Week 24: Days 4 - 7 - Brief Stint of the Daily Grind!

Week 24: Day 4 Outfit (back at work!): BR baby blue sleeveless wrap-around blouse, Ann Taylor beige slacks, Guess red patent leather shoes

Week 24: Day 5 Outfit (another day in the office): White BR button down with cinched back and puffy sleeves (going in the donation pile!), Brown pin-striped Old Navy Pants, Red Uniqlo faux-fur belt, Naughty Monkey Shoes (couldn't quite bring myself to wear the Louboutin's yet!)

Week 24: Day 6 Outfit (errand running - a luxury!): Liz Claiborne Off-white ribbed sleeveless top, Old Navy taupe (I think) mini-skirt with satin belt, Lovely Day flats (really cute, you just can't tell because my camera sucks!)

Week 24: Day 7 Outfit (baby shower and wedding - a twofer!): BR long black dress with rope-like straps, Mossimo silver strappy kitten heels (a whoppin' $7 at Target...the price was right, the bottoms are already peeling off)

Week 25, Day 1: BR Red cotton tee, Old Navy "skorts"

Well, the last half of last week, though back in the general vicinity of home, was still pretty exhausting. Work continued to be crazy, though lightening up a little bit. Wednesday I came into the office as many people who generally work from home were coming in for an office visitor. It was good to have face-time after my back to back vacations and remote working from the NYC office. I also had a chance to go to a bi-weekly happy hour with the boss and Mike (from Mike and Lyn, the people I crash with during trips up to Detroit).

Thursday was another office day and similarly jam-packed. I woke up with a nasty sore throat and half-contemplated heading home instead of getting through another work day, but after a good couple cups of black tea with honey, I was feeling more myself. Plus, the HEL-NO ladies club (comprised of current and one previous co-worker) and I had made plans for dinner and a screening of Eclipse...a movie that I was extremely excited about! I can't remember the last time I was excited to see a movie - let alone a girlie flick...and this vampire/wolfy 2 hours of cheesiness (in some minds) did not disappoint and completely satiated my yearning - like blood does for the vampires. After dinner and the movie, and a 1.5 hour drive home, I was pulling into the garage around 11:30pm...POOPED and still slightly sick from the morning cold.

Friday - what a luxury...I actually got to make use of my company's summer hours - where every other week or so, you can take a half day. I shut down the computer around 2pm and used the time to...RUN ERRANDS! A little returning of a damaged coat rack here, some grocery shopping there - I got home and was thrilled to check a few things off of my list, and then plopped onto the couch to catch up on the Bachelorette. I also managed to cook dinner at home which was again a thoroughly enjoyed activity after being on the road for so many days and eating sodium-laden foods from restaurants that care nothing about your heart nor your waistline. Friday evening was a great time to just chill and go to bed early - I think I clocked myself at an 8:30 body shut down!

Saturday - another activity-filled day beginning with Spinning and Yoga (a back-to-back Saturdy morning activity that I had missed for a few weeks), then headed home to NAP (still fighting off the cold - who gets colds in the summer??), and then set out for a baby-shower brunch at a local tapas restaurant. Funny, the shower was for my yoga instructor (hello Jenn if you're reading) who 2 hours prior kicked my inflexible butt through what I would deem a damn good workout for something that's supposed to be "stretching." My shoulders are still sore from the chaturanga's (Yes, I had to google this to see if I was spelling it right...not that I really care about appropriate spelling this late in my blogging...this is for you Jenn!). After the baby shower was a short break before heading to the wedding of one of my fellow DUB clubbers' daughters. Mike and I are coming to the realization that we are now entering the era of going to friends' children's weddings...how scary is that??...especially when we don't have children of our own! Needless to say, Saturday was fun-filled...but again exhausting - damn colds suck the life out of you...even when you're having fun (hmmm, or maybe it was the drinking and dancing - ah well)!

