All things EARTH...

[Anita Latte]

Ooof.

 

I've been struggling this morning with my photobucket account. I am pushing my limit on the free storage space...so I needed to get another account going...and I'm having to deal with remembering how I have it all set up...and in the process...

 

POOF...

 

I lost everything I wrote...

 

And now I just can't face the repeat...

 

SO.

 

Back to a comment that you made Sally about Mom and Dad being twigs...and yet they are fully enjoying food on their vacation...

 

They are fit. Dad works out regularly and has ever since I got engaged...about 20 years ago now. At the time, he didn't fit into the tux that he owned. And I would poke his belly and say, hey, you need to get working out...you have a tux to fit into!

 

Wasn't I sweet? :rolleyes:

 

Anyway...Dad is just one of those people that has superior will power and can basically make himself do anything he puts his mind to. Mom and Dad have a well established routine at home...their norm is a regulated diet that doesn't include a lot of sweets or indulgences so that they CAN indulge and not be bothered to worry too much when they are on holiday.

 

He actually had to have his tux altered before my wedding because he ended up being TRIMMER than he was when he purchased it.

 

Dad works out 3X a week for somewhere between 90-120 minutes when he does his full routine. He's trim, lean and STRONG. His body fat is measured in single digits...which is really good...

 

Because he has the sweetest sweet tooth of anyone I've ever meet in my life...and he lets loose on vacation as his reward for living a more balance life at home.

 

Mom has struggled with the side effects of dealing with a thyroid condition. She had a goiter in her 40s? Late 40s? Through strength training, proper nutrition and the correct dosing of her non-generic Synthroid, she got her weight under control and to a place that she HAD considered to be pretty good...all things considered...

 

Until she took Zumba and got into that...

 

And had great instructors that incorporated high intensity interval training (HIIT) in their classes...

 

And she understood that concept and made the most of it during her class...

 

And REALLY got her physical body into the shape that it is now.

 

I'm so very proud of both of my parents.

 

The fact that Mom could deal and overcome her poor health during our trip is a testament not only to how stubborn she is...and how well we worked as a family to make it work...but also to the fact that Mom is generally in great health and had the foundation that we could work from to be able to make it work.

 

Both are inspirational to me...again...I'm so very proud.

 

I just had to address this because their achievement is the result of significant work and dedication to a lifestyle of health and fitness. It isn't easy...

 

I wanted to share this because I don't know that Mom would...and again...

 

I think they are such excellent roll models of the possibility of what life could be like...I just have to brag a little. :D

[laurspag]

Anita, I would be very proud too! Your parents are doing a wonderful job of taking care of themselves. One thing I can say for sure now...it's hard work to eat right and exercise regularly. I'm really trying hard, and I find your parents to be very inspirational!

 

I eat leaner during the work week, but I let myself indulge a little on the weekends. I don't go overboard, but I do go out to lunch with my husband on Saturdays, and a beer is part of the plan! I've been doing this for quite some time, so it doesn't bother me now. I know that when I eat right overall, I feel much better.

 

And the thyroid thing...ugh. Did your mom's dosage get changed at all when she started Zumba and all that? I ask because my doctor has lowered my dosage. Twice. Yes, lowered. It makes me nervous, but he says that my metabolism has really picked up.

[Anita Latte]

Hey Laurie...I think you've been doing great. Change over time and in a sustainable way. You have the big picture in mind and seem to have the patience to allow your efforts to slowly and steadily make a difference.

 

You are inspirational too Laurie!

 

edited to add...I'll let Mom address the Synthroid question. :)

Edited June 27, 2015 by Anita Latte

[Sailor_Sally]

I have found as you age you have to work out regularly to keep your body going . I was a nurse in Operating Rooms for most of my career so I got a full body work out every day . When I retired I soon realized I had to be a gym rat or my body would just stop working . Now I have a significant lung problem but with regular aerobic exercise I can function so I swim three days a week for one hour .I do eat healthy . I never enjoyed cake or cookies so no temptation there . My advice to every one would be to enjoy the adventurous travel while you still can . My days of white water rafting & swimming with the sharks has ended .

[Anita Latte]

It may feel like we were in the Boqueria for a long time...

