Even though I already own these in grey, I've been eying the black ones since purchasing mine and realizing how awesome they feel on my feet. Do I really need another pair of black wedges? No. Do I really need another pair of cut-out black heels? No. Do I really want these anyways? Yes.
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"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in." ~Robert Orben
That quote pretty much describes the first few days of a vacation for me. I'm always rearing to go, go, go and forget that now is the time to just relax. However, I find it hard to come down from the bustle of life, myself always on the go, always doing something, filling every spare minute of my time with an activity or what you may have. After a few days though, I get into the groove of a vacation and realize that sitting still is acceptable and I don't always have to be doing something... and it's quite nice.
So I've been in Florida since Monday night and it's been great. I'm staying with my parents at a condo on the beach, and while it's not glamourous (I've been sleeping on an air mattress in the living room of the one-bedroom condo) it certainly is appreciated. We are right on the beach (literally steps away) and there is no snow (at home, there is about five feet of snow).
We've been eating out every day, some good experiences, some bad (Applebees), and also had meals 'at home' (toasted tomato, avocado sandwiches, breakfasts, and lots of peanut butter m&m's). Tonight we are going to Chili's to celebrate my birthday (coming up this Tuesday) as it's my favourite restaurant and we don't have it in Canada. I'm going to wear my new AA double-u dress/top. On my real birthday (typically when we celebrate any birthday in my family), my parents won't be around and I'll be celebrating with my in-laws instead (yipee!).
For the first time in my life, I actually packed workout clothes (and shoes) for my vacation. I never do this. I don't work out on my holidays (hell-o, I'm on holidays) and honestly, I don't even want to work out when I'm not on holidays (but I do). However, I figured since hubs isn't here with me on this holiday (first time for everything), I might get the chance (or make the chance) to get some physical activity in (which should cancel out all the ice cream, cool latta's, peanut butter m&m's and other delicious food I've been eating without giving a second though, right?) - and I have! I have gone running on the beach twice (and wow is it ever different to run outside, I'm definitly a treadmill girl, and on sand is even harder - however, running beside the ocean is pretty awesome) and done a power walk (in my bikini, no less) with my mom.
Of course I have to tell you all about the lovely experience I had called, 'Amanda's Luggage Gets Lost'. I had a connecting flight in DC and my flight there was delayed (first it was delayed, then we taxied to the runway only to taxi back because something about maintenance), and when we finally taxied back, we took off. The plane was tiny. Two seats, an aisle, and one seat. The ceiling of the plane was so low, I had to duck to walk back to my seat (I'm 5'11, but still) - regardless, the worst part was that they wouldn't let me bring my carry-on into the plane, they said it was too big (it was a small rolly-suitcase). So I pulled my book (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) out and left my bag (which was annoying because obviously you pack your carry-on full of stuff you want to use on the plane, or at least I do, things such as earphones, camera, magazines, etc.).
When we arrived in DC, we had to wait outside the plane for them to pull all our 'carry-on' bags off before going inside to get to our connecting flights. We waited about eight minutes on the tarmack before they wheeled over a big trolley. I grabbed my bag and ran (seriously, ran) into the airport. I discovered that not only might I miss my connecting flight, but my gate was the furthest gate away (f-bomb). Fortunately, there was a 'shuttle' (like a bus) that took you from where I was, to the furthest gate, and it was leaving in three minutes (I just made it). Once I got there, I ran towards my gate and the ticket guy at the gate yelled out to me, 'Are you going to Orlando?!' I yelled back that I was, made it there, they took my ticket and I ran onto the plane - the second-last person to board. Phew. Just made it. We took off within minutes (and it was a bigger plane, three seats, an aisle and three seats with first class) and I eventually ended up chatting with the guy next to me who was from Sweden and learned all about his country and his profession (Sky-Dive instructor). Oh, and again, they wouldn't let me bring my carry-on onto the plane (I honestly don't know why as there was clearly enough room under the seat for my bag, grrr) but I did bring my book and before I knew it, we were landing in Orlando.
Upon arrival, I was worried my luggage didn't make it since my connection was so tight (under 15 minutes), and sadly, I was right. My carry-on came out, but my check luggage didn't (aka all my clothes). Packed in my carry-on: six pairs of shoes (I figured, what's worse? Losing all my clothes or six of my favourite shoes? - exactly), two bikinis, my make-up and jewelery. They (the airline people) told me to fill out some computer 'paper-work' and that hopefully my luggage would be delivered to me the next day. I had a dream that night that my suitcase came but half my clothes were missing (my mom said, 'That's not a dream, that's a nightmare!' hehe). However, sure enough, just after noon the next day, a delivery van brought my suitcase here and we've been living in harmony ever since.
