door and beckoned a saleswoman to zip it up for me. Nearly a size and a half too small and a size I haven't worn since having the boys. I remarked to the sales-lady as she grabbed handfuls of back fat and stuffed them inside the dress and turned beet red struggling with the zipper, while screaming "suck it in mama!" that I still had a touch of baby weight to lose, but I hoped I'd get there, someday. And, I did.

In the back of my closet, and the back of my mind, I kept this little number, until today, when I thought, "It's now or never girl!" I slipped it on and zipped it with ease, twirled once for Pete and then whooped loudly and obnoxiously for goals and deadlines and just-in-cases and the perfect dress for the perfect occasions that may or may not ever happen, but sometimes, just sometimes do (fingers crossed).

Tomorrow afternoon, I will suit up for a "Meet & Greet" with the man himself (along with 399 other well deserving people) in hopes that I can shake his hand and make all my doubts and fears and the hardships of the past year melt away when I come face to face with the man (not the political party or the senseless arguments over which we are divided as a country), an individual who represents change in our country and in the lives of all its people and who inspired us, as a family, to choose to drastically change our lives, in the hopes of aiding and inspiring change in millions more is worth meeting in my book....and looking fabulous.

[Cue National Anthem]