Daddy Daughter Dance

Saturday night was a special one in our family. Our church was hosting its' first "Daddy/Daughter Dance". My 5 yr old daughter Merrick could not have been more excited! She had her dressed picked out in advance and was giddy with excitement. I couldn't help but feel this excitement as well. I wanted the evening to be ALL about her. I even ordered her a wrist corsage.
So she got dolled up and even got to wear lipstick (which was a BIG deal) and we took off. I cannot explain the joy I felt watching her. She was floating on air. She was beaming from ear to ear. She couldn't have been more excited. As we got into the car I asked her "Will you join me for a night of dining and dancing?" She smiled huge and then added, in a funny accented voice..... "And hopefully a little bit of drinkin'....." I laughed out loud, a little confused. She then followed with "yeah.....I am REALLY hoping that they have punch!" Can you GET any cuter than that?
As we entered our simple church's fellowship hall I was blown away at how it looked. It was covered with pink lace and ribbon and Christmas lights. Tables for 4 were scattered about elegantly covered with candles and flowers. The floor (and the girls liked this best) was blanketed in pink and purple balloons. We were ushered to the photo area for our photgraph. (we even got that in a keepsake frame at the end of it all)
The night was perfect. We shared a nice meal, listened to a brief presentation on the blessing of a Father/Daughter relationship, and then the dancing began. Man it was FUN! Merrick is the energizer bunny! We danced and laughed and danced and laughed. We scooted around to oldies, Cyndi Lauper and other crowd faves. We threw in some Hokey-Pokey and Chicken Dance action for fun! In between the dances were prize give-aways and silly games that the girls loved.
The night ended with a slow dance. Of course they went straight for the jugular with the song of choice being Steven Curtis' Chapman's "Cinderella". If you have never heard it and have a daughter...be warned!!!! :) It was so special. I picked up my angel and held her as tight as I could. Tears were streaming down almost every face in the place...in fact they are streaming down mine again just thinking about it. I hugged my baby and kissed her and promised her that I would always love her. It was a beautiful moment.
I am so thankful to Marcie Dixon for putting this together. It was done wonderfully. I will never forget it and look forward to next year already.
I am so thankful for my Merr Bear. She is a special soul who I love with all my heart.