 

It wasn't short...but it wasn't terrible long either...

 

We, or rather I, had one more mission for this day...that was to find the Kiko Milano store and help Mom pick out some nail polish for herself!

 

Because she didn't get any for herself in Malaga. After our manicures...when I had a chance to use the nail polish for real...I knew that Mom needed to have some Kiko polish too. I thought she would wish she had gotten some when she had time to reflect on the trip...

 

And I didn't want her to neglect to get herself a little something fun...especially something so little and easy to pack...and CHEAP.

 

We had a fun conversation with a young lady working in the jewelry shop on Allure. Long story short...we hit on the fact that the thing that I really liked (more than jewelry) was nail polish!

 

And Kiko came up in conversation...

 

OMG...Kiko is the best. She LOVES Kiko. It lasts forever...she kicks off her pumps and shows us her beautiful toes that are Kiko red and still looking great after however long. She had some shore time in Malaga and bought like FIVE polishes because OMG...they were less than 2 Euros!

 

Right.

 

Why didn't MOM have any?

 

So off we went into the general direction of where we believed the Kiko Milano store to be...

 

Remember...addresses? street names? Quite useless when it is all said and done...pick a direction and go...

 

And enjoy the scene along the way...

 

The flowers for sale...so bright and cheerful...I thought about how they would enliven any of the city residences in the area...so far removed from gardens, etc.:

 

 

Flowering potted plants for your balcony:

 

 

Even a lemon tree...OMG...the lemons were large and happy:

 

 

Even the glimpse in this photo of the hydrangea...blue is my fav...

 

And if they didn't have a plant available that you wanted...buy the seeds:

 

 

I did grab one fashion shot on La Rambla...

 

I think it was Margaret that mentioned that she had been seeing so many people wearing metallic oxfords ever since I posted about purchasing my own bronze ones...I also had seen several around Barcelona and I was finally close enough to capture the look for posterity:

 

[Anita Latte]

Window shopping continued...

 

This display had Debbie written all over it...because I know her Style Statement! Do you agree Debbie?

 

 

 

I'm not sure that all the colors are so Fire-y...but a cream colored shirt and a solid skirt with a patterned scarf...in this vibe...thought of you again Debbie!

 

Now this one is very Fire-like:

 

 

I love the shrug...I think that is just enough for when you need a bit more coverage to deal with air conditioning or even sun exposure.

 

I mentioned how some of the stores were like closets? Long walk-in closets. I got the impression here that this is someone having a go at being a fashion designer...renting space and selling their work:

 

 

The store Mos is very fun...again with the fun patterns and lots of color:

 

 

The store was filled with ALL COLORS...many options for all elements:

 

[Anita Latte]

And THEN.

 

THEN we hit the mother lode.

 

Or rather, I should say...the DADDY lode:

 

 

 

If only there were SMELL o'vision...so that you could have just a waft of the temptation within:

 

 

There were several prepackaged items...but then there were items sold by weight. You made your selections and they would package them for you in a cute little brown box...These smart people are making their selections:

 

 

And you could admire the works in progress...

 

 

I know that you can't believe that we walked out of that store empty handed...I know that I'm sitting here in shock...what in the world were we thinking?!?

 

IDK.

 

I guess we need to go back.

[Member123]

And the thyroid thing...ugh. Did your mom's dosage get changed at all when she started Zumba and all that? I ask because my doctor has lowered my dosage. Twice. Yes, lowered. It makes me nervous, but he says that my metabolism has really picked up.

 

Laurie, please visit

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46962635&postcount=40

[laurspag]

Thank you, Pam! I have responded to you on the thread you provided.

 

Anita, I'm not a chocoholic myself, but I'm sure I would have left that store with something! Everything looks so good!

 

With that outfit I posted a link to, I do like it, but I can't wear that top either. The model looks cute in it, but I would not. The pants are questionable for me too, but I would try them. I have never worn anything like that.

 

I think I would have a lot of fun exploring some new places. A TA sounds like so much fun!