Sunday was mostly chill. I woke up and caught a morning spinning class, then lounged about home (actually, I think I took another nap), and then got rubbed down by none other than ADAM...who, I must say, really beat me up this time around by squeezing all of the knots in my shoulders out. I guess you could say that the stress I've been feeling in the past few weeks has really taken a toll on my shoulders. Either that or all the chaturanga's that Jenn made us do on Saturday. After the massage, Mike and I got a little pool time in, grilled dinner outside, and just took in the lovely weather that was bestowed upon us by Mother Nature Sunday evening. A perfect ending to a stint of go-go-go...and I then wrapped up Sunday by blogging about my previous week. I guess you could say that I'm a little behind and re-counting things a few days post mortem.

Okay, so I need to remember that my blog is about how difficult it has been to stick with this challenge - my trials and tribulations of giving up shopping and to trying to exhaust my closet before allowing myself to re-wear something. Well...on the re-wearing clothes front, I will admit that it is getting close to impossible to look halfway fashionable based on the slim pickings that I have left in my closet and drawers. Nonetheless, a challenge is a challenge, so I am now thinking that my attire in Vegas (which I head out for on Saturday) is going to be "interesting." But given how freakin' hot it will be out there, my guess is that all I'll want to wear are shorts and tank tops when I'm not by the pool in my bathing suit. There will need to be at least one going out outfit...so I do have a few more fun "going out" tops that I have kept in reserve knowing that my Vegas trip would eventually come around. I have a very high pile of stacked "cannot be worn until you have gone through the entire closet" clothes sitting in the hallway to my bathroom - which I'm sure is driving Mike crazy at this point (well, probably not, as he has a matching heap of clothes stacked by his side of the bed). Each time I walk by my stack, I sigh, as I am reminded of how much I've been procrastinating housework. All this travel has certainly left me tired (and I'm sure you wonder why I am going to Vegas this weekend - let's just say that I have not been the best at spacing out my travel indulgences and have learned after this year, that I am going to do a much better job of it!). So, anyway, the clothing challenge continues to be a challenge - not so much the not shopping part as the not wearing anything again until I wear everything else part. That and my fluctuating waistline from all the trips is making it hard to find clothes that 1) fit, and 2) look okay even if I can button them. But, damn, the food is good!

Week 23: Days 5 - 7; Week 24

Week 24, Day 6 Outfit (daytime): Old Navy brown linen camisole, Express Jeans

Week 24, Day 6 Outfit (evening attire): Jimmy Choo for H&M "bedazzled" black off the shoulder dress

Week 24, Day 7 Outfit (re-enactment): Gap brown ribbed tank (going in the donation pile!), turquoise Ann Taylor Loft cotton skirt (on the fence about this one)

Week 25, Day 1 Outfit (daytime, re-enactment): Ann Taylor white v-neck short sleeved tee, favorite denim skirt (can't remember the brand - but got it from Marshalls' 5 years ago and will never get rid of it!)

Week 25, Day 1 Outfit (evening): same denim skirt, Zara black "bedazzled" top (of which I have now left with my hostess, Robyn as it looks terrible on me!)

Week 25, Day 2 Outfit (re-enactment): Ann Taylor White cap-sleeved silk tee, Ann Taylor Loft Red skirt with lazer-cut details, Ann Taylor Loft wide black belt

Week 25, Day 2 Outfit: White House Black Market sleeveless tunic, J Crew Salmon colored trousers

So NYC continued...

After a couple of glasses of wine at a tapas bar at 5:30, I was getting nicely unwound from my crazy work week and pseudo-vacation in Miami. Julie, Maggie, and I were all waiting on one more member of our girl's weekend (there was supposed to be 5 of us, but Gina is now with child and is suffering from such terrible morning sickness that she decided to opt out). Once our last member, Nikki, arrived, the party was ready to get started!! The ladies all got dressed up for "going out" Sex and the City style and we headed to a restaurant in the SoHo area - one that last time Julie went, saw Lenny Kravitz. No such celeb citing this time, but we did enjoy a good meal and managed to flirt our ways into the rooftop bar located on the top floor of the hotel that the restaurant was in. We enjoyed the night feeling swank and girls-nighty, sipping vodka cocktails and enjoying the view. We later met up with Julie's husband, Jason, and hit up a neighborhood pub - ending the night (or shall we say, morning) at 3A. What a throwback to the grad school days!

