Happy Weekend

It's the weekend!!! After a short delay, I'm about to head out for a weekend/night away at my brother's. It's rare that I find myself up before the sun, but I'm excited (and my ride wants to leave early), so here I am, bright and skippy - coffee in hand. Yet another stretch of bad weather came yesterday, otherwise I would already be at my destination (and probably still sleeping). The joys of February weather.

I'm excited to be spending this weekend with amazing people and celebrating the baptism of the newest member of our family. We will have a blast! Lots of hugs and kisses to go around, I am sure, as well as lots of fun and playtime with a rambunctious 4 year old.

It was while I was packing that I had the thought (again) of "when did I become that girl?" By "that girl", I mean the one who has to bring multiple pairs of shoes for an overnight trip. I have 3 pairs of shoes in my bag - which means a total of 4 pairs are coming with me since I have to be wearing a pair. I must be prepared for any weather, and therefore I must have multiple shoes (yes, I just turned my shoe obsession into a survival tactic). I have my high dress boots that can be worn with the dress I'm wearing tomorrow in case it is super cold; a pair of black heals in case I feel like the boots aren't dressy enough; sneakers in case I decide to make time to do a workout; winter boots (which I will be wearing out there) because I understand there is still snow on the ground so they are a must (and I may be dragged outside by my beautiful niece who wants to play). That is half of my travel bag - shoes. The clothes don't take up much space, so the majority of the rest of the space is a large brush and make up. Again, when did I become that girl?

I do feel a little guilty, though, because there are many people out there who don't own 4 pairs of shoes, let alone think to take them on one overnight trip. I know I'm lucky (and spoiled) to have the things I have, and I also realize they are simply material things and I could do without them. What really matters are the relationships in my life, and the blessings I have, and I continually look for ways to share the excess that I have. This weekend isn't about the shoes that are on my feet, but it is about the celebration of my nephew. That is really what matters. Still - I have to look good while celebrating, right?

Have an amazing weekend and I'll be back soon to tell you more about my adventures!

(For those of you who have been lucky enough to know me personally and spend any time with me this past week - I used the semicolons correctly above; I'm not afraid of any punctuation!)

Gratitude

It's been a frustrating and annoying day. People were snipping at each other, in person and through e-mail. There were some exciting moments, and I was productive, but the people snapping at each other was draining. I can't say I was innocent - I had my share of crabiness, and I am never very good at hiding that. We were all getting hung up on the little things - the details. And nothing was anyone else's fault. In fact, I found out that some things were my fault that I had nothing to do with. I am over it though. My shoulders are broad, and if it makes someone feel better to have someone to blame, then go ahead and blame me.

I'm ending this day feeling grateful. I'm grateful for the chance to have a great dinner with awesome friends. Those friends listened to me rant and rave, and basically throw a tantrum, and then made me feel better just by being there and making me laugh. I can vent about my frustrations, and they don't think any less of me for feeling those frustrations. They make me stronger because they believe in me.

I'm also grateful for my family who supports me no matter what. They take care of me while I am down, and they celebrate with me when I have victories. I wouldn't be me without them.

I am successful, happy, and fairly well balanced, but I can't take credit for all of that. So I'll say it again - I'm grateful for all of my loved ones. Thank you for letting me be me, supporting me, and keeping me in line when needed. I'm blessed, and I'm reminded of that every day.

A Small Glimpse of Summer

Like any good shoe fan, I love a cute pair of boots, and bought a great pair on sale today, but I'm done with winter... I really want to be able to wear my pumps and not worry about falling on the ice, or my open toed shoes and not shiver because it's cold out, or, even better, throw on my flip flops to venture outside (gasp!)

This winter has been brutal across the country, and I for one am ready for spring! We get these glimpses of warmth and sunshine, and then the wind blows and it is bitter cold outside. So, to beat the winter blues that seem to be creeping in - here is a glimpse of summer.

This is the best drive I've ever had while playing golf. Granted, it was on a very short par 3, but still, I impressed myself. I am looking forward to golfing again soon. I guess you could say I miss my golf shoes :-)

Happy Birthday Gram

Today is my grandmother's birthday. Gram passed away a few years ago, but she is still living strong in my mind. My sister and I still talk about her often, and just this past weekend we were talking about my dad's memory of Gram's potatoe soup (which she adamantly denied ever making).

Gram was, and is, a huge part of my life. She put me on the bus and got me off the bus; I helped her out at my parent's store; I watched Days of Our Lives at her house when coming home from 1/2 day kindergarten. We always had Thanksgiving dinner at her house on the China her father brought home from overseas, followed by a rowdy game of cards. I mowed her lawn. We shopped together, and ate at Friendly's (she loved their Liver and Onions). We laughed - a lot.

Don't get me wrong - Gram could be stubborn and drive us all nuts, but she stuck to her guns and made things happen. I wish she had written a book of the stories she could tell. For now, though, we will have to keep her stories going in our memory.

So where are the shoes going to come in here? I don't think they are coming in this time. My memories are dancing barefoot in her living room while listening to John Prine - That's The Way the World Goes Round. I still listen to that album now and then and smile, thinking of the good times we had dancing to it and to Me and Bobby McGee. She did know her music! There was another song by another folk singer about a Motorcycle (I don't want a pickle... Just want to ride on my Motor-sickle????), but John Prine was our go to album. My sister and I even got her to a John Prine concert one time.

Well I could babble on and on about this amazing woman, but I'll spare you. In the meantime - Love you Gram - today, and always!

Happily Ever After

As I watch Shrek 3 I feel the need to post my sparkly shoes on here...

Every time I wear them I try clicking my heals together and hoping Prince Charming will come sweep me off my feet.  I'm still trying :-)

Big Thank You to my awesome sister for buying me these spectacular shoes!

Welcome

I am your typical single woman who enjoys her independence, works hard, and loves her family.  I consider myself fairly low maintainence.  I don't have a kean fashion sense, although my clothes match (most of the time). I work hard and I play hard.  My dirty little secret... I LOVE shoes.  Any kind of shoes - heals, cute sneakers, flats, boots, pretty much anything.  I never thought I would be one of those girls who became obsessed with something so, well, girly.

I would like to blame this problem on a project I did last fall for my MBA on Zappo's supply chain...  but it goes farther back than that.  For my 30th birthday I trolled NYC with a group of amazing girl friends looking for blue shoes (which I didn't find, but I did come home with some adorable sandles and slip on Sketcher sneakers).  No worries - I did eventually get my blue shoes, which I make sure everyone knows I am wearing when I put them on (thank you facebook).

So since I force all of my closest friends to listen to my shoe adventures, I figured I should open up the dialogue to all of the world via a blog.  It may seem odd, but shoes bring me joy, and I want to share that joy.  To end my first entry I want to put up a picture of my newest acquisition - thanks to Marshalls clearance rack.  I can't wait until it is warm enough for open toed shoes...