 

Well, I was hoping to have a small vacation before next June on Allure. We did some talking, and decided to go with something a little smaller that we haven't done in a few years. We are going to go to Lake Placid for the weekend in September. We will drive there (it's about 4-5 hours from home) on Friday morning, and then head back on Monday morning. I was thinking of looking into a guided hike. I think we'd enjoy it, but since we aren't experienced hikers and I don't relish the idea of getting lost or something like that, a guided hike might be a neat thing. It's a great little village with lots of restaurants and little shops. We go up to Whiteface Mountain, do a gondola ride to the top of Little Whiteface, and a bunch of other things.

 

Tomorrow, we're doing a bus trip to see the Mets.

[laurspag]

I hope I’m not boring you all to death. I really wanted to be able to give you a bit of what I experienced. I love how Anita does her reviews, and although my review doesn’t come close to her excellent narrative style, it is fun to be able to share my experiences.

 

 

To be able to drive over the bridge, and see the bridge from the park the way we did was wonderful.

 

 

 

We got back to the ship, and after a little bit of rest, it was time to get ready for dinner. I was rather surprised – it was the only night we did not see a photographer around anywhere? We took a quick picture in the hall before heading down, assuming we would find the usual set ups. I didn’t think at the time to ask someone to take our picture. The dress I wore is very pretty, but I know better than go with that kind of neckline. I apologize that it isn’t a very good picture, but it’s the only picture I have.

 

[laurspag]

Oh, and I want to mention that in that one picture above, I love that the wind was blowing my hair around. My hair is so flat!

 

San Francisco is beautiful at night. Having a balcony is a wonderful thing.

 

 

Our next day was also San Francisco. I mentioned previously that we had decided on a Napa Valley wine train excursion. This was pretty much an all day event. There is a bus ride to the train station that takes about 40-45 minutes, then a short wait. The trip itself is leisurely, with a wonderful lunch with wine pairings. We were seated in one of their most formal cars, and I have to say that the train was beautiful. I chose to wear those caramel ankle pants with a lace top that I had. It’s funny, as the top is really too big now. So are the bottoms, but you can’t really see that because the top cover it.

 

 

 

 

Every car of the train is different, so we had dessert here:

 

[laurspag]

For tonight, we had reservations at Chops. Of course, we felt we deserved (or not) a drink at the Schooner Bar first. It seemed like we were behind schedule? We should have left San Francisco already. I was thinking that I must have read the Compass wrong or something, and that our departure time was later. After some time, people began to talk about it. Finally, the captain informed us that the gas turbine was not working, and they were going to fix it. We would leave around 9:00 PM, and we would still get to Victoria, BC at our usual time.

 

So we went back to our room and got ready for dinner. I found that the dress is definitely turquoise, not teal. I still love it. It feels like an earth color to me. But I had that bra problem again, and this time, the strapless threw the dress off completely. This dress was a risk for me. It was fitted. Now, I don’t think the dress looks bad at all in the pictures, but it laid differently with a regular bra, and I couldn’t wear one because you could see a lot of the bra on the sides. A lot. So I went with the too big strapless. I still felt pretty though!

 

 

 

Chops was just divine. A romantic dinner for two, wonderful food…great wine. I noticed it was 9:00 PM and we hadn’t left yet. I didn’t think much of it, because I figured that it was an approximate time.

 

We did a bunch of walking after dinner, in hopes of working off a day of food and not too much exercise. That is when there was an announcement that the gas turbine still wasn’t working. We went to bed, not knowing if we’d still be in San Francisco in the morning, or what.

 

We woke up to a moving ship. We found out later that we left around 2 AM, and that our day in Victoria would be altered a bit.

 

Yay! It was our sea day, our only one. I really love sea days. I decided to wear the outfit that was originally planned for Catalina Island. It was rather cool outside, so we were in and out through the course of the day.

 

This was a fun outfit to wear. Very comfy.

 

 

Tonight was our second formal night. I had brought a short cocktail dress as a back up to the long dress. I chose to wear the cocktail dress. I could have gone either way. What was funny is that it was 70’s night. It was kind of weird after dinner to be “boogieing” in formal clothes. But it sure was fun!!