As one might imagine, Saturday morning began a bit later than would be typical for any of us - and we eased into it with a trip to one of the amazing grocery stores that NYC has to offer, grabbed some breakfast staples, and had a nice leiseruly breakfast at Julie's. We then headed out to our nail appointments, and then made our way to our "brunch" reservation in the Meatpacking district. It was at this place that I had my only celebrity citing - someone who was a model on Project Runway. We tried as discretely as possible to take her picture - by pretending to take a picture of Jason and then zooming way past his face to get the model in the picture...it worked well enough so that Mike recognized her when we emailed the picture to him.

Okay, so, I'm thinking it is now that I reveal that I have "cheated" on this challenge. As you may recall, I have toyed with the idea of buying some outrageously priced clothing item to commemorate my promotion to Senior Consultant. Well, throughout the weekend, I could think of no better place to do this than in NYC during a girl's weekend. As soon as I mentioned this to Julie, she got really excited and it became her mission to take me to a Christian Louboutin shoe store, or at least purveyor of his pieces of art. So, before brunch, we headed to a store that offered some of his shoes - but I didn't really latch onto what I was looking for - which is a classic black stiletto. So, no purchase there - and the guilt about possibly "breaking the rules" of this challenge left as I walked out of the store doors. We continued throughout the day with the idea that we'd make our way to the Christian Louboutin store, but time passed quickly by and the stores began closing by the time we were in a place where we could resume shopping. We instead decided to hit up a few more bars in the Meatpacking district and then made our way to West Village for a scrumptious italian meal at one of those little unassuming restaurants that I love so much about New York City! We all had grand notions of hitting up another bar when we arrived back at Julie and Jason's hood in the Upper West Side - but, funnily enough, we all were in the same state after spending the day eating and drinking - let's hit the hay!

Sunday morning, we again eased into the morning with a stroll through central park, buying a few more items for breakfast as Julie's, and then had our last meal together before Girl's Weekend was officially over. Maggie had to catch flight, so it was Julie, me, and Nikki that walked about Julie's neighborhood shopping at the amazing boutiques in that area. It was at this time that I really began to feel the sting of this challenge - wishing that I could start grabbing things off the rack and trying them on...but, strangely, after about a 5 minute wave of this hysteria, I once again re-gained composure and experienced a great sense of accomplishment...kind of like when you are able to run that last lap on the track, or lift that extra 5 lbs in weights...I felt like my restraint muscle finally has been toned to a point where my crazy uncontrollable shopping has been officially curbed! I can't say that I have been permanently cured, but being able to thumb through the most adorable and fashion-forward clothes that I've seen in 6 months, and resist the urge to try anything on or buy it is quite a feat!!

Okay, so I would have liked to end this blog by saying "I'm cured" and I left NYC without making a single clothing purchase...but, sadly, I cannot...as opportunity knocked on Tuesday afternoon when a co-worker of mine, Robyn, and I met up with Julie for lunch. After the Girl's weekend, I had made plans to stay in the city for a couple more days and work from our company's NYC office. So, Sunday afternoon, I took the train to Robyn's town in Connecticut, hung out with her by the beach, had a terrific tapas dinner and 1/2 priced Albarino, and then headed into the city with her Monday morning. Monday was another jam-packed day work-wise, but at least I got to experience from the 32nd floor of an office building in the center of Manhattan! Monday evening, Robyn and I enjoyed a 3 course dinner at a nearby restaurant participating in Restaurant Week (where countless restaurants offer 3 course meals at $35). We then hopped the train and headed home...and then awoke again Tuesday morning to repeat the process.

I had been wanting Robyn and Julie to meet each other given that they are both NYC professionals in the HR world...and coincidentally, Julie is going to be moving into the building that our company's office inhabits come next May. So, we ladies made a plan to do the "NYC power lunch" thing and meet up for another 3 course meal on Tuesday. It was at the beginning of lunch that Julie, still with her mission of "helping" me purchase my token "I've been promoted" item, mentioned that there is a Saks 5th right around the corner of where we were having lunch. So...I'm sure you can all guess what happened then...we all scarfed down our food, made the trek to the store, and with the swipe of a card, I made my first clothing purchase since Superbowl Sunday (well, except for the "soccer" outfit that I had to buy for our 4th of July party). So, readers, I will let you decide whether or not I have failed this challenge, or if this pre-meditated and planned-out purchase really does not count as a lapse in willpower. While you noodle through that, I am going to wear my beautiful new stilettos with unabashed indulgence!

