New Fall Pieces

Some of my favorite fall pieces I've seen  to help with the transition from summer to fall. Most of September has been beautiful and sunny, but today a "very soggy system" is moving into Seattle.

That means to (besides frizzy hair for the next 5 months) it's time to wardrobe in boots, cashmere, and fall tones!

(1) cashmere sweater at Nordstrom (2) Ivanka Trump suede and patent leather pumps (3) Buffalo David Bitton jacket (4) Ellie Tahari dress (5) Zara mini skirt (6) pumpkin jacket from The Limited (7) Modern Vintage tall boots (8) Stradivarius blazer (9) Messeca ankle bootie (10) Brooks Brothers women's french cuff shirt (11) Ralph Lauren cape dress and leather pants (12) Urban Outfitters mini tweed skirt (13) Halogen patterned skirt (14) Manolo Blahnik peep toe booties

Animal Print Shoes in the Workplace

A few posts ago I mentioned I purchased some lovely black lace wedges from Sole Society pictured below:

It turns out there was a color swap error on the site and instead of sending me the lace ones I received a black leopard print. Don't get me wrong I thought they were gorgeous, but lately whenever I buy shoes I always ask: can I pull this off at work? After 45 minutes on the phone with customer service they ended up giving me:

• a credit to purchase the correct ones
• a credit back to my card for the mix up,
• and an additional credit for a future purchase.

I basically got 2 pairs of shoes for free- including the ones I didn't order! Great customer service aside I needed to find some way to incorporate these in my work wardrobe to work!

Today is my birthday and I decided to wear whatever I want. I had planned on wearing the lace ones in the office today but they aren't here yet. And unfortunately I planned on giving the leopard ones to my sister but then remembered we don't wear the same size. What's a girl to do? #firstworldproblems I know!

Its fairly easy to make animal print attire work for the office. An animal print skirt can be paired with a simple button down collared shirt and black pumps. Likewise an animal print top can look stylish and not out of control with a blazer, cardigan or pressed pants.


Originally I had planned on a white button down with a different tan sweater and a black pencil skirt, but today it was freezing and the weather report said it's supposed to be 67 degrees. I ended up going with a tan crew neck sweater from Banana Republic, white Ralph Lauren polo shirt, and Ellie Tahari ankle pants.

It was still quite chilly when I left this morning so I threw on a black cashmere scarf. Other items I tried on were teal and purple sweaters, brown pencil skirts, green skinny pants, and a navy blue pleated pencil dress. All looked great but  I favored this look today!

Festive Weekends

Seattle has kept us quite busy these past few weekends. Jon and I successfully competed in the Amazing Ring Race and also went to a really fun All White Party at a winery on the eastside.

AMAZING RING RACE

A few posts ago I mentioned Jon and I were going to be competing in a treasure hunt for a $15k engagement ring. Organized by SCVNGR and sponsored by local engagement store, E.E. Robbins; teams of 2 compete to score the most points by answering scavenger hunt questions correctly. The entire event is competed through SMS. Contestants text answers to the trek # provided onsite.

Artcarved Bridal Ring from the Amazing Ring Race

We gathered at Pyramid Brewery in Sodo District. This year's event had contestants running all throughout Pioneer Square to different historical locations/local shops to find their next clue :).

Jon and I did an improv shot while waiting in line to check-in

Jon and  made a great team! 2 hours of running around Pioneer Square in 83 degrees proved we collaborated well and were equally competitive. We did well only shy 3 points below the grand prize winner! If there was a 4th place it definitely would have been us. Next year I think we will have all the cards in our hand. The team just posted the Amazing Race photos/videos. You can view them at their site here: http://www.amazingringrace.com.


ALL WHITE PARTY

Last weekend we were invited by some friends (who sadly ended up bailing) to an all white party at a relatively new winery in Woodinville, Matthews Winery. At first I'll admit I thought it was stupid to have a white party at a winery- I could see the disaster red wine a mile away. But that's why they made Tide-to-go pens!