[MJC]

Anita, all that food at the market looks amazing. It is always a fun excursion to visit food markets in different places, but the ones in Europe are especially fantastic, aren’t they? And the chocolates! Yum. Did I see marzipan? I love marzipan!

 

Also, I just have to say how much I respect your parents for their commitment to their health. One of my biggest struggles in dealing with my parents’ situation is the -- anger? frustration? resentment? – I feel that they did so much damage to themselves with food and inactivity. I have come to believe that parents taking care of themselves is the greatest gift of love they can give to their children. It means we can have them longer, and can continue to have a meaningful relationship with them for a longer time in their elder years. We spent the evening recently with an 88 y.o. cousin who is still a pistol, and it made me feel the early “loss” of my parents keenly.

 

Pam, you are a wise woman. You are spot on about the limitations of conventional thyroid testing. Thank you for teaching me something new about gluten and receptors. I will have to think about that.

 

Laurie, I saw those Zara pants just the other day. They are cute, and the colors are really great. I am seeing that pant style in so many stores now, but I just know I can’t wear it (and probably don’t have an activity for which they would work, I think – thank you Marie Kondo). Don’t apologize for your pictures – I for one am really enjoying them. I have spent very little time in CA so I’m getting to see it through your eyes. You are right that your turquoise dress has some similarity in the neckline to my black one. That coral dress… I think it looks really good, both color and style wise. Perhaps you need to see yourself and your new shape with fresh eyes, and re-visit some of the assumptions you made about necklines now that you are smaller? JMO. I think the gold detailing and the v-shape do a nice job of “filling” the chest area that in the past we’ve seen you expose and fill with a necklace? And where has that LOVELY cream lace blouse been? That is gorgeous!

 

Sally, yes, sometimes we are our own worst critics. I am happy that I have nice legs, I will admit. One of the drawbacks of long dresses, as much as I love them, is that I don’t feel they take advantage of what is one of my best features. C’est la vie. In a perfect world, my turquoise dress would have the perfect fit of the black one. The holy grail of dresses does seem like a never-ending quest sometimes. Speaking of which, GrannyFlamingo, you seem to have had success with that -- what a stunning dress.

 

I’ll take a break now, but when I come back I’ll tell you about my day on Fifth Avenue. Anita’s recent photos had me people-watching with fresh eyes, it was very interesting. Oh, and I have cruise news to share!

Edited June 28, 2015 by MJC
fix layout

[laurspag]

Margaret, thank you. My thought with that orange dress is that the small opening and beading visually created a v-neck. I think that I am sometimes too focused on how I want to look that I don't fully focus. As you just said to sally, we are our own worst critics. I love the dress and I was so proud to go from a 16 to a 12. I will be getting a lot out of this dress.

 

The first photo of the turquoise dress wasn't the most flattering so I posted the second picture. I felt good in that dress also.

 

I'd love to go back to San Francisco someday.

 

I'm still thinking of Anita's photos. That is a shopping paradise, both food and clothing.

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[Joby]

Laurie and Anita,

 

Loving both reports and pictures! San Francisco is on my "list" of places to visit. It looks beautiful. And, that train trip looks fantastic, another thing on my "list". :) lucky you, Laurie.

 

The European food pics=food porn :D I love local markets of any kind. Always one of our favorite things to do on trips. I had to sop up my drool after seeing the chocolate photos!

 

You are both doing such an entertaining job of relaying your trips. I just love PICTODIARIES! Thanks to you both for sharing.

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , I love San Francisco so pictures bring back great memories for me . I think both your dresses are pretty . I also think the coral neckline is nice on you . The last outfit was cute but maybe try it with a more colorful scarf.

 

Margaret , Speaking of elderly parents ,I am going to Pa. in August to visit my Mom for her 99th birthday .She still lives semi independently and is very lucid . She reads constantly .

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...you are NOT boring anyone. I, for one, have been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for you post more! It isn't an exaggeration to say that Mom and I talk everyday...sometimes multiple times a day (yay cell phones!)...and one of our frequent topics of conversation is "When is Laurie going to continue her report?" Seriously.

 

That photo of the field with the golden hill covered in the deep green trees is pretty much what I grew up in. Some of the hills were more hilly...we actually had a named on "Mt. Diablo"...I guess because it had enough elevation to justify a name. That one picture brings back my California to me.

