I *heart* weddings

Our friends J&M finally tied the knot last night! They had been dating for what seems like forever and got engaged last year. We have been looking forward to their wedding for the past 12 months and they did not disappoint.They held the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception at the Petroleum Club, which is on the 43rd (?) floor of a tall building here in H-town and afforded us an excellent view of the city.


They had a harpest, DJ as well as Molly and the Ringwalds as musical entertainment. They served mojitos (Peach for M whose family lives in Atlanta, Blackberry for J who is apparently always on his, and classic Cuban) in addition to their open bar for our liquid entertainment. The 4 course sit-down dinner was delicious as were their cakes (the groom's cake was made in the form of a Blackberry! and the bride's cake has the most delicious fondont!).





They even had a candy bar with all sorts of candy in the colors of their wedding (red and purple, apparently). But my absolute favorite part of the whole affair was the photobooth! We took tons and tons of photos (naturally) and they were so fun! I wish I had taken a photo of all of us in the booth! I did snap tons of us on and off the dance floor!

I wore my favorite pink dress of all time. I have decided that life is too short not to wear my favorite color. Black seems kind of dull to me right now.
(The best part about this dress is that I can eat as much as I want and still look skinny, thanks to my yogi arms!)
We are not especially close to J or M, but they are definitely good peeps.I am especially envious of their honeymoon - 2 weeks to Dubai, Kenya and Seychelles. I would really love to go on another African safari in my life!

Almost gone

I think Spring is around the corner. It's been warm then cold and warm again here. So I am trying to take advantage of the cold weather by wearing my boots as much as possbile before sandals take over again!


I absolutely adore these boots I bought (on sale of course) at Loft last month. I eyed them in the fall when on our trip to NYC but didn't want to pay full price. Fortunately I found a pair left in my size on a random trip to the store and they came home with me. They fit perfectly, with or without jeans. I love the roundness of the toe and the distressing of the leather. I really would like to find a pair of black and brown flat boots to round out my collection.

Unforunately Project Runway was a repeat last night, but we still had a full house! We watched the women's figure skating instead, critiquing their every last move but holding our breaths as we watched them jump as well!

No snow for us

I have become accustomed to the crazy winter weather that occurs here in H-town...one day (Monday) it's up to the 60s, the next it's down in the 30s with the possibility of snow! Like I said, I am accustomed to it, but it still never fails to amuse me. I feel like I have definitely been wearing more "wintery" clothes this season but maybe it's just because I have been documenting my outfits!

This is my before-work-I-want-to-get-dressed-but-not-wear-jeans-and-still-be-warm look from yesterday. Alas, we didn't get any snow, but it's definitely colder today!

New baubles

Large, oversized beaded jewelery were all the rage over the fall and winter. I bought 2 very similar yet different enough for me to want to keep them necklaces that I adore. Yesterday the hubs and I went to the Galleria to buy him some new dress shoes for an upcoming wedding. I bopped into J. Crew, Loft, Saks, Nordstrom, Anthro and Ann Taylor. And am proud to say I spent less than $11 on 1 thing:

I loved this bracelet when it first came out but would never pay $40 for it. That's why I love end-of-season supersales: for $9.88 this baby was all mine. I may go buy a second just to have more layers :)

I also feel like I am in a jeans rut.

Not having to dress up for work is great but then when can I dress up?

Old and new

So I thought I should post a photo of me wearing the actual aforementioned shades.

The star tank top is over 5 years old and really tight and short! Good thing ribbed cotton stretches and I layered another black tank underneath to hide the muffin top!

New shades

I love finding a good bargain on clothes, shoes and accessories. However, two things I really do not like to buy cheaply are bags and sunglasses (I prefer good shoes as well, but luckily decent ones can always be found on sale). I have owned my share on Chinatown knock-offs, but after the last $40 bag I bought literally fell apart after 2 uses, I said never again (also, I ethically know it's not good to buy fake). I am really dying for a new Gucci bag but that's a topic for a different day.

