I want to be Kate Middleton.

So what if I told you I want to be Kate Middleton?

She can have her new, strange British royal family and lack of privacy or freedom, etc. She can have her inability to ever make a mistake without the scrutiny of the world. BUT can I have her wardrobe?

I was shamefully flipping through a People magazine the other day (do you read celebrity gossip magazines?) and fell upon this 2 page spread of Kate Middleton's outfits during her first year as a princess and when it's all laid out there like that, the visual of her clothing choices over the year, I couldn't help but be impressed!

If People compiled a similar special on Princess Mary C for the past year, it would be a sad display. Of course I wouldn't have any fabulous gowns  or gigantic engagement rings or precariously perched fascinators (those teeny, fancy hats), but I'm not hoping for that. I'm just hoping (but only half trying) for some coordination, some "togetherness", some presentability. And I do have those days every now and again, but there are far more days of unbrushed hair, slightly wrinkled clothes, and chapped lips. A coworker of mine made an astute point that it was nice to see a young person in the public eye who made dressing sharply, being well coifed, and practicing good manners cool again. This is a point heard especially by those employed in high schools. But it is good for me to see that too. So come on, Mar. Keep the yoga pants only for the couch and, well, yoga.

Last year for the royal wedding, I did my duty as a daughter of my mother and woke up early for the big show. However, my skepticism was in full swing. I was of the attitude that these people are a little creepy and live these isolated lives and no wonder they look like a million bucks...they have a million bucks and it is pretty much Kate Middleton's job to be gorgeous and cooperative. And those are still my feelings...generally. But now, a year later, I think I may have finally come around and am climbing on board the crazy train British royalty bus. When my mother called a few weeks ago and told me she had spent her Saturday evening watching a TLC special which recounted the wedding and described the newlywed's first year of married life, I may have put on my act of disdain, but there was a moment of jealousy. Yet again, the sharp pang of living without cable!

So move over Mom and Grandma. Make room for your progeny. I want to be Kate Middleton.

Now all I need is an increase in pay and a little motivation.

Can you guess which of these get ups is my favorite from Kate's Canadian visit last summer?