 

What fun that train must have been. I still haven't been on a train. Well...we did a Thomas the Tank Engine day when DS was much younger and into Thomas.

 

I completely agree with what Margaret said about your orange/coral dress with the gold necklace like detail. She said that so well. I think that dress is very flattering...you look beautiful in it.

 

Love the green and white outfit! I remember that one from when you shared your pre-cruise plans.

 

You DID see marzipan....fun marzipan!

 

I like I could use those pants. I could have worn them last night, in fact. Or the night before. I attended very casual music concerts at a local university that were associated with a festival that DS was attending. He played in the ensembles in last night's concert.

 

I think those pants would be casual but fun and have the possibility of not really being dressed up...but more looking a fun stylish that would be appropriate for things like music recital concerts...which, I do believe, will be scattered throughout the next 4 years of my life as DS continues with his playing and singing.

 

You probably didn't take pictures on Fifth Avenue...regardless...I'd love to hear your observations.

[MJC]

I'm still thinking of Anita's photos. That is a shopping paradise, both food and clothing.

 

Even looking at the photos makes me want to cook a fabulous meal from all those fresh foods!

 

So, Thursday I gave myself a vacation day from sorting and cleaning. I had to see the orthodontist so I treated myself to a day in mid-town Manhattan. First, I had an hour to kill before lunch with DH at The Princeton Club, so a stroll down Fifth Ave was in order. What do I find?!?

 

 

If it weren't for Anita's diary, I probably wouldn't have gone in because the window was very ICE, and the clothes were very bright. But, I did, and because I did, I shopped. I got this t-shirt dress, which I haven't decided whether to wear as a dress, a bathing suit cover-up, or a nightie. I guess that means it could do all three:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Desigual-Women-Dress-Tobago-Collection/dp/B00UZ3LLQY

 

While I was walking, I did pay attention a la Anita to what the people around me were wearing. I did see a young woman in culottes, very tailored with heels and an envelope purse (how one can spend a day in NYC with just an envelope purse is mystifying to me). It can be easy to play "spot the tourist" on 5th, especially in the 90 degree weather. That is cute little dress season for us, as opposed to the cutoff jean shorts/tank top/sneakers look on the younger tourists, or the generic t-shirt/cargo shorts thing. Definitely saw more athletic technical clothing/shoes as travel clothes than I've seen in the past, on some definitely very fit people. Between window shopping and people-watching, my eyes were very busy! It was fun.

 

It was Clinique Bonus Time at L&T, so I stopped in and got my goodies. They were doing a chubby stick giveaway too, and I couldn't decide on purple or green, so the lovely clerk gave me one of each. We were chatting and for some reason she asked me if I had kids (always more awkward for the asker than for me) and I said no. Then I added that I kind of have 100 kids because I'm a teacher, and she threw in another chubby stick. She was sweet. See? All New Yorkers aren't rude. Busy, maybe, but not rude. We have our moments.

 

Then... get ready Laurie... I went across the street to our new addition:

 

 

Awesome! I must have been in Charming Charlie for an hour at least. I literally went through the store twice. I ended up with two necklaces, and this soft denim blue sweater/shawl thing. A swawl? So cozy for a rainy day. Have I mentioned that I love color-coding? That store lit up the color-coding part of my brain like crazy. Fun fun fun.

 

Do you ever have a "cruise day at home?" We try to do that sometimes. That was what my shopping day felt like.

 

Fun cruise news -- we booked the Windstar Costa Rica/Panama Canal trip for next spring. I am very excited to go back to CR because I developed bronchitis the last time and the second part of the week is a bit blurry. :) It is a beautiful country that we've wanted to re-visit. Yay.

 

It's 55 degrees here and it's been raining for two days straight. Our lake fireworks were cancelled last night and we told our company to stay home (and we went to a movie). I think I'm gonna turn on the Wii and do some Zumba to work off the wine and pesto linguine I had last night! All I want to do today is sleep and eat.

[MJC]

 

Margaret , Speaking of elderly parents ,I am going to Pa. in August to visit my Mom for her 99th birthday .She still lives semi independently and is very lucid . She reads constantly .

