That Unforgettable Shopping Experience

I have a little confession to make..

I hate shopping.

But I love buying.

It leads to an interesting anxiety breakdown when I just want to leave the mall but I haven't found anything to buy yet. It has even ended in tears on one or two occasions.

Maybe that's why Ian really prefers we don't go to malls, you know, for the sanity of his wife.

I'm no stranger to odd store experiences either.

Like that time I found out Michael Jackson had died while I was in Target.

Or that time the cops rushed in and arrested the man in line in front of me at a shoe store.

But, usually, I'm just an observer in these strange incidences.

Not the last time though.

Oh, no, I was front and center of this weird escapade.

Luckily, it was in the privacy of a dressing room, so really no on had to know about it if I didn't share with you.

But since I want to be real with you, here is a little account of that fateful shopping day...

It was about 8 weeks after Grace was born. We were across the border for her two month appointment and my postpartum check up and had stopped off at a mall to eat at Chili's and for me to find a few new shirts, since I was down to 3 that fit me.

Ian took Grace and sat with her in the food court while I headed to one of my favorite stores here.

I had picked out several shirts that I liked and in several sizes, since I wasn't sure of what my European size was.

I was alone in the dressing room and had chosen a cute short sleeve v neck blouse with a sewn in (non stretchy) empire waist.

I had fit it over my huge head (trust me,) and gotten my arms and shoulders (I have wide swimmer's shoulders,) in.

Suddenly I realized that it wasn't going down any further.

*cough* *cough*

Due to having Grace, my chest was a little larger than I remembered and I couldn't get the empire waist over my chest.

Mind you, my arms are stuck straight up in the air and my face is covered by the shirt.

But the shirt?

Yeah, it wasn't going anywhere.

Not down, into the right position.

Not up, you know, off of me.

So there I stood, trying to figure out how to get this thing off of me.

A good 10 minutes passed and the nice Phillipino lady came to check on me.

"Hi ma'am sir (their typical greeting,) can I help you?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks!"

"Okay. Do you need any other sizes?"

"No! I'm Fine! Thanks!"

At this point I was mortified. What was I going to do? How was I going to get it off? I knew the shirt was actually the right size, just the non stretchy waistline couldn't get in the right position.

I REALLY wanted that shirt.

Lots of contorting and wiggling later, and the v-neck came in handy as I could, eh-hem, get one side through at a time, until the shirt was on right.

I braced myself and used my new found technique to get the shirt off and then promptly put it in the "to purchase" pile.

It was cute, after all!

Worth it.

Anyone else have a harrowing dressing room experience? Care to share?

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That Unforgettable Shopping Experience

fill in the blank friday

I'm joining up with the little things we do today to "fill in the blank."

1. If my house was on fire and I could only grab 3 things I would grab: My purse (it has all of my important travel documents ready to go, kind of important when you live in a foreign country, hours from an embassy,) my computer, and my books {because those count as one thing, right? well, I'd grab whatever I could shove in my purse, how's that?} My theory is, if your home is going to burn down, you can find clothes and bedding and other necessities pretty easily, but you'll probably feel guilty spending money on entertainment items in the near future, so have something to do!

2. A smell I really like is: freshly baked cookies or a real Blue Spruce Christmas tree.

3. Something you might not know about me is that: When I'm nervous, I rub the knuckle of my left thumb with my right thumb. I've been known to rub it raw in the past, but that has stopped since Ian's been in my life. He's my calming influence :)

4. Some of my favorite websites to putter about on are: Besides the ubiquitous facebook and blogger, I love going to teacher's and homeschooler's pages and getting ideas. I might not be a teacher anymore, but I'll always be one at heart. I have dreams of writing my own curriculum.

5. This weekend I will be: Encouraging my husband to recaulk the tub while I clean our windows {fun, no?} cooking chicken curry for a Saturday feast, and traveling to the interior of our country for a visit with a {near} stranger that my husband met at the hospital last month.