The best part was actually putting the outfit together and dressing my boyfriend!

My Outfit-

Dress: Glory Seam Dress from bebe

Shoes: Naughty Monkey from Nordstrom

Jewelry: Nordstrom jewelry from Nordstrom

Purse: Coach from Macys

Jon's Outfit-

Top: Tommy Bahama from Nordstrom

Shorts: Ralph Lauren from Macys

Shoes: Awesome classy white loafers by Paolo Sesto from Nordstrom

Naughty Monky Suede Heels

Matching Coach purse and bracelet

A few other candids from our evening:

Full outfit ensemble

On the dance floor

Ran into my friend Jeanna whose leaving for Bali!

Retail Therapy- Sole Society Shoes

Today started off with a little disappointment and I was in a very sluggish mood. An important meeting I had been looking forward to had been canceled, and I was in the midst of dealing with some "female" politics (I'd like to think most women strive to not live into the catty stereotype). On top of that an unexpected fire drill happened for a live Azure Bootcamp at work and it just seemed like everything was going to continue to spiral out of control.
I caught up on the phone with my friend Phil who is amazing as putting me in reality checks and had a great lunch with a girlfriend at Portage Bay to help cheer my mood.

I was improving but still in a rut, so I do what most girls do to cheer up- retail therapy! I decided since the only shopping I've done post-vacation was for a friend's wedding I was past due. I spent a good hour browsing my usual list of department store and jewelry sites then moved on to the online designer boutique sales (Gilt, RueLaLa, Ideeli...). My last stop was Sole Society because I realized I hadn't yet bought anything from them yet.

Sole Society is an online shoe boutique that grands users free membership. After doing a personality questionnaire your personal closet is wardrobed each month with new shoes. Boot, wedge, flat, sandal- they all sell for $49.95 apiece with free shipping and returns (credits/exchanges only).

And now I present to you all the 3 new additions to my "shoe-family":

Adele in lace

The 2 things I love best about fall: lace and fur. I plan on rocking these with a LBD and colored tights or any solid print and bright dress really.

Natalia

I fell in love with Natalia especially to see it was on BOGO sale with the other sandals. All the wonderful shoe shopping I've missed while in Barcelona! This past weekend I went to a wedding and wore an Ellie Tahari black dress with simple tan and black patent leather Steve Madden flats that had an over sized floppy bow. The contrast was great and elegant, and a drastic change from the sky high heels I normal adorn on my feet.Although these are far from practical I plan to rock them with a pencil skirt or classic cut silhouettes for work into early Fall to acheive the same classic yet stylish look.

Elise

These are the simple "always need" yet stylish sandals that can help anyone deviate away from flip-flops. I'll most likely pair this with trousers or a billowy skirt. I love dainty things and the rhinestones complete this shoe!

The best thing about my little splurge? Under $100. Yup! each shoe retails for a flat charge of $49.95, and summer sandals are on sale right now (code:SANDALS) buy one get one free. $99.90 and 3 new loves is enough to make any girl's gloomy day end on a sunny note.

Amazing Ring Race

It's been about two weeks since Jon and I have returned from Catalan country, and the two things I miss the most are the tapas and the weather. When we came back to Seattle we brought the sun with us. It's consistently been in the mid 70s.

Work has been crazy and in full swing, and I've barely managed to get together and catch up with the girls.Jon has also been "living" with me while he works on closing on a new condo. Overall it's been good but you definitely don't know a person until you live with them (the open containers of leftovers spread across the counter and dirty laundry on the floor drive me nuts!). As we've ironed out adjusting to our new temporary state I have been hunting for weekend activities to do when he's in town so we spend as little time together in my flat. Last week I came across a crazy couple thing to do- the Amazing Ring Race.