Since being here, a ton of shopping has gone down. I was itching to go to the (Premium) outlets in Orlando as I've been twice and it's only grown since being there two and three years ago, and of course Target (since we don't have this in Canada). Those were my only two pre-requisits for shopping, however, we've also hit up TJ Maxx and Ross, which were both very successful. I've come out with a new purse, two pairs of shoes (BCBG & Carlos Santana), several tops, lots of jewelery, several dresses and a couple pairs of pants. I'd never heard of Ross before and a friend of my parents (who lives here) mentioned it and I'm so glad she did - that.store.is.awesome. So cheap, it was unreal (for all you Americans you're probably saying, 'What's the big deal, it's Ross,' right?). My mom and I had a hayday in there (we were literally in the place for three hours). Target, on the other hand (which I was so excited for), was a big dissappointment. I didn't buy any clothing but did pick up some Suave Dry Shampoo (thanks to Veronika's review), self-tanner ($10 cheaper than in Canada) and some Elf make-up. I'm pretty much shopped-out... okay, that's not true, despite my feet and legs being very sore from all the walking and shopping we've done, I could obviously shop some more... however, my credit card begs to differ.
And what's on the agenda for today, you ask? Well, I'm currently drinking a Dunkin' Donuts coffee (did you know, 'America runs on Dunkin'?), blogging and getting ready to head outside into the sunshine. The weather hasn't been super warm (except Tuesday, when I spent the day at the beach) and considering I packed several binkinis, I've only worn one so far) but I'll take dry pavement and sunshine any day over mounds of wet white stuff (snow).
Lastly, more photos to come, but I'm restricted to this for now. I don't have my own computer (using my mom's) down here with me and cannot upload any photos to twitter as I don't have roaming/data (it's super expensive and not worth it to add a US package to my phone plan for one week). Hope you are all well and I'm checking blogs every now and again but need to take advantage of the sun (and can't bring the laptop outside with me - the wireless is tempearmental) so will catch up with you all when I'm back.
See what I packed for my holdiays here.
I love napkin rings and I find myself drawn to them everytime I go into Pier 1 (or any other store that sells them, for that matter), however, I really don't use them that often. Typically, just when we have guests for dinner because I'm not exactly breakin' 'em out for a dinner for two on a daily basis. However, they are nice to have for special or 'infrequent' occassions. I wanted to make my own, and these in fact were given as a housewarming gift to a friend. If you can't find any cheap napkin rings in store, I suggest checking out various thrift stores as they often have them for cheap. Let's get started.
What you need:
* napkin rings (I used six)
* burlap
* ribbon
* a stone or bead (something decorative)
* hot glue gun
* Measure out your burlap and cut it into strips about twice the width of the napkin ring and long enough that it will wrap around plus a little more
* Put a dab of hot glue on the napkin ring
* Press the end of the burlap strip into the hot glue
* Put a dab of hot glue inside the napking ring and press the burlap on the sides into it (they should overlap)
* Add a line of hot glue around the napkin ring and wrap the burlap around
* Put a dab of hot glue inside the napkin ring and fold the burlap inside towards the glue. Hold for a few seconds and you're done covering the napking ring (repeaton the remaining napkin rings)
* Cut out a piece of ribbon wide enough to wrap around one side of the napkin ring
* Put a dab of glue inside the napking ring (on the burlap) and wrap your ribbon around and hold
* To get even fancier, I used a second ribbon on top of the inital ribbon (just follow the steps above)
* Once the ribbon is attached, glue on your decorative stone or bead on top & you're done
Bon appetit!
While out car shopping the other day (yes, car shopping as in I might-be-buying-a-new-car-but-let's-not-get-too-excited-in-case-it-doesn't-pan-out-shopping), husband and I stopped in at Bridgehead for a hot beverage. Of course I couldn't resist the date squares (hubs got a ginger cookie and a chocolate chip/pecan cookie), although I almost went for the chocolate-pecan square. I have a serious sweet tooth!