Week 23: Days 1- 5: Miami Ending, NYC Beginning

Week 23: Day 1: (pictured in previous blog): Black Old Navy linen dress



Week 23: Day 2: Ann Taylor black halter top, Gap green courduroy shorts (Mikey wanted to guest-star)







Week 23: Day 3: "Peace" hot pink shirt, Banana Republic trouser jeans
Week 23: Day 4: Work from home:
Week 23: Day 5: Ditto


Well, I think to say that I am behind on blogging is a major understatement. Since my last blog, I have left Miami, spent a couple days back at home, and then hopped onto a plane for the Girl's Weekend in NYC. A whirlwind, travel-wise - and to add to that, an insane time work-wise. Things continued to be crazy after my trip to Miami from a work perspective - which is why I have fallen so behind on blogging. But, nonetheless, I am back and ready to re-count my ongoings a good 2 weeks from when I last blogged.

The rest of our trip to Miami was fun - though peppered with me having to sit in front of my computer trying to take care of a few pressing work-related things. After dinner with Mike at the stone crab restaurant - which was AWESOME for people who like crab, I was hit with a bad case of the Sunday blues which kept me up until about 2A worried about all the things I had to get done when I was "back from vacation." So, instead of waiting, I figured working through some of the "to do's" would help put my mind at ease...which it did...a little bit. I got this crazy notion to go back up to the hot tub on the top floor of our hotel around midnight, donned my bikini, and then got up to the top floor only to find the door locked and the hot tub unaccessible...so, so much for using that to help relieve a little stress! So, I ended up banging out a few emails and doing some work to take my mind off or work - odd, huh?

On Monday, Mike and I headed out to the Florida Keys as the South Beach scene was getting old. The heat did not back down, so Mike and I walked around Key West for most of the 4 hours we were there dripping with sweat. We made a stop at the Hemingway home so Mike could indulge his curiosity of Hemingway, and I could indulge my interest in seeing the polydactile cat colony that still exists at the old Hemingway stomping grounds. We ended our visit with a stop at Hemingway's favorite watering hole - Sloppy Joe's - where Mike and I downed a frozen concoction so cold that we had multiple episodes of brain freeze (hell, it was the only thing we could do from suffering heat strokes!). Monday evening was relatively low key, with the two of us a bit boozed out and ready to eat something less luxurious (aka - CHEAP) - so we stopped by a taco joint and called it a night.

Tuesday was spent mostly gearing up for heading home - so Mike and I had breakfast at a famous breakfast joint called the Front Porch Cafe (which was next door to our hotel), I headed to Starbucks to get a bit more work done, and then we worked our way to the airport and spent the rest of the day flying home - Southwest Airlines-style - which equates to a 1/2 day of traveling on multiple planes.

Wednesday - Thursday were work from home days, as I was exhausted from the travels and had too much work to do to even allow myself the 3 hours it would take to commute to the office and back. So, aside from working like a dog, not much to report for Wednesday and Thursday!

Friday morning was more work, and then me trying to scramble to get onto a plane while also making sure that my client's unreasonable requests were met. One might think - well, why don't you tell your client you're on vacation? I don't think the word "vacation" is even in this client's vocabulary - as is evident by the crazy amount of emails she sends after hours and throughout the weekend. Plus, in the past 2 months, I have had a European vacation, a Miami vacation, and then was ready to embark on an NYC vacation - so...I'm thinking saying that "I'm on vacation" over and over again is borderline ridiculous. Next year, definitely plan on spacing things out a bit - as I am exhausted not only from work, but also from working while on vacation!

Stressed as I was about work, getting onto a plane for our girl's weekend with Maggie had a great deal of comfort in it - so much that I ordered a screwdriver for the flight to NYC to take the edge off...but was frantically working away at a spreadsheet that I owed the client upon my arrival into New York City. Maggie and I had uneventful travel, took a cab to Julie's, and I immediately holed myself up in Julie's home office to call my crazy client back. Needless to say, after dealing with client angst during my trip out to NYC, when 5:30 rolled around and Julie, Jason, and Maggie asked if I wanted to get a drink, my response was...HELL YEAH!