The Amazing Ring Race is a spin off from the Amazing Race television show, except instead of competing for a grand cash prize couples/teams compete to for a $15k ring by Archived Bridal jewelry. The event will be sponsored by local jeweler E.E. Robbins.

The event is this Saturday at 11AM at Pyramid Brewery located in downtown Seattle. All teams will need to register before 11 and ensure they can receive SMS from Scvngr (the company running the event). Over the course of 2 hours clues are texted to your mobile phones and teams will scatter on foot across downtown Seattle looking for and collecting clues. They will have to text answers back to the standard mobile line in order to get awarded points and receive the next clue.

I heard last year over 500 people participated so I'm slightly intimidated but definitely up for the challenge! I'm hoping there's other couples( not in a rush to get engaged) that show up besides Jon and I who just want to do it for fun or maybe to sell it for extra cash. I'll check in after this weekend and let you know where we placed :). I see either something very shiny on my finger or some new cash in my savings to fund lots of new shoes in my future :)

Forts & Castles

A few days ago I posted that Jon and I went to see an old military fort in Barcelona located in the Montjuic. I'll admit the concept of seeing a fort seems really cool! However I'm no idiot, and I'm also aware it involved really old ruins, lots of hiking,  and rough terrain.

Here is a photo Jon took of me before we left the hotel (I was trying to be a good trooper :) ).

To get to Montjuic I had to talk Jon out of hiking all the way there. We walked up Avinguda del Parallel to catch the funicular (a lift) instead of walking up the mountain. Purchasing tickets from the metro was a little more confusing than the French metro (but maybe that's because I've been there before!). The funicular departs every 10 minutes or so making our wait time minimal.

The top of the fort was beautiful. The moat was turned into a mini garden and the views boasted breaktaking displays of the Mediterranean and the cityscape. I'm still in awe of how blue the sea is!

Jon of course was in his element :).

An interesting point Jon mentioned to me (he gave me a military history lesson) was the use of star points for engineering their forts (per Jon it was the Italians that were first). It was common during that age to engineer a fort using star points instead of 90 degree angles. This would minimize enemy efficacy and damage during an invasion while maximizing the fort defense to kill enemies in target areas. 

A wiki link to learn more is here. I saw the similar constructions when we went to Chateau Royal in Collioure two days later.

Having Jon provide the background (and the breathtaking views) definitely made this more enjoyable :).

First few days in Catalonia

Jon and I are in Barcelona now. We spent a long long flight getting to Europe. But we paid for 1st Class with our Alaska Airline miles so I can´t complain.

After a brief stint in Paris to grabe some lunch (3e area) we hopped on a crowded flight which was delayed an hr and a half to Barcelona. Our first few days were spent at La Meridien down in St Salvador (south of El Vendrell). The relaxation was exactly what we needed! We celebrated our two year anniversary with wine tasting at Jean Leon up in the mountains at El Pla Des Penedes and wrapped up with a massage and nice dinner. Jon surprised me with some beautiful diamond earrings afer I surprised him with Cava (Catalonian champagne) and chocolate covered strawberries :) and our winery trip and couples spa day.

The biggest challenges we faced in El Vendrell were that nearly no one spoke English and my flat iron blew out. I learned very quickly how to say Plancha el pelo :). Besids that every day was spent on the beach being waited on by our garcons or relaxing in an environment where time had no place.

After El Vendrell we drove into Barclona to stay at W Barclona. The hotel, also called La Vella by the locals (means big sail) is stunning. it sits in the Barceloneta district and is also right off of the Mediterranean. We spent our first day shopping and visiting the Picasso museum in the Born district. I quickly recognized the word for sale in Catalan, Rebajas, and poor Jon was dragged into every store that had a sign. So far I´ve had some good steals (a scarf, a few skirts, some blazers, and a new pair of flats).

Yesterday we went to the Contemporary Art Museum of Catalonia and La Pendera (where Gaudi lived and built his apartment from stone). Tapas were enjoyed along every exursion and all of the walking through La Rambla burned whatever calories we were able to consume.

