The 32-year old Princess

The other day I saw a little girl, about three years old, walking down the street with her mum and baby sibling in a stroller.

The little girl caught my eye because she was wearing a Snow White dress with her little pink sneakers.  I don't think she was coming from a birthday party, or a school recital, or a Halloween party.  I'm pretty sure she woke up that morning and told her mum she was going to wear her Snow White dress and that was that.

I love when kids do that.  Little boys who wear their Superman PJ's to the grocery store or little girls who wear their super fancy flower girl dress to go to Starbucks with dad.  I once wore a huge hat that was destined for my tickle trunk around Ottawa during a summer holiday much to my mother's embarrassment.

I told the Engineer later that day what I saw and remarked how I love how quirky kids are.  He mentioned that it wasn't just kids that wore costumes in public.

This comment sort of confused me.  Who else has the guts to walk around town on a non-costume day in a Disney Princess costume?

Then I remembered.

Me.

Yes, I have worn a Disney Princess costume in public.  Twice. And not on Halloween.

The first time was for my last birthday.  You read that right. My last birthday.  It was my fellow-Virgo and work partner's idea.  There are about 4 or 5 of us who have a birthday in September. Every year we have a common Virgo party.  And Aubrey set the theme this year as Disney Princess.  I would like to note here that I am the youngest of this group at 32.  So in September a group of mid to late 30 year olds all dressed up as princesses and went out to sing karaoke.

I went as Snow White.

Nothing makes you feel like you stand up more than walking to the cash machine mid-September (as in not October 31st) in a flowing Snow White dress complete with black wig.

Let's just say that by the end of the night, and after many glasses of wine later, I made my way home and was propositioned more than once by a guy willing to be a 'dwarf'.  Hmmmm, I wonder why none of them wanted to be the Prince?

Ick.

The second time I got out the Snow White costume was a few weeks ago.  For the event of Disney Princess's on Ice.  That's right.  This 32-year old woman dressed up as Snow White to go to ice capades.

To be fair, I wasn't the only gal there dressed up as a princess.  I was surrounded by several hundred other princesses.  They just happened to be in the three to six age range.

The reason I dressed up and went to ice capades in the first place was for my little friend, Miss M, the daughter of one my oldest friends.

Miss M was Ariel and very much delighted in my choice of dress.  

The plan was I would wear my SW costume in the car ride and change in the parkade super quickly. 

Unfortunately, traffic was terrible and the threat of being late was palpable.  My girlfriend didn't want her daughter to miss the opening so I offered to jump out of the car with Miss M and grab our seats.

I clearly forgot what I was wearing.

So while my friend and her two-month old son parked (he had on a Prince Charming cape),

 I escorted Miss M down the steps to Skydome. She with her little Ariel dress floating behind her, and me with my SW cape blowing in the wind.

 I got many stares and smiles, to say the least.

Due to the fact I opted not to wear the black wig, I was a blonde Snow White.  Therefore many dads of mini-princesses mistook me for Cinderella.  I had to correct them.  HELLO?  Did they not pay attention to their daughter's myriads of Disney movies/books/stickers/dolls, etc?

Other women said that I was a 'great mum' - but I feel they were a tad judgemental.  I am sure they were thinking that I was coco-bananas.  I corrected them telling them that I was a coco-banana 'aunt'. 

My biggest fans were the little girls who also had dressed up and stared at me in wonder while having their photos taken with me.

I should have charged their mothers.

Miss M and I found our seats and she shyly asked to sit on my lap.  There we were:  two princesses watching grown women in Halloween costumes lip-sync to Disney songs while doing figure-eights on the ice.

All in all, it was a great experience.  I enjoy being able to play with kids on their level.  Or at least dress up like them.  I enjoyed the cheesy-ness of Disney Princess's on ice.

It reminded me of when I was a kid at ice capades.  I LOVED it when I was little.  I remember once seeing it with my parents in Calgary.  We went for Chinese first and my fortune cookie read "You will have fun at the Ice Capades".  I remember the wonderment of that fortune and that I did have fun.

It took me 20 years to realise that my mum just made that up.

So I hope that when Miss M is all grown up, she will also have warm fuzzy memories of ice capades and the fact her nutty aunt wore a Snow White costume for her enjoyment.

Too much princess excitement