Some things never change

When I was four years old, my favorite movie was "The Wizard of Oz."  I absolutely LOVED it - and desperately wanted to be Dorothy Gale.  Specifically, Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale.  I felt I could relate to her - she had brown hair and brown eyes (liked me), loved dogs, liked to sing, wore pretty dresses, liked to have adventures, and wore cool shoes.

Seriously, how could you not love her?  And don't get me started on the dog.









I always wanted to dress up just like Dorothy, and so when Halloween came around, I finally got my chance.

(The Karate Kid behind me is my big brother, Joe.)  My parents were always the best at helping us put together the greatest  costumes, and as luck would have it, that year we found a little dress and blouse that would work perfectly for Dorothy.  Since I was only four, it was difficult to find some authentic-looking ruby slippers, PLUS this was before Target moved into town where you can buy glittery shoes all-year-round.  Add in the fact that I didn't want to be slowed down by uncomfortable shoes - especially since that was the year that we were going trick-or-treating in my cousins' neighborhood (which was so busy, people didn't wait for kids to ring their doorbell, they'd just take off their screen and sit by the front door doling out candy by the fistfuls to all the kids).  So, I decided on some very practical moccasins.  Okay, they were pink, but honestly I could care less.
With my Pound Puppy as Toto (in my pink plastic basket from a previous Easter), I made sure to have Mom braid my hair like Dorothy's, and I was all set.  Sure, the real Dorothy had longer hair, and RED shoes, and her socks weren't yellow.....but to me, that was one of my favorite Halloweens.  Everyone recognized me as  I went trick-or-treating, and I can still remember the feel of the pavement under my feet as I pounded the neighborhood in those moccasins. 

Now fast-forward twenty-four years (you do the math).  It's autumn, and my Dad said that he had received an invitation to the All Hallows' Ball, a big annual shindig in Tampa.  The whole party is invitation only, and so he tells me that he'd like ME to go along as his guest!  (I felt like Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" when Lucy tells him they want him to be their model:  "ME?!  You want me?!")

Dad deliberated over what we should go as, but thanks to the wonders of on-line shopping, he found me a costume that brought out my inner four-year-old.

This time my shoes were not only red, but totally blinging.  My basket was straw (and not pink), and my hair was a little longer.  But I felt just as special as Dorothy this time around as I did twenty-four years ago.  People still recognized who I was (it didn't matter that this time it was guys in thongs as opposed to neighborhood homeowners), and I had a ball.

I'm living proof that the fun doesn't end when you grow up.  It only gets more sparkly. :)

Me with Daddy as my Lollipop Guild Munchkin (nicknamed "Snappy")