We just finished sunbathing on the beach and today we will head to Montjuic to see a fort and a military museum (my compromise for dragging Jon shopping for 5 hours yesterday). We hope to also squeeze in a trip to FC Barcelona museum and stadium since it´s in the same area. I´ll leave you all with a photo from our hotel room at the W :).

Barcelona Shopping Trip Follow-up

I found some great deals shopping for my trip on Sunday! Most basics for my trip I already had, of course I has to get a few new pieces :).


Footwear...

There was a time in my life when I simply refused to wear flats. I'm a bit tall for a girl and hated that my mother always had me wear lower heels than my vertically challenged sister- after all Daddy Long Legs is one of my favorite movies! Now I can't live without them (stilettos I heart you too!).

Report "Lem" Flat from Nordstrom

Hot Trends... 

Thanks to my friend Jody, I was on a mission to find colored denim or chinos that rocked. Already in my collection is a pair of Dylan & George cropped pants. If you swing by J. Crew You can snag these oxford chinos on sale.

I really wanted this pair, but they were sold out in my size- boo! Nevertheless Nordstrom always comes through...I picked up a pair of Jag denim ones (On Sale! Oooh Anniversary Sale!) and you can't even tell the difference! Best part, they match the flats I just bought :).


Oxford Chinos at J. Crew

My other hot trend item I picked up was this ADORABLE skirt from Francesca's Collection. Francesca's Collection is my go-to shop for trendy and affordable boutique dresses and skirts. I fell in love with their clothes at the New Orleans store off Magazine St (you can't go shopping in New Orleans and NOT go to Magazine!). Now I get my little taste of fun, flirty, heaven at Pacific Place in downtown Seattle.


Far East Skirt from Francesca's Collection

This skirt is reasonably priced under $50 and fully lined. I immediately fell in love with the colors. Made with sateen it can easily be dressed up with a silk blouse and big sunglasses, or down with a white tank top and some fun beaded jewelry. Just the perfect thing for my trip to help me to blend in with other stylish Catalans in Barcelona. My poppy-colored Kenneth Cole "Pretty" flats I wore that day made this find more perfect!

Tees/Tanks/Scarves...

When you live in the Pacific Northwest you're raised to expect humidity to mean showers and to always dress in layers- because the weathermen are usually wrong...or right. I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten this and worn a sweater to work in the rain, only to come home to 68 and sunny skies!

I went shopping for some basics that were fun enough to pair with a skirt and wear out. Most of my "cocktail/dancing" tops or dresses seem to always fall in hues of blue and black. Thanks to the endless spam *cough* I mean e-marketing efforts on Express, I decided to check out their sale.I found this great sequin racer back top in my favorite color- purple! Since I plan to be dancing the night away this is perfect.



Express Sequin Racer Back Tank



The last thing I sought to purchase was a new scarf. Sunhats and scarves are always great when you're going to the waterfront or beach. Sadly to say I did not find any that were "must-haves" for me. So I'll leave you with my favorite spring scarf I picked up a few months ago for a steal on Ideeli.

Sayami Striped Scarf

This is my favorite color and it goes with everything. I definitely lucked out when Ideeli hosted their Sayami scarves and wrap sale. Most of their scarfs are reasonably priced and the quality is great.

Pre-shopping for Barcelona

It occurred to me I have been so slammed with work, that I failed to mention I'm heading back to Europe next Saturday! Jon and I will be spending a week and a half in Barcelona and La Côte Vermeille in Collioure.

Photo of Collioure

We spent months trying to figure out where to go, and because Jon travels a lot for work (and me whenever I get the chance) we had enough Alaska Airlines points to pay round trip for tickets, and Starwood to pay for hotels! He wanted to go to Hawaii and I Paris yet somehow we managed to compromise with Barcelona and the coast of France across the Pyrenees.