Photos taken with iPhone 3G & edited with Instagram
Have you seen this Yigal Azrouel New York 'Washed Leather Jacket' before? I thought I had died and went to heaven until I saw the hefty $875 price tag... to which I realized I was in quite the opposite of heaven. A truly covet-able piece.
Urban Behaviour cardigan, H&M dress (worn as a top & last seen here),
Zara pants, Guess shoes (last seen here) Suzy necklace & Stitches ring
I have this thing I do when getting dressed in the mornings. First, if I can't find anything to wear, I rip apart my three closets throwing clothes all over the floor or any piece of furniture that has a flat surface. I then consider I should just wear all black, but before admitting defeat, I pull more clothes out, try them on before discarding them to the floor (aka the black hole) and becoming more frantic. Finally, when I'm about 20 minutes late for work, I go back to the idea of pulling strictly black pieces from the closets, quickly steam them and run out the door. Then again, there are always the days when I just want to wear all black and make it to work early. Wait. Make it to work early? Who am I kidding, that doesn't happen.
Have you used Groupon before? There are many different companies teaming up and offering great deals at their restaurants, stores and spas (and more). A few months ago I got my daily email notification letting me know what the day's Groupon was and it was a $50 American Apparel gift card for $25! I quickly forwarded the email to my sister (we both love AA) and snatched one up for myself. Of course I sat on it for months and with just one week till it expires, I finally got my butt in gear and made some purchases. I picked up the double-u dress in white (which I have in green) and the shiny ruched front tube bra in silver (I have to be honest though and say I was interested in this but they didn't have any). Both of which are with me in Florida as we speak.
We went out to breakfast on the weekend to one of our regular spots (Cora's) and had a delicious breakfast (and by breakfast I pretty much mean breakfast food at lunch because we like to sleep in and didn't get there till after noon). Sometimes I don't like going to Cora's because the service can be so-so and the food isn't always hot, however, the selection of food is excellent (when it's hot) and this time in particular we had the sweetest woman as our server which made the experience that much better. I had the two egg breakfast (with bacon, hash-browns and toast) and then treated myself to a chocolate-banana crepe afterwards (so yummy). Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't, but it's always very nostalgic when I do because husband ordered one for us when we first started dating after we were done eating our breakfast. I thought it was kind of strange getting 'dessert' after breakfast but soon learned it was far from strange and strictly awesomeness.
Random fact: I don't really drink coffee but love the coffee here. So much so that I had three cups. Three.
I'm off to Florida today and I couldn't be more excited. Well, I guess I could if hubs was coming with me, that's sad and I'm pretty sure when we say goodbye I might be a complete mess. Better break out the water proof mascara.
I spent hours (yes, hours) planning and packing. It's kind of annoying, but, at least my outfits are styled and I didn't just throw a million things into my suitcase and call it a vacation. The last trip I took was to Toronto and it was for an extended weekend but I planned everything out and it worked out really well. I was determined to do that again however, planning for a full week (with temperamental weather) is a bit trickier (hence why it took so long). I put together 12 looks and added a few random pieces in just in case. I think I'm finally ready and just need to throw my carry-on bag together, pack my toiletries and I'll be on my way. By this evening I'll be stepping off the plane into complete weather bliss. Goodbye snow, hello beach!
The suits
I wasn't planning on packing six pairs of shoes but I think this works. I styled all the outfits with shoes which was helfpul. The three pairs of heels are all wedges, and personal faves.
Accessories - was planning on sticking to strictly silver and ended up with a lot more gold.
* workout clothes
(um, yeah, who am I again? I'm actually planning on working out while on vacation? Weirdo, but, I think the absence of hubs will give me time to go running on the beach... we'll see how ambitious this actually is.)
* black leather jacket, denim jacket & tan leather jacket
(this was hard to narrow it down to just three and I need the black one in order to go on my Dad's motorcycle should I choose to accompany him and my mom to Daytona Bike Week)
* sweatpants, leggings x2, sweat skirt, terry shorts & a denim skirt
If you haven't heard via my excited tweets, I'm leaving for Florida on Monday! I'm so excited. I wasn't planning on taking a trip this winter, but have decided at the last minute to head down and visit my parents Sadly, husband can't join which makes me a little sad and a little apprehensive, especially about traveling alone. Like, really, who takes a trip without their husband?! The idea is a little crazy to me, to be honest, but at the same time, I'm desperate for some warm weather and obviously willing to take the opportunity sans him. So, it's with mixed emotions that I'm going, but I'm still pumped.
