Simple Pleasures Sundays - Open-Toed

It was warm enough to be outside with open-toed shoes!  Open-toed shoes!

I mean, it's still pretty gross outside and dirty.  It's also supposed to be quite rainy.

But there's no way I'm going to miss a chance to take advantage of open-toed temperature.

So, I did wear some open toes shoes earlier today.

I also managed to put together a pretty funky Sunday outfit based on wanting to wear open-toed shoes.

In related news, I'm really liking this retro filter on my phone. 

Travels: Maine in a Blizzard

The day we were leaving for Maine happened to be a day when a major blizzard was going to slam the Northeast.  Luckily, the storm was still making its way up through New York before we were on the road.

The boyfriend's dad and step mom live up in Pittsfield, Maine.  They have a gorgeous house that overlooks the Sebasticook River, and there's even a bit more of a pond where they are.

From my previous post on my toesies, I did mention the blizzard.  But here's how it looked from their kitchen window.

Blizzard!

In the right side of the picture, you can somewhat see the roof of the sauna.  What's kind of funny is that I seem to have a habit of making my way into the snow during a blizzard.  This year was no exception.  We took the dogs for a walk, and then I made my way into the sauna and back.

There was so much snow that we needed to strap on some snow shoes if we didn't want to swim through it.

Dress, leggings, boots, and snow shoes.

Luckily, the blizzard finally let up on our 3rd day up there.  We were all excited to see the sun, though the wind was still quite biting.  Here's the same view on the following day.

No more blizzard!

When the blizzard let up, the boyfriend's sister and step sister planned to head back to Massachusetts, but we were staying one more night.  This allowed for some girl-time shopping and bonding action with the boyfriend's step mom, step sister, and her two older teenagers before their departure.  It also allowed for some extra time with the family pets.

Frida

Maggie and Sophie

Ivy

It's been nice to have such a full house with the boyfriend's family, young and old and furry.  It's somewhat comforting to have so many animals around.

But we had our own crazy animals to return to.

On our way back to Boston, I pleaded with the boyfriend to make a stop at the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport.  I had been eying 2 coats on their website, mainly because of the price and practicality, but I held back quite a bit mainly due to my finances.  But considering that they had great reviews on the website, and it was on the way, I couldn't resist.

Also, there was a GINORMOUS boot I needed to get a picture with!

L.L. Bean 90th Anniversary Bean Boot

Truth be told, the L.L. Bean style is not really my personal style.  I was really hesitant about going into the store, and I could tell that the boyfriend was hesitant for the same reasons. 

But we were both impressed by the winter coats and shoes.  I'm super excited to be more warm this winter!

Super warm!

Tosies of the Month - November 2010

I declared today my self care day.

Since I last got a pedicure, I decided I deserved it because of the interviews I had done.  It's been about a month since my first interview at the Boston Center for Adult Education, and I'm still here waiting.

Why, Job Gods, must it take so long?

After a second interview and after checking in with the Human Resources woman, I still have yet to hear a yea or nay.  It's been somewhat torturous, and kind of irritating that it's taking so long.  But I still really want that job.

With all the anxiety and stress and shoulder pain, I decided to get myself a well-deserved massage.  One of the people I used to work with is luckily dating a massage therapist, and I had been meaning to see her.

Mitzie, of Mind Your Body Wellness, is awesome!  She really talked me through a lot of what might be causing me pain, and after the intense but relaxing massage, she showed me some stretching techniques to help prevent further pains.  This is really the first time I sought out a massage to help me with pain I'm having, so it was great to leave feeling relaxed and prepared.

On my way to the massage, I decided that I should continue taking care of myself and head on over to get my monthly pedicure.  While I was originally planning to wait until the week of Thanksgiving, I figured I should just use the majority of my money to pay for the rental car.

I had decided that November would be a purple month.  My toes needed to see some purple action.  The last time I got purple toes was for a belly dance show in August and before that it was in May for another belly dance show.

But who would've guessed that I inadvertently chose the same purple that I got back in May?  This time around, I'm much happier with the design.

Designed by Wendy at Dana's Nail Salon, Brighton, MA
Color: OPI Merry Midnight
Occasion: Self-care day and Thanksgiving
November 2010

Last month's pedicure design was so strange, and the last time I got this color the design was too girly.  But I got to say, I love the abstract stuff.  In the picture, you can kind of see the large flecks of sparkle, which I'm a huge fan of.

I was a bit inspired to start planning Thanksgiving outfits with this nail color, and I finally gave myself time to play around with Polyvore.com.  So, here's some outfits I would wear with this color featuring clothes that I own/clothes similar to ones I own.

Purple Passion by GreenestMermaid

That website is unnecessarily fun.  But it was a nice way to cap off my day of self-care.

Winter Wear Woes

These colder seasons have always caused a lot of grief for me.  Not just because it's freezing cold and it gets so much darker earlier in the day.  But because I have a hard time knowing how to dress.

When I first arrived to Boston, I bought a big coat that went past my hips.  I soon found, however, that I would heat up quite quickly and I would just be a sweating mess after walking around a little bit.