Today's goal will be to pick up  few wardrobe essentials for the trip inspired by both my new favorite book, Parisian Chic, and Anthropologie's Summer Travel Checklist on Facebook. Things I'm looking for:

• a new lightweight blazer
• fun summer scarf
• cropped colored denim/pants
• fun sandals
• easy shirts
• summer dress or two

Most of these items I already have. I'll be looking for a few new pieces so my travel attire will be a mix of old and new. I'll assemble a few outfits and share with you all when I am finished. Here are my top 4 tips for summer travel shopping:

Make a list
Purchase only things you need for the trip. Making a list will ensure you grab everything you need (include that travel size toothbrush!).

Go for basics & compliment with trend pieces
When shopping for vacation attire it's always important to shop for your destination. Today it's overcast and was raining earlier in Seattle. Barcelona and the Vermillion Coast in contrast will be hot and humid. Buy all of your basics for shopping. All trend pieces should be rest within this season's trend but not be overdone. Try a hip handbag or trendy earrings with a casual sweater and pair of shorts. You will remain stylish without all the unnecessary effort :). It's also less expensive to buy the basics and you'll be able to circulate them in your wardrobe.

Keep a budget
You're going on vacation to do what? Go on vacation, sight see, and of course shop! Don't blow all your vacation dollars shopping for vacation. If you're a good shopper you have most of everything already in your wardrobe and will only need to pick up a few in season items or trend pieces.My rule of thumb is to make sure everything I buy (almost) is at least 30% off. Everyone loves a deal and you can justify maybe buying that extra pair of sandals you didn't need but got for a steal ;). This will also minimize impulse purchases you may come to regret or never wear.

Will I wear this again?
Lastly I always ask myself- Will I wear this again? I am notorious amongst my friends for purchasing a hot dress for a wedding or social event and then never wearing it again (or wearing it once a year). I admit it's a weakness, but I almost always get them 30-50% off retail price. And with wedding season nearly every summer I can rotate them through different social circles  every time :). The point is, don't buy something because it's the "must-have" item of the season. If it's not you and you won't wear it EXCEPT when your on vacation it will be better to invest in something you will enjoy for a while :).

OK I'm off to shower and grab a much needed cup of coffee before I begin! I'll check in later!

Combat Mediocre Customer Service- Make Social Media Work For You

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has gone through this:

Your order something online because its not available in stores, or maybe you have little time to do in person shopping. After paying for shipping you anxiously wait for your item to come. It of course is delayed because the delivery services does not operate with a "right now" mentality or your online vendor is still preparing shipment.

There's always two endings to this story- either your purchase arrives just fine, or the first attempt failed in which you'll now have to wait til Monday (next business day) for the delivery EVEN though they also work on Saturday.

If I geniunely miss the delivery I don't sweat it. But today was not the case.

FAILED ATTEMPT NOTICE:

As I was leaving to get ready for my meeting (and of course check the mail) I noticed a UPS "infonotice" note on the door about a missed 1st attempt delivery. I had not only been home all day, all regular delivery drivers are given a key for the building to access. In addition, there is placed signage by the manager to have all delivery people call her for drop off packages. Did I also mention I was home?

CALL CENTERS TURN PEOPLE INTO ZOMBIES:

The next 2 hours spiraled out of control. Not only was a juggling some crisis management with a work at my kitchen table, I had 4 unsuccessful calls with their infonotice customer center, a missed call from the distribution center (was in a meeting during a time I said they COULD NOT call and expect an answer) with a non-returnable phone number, and a dead end.

I was having the life sucked out of me as my fourth customer service rep said there was nothing I could do but to wait until Monday. I didn't pay for delayed delivery I paid for on time delivery and the guy clearly did not make an attempt to deliver but write a notice and stick it to the door.

THEN I SNAPPED:

After politely begging, and pleading, and explaining I wouldnt have the flexibility to be available round the clock should they make another half -ass attempt I realized I was being mocked on the phone and read a script. I lost it when the customer service lady said I was wasting my time.

