My Sister the Debutante and My Debutante Memories

Last week was the Odessa Crystal Ball Foundation's annual debutante ball. This is a fundraiser that benefits the Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center and it has been a tradition in Odessa for 51 years now. During the ball, debutantes and their escorts are presented to the community, and it's one of the most exciting social events of the year.

Debutantes and escorts are invited to be a part of the CB during their sophomore year of college. I had the honor of being a debutante in 2001 and my little sister, Emily, was a deb this year. It's crazy that it's been 10 years, so I had to dig up some old photos and reminisce a little.

As a debutante you get to:

-Tour the rehabilitation center. This was pretty awesome and it's so great to know that all the money at the ball goes toward such a great cause.

-Attend quite a few parties while you are home for Christmas. These parties are thrown by people in the community to honor different debs and escorts, and they range from pottery painting to murder mystery dinners. My sister even had a party where they did skeet shooting this year!

-Buy a wedding dress. This seems crazy, but debutantes are presented in a big, poofy, white dress. Ideally, I should have worn my deb dress for my wedding, but by the time I got married, I was ready for a different style. Emily's dress was gorgeous!

-Do a big debutante bow. Yep. The stereotypical one where you kneel to the ground and your forehead almost touches the floor. Silly, but kind of a fun tradition. We even had bow practices and coaches. I wonder if I can still do my bow? It's so different watching people bow as opposed to being on stage. I was more nervous for the girls I was watching this year than I was for myself. I was praying none of them fell or tipped over! Emily was, of course, perfect! She was graceful and took her time.

So, now that I have sort of explained the CB, here are some fun pics!

This was in 2001...wow we both look so different!

2011. Emily is gorgeous and I am a little chubby two months post-baby. 

Hey, it's all about the memories.

My bow in 2001.

Emily practicing her bow in 2011.

Molly Ann the debutante in 2001.

 

Emily the debutante in 2011.

This year, I went to the ball presentation and left right after it was over to get home to Jeremy and Quinn. But, we took some pics before the ball to have for posterity.