Fashion f aux pa's....

So I have time in between my appointments and a person can only look at FB so much, that is why I have time to post!

So since being here I have had the opportunity to people watch a lot, which is actually one of my favorite activities. I have been witness to some serious fashion crisis's. Not just slight errors, I am talking did you not look in the mirror before you left your room???

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. The pencil skirt, not because I think that this fashion statement is not doable. But you need to be a really tiny person to pull this off. Why? because it is a tight fitting skirt that requires you to tuck in a really cute top into. If you have a front butt or a large rear end- example me, you do not wear such a thing. Would I like to wear one? Yes! Would I? Never!
2. The hip pack-will these not never die? The older I get I can see how they are very convenient but thank goodness I can also still see that they maybe convenient but there really is never a fashion forward way to pull them off. Majority are made out of black vinyl or maybe a nice polyester blend. I have even seen a pink bejeweled one. I am not going to lie, I often picture myself when I am 80 with flaming red hair, gold shoes, and a hip pack. But not until I am 80!  What else is going to hold my bingo dabber, red lipstick, and Jitterbug?
3. Ankle boots and short skirts again are made for a certain demographic. First things first you must have an ankle and preferably under the age 40. Any older and you kind of resemble a street walker. I think the trend is cute but not on everyone.
4. Patterned nylons, again a throw back to the 80's. So far I have seen snake-skin, polka dots, purple, turquoise, and yellow. I am beginning to miss the simple black. With nylons I guess you can categorize leggings-I have some but they have a time and place. I hate to quit picking on that woman that is still trying to hand on to being fashion forward and sexy but if you are over 45 I think you look kind of silly wearing Multiples in public. My mom would never buy me Multiples from Dayton's, I think these woman bought them all and wore them to this conference.
5. Handkerchiefs- there is a reason that Kleenex was invented. Please do not loudly blow your nose, spray your germs, and grab a dirty hanky. YUCK!
6. Just because you have an I-Pad does not make you understand technology any better than the rest of us, but please Santa I would love one for Christmas!?!
7. Bluetooth's...all I want to do when I see someone walking around and talking loudly into their Bluetooth is go up to them and rip out of their ear. I thought the purpose was to make you conspicuous, not walk circles in a room yelling-what? I can't hear you with this thing? What, what did you say? I'm a jackass...yes I did!

These are purely observations...just sayin'....

Pros and Cons

So yesterday was another adventure in New Orleans so I am going to break it down into pros and cons.

Pros:

• Warm Beignets from Cafe Du Monde, the best thing I have eaten in a very long time. You find this place at River Walk which looks out onto the Mighty Mississippi and you can watch huge shrimp boats coming in from the ocean while you are engorging on these delightful pastries. 3 for $2.14-worth every penny!
• The music, not many cities you can walk down the street and here a sonnet on a trombone, walk in to multiple bars with people playing from real pianos, or walk home from a night of fun and see 12 men on the corner of Bourbon street all on different horns-unbelievable! One in a wheelchair with no legs but looks like he won the lottery playing music with his buddies.
• The pride the locals have about living here. You can feel it everywhere. The city may not be perfect but in their eyes it is.

Cons:

• This city really smells nothing like I have ever experienced. I could never come here pregnant because I would need to walk around with a gas mask. I keep thinking that it is going to grow on me-it hasn't.
• To go along with the smell is that you people can still smoke EVERYWHERE here. Bars, bathrooms, in your face.
• The panhandlers are out of control-you can tell some are doing it of need which breaks my heart because I am not Oprah but you can also tell some have made it into a profitable business for themselves.

That's all for today!

New Orleans

I am in New Orleans for work, I have a little time between meetings so I thought I would stop in since it has been FOREVER since I posted.

So...New Orleans is completely different than I expected. For whatever reason my perception was that it was going to be this charming, historical city. Lots of energy and action. It definitely is charming and historical, lots of really cool buildings especially in the French Quarter but it also very dirty. Since it is so humid and damp here I don't think the buildings every get a chance to "dry out". Everything has a clamminess to it that is usually associated with a smell. The smell of a urinal is something you seem to get a whiff of often.

Lots of restaurants to choose from but your selection is shrimp, crab, or catfish. I love seafood so for me it completely works but cannot imagine being a person that does not like it coming her to visit...I guess there is alligator ribs. Last night we ate at a really cool restaurant on Bourbon Street.

