I Clean Up Well......

When Mrs. Sturm asked if I wanted to attend The Inaugural Ball, I was of course excited and jumping for joy...... Ok, not really. Mainly because I am not a formal event type guy. Although I was a little interested in seeing what I looked like in a tuxedo since the last time I wore one was almost 15 years ago. (Damn I'm old.....)

The Sturms...... At a formal event........

We coordinated with our friends, lined up a sitter and went about getting all fancied up. A quick trip to JoS Bank for a tux for me and a quick hair trim at the barber shop and I was set! Mrs. Sturm was a bit of a different story. Gotta get a gown. Gotta get a shawl. Gotta get a purse. Shoes. Make-up. Hair. Nails. Jewelry. The list was a like a deployment packing list! Nevertheless, our friend Danna took care of my lady and made her up! A rendezvous at Danna's house for the making of a ball ready wife while I drank a whiskey..... or two and watched TV was my pre-game show for the event. I think it literally took me 10 minutes to throw on my tux and brush my teeth!

When we arrived at the event it was cold but admittedly, it was a smooth transition of lines both entering the area of the D.C. Convention Center as well as shuffling through security and into the coat check line. Now here is a helpful hint that we took to another level! We were told to bring a jacket you might not care about leaving behind in case lines were massive when trying to retrieve your coats at the end of the night. We took this a bit further because the coat check lines were so long, we just tossed our "disposable" coats in the corner and headed toward the ball room. Seemed like a good idea and we figured booze would keep us warm enough when leaving!

Yup... Still goofy

An event like this is all about people watching. Look at all the ladies in dresses (now knowing how much it takes to get them to look like they do) and measure up the guys tux's. But there were also some pretty decent musical acts on stage. Alicia Keys, Mana, Brad Paisley, FUN. and Stevie Wonder. We saw the President and First Lady in a very touching dance together (whether you like him or not, it was touching).

When we left, our master plan of dumping off our jackets came into fruition. It was cold..... I mean really fucking cold out there. The ladies were not going to be happy. So, on a hunch, we hit the spot where we discarded the jackets. Yup, still there! BONUS! Happy ladies were at least a little warmer on the way to the cab.

Yes, this shaved ape of a man had fun dressing up in a tux and going to the ball with my wife. Yes, I enjoyed not wearing shorts and a t-shirt for a little while. And yes, I would do it again in a heartbeat.