The Best of Times

It’s Prom Night 2012 in Farragut and first things first - prayers and heartfelt wishes for all those prom goers…that they will have fun, safe and happy prom nights. I pray for drama free nights and safe travel to and from destinations tonight.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to proms over these last few days. Paul has worked hard to get all his plans in order. We went to pick up flowers and vests and, of course, Lisa and I heard details of all the hard work his girlfriend was putting in to make the perfect dress.

Paul asked me about proms from our day. I gave him what I saw as the pros (simpler, less cost) and the cons (simpler, too much cost) from our era.

We didn’t have cell phones, though, which would have made prom planning SO much easier.

Actually, I attended two proms during my prom-going years. My second experience was actually a a different school - the school of my then-girlfriend. Here’s a shot of me (w/ the Peter Brady hair) getting ready to go pick her up for the evening.

Farragut has come a long way from the days of my prom. Back then, we had the dance in the cafeteria, the picture-taking station up the stairs in the balcony and the prom’s theme was “The Best of Times.” We really HAD the best of times then. There are a lot of times I wish I could just spend another evening with my friends from them; just hang out for a while.

I hope that Paul and his pals do a lot of that tonight. Savor nights like this.

He definitely looked very sleek as he went to pick up HIS date on prom night. Of course, they were headed no where near the FHS cafeteria. Modern proms outgrew that long ago. Tonight’s event was at an EVENT place - Hunter Valley Farm. They specialize in special events; the cafeteria specializes in Taco Tuesday!

I hope he and his date and all his friends had a special night tonight - first at the dance and then at the after-prom party. I’m sure we’ll spend a good portion of the day tomorrow hearing the highlights of this special night.

So, for all my fellow parents of promsters, the late night wait begins. We’ll be waiting for text messages to let us know of safe arrivals. And we’ll celebrate them.

And for all future prom parents reading along, your day will come. And I hope you enjoy every minute of it just as much as we do.

These really ARE “The Best of Times.”

JG

(Source: farraguths.knoxschools.org)

Originally posted 4/28/2012