Will Power

I want this trench coat so badly I can taste it.  It's pink and structured and I am truly madly deeply in love with this particular garment.  I picture all the variously clothing and accessory combinations it would complement.  At only 199.00 it's so tempting.  I'm sure if I asked any of my friends they would say get it, you deserve it.  I'm not getting it.  Even as I write this I am having second thoughts.  But I have other goals, namely getting out from under my law school debt asap.  I don't know if I even have the strength.  It's so hard.

New Duds

Shopping for work clothes is not my forte.  They are not at all flattering to my body type.  They are uncomfortable.  To make things worse, my office is so cold that I can't even wears skirts and dresses.  During a last minute trip to Memphis a few weekends back I lucked up on a whole new outfit at 60% off the sale price.

ann taylor colorblock shoulder button top

ann taylor signature all-season stretch trousers

Shopping in anywhere USA is way less stressful than in the city.  Sometimes I forget the days when I enjoyed shopping on a biweekly basis.

Bahamas: Come On Pretty Mama

Our summer trip was a cruise to the Bahamas with C's side of the family.  When I say that I married into the best family in the world, I am not bragging.  It's just a fact.  I love having nieces and nephews.  The hugs and smiles melt my heart.  I was way more nervous to go on this cruise than I ever have been to get on a plane.  After reading about Tina Fey's honeymoon experience in Bossypants, I was skeptical.  I found the part at the beginning where we found out where the life rafts were to be fairly ominous.  An hour later all my worries were forgotten as I indulged in all you can eat cruise life.  I even ordered room service at one point.  My peanut butter & jelly sandwich was delivered to my room on a platter with chips and cookies to boot.  I imagined myself reading a lot by the pool and getting a massage in the spa, but with all the stops and eating and family togetherness I never had any downtime.   

We had stops in Freeport and Nassau.  Freeport was pretty boring just like everyone warned us, but I enjoyed getting to know a little about the tax free country.  We saw the homes of Sammy Davis Jr., John Travolta, Count Basie, and possibly Oprah.  The next day in Nassau was tons of fun when we went to the Atlantis Resort.  We got to swim, go down a slide, and best of all, swim with the dolphins.

petting alpha-male Hercules

After our kiss, Hercules was kind enough to push me along on my boogie board.

After that we swam around with Hercules and another dolphin.  They did lots of jumps for us at the end.  If I ever go back to the Bahamas I would head straight for Atlantis.  Cruises make for a great family trip IMHO.  If you're just looking to have fun with people you love and not necessarily try to explore a country in depth, it's perfect.  

Where I've Been

18 states left to visit

countless countries left unseen

These maps make me restless to go more places.  So much to see.  So little vacation time.  I watched my friends travel so much during college and law school and I just put it off.  I thought it best not to accrue more debt and I think that for me that was the right decision.  Nevertheless, it's left me with this itch to see the things that my friends talk about.  I want to ride on an elephant.  I calculated that this year I will do a month's worth of traveling.  When that includes trips to Georgia and Tennessee (where C's from), that's really not much time to explore the great unknown.  I still haven't figured out how these people who travel for months save for retirement.  

All At Once

One of my many secret reasons for wanting to get married is that there are certain shows I just want to experience with another person.  I can't explain it, but it's what compelled me to watch the O.C. with my friends every week in the years after college, and to wait for A for several of our weekly favorites during law school.  Three summers ago, during the Hurricane Irene weekend I started watching Mad Men on Netflix.  I really really enjoyed it, but for some inexplicable reason I felt this yearning to experience it with someone else.  Due to the fact that we have pretty much run out of shows, last week C conceded to start watching with me.  He doesn't like any of my summer shows which include Devious Maids and every single show on ABC Family. Obviously.  I think he's hooked.  We somehow managed to watch the entire first season in one week.  It cut into our sleep but so what, who cares?  

I cannot wait to watch them all and I am so glad I waited until all the seasons were completed to start.  By the time I get to the seventh season, I hope Netflix will already have it, but at least I won't have to wait eons. This show is right up my alley from the fifties/sixties style fashion to having a window into the creative world of advertising half a century ago.  I can't wait to see where the characters end up, particularly Peggy Olson and Betty Draper.  I long for scenes with either one.  

C and I recently finished watching every episode of all eight season of Entourage.  I've never wanted to pay for HBO and after Sex and the City I resigned myself to poor old regular cable.  

Now that is a funny show.  I could have done without the misogyny and insidious objectification of women's bodies.  Nonetheless, they hooked me.  My favorite characters were Eric and Sloan.  The movie is slated for a June 2015 next summer and I plan to make a date night out of this one for sure.  After Mad Men I might have to start in with Curb Your Enthusiasm.  

Summer Reading List

As much as I love Ellen, I could not get into her book at all. I had to put it down. Chelsea Handler's book on the other had was hilarious and I'm not ever certain how I feel about her. I guarantee you will laugh, even if you are as puritanical and uptight as I am. I do love that she's a girl's girl. 

Both of these are series I am really getting into. I love cupcakes, and even thought I don't wear them, I love hats too. My changing work schedule and fun filled trips have not allowed me much time for reading, much to my dismay. I also finished my favorite mystery series of all time, but that deserves it's own post.

Hot in July

The past few weeks have been filled with fun and stress.  I went to see A Soldier's Story in Bryant Park.  A long long time ago I went to see The Treasure of the Sierra Madre but that must have been over eight years ago.  It was so nice and I don't know why I don't do things like that more often.  Oh yeah . . . long hours at work. 

Sutton Foster in Violet

 A couple nights later we went to see Violet on Broadway.  The show stars Sutton Foster, who I saw long ago in Thoroughly Modern Millie.  The musicians were right there on stage rather than down in the pit.  The singers were excellent and though it took me a while to catch on to the story, I found it to be unique and interesting.

Last weekend we went to my family reunion in Laurelville, PA.  It was C's first time meeting my cousins and we had a fun time.  C learned to play croquet.  Both of us and my sister learned to play giant Dutch Blitz which is pretty much the most fun ever.

I feel like I am in limbo right now in my life.  I don't feel settled with my work or living situation and I feel like now is the time I must make decisions that will affect my family long term.  Is this what it means to be an adult? Sheesh.  I feel so blessed to have called the same apartment home for almost four years after the summer of moving 5 times.  Nevertheless, I have seriously outgrown this place and now have to make hard choices like rent or buy? NYC or the south?  I am struggling with the same questions in terms of where I want to go in my legal career, including whether I even really even want to keep being a lawyer.