6. Nothing makes me happier than: snuggling into bed at the end of a long day, be it good or bad.

7. A bad habit I have: Erm, refer to #3. Or know that I have no self control whatsoever when it comes to the making and consumption of sweets. I made PW's cinnamon rolls yesterday and have consumed 4 since then! Good thing we gave away40 of the 60 rolls it made!

~~~~

On other news, we had a wonderful leisure week, spent with sleeping in, watching season 9 and 10 of FRIENDS, accomplishing small tasks on my never ending to-do list, and playing games.

We took a trip to the big city on Monday and got to eat some amazing "American," food. We might have overeaten a little, but we also wandered around one of the biggest malls I've ever been in for nearly 8 hours. Whew my feet were tired! We were able to find some amazing deals on a few maternity shirts and ordered the curtains for Grace's nursery. Other than that we just wandered the mall (didn't really go into shops!) people watching, looking at fountains and domes (the malls here are amazing,) and ate our dinner outside on a terrace while watching the fountain show. What a great mini-vacation, even if it was only for a day!

Some of you asked why we didn't spend at least one night in the big city, since we weren't going on vacation like we planned, and the answer is: we're cheap. Since we spent the money for vacation on Grace's furniture and other things, we don't have budgeted funds to spend on a night in a hotel. Plus, even if we wanted to, there is a HUGE shopping festival going on right now and the hotels are all booked.

My mother-in-law celebrated her birthday on Tuesday and my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday as well. What a special way to end the month!

We also got Grace's crib and changing table all set up. The room looks like a real nursery now and it's hard to believe that we are almost to 30 weeks (in a little over 24 hours! Crazy!)

I'm looking forward to the next {and final} week of vacation because it means more relaxation and rest! We'll go to the interior (Or coast, I suppose,) of our country for a quick day trip on Sunday and we'll go to the medium sized city over the border on Wednesday for my 30 week appointment. Other than that, we have nothing on our plate! Lovely!

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fill in the blank friday

Giant TV's and the Slaughtering of Massive Amounts of Animals

{Hi to all new visitors! My husband and I moved to the Middle East in the summer of 2010. It's been a huge adjustment and there are days when all you want to do is return to America. We know we are here for the right reasons though, and since being where God wants us to be is the most important thing for us, we'll remain here until He says otherwise.

We've been married for 3 years and gave birth to our first child, a daughter named Grace Madeline, in April of 2011. Having a baby in a foreign country is just that- foreign! My bald headed beauty gets asked daily "what is wrong with her," for not having any hair, but we love explaining to the locals that American babies often don't have hair for awhile!

I am studying Arabic full time right now, with the hopes that I can better communicate to the locals. Our plan is to move to a big city in June of 2012, but for now, are in a sleepy little desert town, with rugged mountains to the west and rolling sand dunes to the east.

For security reasons, I don't usually say much about where we are, but I thought this post from last fall would be an interesting cultural tidbit about life out here.

Thanks for stopping by!}

We live in a really complex and paradoxical world.

And by "we," I don't mean the human race.

I mean my husband and I, here in the desert.

Just thought I would clarify that.

Just yesterday, during that great big holiday I told ya'll about, I went out on holiday visits to several women's homes, and while we were driving about, I got to witness, first hand, the slaughtering of massive amounts of animals.

It was not a pretty picture.

Cows, goats, sheep, and camels all met their demise yesterday, often in the front yard of these houses.

I won't go into the gory details, but, let's just say I'm glad that I am out of the pregnancy phase of nausea, or the poor locals would have had to see what I had for breakfast.

Several times.

What really won't be a pretty picture, is what our town will smell like in about 24 more hours, as all of those animals' intestines were just dumped in dumpsters all over town. Bleh.

The paradox comes in when I explain that Ian and I spent the day in Dubai today. Fancy, schmancy. With a side order of "too rich for my blood."

We had a lunch date at a Macaroni Grill beside a four story tall aquarium. It was awesome.

