Category: Everything Else

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Everything Else

Bloggy Shopping Night

As I’d mentioned in my project 365 post, last Thursday I met up with some other Raleigh bloggers for a night of after-hours shopping {& chatting & a lil wine drinking} at Clothes Hound. It was great to reconnect with Erin & Melissa. I really enjoyed meeting Elizabeth, Molly, & Malise. [flickr id=”5976630144″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

Clothes Hound {which just moved from online only to a boutique in N Raleigh} stayed open late just for us & even rolled out the pink carpet. It’s such a cute shop with so many fun party clothes & accessories. We all tried on a few things. My favorites {& what I brought home with me} were this $18 owl ring & the big center gold earrings which were only $12! [flickr id=”5976629942″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

Thanks Erin for inviting me. So much fun! Looking forward to hopefully seeing everyone again soon.

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Everything Else Travel

Going to BlogHer part five {guest post}

Welcome back to my Going to BlogHer, now what? series! {Did you miss Alena’s post about roommates?}

It’s getting to be crunch time, so I’m featuring Miranda from Not Super…Just Mom‘s post today. I was so happy when Miranda joined up with Alena & I as roomies then even more excited as I’ve gotten to know her online. After seeing her & hearing her sweet southern voice via Skype last week, I really can’t wait to meet her & I bet you already love her too, right?

In theory my head I am an awesome, seasoned traveler.

Staying in hotels (even the dumpy ones) is fun. The little soaps and shampoos and neatly folded towels! The freshly made beds every day! Free pens! Traveling is an adventure!

I sound eye-rolling ridiculous, right? Right. I know. ::sigh::

We didn’t travel much when I was a kid. If we did, it was from one corner of the state to the other to visit family. We never went on single family vacation. We never stayed in a hotel (except that time we lived in one…) It just wasn’t in the budget. Ever.

Since virtual reality machines don’t count, I’ve only been on a plane three times. (If you count round-trip flights as one ride, that is. Six times if you don’t. And eight if you count the plane changes on my Honeymoon.)

In just over two weeks from the time I’m writing this (Monday night, a full three days AFTER I said I’d have this done, in case you were wondering) I will be boarding a plane to head west to California. Farther west than I have ever been.

Despite any notions of adventure, I’m not accustomed to traveling and there are things about this adventure that terrify me.

Things like, should I leave my car at the park-and-ride for an entire weekend? Will it be safe?

Are the TSA agents going to laugh at my mom-flab when they see it on the scanner? Will I have to get all up-close-and-personal with one of them in the name of my protection?

I am also paralyzed with fear at the idea of taking my southern accent and pearl earrings across the Mississippi. I feel all country-mouse-goes-to-the-city when I think too much about this conference.

But the excitement of traveling to a new place is like crack that I just cannot quit.

That is how this whole BlogHer trip has become for me. Crack.

I’m excited to breathe new, Pacific-coast air. I’m excited to meet new people. I’m excited to attend parties and wear dresses! Hell, I’m mostly just excited to wear clothes that don’t have drool stains and toddler snot on the shoulder!

I’m excited to learn things about how I can do this whole blogging thing a little better than I am doing it now.

How many more days do I have?

I’m looking forward to that Pacific coast air too, Miranda & a hug from you in a week & a half! & no worries, BlogHer has become my crack too! Anyone else?!

Be sure to keep up with Miranda’s BlogHer {& other} adventures on her blog & also on twitter as @notsuperjustmom. & come back next Wednesday for my third roomie’s post!

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Everything Else

What I Wore Wednesday {version two}

Last week was so fun that I thought I’d try linking up with Lindsey‘s What I wore Wednesday again.

Last Wednesday I broke out a fall dress. I realized it was shorter than I remembered! [flickr id=”5952660475″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

dress: fall Vineyard Vines {on sale at belk}

shoes: gold Jack Rogers

jewelry: Ma’s necklace, DY ring, Swiss Army watch & DY bracelet.

You might’ve seen a preview of Thursday’s outfit in my project 365 post. [flickr id=”5952660411″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

top: Lilly Pulitzer

khaki skirt: Target

shoes: gold gladiators from belk

jewelry: Allora Handmade necklace, usual watch & DY bracelet, fake gold bracelet also passed down from Ma.

Saturday morning I went for a jog then took a quick shower before I had my hair cut & highlighted. I also planned my outfit around a chill date night ~ grabbed dinner at Jason’s Deli before the 10p showing of the last Harry Potter. My hair’s a little better in the right photos, yes? [flickr id=”5953214298″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

tanks: green from Lilly Pulitzer {from spring sale}; yellow from Old Navy

jeans: sweetheart style Old Navy

jewelry: Stella & Dot bracelet & Lia Sophia earrings.

pleated poppy

Categories
Everything Else Travel

Going to BlogHer part 4 {guest post}

Thanks for coming back for part four of my BlogHer guest post series! {if you missed Suzanne or Suzanne ~ yep two of them, read their posts & I jumped in Sat}.

