“Some people think George is weird, because he has sideburns behind his ears. I think George is weird, because he has false teeth with braces on them"

Quote by Stephen Write, quote copy and pasted by Stacey George. I'm just going throw this out there, no secrets, no hiding behind closet doors, and no more avoiding smiling into the sun for fear of a glimmering effect that could potentially blind someone. I have to stand up and face the challenges in my life and take them like a man. I am ready to be proud of who I am and accept my differences.

I did not have a lonely childhood or anything like that. I was raised as an American girl with good values and morals. But that's not good enough in this country, everyone must suffer a dark day so that they may appreciate the good days. Well, I'm going to share with you my most recent dark day. It all began on a beautiful Monday morning. Yep, Monday, who doesn't love Mondays?? I awoke with the reminder that I used my teeth quite often whether it be to eat, smile, or bite a mugger. So to have them be anything less than perfect was unacceptable. Of course, my biggest front tooth was steadily turning like that of a revolving door. Only coming back to its regularly scheduled position was not an option.

All of these thoughts were streaming through my brain as I realized that I must prepare for battle; a battle of wits. I had an orthodontist appointment to have braces put on. What would people say? What would they think? Would I get glittery rubber bands?

I arrived to my appointment late, scared, and my zipper down. Could my zipper have been a sign that having braces is like having your zipper down 24 hours a day 7 days a week? I was in no way ready for this. I was of course the oldest person in the waiting room except for the parents of the other patients, and I felt the urge to yell out some childish name like Spot or Agnes. Thinking that this would alert the room that I was there with my children, for I was clearly not the one getting braces. Unfortunately, that was just a dream as I sat reading Highlights and thanking my lucky stars that I could now make my own bird puppet!

Alas, my name was called. I stood up as if I had won an award for best waiting in the waiting room. Doom rose over my toes and up to my head, this was it. No turning back now and unless I planed on modeling for Operation Smile, I was never going to have my big break in this condition.

The procedure went smoothly and for the rest of the day I dealt with bleeding and swollen cheeks due to the wires cutting up everything that got in their way. Relentless little wires, "I hate you!', I told them every chance I got. They did not care that they were ruining my life! Fortunately, my boyfriend was very supportive throughout my treacherous ordeal. He even bought me Oral Wax. HEY, it's to stop the wires from dissecting my mouth. Anyway, after much pain and sadness, I became more ALIVE than ever!

I now know that it's not the braces that make the person, it's the person that makes the braces. On the bright side, my boyfriend says he barely even notices them and of course I believe him. I think my sister Ashley is jealous and wishes she had them first. And as I smiled like an 8 year old during the big reveal to my dad, he smiled back with a smile I have not seen since I was 8. I think it took him back to yester year. Yep, that confirmed it, no bars were letting me in. I mean, nowhere on my drivers license does it state my new handicap!

At this point, I knew my new journey was about to begin. Was I going to set off the metal dectectors at the airports? Where kids going to pour their slushies on me from the balcony at the mall?

I will keep you posted on how things go with my new found accessories. And remember, if you are an adult with braces, you are not alone. But don't expect anyone to think you have started a new trend...this is a delusional thought that gets you nowhere.