As many of you saw, Steph and I went to London for a little over a week just after Thanksgiving. Our main purpose in going was the Grassroot Soccer gala, held at a beautiful venue in Central London on Thursday, December 1st. It was a chance for us to be a part of a really great cause with friends, family, and futbol legends.

Steph and I bragged about the event for months. It was the topic of conversation to basically anyone that would listen. Neither of us had ever been to a gala before. But the way we were talking about it made it seem like we attended one bi-weekly. "Oh yes, at the gala."

Deep down, I was stressed. It was like senior prom all over again. What color dress? What shoes do I wear? Am I going to sweat? Do I have to shave my legs? Am I going to have to make small talk? The list goes on and on.

So, naturally with all those questions, Steph and I put off all gala responsibilities until we actually got to London. SHOCKER. Steph claimed, “London is the world capital of fashion.” Blah blah blah. AS IF she would know that. She would have worn her Grinch pajama pants if she could.

I waited to get an outfit until we arrived. (MISTAKE.) I had six days before the event. I had it in my head that I wanted a dressy, long red jumpsuit and nothing was going to stop me. I turned that city upside-down, running from store to store like a five year old trick-or-treater until I finally found one that rode up my crotch the least. The sizing is bizarre in Europe. They have the most beautiful clothes I’ve ever seen. But the UK sizing is just not for me. Everything was either too short or too skinny. Like, do you squat? Honestly.

My happiness with my red jumper was about an 8/10. Super comfy and chic, but didn’t fit me perfectly. The day before the gala I settled for it because Steph was sick and tired of my crap. “Im sweating, this place sucks, nothing fits, is this a jokeahhhh?” The flip outs were innappropriate and over the top but I didn't care. Hunger set in and I quit.

We decided we would get the shoes/accessories and deal with hair/makeup the day of, since the event didn't start until 6:30pm. AND we wanted to go to the Arsenal game the night before. We make a pact to wake up at 10 AM and go for a run. Stephs alarm went off. But then she hit the snooze button about 10 times and we woke up three hours later to Gigi, (Steph's mother, professional housewife, currently active on LinkedIn) saying, "Do you guys want to go get almond croissants?" At this point, all we had prepared was our (accidentally) Christmas themed outfits. Red and green cocktail attire. It would be a miracle if we didn't look like dumb and dumber in a couple of hours.

PANIC MODE SCHEDULE:

1:00-1:30: Laid in bed feeling bad for ourselves. The usual blaming each other, how bad we needed coffee and why is this happening to us babble.

1:30-1:45: COFFEE. Steph called three salons and finally got us a hair appointment. I watched her and continued to make no progress myself.

1:45-2:45: Circuit workout in the hotel across the street. Power move.

2:45-3:15: Shower. The worst.

3:30-4:30: HAIR. Slicked back for Kratcheeta. Loose, wavy curls for Stephy.

4:30-5:15: Shoe shopping, grabbed some lipstick at Mac

5:15-6:00: Finishing touches: Make up, one layer of nail polish, and we're good to go.

OUTFIT DETAILS….

Red jumpsuit - Coast clothing (a U.K. Brand - they have stunning, special occasion clothing)

Heels- Dune London (another U.K. Brand - they have all different shoes for both men and women)

Sequin Choker- Free People (I brought it to London with me from home and found perfect matching shoes)

Lipstick and glitter- MAC, color: Cremesheen Dare you (looks like a crimson red)

Glitter- Stardream in the holiday glitter pack, pressed it into my lipstick. So chic.

Nipple covers- CVS (Later that night we stuck them to the wall above the couch in Steph's father's apartment. We caught him staring at them, utterly bewildered. We told him we'd take him out to lunch if he could guess what they were. The best he could come up with was, "Eye masks you wear at a facial?" LOL)

The Gala ended up being amazing. We met so many great people and learned a lot about the charity. Christen Press made a great speech and there was with a fascinating interview with Sir Alex Ferguson. (We were drooling.) Hundreds of people dedicating their time, money, and love to an important, world changing cause. Steph and I were honored to be there. And I bet you can't tell that my legs were hairy and Steph had a pimple on her nose.

To learn more about Grassroot Soccer, visit their webpage here.