NYC story to be continued...

Week 22, Days 6 & 7, Week 23: Day 1: I'm in Miami BITCH!

Week 22, Day 6 Outfit: Gap turquoise t-shirt with puffed sleeves, Forever 21 beige linen shorts, Reef flip flops (a staple throughout the entire weekend)

Week 22, Day 7 Outfit (beachwear): Forever 21 pink sundress, Old Navy white bikini

Week 22, Day 7 Outfit (daywear): Ann Taylor Loft red sundress with white polka dots

Week 23, Day 1 Outfit (daywear): Gap green sleeveless tee, Old Navy denim mini-skirt (though almost regular length on me)

Week 23, Day 1 Outfit (eveningwear): Black Old Navy linen dress

So, I survived the post July 4th blues - which involved crazy work days on Tuesday and Thursday, and a day trip to Chicago on Wednesday (still need to post outfit for those days...will do when I'm back at home). The only thing keeping me going during this very chaotic workweek was my upcoming trip to South Beach.

Mike and I left early Friday morning and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around noon. I was, of course, crazily checking email when I could as so much was going on with work right before we left. By 1pm, after checking into our awesome hotel right on Ocean Blvd. in South Beach, I quickly got online to complete on last work-related task, and then let go. I met up with Mike for lunch and jumped right into imbibing a mojito the size of my face. Here in SoBe (what the locals call South Beach), there are tons of restaurants on Ocean Beach with patio seating (complete with misters as the temperature here can reach high 90's - and paired with humidity, you feel like you are walking through a steam room). Each restaurant has an attractive male or female standing at the host stand trying to lure you in with their "specials." Well, you only have to be tricked once before you start to understand that the "specials" are always going on, and that they are often surrounded by fine print that you don't see until you are ready to pay your bill. Our first lunch on Friday included a 2 for 1 drink special - which actually meant 2 for 1, per person. The drinks were huge - at least 24 ozs - and were priced at $24 each. So, in order to get your "deal," you have to order another one - which, let me tell you, by the time you are done with the first drink, you are in no state to be ingesting a second...but Mike and I took ours to go, and proceeded to walk on the beach cupping these huge to go margaritas and mojitos...it was quite the site. Needless to say, after the first gargantuan drink, we took two sips of the second twin and pitched our overpriced takeout into the trash can.

After a quick stroll on the beach - and I say quick, because you can only withstand about 10 minutes of walking in the sun in this weather, we headed further inland to explore and stumbled across the World Erotic Art Museum. Needing some respite from the intolerable heat, Mike and I gladly walked through the entrance and took in some of the most "interesting" art that we've ever seen. I had no idea that you could carve, paint, and draw such interesting scenes! My favorite exhibition was that of the self-indulgent sex tools that a woman might use (yes, use your imagination) made out of jade stone and other precious materials. Not sure how pleasurable that would be...but hey, it's art, right? After the museum, Mike and I both decided that a nap was in order, and recharged in our cool hotel room. We then headed out for a night out on the town, which means that we were in bed by 10pm being the foggies that we are. It's too bad, though, because SoBe has such a great clubbing scene - the gay bar had some washboard abbed men dancing in speedos with the UK flag on them atop the gogo-like dance platform...quite an exciting feast for the eyes...at least for me.

Yesterday began with a venture out to the beach, after grabbing breakfast at the cafe that Versace had his last cup of espresso before being shot in the head by a male model that he turned down right on the front steps of his Ocean Blvd. mansion. Our time at the beach lasted less than an hour - again, because the heat was intolerable...so, as much as I would love to come home tan, I'm not sure how likely that will be. We then returned back to our hotel room to shower (again!), and then took the car out to Miami to go to another museum and grab lunch. We then came back for another nap (hey, we're on vacation and did I mention how hot it is out here?) and Mike then headed out to watch the World Cup runners-up game while I chilled in the room for a bit. We then met up on Lincoln Rd and I once again sighed at the fact that I am buying NO clothes for a year. Lincoln Rd is like the 5th Avenue of New York - tons of great clothing stores and boutiques. Mike did buy me a bathing suit - which I guess kind of violates my rule - but not really, since the money did not come out of my pocket. After spending the afternoon/evening on Lincoln Rd restaurant hopping, we came back to the room to change into our swimwear (my new bikini :) ) and headed to the hotel rooftop for a dip in the hot tub. We were surprised to see 3 people in the hot tub, all of which were topless - and two of them were women. We spent about an hour hanging out by the tub and conversing with our new "clothing optional" friends, and then called it a night.

