I am not a clothes shopper.  I wouldn’t know how to properly apply make-up even with a how-to manual.  And my hair and I have never seen eye to eye!!  BUT that is why God gives us good girlfriends.  Ones who patiently work you through the comfort zones where you have chosen to barricade yourself.   They let you be honest.  Not once do they judge.   Suddenly all those visual inadequacies that cause you GREAT self consciousness fade away.  I love the women God has placed in my life.  That group of comrades with whom you can  laugh til you snort, be truthful when they ask, “How are you?”, and ugly cry ( women you understand the red blotchy face and the nose that runneth over.)  I am finding more and more that once I embrace just being REAL; no longer hiding under that “all things are perfect” facade, I become more confident and more real to myself.  It is always bad when you find you lie to yourself as much as others.  AND even more preposterous is lying to God, as though He isn’t, well, God, omniscient, omnipresent.  Come on, who am I fooling.

So in being real, I found I wanted to find a little of the “girly” in me.   That and the perk to surprise my husband!  Wanting to change up my hair mostly, I put myself in the competent hands of my girlfriend at church.  DAWN, you know how I love ya!!  She was on board 110% and took things a step further to suggest we do it without Lance’s knowledge.  She offered to do my make-up, and then she grabbed an outfit from her closet for me to wear.  I mean seriously beyond the call of duty.  So the plan was in the works and last night I shocked the pants off my husband when I showed up for our early Valentine’s dinner……well, he admitted to having to take a second look because he did not recognize me.  🙂

A few before and afters

And just a few from our night