 

You and your mom are very lucky, Sally. That is what I wish for myself someday!

[Anita Latte]

What a fun day you had Margaret! I wish I was there with you!

 

I didn't mention that there was a Desigual store in NY...I'm so glad now that I didn't because you got to have that surprise! kind of moment.

 

What a lesson that is in the old adage regarding judgement and book covers. The projected appearance doesn't necessarily correlate to what you find within...on many levels. It makes sense to me that a NY storefront would be black based...KWIM? At least from the impressions I have about the city...while never having been there yet.

 

Love the idea of a cruise day at home...I called that "playing tourist" in the past. Especially when you can't afford to go anywhere else, but WANT to...it can be fun to finally visit and see the things that other people come to your area/city to see.

 

We haven't done much of that in Atlanta yet. I want to though. Like I mentioned earlier, DS was down on the campus of Emory University for the past several days. Atlanta is one of the oldest cities that I lived in/near in a long time...western cities tend to be much newer over all. Anyway...I ended up driving through some very fun neighborhoods...they have names in Atlanta...it didn't take THAT long to get there...I've been thinking that I need to have more fun exploring all there is to do here.

 

Focus on the positive and seek to enjoy being where I'm at.

 

Love the dress you got Margaret!

 

Charming Charlie overwhelms me. The first appearance is fun but the more I look, the more confused I become. There is one very close to me...but I don't go there often...I would need a defined game plan...like one outfit at a time in order to be productive in that store.

 

The good news is that through sorting through my stuff...another thank you to Marie Kondo!...and through the Style Statement process, I feel like I'm understanding what really floats my boat, so to speak.

 

There's an EXCELLENT post on the Vivienne Files yesterday. OMG. I'm in love with the sentiment there. I think that she put into words a bit of what those of us that are trying to dress in our Earth, Fire, Ice, or Air palettes are trying to do to rebuild and fill out our wardrobes...you must read:

 

http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/06/start-with-art-flaming-june-by-sir.html

 

Great news Sally! Reading testimonies regarding life longevity with high quality is the best! It's my daily prayer regarding my own sweet Mom and Dad. Margaret, you are absolutely right in the gift your parents can give you when they take care of themselves and you have the opportunity to have them be a positive part of your life for a long, long time.

 

Just have to share this food idea because of the recent conversation. I think I shared the awesomeness that is the magazine-like book "The Well Fed Paleo" a while back. Well...I tried out the zucchini noodles.

 

Zucchini is on sale right now...very cheap...but not my fav vegetable. Anyway...even though I didn't have a julienne peeler...I painstakingly did the cutting to approximate the appearance of noodles with my zucchini...did the salt to drain the water...did the hour or two in the fridge to further crisp up the veg...and did the saute and served with my own homemade sauce.

 

Let me say...WOW. Really, really good. DS ate it up and didn't gag.

 

That's saying a lot. (He inherited Mom's gag reflex...just like I did...thanks Mom!)

 

Anyway...loved them so much, I ordered myself a julienne peeler to be able to do this regularly while this squash is in season and so cheap.

 

I'm not saying that it was a true substitute for pasta...but what it is...is a very, very good way of being able to enjoy sauce that you love that you would normally use with pasta. If that makes sense.

 

If you have ever cooked spinach...and you know that the mountainous volumes of spinach reduce to nothingness as the water content is reduced...then you know what happens to the zucchini after you drain it. I thought I was making a lot of zucchini noodles...not so much. You might need to triple what you would THINK would be enough...and then you might have a "normal" amount of veg noodles.

