Pierced ears

I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I was sixteen. SIXTEEN! It was one of those things that I really wished for as a kid, but my parents were kind of old fashioned and didn't approve of the idea.

When, finally, I turned sixteen and was given the green light, I went to the local mall to get the job done. Unfortunately, the goofy technician who poked my ears missed the mark and messed one up. She pierced it too low and, as a result, I've always had to be cautious which earrings I choose to wear. Yep, on occasion I'd experienced moments of Murphy's Law way before I married a Murphy.

Anyway, I knew that I didn't want Madi to have to wait that long, yet we were really in no rush to pierce her ears. She's mentioned it from time to time, and Jimmy and I always told her maybe when she's ten...or twelve...or thirteen.

When we were on vacation in New Hampshire, there was one day that Jimmy, Madi, and I took a trip to the mall with Andrew and Colleen. The three of us went our own way, and one of the stores Madi wanted to hit was Claire's, a girlie accessory store. 

Well, I don't know what possessed me, (maybe Grandma Pauline? maybe the rare occasion that it was just the three of us?) but right at the front of the store stood a big ear piercing kiosk, and it was totally staring me down kinda like a mirage in the desert. As Madi and Jimmy shopped around, I inquired about their ear piercing special that was plastered everywhere, and it all unfolded very spontaneously right then and there. 

"Madi...would you want to get your ears pierced today?"

Our little beauty smiled widely and--without hesitation--joyfully responded with a resounding "YES!"

It was probably a blessing that it all happened so fast. We could see our daughter's wheels turning about the fact that it might be painful. Of course, my anxious lip biting--as I recalled my own personal experience--probably wasn't helping. I nervously hoped that Madi's technicians had better aim than her mother's did.

Within seconds, two young teenagers worked their magic on either side and (almost) simultaneously used their little stapler-looking gadgets to get the job done. I was so relieved that they both had perfect aim!

There is nothing that could possibly make Madi look any prettier than she already is, but I do think her new little pearls suit her well.