Alena of Charmingly Chandler is one of the reasons I’m going to BlogHer. Back in the fall, when I learned she was going, I emailed her & BA & asked, should I go? What do I need to know before I decide & if/when I decide, who would I stay with? Alena’s resounding YES & WITH ME has had my excitement brewing since then. I’m fortunate enough to have hung out with her twice before & can’t wait to spend four days in San Diego with her soon.

Roommates.  I haz ’em.

In fact Suz, Miranda & Diana are mine, and they are awesome.

When I read about blogher last year I knew that the only way I’d be able to swing it is to have roommates.  I didn’t know who was going.  Or how to find roommates.  Or how to pick the right roommates.  But here I am, the conference is upon us.  And I have the most awesome roommates (if you have roommates and you think yours are awesome, I’m sorry.  But mine? AWESOMER!).

I know you all want to read about something that may be helpful or encouraging or funny.  But instead I’m going to tell you why roommates (especially mine) make the difference.

I have people in my corner.  If I get overwhelmed, or drink too much, or feel all alone in a sea of bloggers…I know my roommates have my back.  I know that I can text them or meet up with them if I feel like the lone blogger.  I know that one of them will surely help me back to my room if I can’t remember my room number because the cocktails were strong.  It’s a safety net.  And I don’t know if I’m brave enough to have gone into Blogher with out one.

Also awesome about roommates?  Someone is on the look out for conference/party info when you can’t be.  We are IMing, texting, or FBing about things we see so that there’s no roommate left behind.  We’ve compared plans, and schedules.  It’s really helped me feel prepared.  Again, this has been vital in keeping me from freaking out about blogher.

Another awesome thing about MY roommates?  We are all new to this.  Now to some that may come off as a disadvantage.  No one to give us advice.  But that’s what twitter is for.  To each other we can geek out, squee, CAP LOCK SCREAM with excitement, look like dorks, obsesses over things the old timers don’t care about….and it has made the weeks leading up to BlogHer even that much more fun.

The other great thing about my roommates?  I’ve gotten to know 3 fellow bloggers better.  We were all friends on some level before we became roommates.  But we know each other so much better now.  I think we’re better friends.  We are closer.  And it’s something that wouldn’t have happened if I had roomed solo.

Plus? We split the room 4 ways. WINNING!

This may not help anyone for Blogher11.  Since it’s SO CLOSE and changing plans would be rather difficult.  But Blogher12 will be here before you know it.  So if you’re thinking about going next year….roommates.  It’s the way to go.

So glad & proud that I can call Alena roomie! Go show her some love at her blog, Charmingly Chandler & on twitter as @alena29. Then be sure to come back Friday for a post by another one of my kick-ass roomies!
Categories
Everything Else Reading

Sing You Home

There’ve been a few books in the past year or so that I haven’t been able to read. Mostly ones where people complain about being pregnant. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult stood out for me for the opposite reason. The premise of the book focuses on an infertile couple, Zoe & Max. I was a little apprehensive that this book would hit a little too close to home. While there were definitely infertility medicines & procedures discussed, Zoe was doing IVF so it’s not exactly the same as us. I’d heard there were some inaccuracies in her infertility meds part, but if so, I didn’t catch them.

If you’ve read any other Jodi Picoult novels, you’ll recognize that she again in Sing You Home gives each character a voice {their own chapters & fonts}. I enjoy that ~ the feeling of being behind-the-scenes with each of the main characters.

I thought Jodi did a great job of portraying what infertility is like from a guy’s perspective. These two quotes from Max resonated with me {from chapter two so not really a spoiler}:

“I did everything she asked me to. I stopped drinking caffeine, I wore boxers instead of briefs, I started jogging instead of biking. I followed a diet she’d found online that increased fertility. I no longer put the laptop on my lap.“

I’m not sure about all that but I have mentioned the laptop & biking thing to Jason. He was already a boxer dude. But he & his buddies haven’t been an issue for us. This next quote though scares me because I know this is sometimes {I hope rarely} us.

“I can’t really tell you the moment it went wrong. Maybe it was the first time, or the fifth, or the fiftieth that Zoe counted out the days of her menstrual cycle and crawled into bed and said, “Now!” Our sex life had become like Thanksgiving dinner with a dysfunctional family- something you have to show up for, even though you’re not really having a good time.“

The infertility quote from Zoe that stood out & pretty much sums up my last twenty months quite well, “And to think, some people who want to have a baby only need to make love“.

Besides all the IF talk {really most of the book focused on other things}, I enjoyed learning about musical therapy through Zoe. I’d never really thought about that job, but looking back many of Ma’s fellow nursing home patients did perk up in the group singing/instrument playing activities. It really makes sense.

This book also brings up other hot-button topics like religion, depression, education, social politics & today’s families. I won’t say more beacuase I don’t want to give anything else away.

I know I talked a lot about the IF aspect of this book, but even if you’re not into infertility, I think you’d enjoy this book. Like other Jodi Picoult novels, Sing You Home makes you think & question your own thoughts about things {way to be specific, Suz!}.

I have read every novel Jodi has written {except for Perfect Match which is in my TBR pile}. Her books do follow a similar style & usually have a big twist or two at the end. This one also does that, but to me that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not exactly knowing what would happen had me reading in suspense until the end. Over all, if you’re a Jodi Picoult fan or not, I’d recommend requesting this from your library.