I thought her upcoming birthday post was going to be the sappy one, but I think it might be this one instead! When Covid closed schools, Niya was in 8th grade! She spent the rest of her 8th grade year, all of 9th and 10th grade learning virtually! It definitely wasn’t what we expected for her freshman and sophomore year, but it worked! She continued to excel and learn and that was all that mattered! When 11th grade rolled around, we knew that she would head back to school! But during that time, we’d moved (twice) and she no longer kept in touch with her old friends! She literally had no friends, other than her family! I felt terrible for her, but I prayed that she would be okay!

A couple of months ago, Niya started talking about prom! Initially, we told her “no” because prom was the night before the SAT! But then we decided that she would take the ACT instead and she told us that she may have a date! Our no slowly turned into a maybe and then a yes!

We spent a few weeks looking at dresses online before actually going to a dress shop! Sometimes as Mom, I have a way of wanting to choose things for her! So I stood back and let her pick out dresses that she wanted to try on! The first couple were really pretty and nice! She gave the 3rd one a definite no! The 4th one was everyone’s favorite! She loved it, but it had one flaw that she didn’t love! After seeing the style that she was into, I went back to the racks! I found a similar style in a color that I wasn’t sure that I even liked and figured she’d hate and told her to try it on! Once she had it on, her face lit up and we all knew it was the one she would wear to prom!

Fast forward to the day of prom! Makeup and hair filled the morning and afternoon of prom! We could tell that Niya was so excited! After getting dressed, our first stop was downtown Raleigh for photos! Prom was held at the Pinehill Pavilion in Youngsville, North Carolina! After taking a few photos with her friends at the venue, we said our “see you around 10:30s” and left! She describes prom night as a dream! She had so much fun with her friends! They danced, recorded silly videos and had a blast! It’s definitely one of those nights that she will always remember!

It’s amazing how a few months ago, we were all nervous about her being at a new school and making friends! She’s gone from not knowing anyone to having a “boyfriend” (still not sure we like saying her name and that word together), going to her first prom, making all A’s n B’s, being inducted into the Beta Club and being voted into Student Council for her senior year! She’s also a new member of the marching band! Proud isn’t even the word!