Me: " Wasting my time? Your in the employment of customer service that is not how you should talk to anyone who calls asking for help and who is polite on the phone. I should just go tweet what horrible service you're giving me and I'll get help faster and instead of begging you to do your job."

I was taken back at how sassy I sounded and the representative bursted out in laughter. The following chain of events involved me filing a complaint with her supervisor and jumping on twitter to tweet and tag UPS delivery services and advising them to take lessons from Nordstrom.

I was barely halfway explaining to the supervisor how rude her direct report was when @UPSHelp tweeted me back. I have received 11 messages from them today. Not only did they locate my package they also called the distribution center twice and are following my package until it reaches my hands. Unbelievably good service. Now if they could get their call centers to match the caliber of their social media gurus.

La Luna Restaurant Review

Well it's a sunny Wednesday afternoon and I'm enjoying the evening commuting across the 520 Bridge. There's an old black dude in the Seat to my left blaring Lady Gaga from his Bose headphones, who is now fighting with a young Microsoftie behind him because he politely asked him to turn his music down.
I have to agree with the MS kid- After a long day and a commute that's already an hour and we haven't passed 108th Ave NE exit yet the last thing I want to hear is someone else's music. Needless to say I'm still in a happy mood.

I decided to make use of my idle time and do a quick post reviewing a restaurant Jon and I ate at on Monday night, La Luna.

We did date night before his weekly business trip to L.A. One of our favorite spots in Queen Anne is Sezoni restaurant. Sadly it looked like this little Italian eatery and pizzeria had finally gone out of business so we swung up the hill to La Luna. Located on the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Boston, this new Mexican themed restaurant is in a prime location. A cool outdoor patio with fire pits and right at the beginning of a strip of restaurants and novelty shops at the top of the hill. My room mate mentioned a while back that they had a decent happy hour so we decided to give it a shot.

This was one of the most disappointing meals I've ever had.

Service...
was unbelievably slow. We were waited on a bubbly and ditsy blond who refused to acknowledge anyone but my boyfriend was eating at our table- with the exception of the dirty look I got when I asked for a side a guacamole for our salsa and chips. Let's be honest- that trick might work when a guy doesn't come to a restaurant with a date/significant other. It pissed Jon off more than it did me. What made it worse was she asked us what we'd like to eat and drink without giving us any menus!

Food...
could have been better. Salsa and guacamole were good. Food came extremely slow. Jon's carne asada was ordered medium and was delivered well done. And my meal was mediocre. To be fair I should have read the menu more closely. I ordered veggie tacos thinking, you know, maybe they'd do a yummy saute with bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and top with some pico de gallo. Nope, too great of expectations for this place. My 4 corn tortillas came out with chopped potatoes topped with green sauce and a little guacamole. How depressing that they expected me to eat bland food. I asked for a side of cheese to go with it and was denied twice by the bartender because I ordered "vegetarian" tacos. Come on people! The menu didn't say vegan. Anyway I've posted a picture of them redone to be yummy- extra guacamole, leftover salsa from our chips, cheese, and the pico de gallo they placed on the plate as a garnish. They tasted much better and the green sauce definitely helped the potatoes :).

Ambiance...
is the only thing worth visiting this place for. Jon had great drinks and I chose to play it safe and stick to club soda.

Summing it up the ambiance helped me give it 2.5 stars. They did open in April and I hope that they improve over time. But for now I'll trust Pesos or Laredo's with my palate.

Summer Fun Notepads

This weekend I celebrated my sorority little sister's 30th birthday at a family backyard party. I couldn't help but noticed nearly everyone either checked their cell phone or was texting at some point. We were blessed with clear sunny skies in Puyallup despite the weather forecast of 68 with scattered showers. People gleefully took part in the festivities at the celebration, but it was clear technology was on our minds. It was then I realized that that her daughter, just shy of one years old, will grow up and never know the world without iPhones and Kindles.

