Belly Laughs

Tragedy has struck friends.  I have lost a piece of me... something that has been with me for many, many years.  Meet, my belly ring:

Sad little broken belly ring.

Maybe we should start at the beginning.  When I was a senior in high school I was a pretty classy lady.  Like real classy.  And with prom coming up, I wanted to accentuate my super classy two-piece dress with a belly-button piercing. 

The only problem was, my mom totally forbid it.  She told me that if I pierced my belly-button she would take away my super classy two-piece prom dress.  The horror.

Now, being the asshole slightly rebellious teen that I was, I headed on down to the tattoo parlor/piercing place with my dear friend Brandy who is an expert in body mutilation.  Hi Brandy!!!  I chose the ring/jewel combo because that's what Britney Spears was sporting at the time.

When Prom night came along and everyone and their date showed up to my house for prom pictures, I just hiked up that skirt and acted like everything was normal.  Yes, I had to push my belly out to keep the skirt up, but looking slightly bloated in pictures is a small price to pay for hot body piercings.

See how classy those dresses were?

Of course, as soon as we were out of the house and on our way to the Prom I exhaled and let my dress go to it's natural resting place on my hips. 

The classiness is almost unbearable.

Of course the next day my mom caught sight of the dang thing.  But by then I didn't need that dress anymore.  But the belly ring remained, for a very long time.

I'd contemplated taking it out many, many times.  I know I'm too old to wear a belly ring.  But I kind of forget its there.  Which is probably why I never changed it.  That, and how embarrassing would it be to shop for a belly ring at my age?

But I couldn't bring myself to take it out.  I just... couldn't.

Then on Sunday when I'd gotten back from the lake, I was letting the dogs out when I bumped against the sliding door and heard a pop.  I looked down and saw the tiny "diamond" on the deck and about had a heart attack. 

I believe it was a sign.  I mean, the thing fell out after 10 years in there and it just happened to be the day before I started teaching.  That's no coincidence.  It's the end of an era.  And the beginning of a new, more mature/less trashy era.

And somewhere in Wichita, my mother is praising Jesus that I am no longer a teenager.  Love you, Mom!