In my opinion, expensive sunglasses are worth it. I have spent $10, $100 and $400 on various shades. I still own those various shades. The ones I have worn almost everyday for the last 2 years were Tom Fords and I absolutely adore them. I bought them over Thanksgiving in 2007 at a boutique in Fort Worth that was owned by a classmate of my sister. I fell in love with them the moment I put them on and didn't flinch when I spent almost $400. Over the last 3+ years they have been broken and replaced (for free) and I have worn them almost every day that I could. So that makes about 50 cents per wear. Definitely worth it in my book!

So I finally acquired a new pair! I have been lusting after these oversized Dsquared black sunglasses since last fall. Fortunately I had a gift certificate as well as a discount so these didn't set me back as much as the Tom Fords, but I have a feeling they will be as well loved.

Feeling guilty

I have been obsessed with reading and following fashion/style blogs over the last 6 months. What really has inspired me are the ladies who thrift and find amazing pieces. I really wish I could do it, I really do. But my attempts to thrift in H-town have been thoroughly unsuccessful. I've been to resale shops as well as Goodwill and when I go, all I ever see are old Gap/Old Navy crap that I could have donated myself. And they really aren't all that inexpensive. And don't even get me started on gross used shoes!
I just don't have the patience or the time for thrifting. Especially when I can hop over to Target, find 2 darling dresses that are new and under $9 each! So unfortunately I am going to have to find other ways to go green...

Lamb chili

We had a small showing last night for PR - some boys are out of town, some are in the process of moving. However, I think we had the best food ever since we started - JC made black bean and lamb chili!

I am normally not a big fan of lamb - part ethically because I really don't like eating the babies of anything and part because I think it has a funny taste (probably because of the first reason). But the lamb in the chili was so tender and delicious. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on eating it on a regular basis, but now I suppose I can understand why people like it so much.

I decided to dress up a bit last night because I felt like it :)

Wearing a dress is almost easier and more comfortable than wearing jeans so really it shouldn't be dressing up at all!

And last, but definitely not least, JJ was finally awake when I visited them over lunch so I got a few cute snaps!



I love that his cheeks are becoming so chubby!

Yoga does a body good

I was never very good at sports growing up. Never made any teams, ran a little bit of cross country and track and the only award I won was for best effort (my little sis, on the other hand, always got most valuable in track!). Fastforward 20 years and I have finally found something I am halfway decent at. I love that it's a physical and mental workout. I practice mysore ashtanga yoga, which is self-paced high intensity. Unfortunately this high-power is causing my back some problems, which I am hoping to work on in the next few weeks with the help of my trusty chiropractor, but otherwise I am loving it!

Is it sad?

That I get dressed solely to take a photo before changing into scrubs?

The only thing of this outfit that I actually wore the rest of the day was the long sleeved white tee. I just get so bored of wearing a uniform, albeit a very comfortable one. Oh well, you only get to be young and frivolous once. Or at least just frivolous, in my case :)

Mom is coming for a visit tonight. I can't wait to see and hang out with here, especially since the hubs is leaving for another ski trip tonight as well!

More handmade

My sis used to be a regular reader of the ole bloggity blog, but since the addition of a new member of her family, she has been a bit preoccupied :) I was so enamoured with my new scarf that I didn't want her to think I forgot about the first handknit gift I ever received - the cutest capelet ever!

I haven't worn it much here in H-town because it just doesn't get cold enough, but this winter, especially with all my remix inspiration off the internet, I finally busted it out. I love it so much!

We saw Precious last night. Quite an intense movie. The worst part about the movie is that I am sure people like the abusive mother and father exist in our world today. The best part about the movie is that it really makes you appreciate how GOOD your life is compared to others. And not to sweat the small stuff because in the grand scheme of things, they are not really that big of a deal. I think it's a must see just to watch and hate Monique as the mother but you really need to be mentally prepared!

Hallmark Holiday

Joe and I always make fun of Valentine's Day because it seems like such a contrived holiday and also one that can make someone who doesn't have a Valentine to feel inadequate. That said, we do still celebrate, somwhat. Our gift to each other this year was our trip to Breckenridge last weekend. So we told each other we wouldn't get any gifts this year. We ate in over the weekend as well, to avoid annoying, crowded restaurants.

What I love about us is that even though we promised not to get gifts, we did anyway :)!