I have been doing a lot of walking on my own meeting my clients at the Hilton and the convention center. We are staying at the Marriott which is about 5 city blocks away, a pretty nice walk actually. Most of the time I have felt safe but there are still a lot of people misplaced from Hurricane Katrina. Even though I appreciate the shout out now and then  I prefer it when I am walking among many others, not on a street with many boarded up windows and a gentleman drinking a 20 oz Miller High Life out of a red straw. This is a common them here.

Tonight we rented out the venue Howl At The Moon for some dueling pianos, good food, and drinks. We are introducing a new product to our clients so we want them to have a good time with its reveal. Should be a really good time but will not be walking home by myself tonight. Better be safe than sorry!

Ghosts all around me.

Fall is an interesting season. For me it brings layers of feelings. It is a very nostalgic season for me, for whatever reason I have many memories that are directly correlated with fall. More than any of the other 3 seasons, is that common? I love the smell of fall, I love the colors of fall-they tend to be the colors that I am the most attracted to, and I love how you can wear a dress with a cardigan, maybe a scarf, but can still wear open toe shoes if you want.

I love to start cooking home made meals come fall. This year I have already made chicken noodle soup from scratch and I just bought all the fixings for chili at the grocery store for this weeks menu. When I was unpacking my groceries I saw a theme of comfort fall foods-meatballs, caramel apples, and lots of soup.

Fall also makes me feel a feeling of emptiness. It tends to be the season that I am more sensitive to the losses in my life. I swear I can feel those that have left my life dance around me whether in the house or outside with the boys playing. It as if they are right there with me. Some days it is comforting to me and some days quite frankly it spooks me. Because it is not just the people that I feel but past memories that replay in my head that come out of no where that I don't always want to revisit.

Memories of football games, my first kiss, and my first heart break. Memories of having to start school again at a new school, its as if I can still feel the nerves that go along with having to walk into another new school and make friends with another group of people. The feeling of the unknown shows its weary head to me every fall and I can feel myself wanting to change something not for any good reason than that is how I have been programmed since I was a child.

I just had a light bulb moment and connected why I have those feelings-CRAZY! Because fall was a season that did land so much change in my life growing up. You just witnessed some serious blog therapy...wow!

To be continued...

More pictures and few updates on A&A

Anthony lost his second bottom tooth at school and proceeded to lose his top tooth the next day chomping on some taffy. He seriously looks like a jack-o-lantern or from Kentucky. One of the two for sure!

Check out Alex mowing with his dad. He LOVES to mow the grass and will walk completely in sync with Erik. It is so cute! I hope this love remains when he is a teenager...

Anthony playing his last soccer game of the season. It was October 10th and 80 degrees!

 I love watching him play sports. I am not the mom who sits back quietly...I am that mom, the one saying "hustle, defense, let's go guys!"

I LOVE Fall!

Alex isn't sure if he does...

These three definitely do!

Erik and Alex

Ava, Anthony, and Alli

I love these two having their own conversation.

Reminded me of the movie Twilight.

On the bridge at Pelican Rapids.

Can you tell? I really love fall. The colors, the smells, the memories. I love it all!

This past weekend we were busy with Kris's benefit on Friday-went really well. So good to see all of you and catch up. Wished it could have lasted the weekend!

Saturday we got up early and picked up the boys from my in-law's. We decided to go to Maplewood State Park by Pelican Rapids and go hiking. Check out the leaves and enjoy the colors. I am so glad we did because it was gorgeous! The sights were really pretty but the weather was simply AMAZING. It was so nice out. We had four kids under the age of 6 on a 2 mile hike with no whining. That was how nice it was!

Check it out for yourself...

I have the BEST pictures of these two since birth.

Alex did so well, at one point he sat down in the middle of a field and said "All done." My camera was done at that point but Brian has it on his-post worthy for sure!

Pelican Rapids

Maplewood

We will be visiting Maplewood again with the kids. There were no rides or cotton candy and they still woke up wanting to go back again on Sunday. Sometimes we forget to keep it simple.

3 wishes today...

1. Freedom

2. Money

3. Happiness

Not necessarily in that order, that is just how they came to me. I wish this for my friend Kris whose benefit is tomorrow. Unless you have been living under a rock I am sure you have heard of it. She is very blessed to have so many people take action in making this event happen. Of course we feel blessed to be part of her second chance. Cuz, you know most of the time we love her and cannot get enough of her. Tomorrow night will definitely be one of those nights so I hope she is prepared for all the hugs, tears, and enormous love coming her way. If you have been living under a rock click on "Kris's Benefit" up above and find out where the best party of Fargo-Moorhead is going to be tomorrow night. Come celebrate with us! I promise you will have a blast, if not hit me up for a drink and we can chat.