How Stephie got her groove back.

It doesn't involve Taye Diggs. Dangit.

On Friday both Zach and I served as panelists for the Maryland State Theatre Festival. Oh yeah, me. Public speaking. In front of the most cut throat audience ever. High school students.  I once again cursed the pharmacutical companies for having not yet come up with a safe-for-nursing Xanax. Going back to high school is well, odd. And you know what instantly cuts your authority by like twenty billion percent? Using the high school lav with the very gals that you'll be talking to in five minutes. Also? The bathrooms are still gross. For being the neater sex, the 14-18 crowd is nastay in the loo.  I would have avoided it except, I don't know about you, but when I get nervous my bladder becomes the size of an edamame. An edamame having a seizure. Yes. That's exactly what it's like.
After 10 or so trips, it was finally time to face the music and the kidlets all poured in and took their seats. I was first. Of course.
Amazingly enough I didn't humiliate myself! *the crowd goes wild* I may have rambled a bit, but I made them laugh a time or two and managed to cover everything I wanted to. It was incredible! I really was made aware how much I love my job and how I am actually ready to get back to it...a little at a time of course!
 Let me tell you people, there is hope for our youth! High school students get such a bad rap, but the kids I met with were intelligent, funny, smart, respectful and it was just a great time. Not to mention that post panel a couple of the girls came up to tell me they loved my fashion sense, even though all my bits and pieces were covered. Ha! Favorite dress scored again.

Favorite dress:

I take all my fashion shots at IKEA. I recommend it highly. 

p.s. That's not our sippy cup. Random abandoned sippy.

We also left Max with a sitter for the very first time. My God, I was so tense about that! Not that I don't trust the woman we left him with, I do! But leaving him, for such a long time, with someone other than family for the first time was stressful. Blissfully unaware of my stressy-ness, Max napped for three of the four and a half hours we were gone. Good job, dude.

I learned several lessons on Friday:

1. *cough* years and 3000 miles, it doesn't matter. High schools all smell the same.
2. I forgot how pretty my engagement ring is! The gallery is so high I have scratched the baby with it so I rarely wear it. I stared at it all day, sparkly. 
3. I can in fact still do make up! Didn't even poke myself in the eye with the liner. Success.
4. I can in fact, still do my hair! Didn't even burn myself with the curling iron. HUGE success.
5. The hairspray I bought months ago but never used before Friday smells exactly like the hairspray my grandmother used to use. Totally freaked me out.
6. It was not Aqua Net thankyouverymuch.
7. If you don't eat all day because you are nervous, you will be ravenous once the nerve-wracking event is over.
8. There might be nothing to eat but Dunkin' Donuts.
9. They were gooooooooooooooood.
10. I blame the gym manager.