One time, the zipper of that big coat got stuck.  Luckily, I was already in my apartment.  But I kind of freaked out.  I couldn't get out of the coat!  The only thing I could think of doing to free myself was to grab my scissors and start cutting.

Soon after, I bought a new puffy coat from Gap, and that kept me warm and visible in my first two Boston winters.

Keeping warm during a Pub Crawl by dancing in the street

I retired that coat after graduation, and graduated to a less bright puffy coat that I've had for about 4 years now.

On the way to a ski trip...I don't ski.

My next issue was finding the right type of shoes.  I had a pair of Merrell waterproof shoes that were fine, but they weren't tall enough to keep me completely waterproof.  So, if I stepped in a puddle and wasn't aware of how deep it was, my feet were pretty much soaked.

Then I got myself some Tretorn boots, which I loved.  They were comfortable, fit around my ginormous ("Pacific Islander" the boyfriend calls them) calves, and they survived the rain and snow.  But, I wore them for multiple days at a time, and I would wear them all day instead of packing extra shoes for work.

My boots in snowshoes!

Because of all my wearing and tearing around, I would need to replace them every year as they developed a tear in the Achilles tendon area.  I probably bought a new pair ever year for the past 3 years.

This season, I decided I need to get separate rain and snow boots.  Unfortunately, boots and I have a strange relationship because of my ginormous calves.  So, the first pair of rain boots didn't work out very well, and were a bit too uncomfortable when I took them out in the rain.

I might actually just buy another pair of Tretorn boots, because they're relatively cheap and they fit really well.  But I'm also looking at some Keen boots and other rain boots.

However, I'm excited to report that I found some really cute shoes that will keep me warm and fashionable all winter.  They fit really well, and they're extremely comfortable so far.  I made sure to do a quick walk-around in my apartment before deciding they were awesome.  But I'm quite satisfied!

Sorel Mackenzie Lace Holiday Boots

For the first time, I'm looking forward to the first snow fall, just so I can sport these babies.

Time For Planning - Halloween

Halloween is perhaps one of my most favorite holidays!  At least, it's a great way to celebrate the Autumn.  With September here, I definitely feel some pressure on coming up with a great costume this year.  Also, the boyfriend and I are hoping to pair up.


So, I present to you my possible ideas for Halloween Costumes:

Tourists - Easiest because we both have matching
Hawaiian shirts and Mickey Mouse Hats.

Care Bear - except with a twist, and probably NOT slutty!

The boyfriend can be the Sorcerer's Apprentice
and I can be a Broom (or the other way around)

Sushi...but that's a tasty version of a mermaid!
The boyfriend can be Wasabi!
I was also thinking more of wearing a tutu and
wrapping green fabric around it

Except not as a creepy baby.

But this would be cheating, as I would really just be a gold mermaid.

Double Rainbow

All the Way!

Any other suggestions are more than welcome!

Toesies of the Month - September 2010

I was very eager to get my nails done again after messing them up last month.  I was also willing to try a new nail salon, but as luck would have it, I was near a familiar spot.

When I entered Dana's Nail Salon, I was prepared with my own nail polish that I brought in, thinking that I would do a dark green.  But I always like seeing if there are new colors that I would like to try on in the next couple of months.  I spotted a sparkly teal color, picked it up, and completely fell in love with it.

Later on, as I was looking through some design samples, I surprised myself by settling on none other than a flower design.  At this point, I'm pretty sick of flower designs, though they seem to be the most common probably because they're the easiest.  Nonetheless, I knew that the folks at Dana's would do a good job at making the flower design anything but common.

Designed by Ken and Nina, Dana's Nail Salon, Brighton, MA
Color:  OPI - Catch Me In Your Net
Occasion:  Friend's Wedding Celebration
September 2010

I liked the color so much that I also got a mani with them.

I already have an idea that the nail technicians at Dana's think I'm a little crazy because I always choose crazy colors.  But I just couldn't help myself with this color.

I definitely feel like I need to add this color to my growing arsenal of pretty colors, though I'm sure I have one that's exactly the same shade minus the sparkles.

Luckily, this color matched my outfit perfectly for my friend's wedding celebration.

Matching outfit and nails

Though a lot of people assumed that I was trying to be really mermaid-y with this outfit, I was actually trying to wear peacock colors (note the peacock feather headband) in honor of my married friend.  I was excited to dress up for her party, and I was honored to do some belly dance for her and her husband.

I wanted to talk a little bit about how much I enjoyed their wedding celebration.

Firstly, they were already married on July 4th.  Secondly, this party seemed to be a group effort.  There was a BBQ potluck the night before, the desserts were all from various guests, the entertainment was provided by the guests, and the music was planned out by the couple.  The food was a variety of tacos, Ethiopian food, and Moroccan food.  It was delicious!  Everything was delicious!

During the ring exchange, people were invited to say a couple of words to the couple, and everyone was so heartfelt and genuinely happy.  The celebration just seemed so relaxed and fun.  While there was a schedule of events, it didn't feel as though the evening was stuffed or that the event was stuffy.  It was really just chill, and that made the guests feel more chill.

There's usually so much hoopla involved with wedding celebrations, that I always feel exhausted by the end of the evening.  But I felt completely energized by this party and just so happy for the two of them.

Here's hoping more wedding parties are like this!