Derek asked Allyn to the Homecoming dance by taking a little note and wrapping it up into a HUGE ball of plastic wrap. He used an industrial plastic wrap from the local potato warehouse so his package ended up being about 7x12 in size....all plastic wrap with an occasional candy bar and note of encouragement to keep unwrapping and the final invite to the dance wadded up in the center. He had the office at the school deliver it to her and after lunch he saw the leftover remnants of plastic cluttering the hallway near her locker.
Allyn response added a new level of crazy to Derek's plastic wrap proposal. A box was left on our front porch for Derek. Inside were six more boxes all wrapped with an insane amount of packing tape (good thing he always has a pocket knife with him) and the final box also had a bundle of plastic wrap similar to the one he had delivered to her.
Once he finally got to the center of the plastic wrap there were three wrapped gift boxes. He started with the first one which had two smaller boxes and an envelope inside with only gum. The second box had the same treasures in it and the third box held the answer. Well, an answer of sorts. He had to actually track her down at the school to get his yes answer.
The boys in the group planned a fun activity date with the girls but were at a loss when it came to choosing a place to eat out. They wanted to do something fancy but were very cautious of the cost as well realizing that gas money, tuxedo rentals, flowers and dinner were adding up pretty fast. After waiting a few days for them to come up with their own ideas I volunteered my kitchen. I couldn't help myself. After spending the summer planning party after party and ending on a high with Erika's backyard reception and Kate's baby shower I was having serious withdrawals and needed to plan a party, even if it was just the food. The boys were very excited and grateful.
The boys didn't want to plan the menu but had one request. Emma is lactose intolerant and could be extremely sick from the food so I needed to plan something specifically for her. I didn't want her to feel odd about the dinner so I took the extra challenge to make it so that she could eat the entire meal but it would still be palatable for everyone. It was so worth it to have all the kids enjoy the meal and to hear that Emma was so excited to eat all of the food without worrying about being sick for the rest of the night or the day following.
After spending a few hours at the Riot Zone doing miniature golf and bumper cars they made their way back to our house for dinner. LeRoy and I took the other boys out while the teens took over the kitchen and game room. Then Derek delivered everyone to their homes to dress up for the formal part of the date.
Once they were all dressed up they went to the college to have pictures taken by Austin's brother. He was great to offer is free which saved them the extra $15 cost at the school for one pose. And he got some fun shots of them.
By the time they were done with pictures it was already 10:30 and they didn't want to pay the $20 fee at the door to dance so they went to the park instead. They used an iPod and some portable speakers to create their own dance. Six kids in formal wear dancing in the park drew a crowd and they had college students take a few pictures of them using Derek's iPod.
Hearing them talk about the date later I realized that they probably had more fun at the park and going to Maverik in their formal wear than they would have had among all their peers at the dance. They had no regrets about their decision, only great fun memories.
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