Today began with a lower key meal at Starbucks, and then a 2 hour guided tour of the Art Deco district in SoBe. The architecture is so amazing out here - and is both tacky and refined at the same time. Imagine pastel colors splashed on symetrical buildings with geometric accents and nautical influences...that's art deco. Though it was freakin' hot, we enjoyed getting the history of the hotel-lined Ocean Blvd and seeing several different hotel lobbies to discern between traditional art deco, a cross between modern and art deco, and just full-on "who cares about what this hotel used to look like, I'm going to remodel the hell out of it" absence of art deco. After our tour, I headed to the spa for a manicure and pedicure, while Mike hit up another museum and then hunkered down at Gloria Estefan's Cuban restaurant - where I then met up with him for lunch. We then came back to the hotel for...you guessed it, another nap, and then headed out tonight for a late dinner at a famous restaurant that specializes in stone crabs. YUMMY! And that brings me to now...over-stuffed with 3 days of insane eating and drinking, and sweltering heat...I've loved every minute of it!

Tomorrow, we are going to venture outside of Miami and head to the Florida Keys for the day. Should be interesting!

Week 21, Day 7, Week 22, Days 1 & 2: 4th of July Weekend

Week 21, Day 7 Outfit: Ann Taylor Loft Print Dress (kind of has an indian feel to it...not crazy about it, so this one goes in the re-sale pile), silver Coach thong wedges (made for walking to the pool that much more difficult - also likely to go into the re-sale pile)

Week 22, Day 1 Outfit (4th of July party attire - World Cup theme): Addidas sports tank, Addidas Soccer Shorts, Reef flip flops

Week 22, Day 2 Outfit: New York & Company salmon-colored camisole (an alarming Large in size...makes me wonder what a small might have fit like), Gap white denim shorts (a bit high-waisted, so I'm going to send this one to the re-sale pile as well!)

Ahhhhhhh...finally a relaxing weekend that helped take my mind off work...at least for a couple of days - just what I needed to recuperate from last week's craziness...and the best part about it is that I only have 3 days of work before Mikey and I take off to South Beach for our 2nd summer vacation.

Saturday was spent preparing for the 4th of July party and running errands. We also got a little bit of pool time in. We had intended on eating lunch at the Country Club, but all they were serving up was a buffet filled with grilled meats (burgers, brats, etc.) so we instead decided to order food at the pool and eat our lunch there. Hmmm...nothing makes you want to order lighter than knowing that you'll be eating this while dressed in a bikini. I hadn't had chicken in sometime, so I went with the grilled chicken sandwich - sadly the lightest thing on the menu...though I couldn't resist stuffing a few fries in my mouth too. Saturday evening Mike and just played it low-key, tried a restaurant that we'd been meaning to go to, and then watched In Bruges at home. Seeing the movie made me long to be in Belgium again (sigh).

Yesterday we held our annual 4th of July party. This was a party that began when we threw an engagement party for Sarah and Dave back in 2006. Since then, we've kept the tradition alive and have kept it interesting by assigning a theme to each year's celebration. Our first one after the engagement party (2007) was a hat party, 2008 a decade party, last year a Hawaiian party, and this year a World Cup party. I was pleased to see so many of our guests dressed in their soccer garb. One of the graduate students attending brought a soccer ball and orange cones - so after burgers and brats were served, a game of soccer ensued on the golf course right behind our back yard. From a distance, as a bystander, those playing the game actually looked professional headbutting, sliding, and kicking their way to the other side of the "field." I stayed back and made sure those not playing were feeling at home and getting enough to eat...okay, I'll be honest, I stayed back because I wanted to keep drinking :) At one point in the evening, I was chatting with one of the guests, who is always dressed to the nines in her stiletto heels, couture "this season's" clothes, and perfectly primped hair. I shared with her the fact that I was doing this clothing challenge, and she, like some others came back with "WHY????" Her husband was on the sidelines of this conversation and was mentioning to her that this could perhaps be something she might willing to try. Um...no takers there!

