We’re given second chances every day of our life. We don’t usually take them, but they’re there for the taking.

– Andrew M. Greely

Second chances are a funny thing, no?  Sometimes, we don’t even realize that we’re given second chances, but I vowed long ago to seize every second chance opportunity I’m presented with.  (And let’s be real… I’ve seized a few third, fourth, and fifth chances as well… I’m greedy like that… or perhaps a little hard headed.)

I’ve blogged about my prom experiences in the past and the date that left me at my junior prom as well as the marathon run of Forest Gump in lieu of my senior prom.  I’ve also blogged about the wonderful friendship that I have with my ex-husband and his wife.

So how do these two things, coupled with second chances tie in together?

The Q99 Second Chance Prom…

It’s held every year and they’ve been doing it for nine years.  I think I went to the first or second one.  I went with my then serious boyfriend and doubled with my parents and we had a really great time!  I don’t listen to this station all the time, but I happened to have it on the other day when the signal for the Christian radio station was out and heard that the tickets would go on sale Friday… which happens to be today.

Know what I did?

I immediately emailed Jennifer, my ex-husband’s wife and asked her if they wanted to go with us.

No, I’m serious.

But then?  I didn’t hear back from her about it.  It was almost as bad as asking someone to prom itself. Thoughts of, “oh shoot…maybe I went too far…” and “well, maybe they are just friendly and don’t REALLY think we are funny after all..” went through my head.  Can you imagine that feeling of rejection? heh.

But since I had to contact her to see how she wanted to spend the $250+ dollars of hostess credit that she earned by having a show with me, I ended the note with, “Did you guys decide on the prom?”

Turns out she just thought she asked him and didn’t so a quick phone call to him and an email back to me confirmed that…

I am going to the prom and I’m double dating with my ex-husband and his wife.

Except I needed tickets.

That, people, was harder to come by than the confirmation that they wanted to be seen in public with us…

I had EVERY intention of being at the radio station this morning at 6:30…I mean, there was free breakfast and all that good jazz and I would probably be guaranteed tickets that way but you know what happened?

It was raining and I was tired.  I probably could’ve motivated myself to get out there if it had not been raining, but when you wake up, barely able to pull yourself out of the bed, turn the radio on to hear them say that the line is out the door and around the building and you know it won’t start moving until at least 45 minutes later?

Uh, yeah… right.  I hit that snooze button and grabbed me another 15 minutes of sleep before I hauled my tail out of the comfort of my bed to get the kids up and around for their last day of school.  (Don’t even ask me about how I feel being the mother of a 7th and 5th grader.  I’m not talking about it until I can without tearing up.)

I had to get the kids to school and then make it back over for the awards ceremonies that began at 8:15 and had many errands to run, so I’m calling on my phone when the lines opened at 7.

Busy.

Always busy.

I dialed, redialed, dialed, redialed…

wash. rinse. repeat.

Do you know how long I did that for?

FORTY-FIVE MINUTES…

While brushing my teeth…pouring coffee… driving down the road…

I even had Matthew calling on my other cell phone… he called the office twice and I’m still not sure how he managed that one, but bless his heart… he was trying to help me.

And finally.. it rang.  And the lady on the other end answered and said, “Q99 can you hold?”

Fear set in… I was approaching the dead zone, it was raining and I was on my cell phone.  Nothing like praying hard for the important stuff, right?

But it worked… because in 2.5 minutes, I had secured tickets.

And 10 minutes later?

All 600 tickets to the event were gone.

Lucky no?

So…

in about three months, I’m going to start looking for a dress (because the four, count them, four, formal dresses hanging in my closet won’t be good enough…) and planning my second chance at prom.

People think we’re weird, but I’m thankful, again, because how many people can say this?  How many divorced couples would even consider it, let alone do it?

Not many.

My ex and I were given a second chance at providing a wonderful atmosphere for our children and we took it.

We’ve incorporated two more wonderful adults into that equation.

And that?

Super duper cool.

Until next time…