[awhfy]

I'm really enjoying the trip reports & all the pictures. Keep em coming! I also found Pam's discussion on hypothyroid fascinating. I have my foot surgery on Tuesday, after that I'm going to get the full blood panel, my dosage keeps getting raised (but I'm not dropping any lbs) but also can't work out right now either. Melody

[mousey]

Margaret,

 

I know exactly what you mean about parent's taking care of themselves. My parents just really don't know any better. I mean not only do they eat things that are bad for them (they just don't want to change after 86 and 90 years) but they don't take the medicine that's been prescribed for them by their doctors! It's so frustrating. Also, it doesn't help to hear my dad say, "I wish I was dead and I could just be done with it and then (though this is highly unusual) hear my mom tell me yesterday, "If I had a gun I'd blow my brains out!" It just makes my brother and I crazy!!!! I feel badly for them because dad is in pain because of his knees and they won't operate on him because he's going to be 90 in Oct. And mom had a laundry list of ailments that she's on meds for. Mainly she has type 2 diabetes and it's very bad. She has to test herself with a needle 4 times a day. She's just so frustrated as one minute her sugar is way up and then it's way down. Her doctors...including a specialist can't seem to get it regulated and said they probably never will. Dad also has a small cancerous tumor on his left kidney and bladder cancer for which he's been operating on twice! It sucks to be them right now!

 

I too am enjoying all the photos and both of the trip reports. Keep it coming!

Edited June 28, 2015 by mousey

[MJC]

 

Charming Charlie overwhelms me. The first appearance is fun but the more I look, the more confused I become. There is one very close to me...but I don't go there often...I would need a defined game plan...like one outfit at a time in order to be productive in that store.

 

I definitely had a couple of work shirts in mind when I was looking, which helped me to focus on my purchases. The first section when I walked in was turquoise and teal, so right away I had my OMG moment and could've easily been overwhelmed if I hadn't had a plan.

 

 

The good news is that through sorting through my stuff...another thank you to Marie Kondo!...and through the Style Statement process, I feel like I'm understanding what really floats my boat, so to speak.

 

I find my SS is really getting in the way of a pure Kondo experience for me. Remember the "Eclecticism" part? I think it's telling me I need a more blended approach. I'm definitely finding it a bit more emotional than I expected, so going slowly and dealing with that part of it is getting in the way of a purely "does this spark joy" approach so far. And I still can't bring myself to throw things on the floor. :eek: I feel very happy with some of the decisions I've made about letting go, which is very satisfying.

 

There's an EXCELLENT post on the Vivienne Files yesterday. OMG. I'm in love with the sentiment there. I think that she put into words a bit of what those of us that are trying to dress in our Earth, Fire, Ice, or Air palettes are trying to do to rebuild and fill out our wardrobes...you must read:

 

http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/06/start-with-art-flaming-june-by-sir.html

 

 

 

The postcard for Flaming June is sitting on my desk, it's one of the things I hope to see this summer! I love that post, each item she chose is truly lovely, and I agree that her words really speak to us and our process. I can see that brown dress being a life investment for the number of ways it can be styled and the flexibility it has for different events.

 

I think the more I get into my EARTH colors, the more I love orange.

[Member123]

Laurie.

 

I can't believe how much joy I got from seeing your pictures of California! Just brought back the most amazing memories of my time there. Does everyone know that Anita was born in San Jose, California? I really wanted her to be born in Los Gatos (just cause that town was perceived as more "classy" or "upper crust") but the hospital was sitting right on the line beyond Los Gatos and into San Jose! Oh well. I should have taken a drive and let her be born in San Francisco! LOL. Does everyone know that I was born in Pittsburg, California? Does anyone even KNOW there's a Pittsburg, California? Even though my Mom lived in Sunnyvale… unfortunately she DID take a drive and I ended up being born in the ELEVATOR at the Pittsburg hospital. Try to live that one down?!? OMG. I just think that's so funny?!? Anyone?!?

 

Well, this little post has taken quite a tangent…

 

Anyway. Laurie I love your casual outfit! Touches of gold in the sandals and bracelets. Beautiful scarf accent with its lacy touches against the heavier, textured top. Just the right amount of brightening to offset the creme of the pants. This is one PUT TOGETHER outfit; IMO.

 

Just dropping by to say… no boredom here! Loving your trip report immensely.

[GrannyFlamingo]

Okay ladies. With some trepidation, I started an AIR thread. Hoping I don't get flamed and beat up too much☺. Since I wore nothing but black and white for 30 years in the corporate world, I really don't know how to dress for myself anymore. I'll still lurk here, hope you don't mind. I find your shopping tips helpful. Have a fabulous day!