Then we wandered the mall, exploring different areas, drooling over the biggest book store I have ever been into, and finally tracking down the best deal on a TV.

And now, 2 1/2 years into marriage and we are finally the proud owner of a seriously large flat screen/panel TV.

And we also bought our Christmas stockings. And we each chose an ornament. And we bought baby's first book, and I think we decided on baby's bedding, if baby turns out to be a boy.

And I might have started humming, at an inappropriately loud volume, the tune of Silver Bells while standing in the middle of the mall.

My bad.

Ian and I had a lovely dinner with our friends Tim and Joan at (again) PF Changs before heading to the grocery store and stocking up on meat, since we can't get that on this side of the border. Not that the people in our country are vegetarians. Just that you can't really trust beef that's made in a country where there is no grass or hay to speak of.

Ian and I had an awesome drive home, with no problems with the car, or with the border (praise the Lord!) and had a great time listening to Frank Sinatra and discussing our dating days. We dated long distance our entire relationship and engagement. Yup. So we have alot of funny memories from those times.

It's currently 1 AM on Thursday morning and my husband just got the tv hooked up in our quite tiny family room. We are enthralled.

And, instead of going to bed like I should, I just read a million blogs and didn't comment on a one of them! Sometimes I just don't feel like it, you know?

And then? Well, and then I removed the layer of nail polish off of my toes from my last trip to Dubai. You know. Over 6 weeks ago. I was a little concerned for the health of my nails and finally broke down and made them paint less.

And that is the extent of my plans for the evening. Stare catatonically at the TV that could swallow me whole until Ian says "honey, you should go to bed." At which point I will willingly oblige and the long day will be over.

The End.

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Giant TV's and the Slaughtering of Massive Amounts of Animals

Coach, Sweet, Beautiful Coach

On Friday, of last week, Ian and I were rushing around like mad to get things done. Mrs. Angela called to tell me she had something before we left, so we met her where she was at, which, was where else, but T@rget!

{a little back story first. Mrs. Angela and I spent an entire shopping day trying to find the perfect black bag to replace my one from last year. I am extremely picky about my black purse. It has to feel nice. It has to have one large pocket with two-three side compartments. It can't have alot of decor or studs or colored stitching. It needs to look classy without looking old lady like. And, it MUST zip up completely.}

So, we got to T@rget, and Mrs. Angela had a surprise for me!


Presenting the magic.

Opening the magic.


ooooh, I love her. And I love IT. Sweet Love.
(not bad for a mirror shot!) My Birthday present for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Basically, my present for the rest of my life, lets face it!

It's technically mahogany, but I think I can sneak by with it with a black OR brown outfit, so I am so SO so excited about it.

And it smells good.

Score.

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Coach, Sweet, Beautiful Coach

The Shopping Results!

We finished our shopping trip last week. It was quite the adventure, let me tell you. First of all, I learned about how guys can really "fit," into anything, as long as it is their size.

Ridiculous.

For most women, a medium isn't just a medium. It is simply a category that they might fit into!

We started off our shopping with, by going to the outlets here in Nashville.


We went to GAP, where I got a purple and grey sweater, kind of like this one, but with a darker purple and about one inch stripes.
And a V-Neck Long sleeve tee, like this one, but in a great tangerine color!



The next day, we headed to an upscale mall in Nashville, where one of our first stops was my favorite....

Jcrew!

Only, I didn't buy much from there, because I just couldn't bring myself to buy that 70 dollar hoodie that I wanted.

I did get this beautiful coral color, turtleneck tissue tee. Now I just need some sort of necklace to go with it!We meandered into the beautiful Banana Republic, where, of course, hubby found his favorite polos and flat fronted shorts for 10 dollars a piece (on sale.)

I was content with just looking for a perfect piece.

And then, I saw it. The heavens opened up and I {literally} picked these two pieces up and ran to the dressing room, leaving hubby with his purchased goods thinking "I thought we were done here!"
This Italian Merino Cardigan in Beige, is just perfect. Seriously. It has some great little details, and is the perfect weight for adding some layer underneath without too much bulk.