I just bought him an iTunes GC, some workout boxer briefs for his next ski trip coming up on Wednesday and some dark chocolates. He gave him the cutest pink running vest from my favorite workout gear store Lululemon and he made this photo wall collage of a pic of me (once we put it put it up, I'll post a pic). I love that he actually made something!

So yesterday we went to brunch with our friends at 1308 and then some more drinks at Bronx bar. The weather was gorgeous until about 5 or 6 pm when the cold front came through. But I was pretty in pink for most of the day!

My favorite part of this look? The gorgeous pink sweater that my dear friend MD handknitted just for me!

Perfecting casual

I wear scrubs to work 4-5 days of the week. I love that it's easy, comfortable and requires no thought in the morning. But it gets so boring! I wish I could dress up a bit like 2 days a week...

At any rate, since I don't need business clothes I really don't have all that much business wear and I spend 90% of my time in jeans, which can be borning in itself. I am doing my best to branch out but when the day consists of working in scrubs and then hanging out at home, dressing up seems a little silly.

I am, however, doing my best to make my casual looks more polished and putting a bit of thought into what I wear, even if it's just at home.

I am slowly learning the art of layering and appreciating cardigans this year. And having fun with all the clothes in my overstuffed closet, which is the goal, right?

Feeling patriotic

I love watching the Olympics. The dedication, the drive, and the determination of all the athletes are so inspiring. I am usually partial to the summer Olympics but so far watching the speed skating has been supercool.

I think this Valentine's weekend is going to be dedicated to watching some super athletes!

Getting my ski legs back

Sunday was our first day of skiing and I will be the first to admit that I was feeling a little tentative. I am not an advanced skier by any means but I have been doing it for 30+ years so I do know a little of what I am doing. Joe and I were both pretty tired and sore after the day and even some of the blue slopes were making me nervous.

Monday seemed to be a completely different story. It was colder than Sunday even though the sun was out but we were feeling better than the day before. I really enjoyed skiing on the freshly groomed trails and it helped that the slopes were not crowded at all. All in all it was a great day on the slopes. We even had our picture taken by the ski photog - I ordered 3 different prints - they are funny!

To stretch out we practiced yoga through a class from the rec center. The place we practiced was only 5 minutes away, just this tiny building with windows all around. It was almost surreal, practicing with the mountains in full view. It was an intermediate class, but I have finally figured out that if you practice mysore ashtanga yoga, almost nothing else is as challenging. We did a lot of lower back exercises and I got a good strech so I am very glad we went.

For dinner we went to Empire Burger, just down the road from us. We split a bowl of chili and Joe had a buffalo burger while I ate a portabello mushroom burger. For dessert we got another cookie ice cream sandwich!
This morning we are going on an early morning snowshoe hike before heading out to some outlet stores and getting on our flight. Hopefully pictures will be posted by tonight!

Ski bunnies

The hubs and I are enjoying a long weekend skiing in the Colorado Rockies - Breckenridge, to be exact! The last time we were here was 8-9 years ago...Joe proposed at the top of the mountain (that's a whole other story it itself!)! Sadly, I didn't take as many photos, scrapbook as much or blog back then so my memory of the details other than the proposal are spotty at best. Thank goodness I have a much better method of memory keeping now :)
We flew into Denver yesterday and drove to Breck. Fortunately the weather cooperated and the drive took less than 1 hour. We had a few hours to kill before we were able to check into our condo so we took the time to drive around town, rent my skis and have some pizza! The gluten-full pie was delish but made me feel really full afterwards.

Once we unpacked our stuff we went grocery shopping and also checked out the rec center. We may sign up on Monday to work out and go to yoga!

The last thing we did last night was snow shoe! We went on a night guided tour with Tom. It was quite an experience and aside from the excessive talking by aforementioned guide we really enjoyed it.


Today we spent most of the day on the slopes. I haven'te been skiing in about 3 years so it took a few runs to get my ski legs back. My quads are still sore and I am definitely more tired but all in all it was a great skiing day! We are now finishing dinner - spinach salad and rice pasta with meat sauce - while watching the Superbowl. I think we are going to go get some dessert and check out the ice sculptures here in a bit.