Marine Ball

So we have had a few busy weeks here in Indonesia! One of the things I have most been looking forward to since we joined the State Department was the opportunity to go to some fun parties and more specifically the Marine Ball which is held every year around the time of the Marine Corps birthday. It is a pretty swanky affair, and Tanner and I decided we definitely wanted to go. I also was hoping to have a dress made for me so I wouldn't have to deal as much with the disappointment of going dress shopping only to realize (again) that there is almost nothing that is cute and modest. We have this awesome fabric section of town called Mayestic which is a bunch of stores that sell tons and tons of fabric. I looked on the internet and found a style that I liked, and then went to Mayestic to do some fabric shopping. I learned a lot about how you can't just make any dress with any fabric, so I had to make sure I chose the right one for the design I wanted. I ended up wanting silk and there are actually a ton of different kinds to choose from. I had narrowed it down between a few and nothing was 'just right'. Then the old man helping me said he had something else and returned with the perfect one. I asked what kind of silk it was and he just showed me the edge of the fabric and it said "Pure Silk by Valentino, Made in Italy". Okay, so I am not totally sure if it's THE Valentino, but regardless, the fabric was awesome and I bought it.

So now the trick was to find a tailor who could actually make an evening gown out of it. I was having a hard time finding one that could do it in the time frame I needed, and then the same old guy said he would take me to a place just outside mayestik. Great! So I go in this tailor shop and the head woman did not speak a lick of English. I was with my friend who speaks better than me and we did okay trying to explain what I wanted, but it all happened super fast, and it felt like she barely took any measurements. I was kind of freaking out about it later, but in the end I figured I just needed to look at it like a new and fun experience.

Fast forward two weeks, and I go in for the first fitting. They hadn't quite finished it, but they had done all the pleating and I was shocked and amazed at how great they had copied the picture I had given them. I had to go back a few more times and even though I still think I need to get it taken in just a smidge, I thought it turned out great and loved it! Also, they did forget to do a cap sleeve underneath, but luckily I was able to channel my inner Tim Gunn and "make it work!". The day of the ball, I went and got my hair and makeup done and totally freaked out when she went to put on fake eyelashes. I was straight up NOT going to let her put those things on. My awesome hairstylist Roberto asked me to just try it and they could always take them off later. By the end of the make up session I totally wanted to keep them. That was a first for me. We were running a little late, and I got home, threw on my dress, and we headed out to......TRAFFIC.
It took us an hour and half to go about 5 miles. We thought we were going to be super late, but the good thing was everyone was late, so it was all good.

We had a great time. The ceremony at the beginning was very nice. The birthday cake was ginormous, and I thought it was cool that they cut the first piece with a huge saber knife. Then they serve the first pieces to the oldest and youngest Marine in attendance. I just thought they were all very cool traditions. The other awesome thing is that they had very cool ice sculptures around the room.

Anyway, after a yummy dinner, they started the dancing and Tanner and I had a blast. We both love to dance and it felt like we were back in college again at one of our friend's dance parties. We realized we hadn't really gone dancing together since we have had kids which is a shame because we both love it. A definite highlight of the night was seeing a female Marine guard get up on the stage and do Beyonce's exact routine to "Single Ladies"....

in her Marine guard uniform....

with her senior officer looking on from afar no less. It doesn't get any better than that peeps. She rocked the house, and the crowd went wild. Happy 235th Birthday United States Marine Corps!