I'm watching for it to go on sale so I can get it in taupe {and navy blue, and cranberry!}
Pair that perfect taupe sweater with this GORGEOUS fuschia satin trimmed tee from Banana Republic. It is so classy and simple, but just pulls an outfit together.

Then we went to Express, where I picked up two washes of the Eva Fit, because they are literally the only jeans that fit me!


The next day went to DSW {aka heaven,} to get Ian a pair of black dress shoes.

I was supposed to be looking for boots. To be honest, I got so overwhelmed. I don't where *skinny* jeans so I wasn't sure what types of boots would go with the pants that I wear. I almost broke down into tears. Seriously.

But then I found he clearance aisle, and I found these beautiful shoes... They are "Rocket Dogs Memories Thai Silk Knotted Flats."

And they are seriously the most beautiful shoes. Color and all.

I also got a pair of black flats that are very similar to my old pair, but I could not find a picture of them.

Then, I ordered this jacket from Lands End, in a Heather Grey. It will be arriving in a day or two, so we'll see if it is fitted or not.

If I could get a few more pieces, I would definitely get this little black dress from Ann Taylor Loft. It is conservative enough for me to wear (probably not in the Middle East, but out and about on vacations at least.)

I'm still waiting to get these beautiful Chocolate Brown Uggs (the regular height ones.) I tried them on at Dillards (size 7,) and am just waiting until Ian gives me the okay to order them. We might wait until after Christmas (but to me that seems silly because my poor little toes will have frozen for 2 months!)

I also L-O-V-E this Jcrew textured Jersey tee. It fit absolutely perfect and was so soft, but couldn't bring myself to paying the 49.95 for it. So I'm stalking it online.

I also need to get a pants suit for our appointment/ordination coming up in a month, but we are waiting to see what happens financially first!

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The Shopping Results!

Shopping List

Since we finally have some money (due to the sale of my car,) combined with the fact that I haven't gone clothes shopping since January (I bought two pairs of jeans and a shirt,) Ian and I have decided we need a wardrobe revamp.

I called my sister, Heather, because she is the fashion guru of the family, and asked her for some advice. I needed a launching point of sorts, in order to know where to even start!

We have spent alot of time weeding through our wardrobe and donating clothes and shoes to charity. Now we each have about 20 things on hangers and two dresser drawers. And that's it! It's really opened my eyes to our country's over indulgence and need for "more."

We established that we were going for quality over quantity, mainly because we need to be able to fit all of our clothes/shoes/hygiene items in 6 suitcases, ha!

Heather sent me a little list to work off of, and I have been browsing and adding for a sort of "shopping inspiration list" in order to keep myself focused and on track!

Tim Gunn's "Top 10":

1. The trench-ish coat (we decided a wool coat was more practical,)
2. A sweat suit alternative (something to wear on weekends that doesn't look trashy)
3. The boot, the pump, the ballet flat. (I will be getting Ugg's, per everyone's suggestion, and new pair of black flats, because mine are a mess!)
   
4. The shapely jacket and the go-anywhere top (This sweater jacket from JCrew has sold out, but it is what I am searching for now!)
5. Signature jewelry. I have this necklace that Ian gave me for our 1 year dating anniversary, that is a heart with my name in Arabic script, but I am thinking I might like a little something classier. I will be searching for something for our 2 year anniversary- when we have been on payroll for awhile!
   
6. Good under clothing :) VS is best!
7. Day dresses (I'm moving to the Middle East, so dresses are pretty much out. Think pretty conservative!)
8. The little black dress
9. A new, cheap, terribly trendy item - spend money on classics and 5 bucks on the latest necklace at F21
10. Denim - 1 dress up and 1 every day (Got em'! Express' Eva jeans are the only jeans I have found that fit me right! We picked up 2 pairs yesterday.)
    

I'll let you know how our shopping goes!

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Shopping List

I am definitely a....

Friend of the Library!

This weekend was the semiannual Alachua County Friend of the Library book sale!

(oh, you already know how crazy we are about books?

You aren't wanting to read MORE about books eh?

oh well!)

We have been hearing about this book sale since we moved here, and Ian wasn't too pleased when we missed the one last October because he was in Budapest, and I was too scared to go by myself!

