Dropping the Prom Bomb: The Season in Full Swing on Patch

That's me. Senior prom, 2004.

You dig those baby cheeks? (Thanks mom). Fortunately, I managed to miraculously shed them at some point during college.

That May afternoon feels like it was so long ago (even though I know it really wasn't). Looking back, I remember the hilarity of it all. I went to the dance with my best high school friend, Joey. We were trying to keep a straight face in most of our pictures because although he was my date, it most certainly wasn't a date.

It was a night not unlike any other where our friends got to enjoy the regular Carrie-Joey banter of satirical, mind-in-the-gutter, cheap humor paired with the not-so-secret scrutinizing of girls' unfortunate dress choices.

Scouring through old high school photos this week definitely led me down a bumpy memory lane. I came across faces of people I don't talk to anymore as well as of those I'm still friends with today.

I remember the awkward, insecure days of being a late bloomer, balancing work with school (and sports), and trying to avoid hurt feelings over situations with boys that when I look back now I think, "Thank God that didn't work out."

At the time, everything was so dramatic. "He did what?" "She said what?" It's funny how it all seemed to matter so much—as if the repercussions of not saying the right thing at the right time would haunt you for the rest of your life.

I guess there is some charm in that, though. When I think about the worries I have today and the experiences I've had since those ol' high school days, it makes me excited for (and jealous of) Naperville's seniors.

The road ahead is long, fruitful and rewarding. (I feel like I'm giving a commencement speech right now). But in all seriousness, I wish I would have known what I do now about life so I could tell 18-year-old Carrie that everything would work out.

I wish I could tell one of my best friends who didn't go to prom that in 10 years, it wouldn't really matter. And those friends you wonder if you're ever going to see again? You will—at least the ones that count.

I don't look back with regrets about the late-night toga party our prom group had in a lodge near Wisconsin Dells (that's right, water park capital of the free world) or that I didn't get my hair done at a salon. I laugh that our prom queen was the most unlikely of candidates—my free-spirited friend, Erin, who rocked her signature dreadlocked coiffure with a white flapper dress that night.

Most of all, I think to myself, "If someone would have told me I would have experienced this, or seen that, or lived there ... after high school, I would have never believed them."

As for prom (and high school in general)—Do I miss it? Not really. But would I trade it? Nope.

In honor of this wonderful season at Naperville Patch, we'll be covering the big days at area high schools through photo galleries of the dances, talking to local florists and formal-wear shops about prom prep and letting you know .

And, of course, we want you.

So show us how awesome – or terrible – you looked at your prom. We want to see pictures of top hats and tails, velvet tuxes with ruffled shirts, taffeta and crinoline stretched and puffed so much the only thing poofier is your ‘80s hair.

A few of us put our money where our mouths are in this article. What can I say? Who doesn't love an strapless, beaded aqua gown with a train?

Have a story? Share that too! It doesn’t have to be a wacky tale, but it can be. Have a first kiss there? Fall in love there? Are you still with your date? (My parents went to prom together).

If you didn’t go to your prom, what did you do instead?

Prom is, if not a magical time, at least a memorable one. Share your memories as the Class of 2011 makes theirs. You can e-mail them to carrie@patch.com.