Birthday Gifts

It's my birthday month! Birthdays are an awesome time to celebrate everything that is exciting about life, and I find there is more and more to be thankful for each year. Yes, there are things I would like to change about my life, and things I wish I had already done, but I am genuinely happy with where I am in life, and I'm excited for what the next year will bring. So I'm not going to let any regrets or thoughts about what I have yet to do get me down at all.

Besides, how can you be at all down when your favorite stores are sending you amazing gift certificates to entice you in (where you will spend more than the certificate is for, but you have the joy of shopping). I received my Starbucks drink card in the mail today - that is definitely a favorite of mine. All of the love coming my way from people who don't even know me - it rocks!

So I bought myself my first birthday present today - which was (of course) shoes. They are adorable and comfortable, and I can't wait to wear them to my friend's wedding this Friday. Life is good and I am thankful for so much. What do you think about my new shoes?

Horoscopes

I am the type of person who reads multiple horoscopes until I find the one I like, and I assume that one is right, so I prepare for what it says my day will bring. Obviously, I don't put too much faith in these predictions, but I do find them fun (and one horoscope last week told me to buy shoes, so that is definitely my favorite to date). I have to admit, though, there are some times that the horoscope I find strikes me - whether helping me feel better about something or clearing things up for me.

Today is one of those days that my horoscope rang true for me. Yesterday, I thought of someone I haven't talked to in almost 10 years. It is someone from when I first started my career. She was a strong influence for me, but we parted ways and I haven't talked to her in a long time. I know that a portion of the parting, possibly most of it, was because of me. I am sorry that I didn't try harder to keep her in my life, and I hope she is doing well. I was missing her yesterday, but I have no way of getting in touch with her, and I don't even know if she would be interested in talking to me now.

So today, I read my horoscope, and it stated "Going back in time and undoing (or redoing) something you did would be nice, but it's just not possible." Although this is a little negative for an eternal optimist like me, it makes sense. I can't change what happened in the past, but I can send some happy thoughts to my friend, wish her well in my mind, and enjoy (and hold on to) my current friends. I can't change my actions in the past, but I can learn from them and be a better person moving forward.

8 Inch Heals???

My friend sent me a link to a Today Show section on super high 8 inch heals (check them out below). Now how can a blogger who is obsessed with shoes not write about these spectacular, if 100% impractical, shoes. They are very pretty (although a little awkward and I wouldn't even want to put my feet in them). Still, I wish they came in a pale pink color. The shoes were auctioned off to benefit the English National Ballet. I don't know who bought them, how much they went for, or if they will ever be worn, but it doesn't matter - they are a work of art.

The ballet connection is obvious, and it makes me wish I had learned how to dance, although I am not the most graceful person in the world. I am sure I wouldn't be able to wear them, but they would look great on display at my home. Some day...

In the meantime, I'll have to settle with the picture. Enjoy (and be careful when you wear your heals, particularly if they are 8 inches high!)

End of an Era!

Yesterday was my last official class as an MBA student. That symbolic graduation I wrote about a few weeks ago is not so symbolic anymore. Sure, I still have to finish my thesis (which I am currently avoiding a bit - I'll work on it once I am done with this post), but the physical classes are now over. It's strange, and it is a little sad as well. I truly love my classmates, and we have had a crazy 22 months together. Lots of ups, a few downs, a ton of laughs, and even a trip across the world (we all went to China together). I truly have another family because of this program, and I am so grateful for that.

All day yesterday I kept think things like "I'm really going to miss those comments from our own personal peanut gallery", or "There's our class philosopher again, I'm going to miss his outlook on life." I know I will see all of these people again, but that doesn't mean I will not miss them all terribly. We have been stuck in a room for hours at a time every other weekend since September 2009. Sure, the future outings may be a bit more fun than listening to a lecture, but it will still be weird not going back in two weeks.

As we finished our day with champagne and cake, a bunch of the classmates/family members took some time to share some thoughts and memories, and lots of tears were shed. I didn't trust myself to say anything, because I was on the edge of balling like a baby, but I hope they all know that I know our bond will continue, and I feel lucky that I was welcomed into this group of amazing individuals and professionals. We came from very different walks of life and that only added to the experience that was my MBA program.

To the Weekend MBA Class of 2011 - I love you all!

How Hard Is It To Pick Up After Yourself?

I am recuperating after a phenomenal weekend. I grabbed two of my favorite people and went to see Kenny Chesney (as well as the Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington & Uncle Kracker). It was a great day! We showed up early to enjoy some food and beverages while doing lots of great people watching. The parking lots were full of people enjoying some gorgeous weather and having a good time. Overall, I didn't think anyone got out of control. People were drinking and having a good time, but I didn't see any fights or people being belligerent. Drunkeness, yes, but belligerence, no.

The show itself was awesome. Even if you aren't a country fan, this is a group of entertainers who put on a great show, particularly Kenny and Zac Brown. I would recommend it to anyone, and I loved loved loved it!

Then it was sadly over, and we headed back to the car. That was when the disappointment set in. I wasn't disappointed the show was over - I had time to mentally prepare for that. I was disappointed in what people had done to the parking lots. I knew there would be some trash left around, but the broken bottles, coolers discarded, even a battered canopy that looked like people had just battered for the fun of it, made me sad. Why do we have to be slobs? Why do we expect people to pick up after us? How hard is it to pick up your trash and put it into a bag? Even if you don't carry it out with you, at least leave it off to the side where it isn't in the way of everyone else. It feels like people feel they should be waited on, and that drives me nuts. We only have one world, and we have to take care of it. Pick up your trash - think of everyone else who has to drive over or walk over your broken bottle and don't break it. It really isn't that hard! Grrr... makes me annoyed, sad, and disappointed all at once!

Still, the concert rocked, and at least I have that to remember!

Soles4Souls - check this out

Hello friends! Sorry it has been a while since I wrote an entry, but life has been crazy. Still, it is important to take a moment and fulfill the commitment I set to share my thoughts on shoes with all of my internet friends and followers.

Today, though, I am taking a moment to share a great charity with you. My cousins introduced me to this cause, and being a shoe lover it struck me as such a worthy cause. As I look at my over-abundance of shoes, it is easy to forget those who do not have shoes. I take them for granted, and many people of many ages go through the day in worn out shoes, if any at all. This organization distributes a pair of shoes to wone of these people every 7 seconds. That is just amazing!

We can all help by donating our gently used shoes (the website has donation locations, although I am thinking of starting a donation myself to send to them), or you can donate money. Stop and think about how important shoes are in your life (even if you don't love them like I do), and then think about those who go without.

Here is their website - http://www.soles4souls.org/

My experiment - thwarted before it even started

I have been living in my apartment for a year now, and so my intro offer with my cable company was coming to an end. I got the first big bill, and I decided that this was a silly expense I could cut out. I spent all day convincing myself that I could go without cable, at least through the summer, and I could switch to an online service, such as hulu. I then looked into Verizon, but fios isn't available for me now and satellite isn't really an option. So I talked myself into doing an experiment and trying to go TV-less.

You have to understand, my TVs are the old big TVs, so without cable, I need to buy a converter box. So if I am going without cable, I'm essentially going without TV. Can I do it?

I'm not going to find out. I'm a sucker - when I called to cancel I was offered a great deal/offer that lowered my bill to below where it was for the first year and I took it. So this summer will not be one lacking TV. In fact, I'm debating if I should order HBO... TrueBlood does start soon. I know, I'm weak.