The Purple Dress

This dress? I love it.

Here’s why.

You know that feeling when life is incredibly stressful and it seems like you’re on a roller coaster of emotions from  frustrated to defeated to excited and then to anxious?

(Yeah, me too. It sucks.)

And you know that feeling when you find something totally unexpected and it makes you immensely happy and erases all those stressful feelings, if only for a few minutes?

(Me too! And it’s awesome!)

That happened to me last weekend.

I spent all day Saturday with a group of girls celebrating a friend’s birthday. We ventured all over Austin from the Ice Cream festival, to Bingo, to 6th Street. But my absolute favorite part of the day was when we stopped at Buffalo Exchange. This place is amazing. It’s a thrift store full of eclectic shirts, pants, dresses, shoes, and accessories. At first I wasn’t too interested in the shopping experience since I’m b.r.o.k.e. and knew I wouldn’t be able to buy anything, but I quickly changed my mind. I tried to convince myself that trying on clothes for fun is just as entertaining. And it was, sort of.

Until my BFF pulled out a beauty of a dress out of the racks. A strapless dress from Ann Taylor. White with purple flowers. It practically screamed Ashley. I knew I had to try it on. In the dressing room I put on the dress and walked out to show the group of girls. It was love at first sight. For all of us. I knew I needed this dress. It fit perfectly and with a $21 price tag there was no way I putting it back on the hanger for someone else to find! But how was I going to buy it without any money? (For the record I don’t condone stealing.) My BFF was the answer to my prayers that day. She offered to buy me the dress as an early birthday present (my b-day is in September, in case you’re curious and want to send me flowers or baked goodies).

She paid and a few minutes later I walked out of the store with the dress in my hands. I was so excited I almost gave my BFF a hug, except for the fact that she doesn’t like hugs and is big into “personal space”. Weird, I know. So I just told her THANK YOU a million times. And I meant it every single time.

Now all I have to do is look at this pretty dress hanging in my closet and I somehow forget whatever is bothering me. I smile. Because I am in love… with the purple dress.

Isn’t it gorgeous?