Two and three years ago, husband and I went to Florida and stayed with my parents (they rent a condo down there) and had an amazing time. The photos are from the trip in 2009. This year, they are staying in the same place and it's literally on-the-beach (um, amazing).
What am I most looking forward to about this trip:
* swimming in the ocean
* wearing my new sandals (and summer clothes for that matter)
* rocking my new bikinis
* eating at Chili's (I love this restaurant & we don't have it in Canada)
* shopping at Target, Forever 21 & Bijoux Terner
* spending some QT with my parents
We love to eat out and one of our favourite places is Baton Rouge. We went the other night for an impromptu date (which was so nice), arrived around 8pm without a reso, waited about half an hour and had a fantastic time. I had the ribs, he had the steak, we ate a ton and split a great bottle of Shiraz (my fave). When dessert time rolled around, we were both bursting at the seams but an acquaintance friend of hubs who works there brought us a cheesecake sampler (three cheesecakes) 'on the house'. How sweet is that? And you can bet we ate the entire thing!
I wore my new double finger ring from Stitches and my red OTK boots (last seen here)
Dynamite jacket (last seen here), H&M tank (last seen here), Nitrogen Signature pants (last seen here), Le Chateau booties (last seen here), Suzy belt, Swatch watch, Charlottte Russe ring & Elizabeth Emily necklace
I have decided to put together a mini resolution list for the month of March. I already gave my resolutions for the year, but instead of adding to that, I'm going to check off a few new ones in a month alone.
1. Rock dangly earrings more often. Husband loves these (especially big hoops) and while I have a ton of earrings, I always revert to my tride-n-true studs (I even wore them for my wedding). In the past two weeks I've purchased three pairs of dangly earrings and have already worn one of them twice. Go girl.
2. Floss. Okay, this is kind of gross but I hate that shiz, but I'm making it my mission to make this a regular habit (so what if I have a dentist appointment on March 31st).
2. Floss. Okay, this is kind of gross but I hate that shiz, but I'm making it my mission to make this a regular habit (so what if I have a dentist appointment on March 31st).
3. Celebrate my 27th birthday. This one might be inevitable as my birthday is quickly approaching and I cannot change that. However, that said, I'm super excited for number 27 as this is an age I've been looking forward to for years. No joke. Also, I'm really just trying to bathe in this excitement of getting older as I might never feel this optimistically about it again. Ha.
4. Let my nails grow. Over a year ago, for the first time ever in my life, I let my nails grow. I'm not sure what came over me (well, actually I do remember admiring my bridesmaid's nails at brunch one day over the Christmas break and wishing mine were like hers...) but one day I just stopped. I managed to grow them for almost a whole month and it was incredible. I'd never seen my own natural nails that long and it was awesome. Since then, I've let them grow and bit them off, let them grow and picked them off - it seems to come and go in stages. I'm currently in a 'bite them off' kind of stage which I don't want to be, so, here's to March (and I say this as I sit here and pick my nails).
I entered Ann's give-away months ago and won a whole slew of make-up goodies. She gave away three different packages (all with similar items but in different shades and colours) and I won this one. I've been wanting to try out the Cover Girl mascara and I'm absolutely in love with my new Mac fluidline liner (look at that green! Pure love). On top of that, I've never tried any Stilla products and the two Cover Girl lip products are fantastic and the perfect (coral-y) colours. Thanks so much, Ann!
Banana Republic dress (last seen here), Sirens leggings, Guess booties & Jacob bangle
Do you have any shoes / boots that you absolutely adore but rarely wear? These fall into that category for me. I've had them for almost four years but they don't get a ton of play. When they do come out, they get tons of compliments and / or looks (and they hurt my feet). I spent a pretty penny on them ($170 - which maybe for some of you isn't a lot, but to me, that's a nice chunk of change for one pair... now that's not to say I've never splurged...), but am absolutely glad I purchased despite the fact they rest in my shoe room most of the time.
PS - It's March 1st!! It's only uphill from here, baby!
I just want to give a special 'hello/thank-you/welcome' to all my loyal readers and new readers too. Your comments really make my day and I'm so happy you're here. If there's anything in particular you'd like to see or read about, drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you!
Stop. Just stop it. How amazing are these Chloe wedges? Ahh, I'm completely lusting after them. Wait, what's that you say? They're still available in my size? Shut up. No. Seriously shut up, because I can't afford you.
"can't afford" = $457
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