Girls' Night Out

I owe last night all to my(older) brother. He was supposed to breeze into town after being close by on business but...didn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't. Whatever. Okay, okay - I'm being a baby.

Anyway, since the sitter was already booked and although the thought of curling up with a stack of books at Barnes and Noble all by my lonesome for 3 hours on a Saturday night was terribly tempting (sad but true), I opted for plan B: Girls' Night Out. The "girls" being my 13 year old daughter and me. And wow, what a treat.

Although, I wasn't so confident of that as we were planning the night...

"Mom, can I call Brooke (not her real name) and ask her to come with us?" (her)
"Well, no, I thought this time it would be just the two of us." (me)
"Mommmm...WHY?" (her)
"Just because." (me)

Doesn't sound too promising, does it?

But what a GREAT time we had! And you know what? She sucked it up and enjoyed herself. She had a monumental stack of gift cards and a wad of babysitting cash ready to spend, but she followed me to my stores (at first) and did her best to dress me a little more stylish than usual. Which actually isn't too hard since anything more than flip flops and jeans is a fashion improvement.

Then, when I was finished and I couldn't carry another bag, I followed her around and watched in amazement at the little shopper she had become. Only two (maybe three) years ago we spent HOURS in Limited Too while she stared at racks and racks of clothes having no idea what she liked or what she wanted to try on. Painful.

But no longer. She whizzed through shops and honed in on exactly what she liked. She looked at tags, compared prices and added an accessory here and there. She knows what she likes. Time being key at 8:30 on a Saturday night (especially with three more stores to go before the mall closes), she skipped the dressing rooms and held up shirts and shorts to herself before taking a chance on whether something would fit. And just where did she learn that?

I was truly amazed. And also thankful to have somehow, some way, produced a fashion guru (okay...she's just a typical teenager) from whom I can borrow cute shirts and fun jewelry. Because, I'm thinking after last night, there is no way I should be dressing myself anymore without seeking her advice first.

As the mall closed and we HAD to leave, we spent another hour or so bonding at Olive Garden. It had been far too long since I spent the night out with my oldest daughter. Far far too long. She has changed so much since shopping at Limited Too. She has changed so much just in the last six months. And in just four more months...she will be out of middle school. Finished. The awkward years over. Just in time for High School.

Suddenly I'm at a loss for words. My fingers just sat still over the keyboard not knowing what else to say. And they are doing it again right now.

All I know is that, out of all of the Girls' Night Outs that I've had, last night was absolutely the best ever. And that's saying a lot. It was some good stuff.

:-)