Next week I'll have a full review of this dress posted, so don't miss that!
I had it all planned so perfectly and it was going to be amazing! In March I found a custom dress, handmade and just the perfect shade of coral. It was going to arrive well before my summer seaside vacation with several weeks to spare. And as I waited for my dress and my vacation to arrive, I started sketching the concept for my outfit so that I could really make the most of my one beach photo session for the year. I decided that a seashell crown would be the perfect accessory for the beach photo shoot. Now all I needed to do was gather supplies and learn how to make one.
Every since I was a little girl I have loved mermaids and this was going to be my dream photo-shoot. I wanted it to be perfect and was willing to put in all the work to make it so. I watched a few videos on making seashell crowns and then scoured dollar stores for seashells, foam balls, headbands, plastic pearls---the works. I dug through drawers and button jars looking for any little trinkets that a mermaid might treasure. I enlisted the interest of my daughters who like a good creative project if it's presented but don't necessarily ask me to spend time with them on things like this anymore. I planned on setting aside a day in late spring for us to all make our seashell crowns together and perhaps even do a family session on the beach.
Did any of my well-laid plans materialize? No. No, they did not. For starters the dress I ordered was a complete cluster kerfuffle from the start. The seller said their orders shipped within 3-5 weeks and then ignored all my messages for 7 weeks. Realizing that the dress would likely not arrive in time I made two requests to cancel the order which were also completely ignored. The seller then contacted me to say that the dress was ready, but Ooopsy, it was the wrong color and was dirt brown instead of coral orange. But, did I still want it? They would wait to hear from me. Only...they didn't wait. I messaged them back within a day to say, NO, I don't want the dress because it's taken too long and doesn't look anything like the photo as you can see from this pic. The store pic is on the left, the pic they sent me is on the right.
By this point I had already spent an hour on hold with DHL (no one ever answered) and sent several emails in which I was basically told they would make a note that I didn't want the package, but beyond that there was nothing I could do, and then it was delivered anyway. So, after more waiting and being ignored by the seller, they promised my refund was on the way. I waited a week and it never showed, so I finally Karen-ed out on them and got a refund almost immediately. (I can see why the Karens like this so much, because being polite and then polite-but-firm got me absolutely nothing.) Now it had been nearly three months since I ordered the dress, my vacation which I took without the children as they opted to go on school trips or had to be present for final exams, etc., was long over and I had no coral dress and bags of craft supplies littering my floor.
But I couldn't give up. There was still plenty of summer left, so one fine day in June my girls and I sat down and made our mermaid crowns just the same. This stunningly gorgeous Opalescent Floral Sequined Dress arrived just a couple of weeks ago, partially paid for with my refund from the other dress, and made me even more appreciative of Teuta Matoshi & Company's reliability. I've never waited longer than 4 weeks to receive any of their dresses and they always look exactly like the photos. I only wish this dress had been for sale when I was planning my trip. It would have looked stunning on the beach.
So, even though, as usual, my plans did not work out as neatly and easily as I had hoped, in the end, they did all work out. I truly believe that the other dress seller was deliberately being difficult and hoping I would get frustrated and give up. If it had been a cheaper dress, I probably would have, but for $250 I was determined to get my money back... especially since I knew I could put that refund towards one of Teuta's newly released dresses. Have you seen them? They're gorgeous and the incentive was real!
Undeterred by all the hoops held up for me to jump through, I got my refund for the "handmade" dress, got my beach vacation, got a dress that looks like it's supposed to and I love it, and most importantly I had quality creative time with my children. I like the way we create together, just dumping all the pieces on the floor and trying this and that until something comes together. Sometimes it's best to just jump right in and see where the creative flow takes you. There's a larger metaphor for life at work here that life is about balance and it is equal parts having a plan and letting go of those plans. Recognizing this helps me to not be too upset when plans fall apart.
As my girls enter the teen years, I see how precious little time like this that we have left together. Childhood, much like the sweet carefree days of summer slips by all too quickly and I have to be deliberate about getting time with them and doggedly pursue that time, but then when it's here, I have to let go and and follow the flow.