So when the spring sale rolled around, we knew we had to make it, if at all possible!

The sale is held in a warehouse, with upwards of 300,000 books for sale! Most books are $2.00 or less, with many of them in the .50-.75 cent range. The books have either all been donated or are duplicates of a book that WAS popular, but its popularity is waning so they no longer need as much.

The sale runs Saturday through Wednesday, with Tuesday being "half off," day, and Wednesday being "everything is 10 cents day!"

We went on Sunday, but Ian already told me he would be returning on Wednesday for another look over.

I thought it went very well! You have to fight the crowds the whole time, and it can get REALLY claustrophobic in there, with people all up in your face, but if you have a bag (you have to bring a bag/box/cart, to transport your goods,) you can use it as personal space defense weapon!

Sam and Ian contemplating all of the vast amounts of knowledge they will receive from their books!

Then, them looking normal. (my husband has the cutest dimples!)

My bag of books. Thanks Grandma and Aunt Dede, these Publix bags have come in handy!

Ian's bag of books.

Ian and I back at Sam's car, loading our goodies.

All of our loot laid out so we could look at what we found! Ian likes used books, but I have a stipulation of "they have to LOOK pretty," so he did a pretty good job of finding ones that could be cleaned up if their paper jacket was removed!

I found the teacher's manual for my french text book from 11th grade!! I like working through text books like this as a refresher. Did I mention it was BRAND New?! And it was 2 dollars! Even if I decide not to keep it, it can be resold for way more than that!

Two of my books, both fiction. I have heard some of "The widow of the south," and am interested in the plot line. The other book is by Homer Hickam, the guy that the story "October Sky," is based on!

Ian found a brand new copy of "End of the Spear!" Also, aren't my toes lovely? I love the color "Hong Kong Sunset."

One of my prize finds. Mrs. Angela, our family friend, has this book and I love love LOVE looking at it. I found a brand new one for 2 bucks!

All in all, we got 20 books for 22 dollars! What a steal!

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I am definitely a....

Tongue Tied

Yesterday, was one of those days.

You know the kind. The days when you JUST can't seem to get your words right! All day long, I was calling the students by the wrong name, or saying the wrong thing. At one point I even said, "just ignore whatever I say today!"

Good thing they don't know what the word "ignore," means!

Uggggh, but, my utter embarrassment came later that day. When talking with another teacher, our conversation went very normally until the end:

Teacher: Well, it was good talking with you! I hope you find work soon!
Me: Thanks! I hope your internship ends well.
Teacher: Thanks! Have a good night!
Me: Okay, You're Welcome!

......

You're Welcome? Where did that come from?! Luckily we had already parted and I was just trying to say goodbye as we walked away, but, You're Welcome????

Oi Vey!

I felt so dumb, but luckily I could duck into the room and hide my embarrassment from all who were walking by.

oh. right.

Yeah, a group of about 5 other teachers HAPPENED to be walking by right then.

Mortification.

Then, I drove home, stopped at Publix, and was so flustered that I dropped an entire container of blueberries on the floor. They all rolled every which way, and then I dropped my basket in desperation to clean up my mess.

It fell on top of some blueberries.

They were squished.

I was embarrassed.

Hopefully, I will have it more together today!!

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Tongue Tied

Oh, How I Love Thee...

Let me count the ways:

One: These awesome casual shorts. Of course, I would love them in a plethora of colors!



Two: Pink. Flats. 'Nough Said. I would wear these with my dark dark jeans, and this cute cute white shirt (um, that I don't have...yet.)



Three: Oh OH it's magic.... You knoooooow. Isn't this beautiful? Except for the gold part (I don't like yellow gold,) but even then, I think I could find a way to make this piece work!


Four: Simple. simple. Simple. It is incredibly hard to find simple tees with unique detail, and this store excels at it. Plus, olive green rocks with my indian baby skin.

Five: Ditto

Six: As Mrs. Angela and my mom now know, I have a new found obsession with coral. I love it. Spring and Summery (at least here in FL,) and would match with a bounty of my wardrobe!

Um, I think this is the girliest post I have EVER done. I just thought you might want to share in my new found love for the Crew.

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Oh, How I Love Thee...