In an age where most people in the western world communicate purely through digital means (smart phones, laptops, and now tablets), I was pleasantly surprised to see Lonny Mag's Blog today featuring fun and summer-themed notepads by Linda & Harriett.

The last time I purchased stationery was to write my best friend from high school when he was deployed in Afghanistan for 13 months. I purchased some fun floral (and embarrassing) stationery by Galison and hand wrote him letters for nearly every week of his deployment. It was truly a labor of love and made me proud of my penmanship. It's funny how quickly I had forgotten English classes (you know, back in 5th grade) when you had to hand write your papers in cursive!

Linda & Harriett's summer notepads are refreshing and fun with bright colors of pelicans, crabs, fish , and anchors. The best part is they fit right into this year's Mediterranean and nautical theme. If you're not going to write letters I recommend at least picking up one or two to encourage a daydream of sailing the high seas- or just taking notes :).

Carving Watermelons

Sunny and 65 degrees with overcast- June brings with it the normal festivities of summer. Barbecues, graduations, dry Sounders FC games, and family get-togethers. And so I partook in the ritual by attending Joey's (my boyfriend's brother) high school graduation last weekend. My boyfriend invited me to both the graduation and a family/graduation barbecue a few days beforehand. The pressure was added when that Saturday evening I discovered I would be meeting many paternal side family members for the first time.

As we're sitting on the couch with his family and discussing the final logistics of the barbecue, I realize pitching in will not only give me something to do, but I can make a good impression. My normal routine for coping with uncomfortable situations is to obsess about something.  I asked his mom what she'd like us to bring. She was very polite to say nothing at all, and then suggested maybe a watermelon or fruit.

Bingo! 2 years ago when Jon moved into his new apartment I was absolutely dying for him to have a housewarming so I could carve a watermelon. And yes, I said watermelon- not a pumpkin. My girlfriend sent me a recipe for carving a watermelon turtle and I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity. Low maintenance, no hassles of bringing a hot dish down from Seattle, and it's adorable and quirky. Convincing Jon we were going to have a "couple" project was easier than I thought and soon we were on our way to purchase new melon ballers and a nifty retractable vegetable peeler from Metropolitan Market.

Meeting the extended family wasn't so bad, and Joey LOVED his graduation turtle (as did his other high school friends!). It was beautiful and I definitely recommend mixing in other fresh fruit. Since summer is here and you have that friend's barbecue, 4th of July cabin party, or engagement dinner- why not bring a watermelon turtle? Afterall everyone loves a creative piece of art that's edible!

From Turf to Heels

Bored in my office prepping a tumultuous 117 slide PowerPoint deck for my boss (and freaking out about my 3 hour working session this afternoon) I was startled as my neighbor slides open my door to give me a "OMG" what happened!" look. Our office space at Redmond Town Center is pretty sweet.  All offices have sliding glass doors and walls (unless you share a wall with another office). The effect is modern, a sense of transparency, and openness.

My little Russian neighbor in broken English asks why I have an ice pack in my hand. After the past week, carrying this cold case has become second nature. Half laughing I shrug it off, "minor football injury from last week. Jammed the thumb, reinjured it last night." Last night my team, West Canaan Coyotes, had a double heard for finals and landed second place.

The Russian looks at me wide-eyed and lets out a stream of giggles. "No seriously, I play in a flag football league."

Then the usual comments and questions, "but you're a very lean person", "girls play football?" And my favorite, "But you wear heels?"

I couldn't help but plaster a shit-eating grin on my face (booyah!). I dribble down the usual explanations (I'm naturally athletic, Saints fan, and I play a decent wide receiver, and a mean corner back).

Yes I know I don't have a lot of body mass, and I did wear 4 inch stilettos today;  but that doesn't mean I don't know how to toss one around with the guys. Impressed he leaves with a nod, and I'll carry a little smile every time I see him.