Soccer, bbq, a signature drink made of gatorade and vodka, people jumping into ponds to retrieve stray soccer balls, karaoke - I think this all adds up to a successful party...as was evident from the text messages we received this morning from a few hungover guests! One thing I must confess - I "kind of" broke my shopping rule in order to buy something that I could wear that remotely resembled soccer gear...my rationale is that I was by no means making a fashion statement with this attire, so it doesn't count. I'll let you be the judge.

Our cat, Martini, who has been sick for the past few months, gave into his congenital heart disease last night and died (as far as we could tell) peacefully. Thus, this morning, Mike and I's first activity was to have an informal burial for our 2nd deceased cat in 2 weeks. Though sad, Mike and I are a bit relieved as we didn't want to have to make the decision to put him to sleep. We also worried that he might die while we were in Florida, making our poor neighbor Cathy (who so graciously provides care to our kitties when we go on vacation) have to deal with disposing of a dead cat. Not to mention that Martini was on 5 different medications - all of which required twice daily administrations - and Martini was definitely not a good pill taker (picture Mike having to shove pills down his throat or mixing them with cat milk and squirting the milk into his mouth). After saying goodbye to Martini, Mike and I dealt with the aftermath of our party - fun comes at a price! - took a nap, spent some time at Barnes & Noble (me working, Mike reading), had an early dinner at P.F. Chang's (one of my favorite restaurants, which seems sacriligious given that I am of Chinese descent and P.F. Chang's is nothing close to authentic - but it's good!), and then spent the evening chilling at the pool and then at home (hence me catching up on my blog).

The mall we were at for the afternoon was one I used to frequent quite a bit as I would beeline for White House Black Market and buy whatever the latest slinky black top or dress they had on sale. I did peer into the windows and make fake salivating noises - but reassured Mike that my will power is strong as ever...so no need to worry about me breaking down.

Hmmm...July is going to involve South Beach, New York City, and Vegas. Can I do it???

Week 21, Days 2 - 7: Zoom Zoom!

Week 21, Day 3: Banana Republic Beige Seersucker Suit, Ann Taylor Loft orange v-neck sleeveless tee, Banana Republic Nude patent leather heels

Week 21, Day 4: BR black sleeveless woven tee, BR khaki skirt with silk sash, Lovely People black shoes

Week 21, Day 5: Work from home day!

Week 21, Day 6: Susannah Monoco Black dress, Coach silver wedge flip flops

This week has completely zoomed by (hence the title) as work has been absolutely overwhelming. I have taken on a project that initally seemed small but has since grown to become a monster, swallowing up all of my time and sanity! Throughout the week, however, I did manage to get in some yoga sessions which I am convinced was my saving grace.

Tuesday, I had a local client meeting (hence the suit). A client who I can already tell is going to be a pill - yay! The rest of the day, however, was spent on this other monster project...as if I could take on one more project these days!

Wednesday began with what I hope is my last court hearing ever! I think the whole saga of an arrest warrant/suspended license is behind me, though it cost me $350 to finally clear my record in the state of Michigan. I first met with the prosecutor that morning - who was way nicer than the person in Allen Park. He understood my situation, but informed me that unfortunately, it is not the requirement of the state to notify you that your license is suspended...but it's perfectly okay for them to fine you for unknowingly driving while your license is suspended. I discovered that my license has been suspended since 2006 when I originally incurred the failure to change my license charge. That damn police officer really did a number on me...issued a warrant for my arrest, suspended my license, cited me for speeding - and then had the nerve to say "have a nice evening" - yes, that's about all I remember of that dreadful moment. Anyway, no use in wasting any more energy on what I think is the biggest crock of Sh** that I have ever encountered. Let this be a lesson to you readers to never ever speed while in Michigan...otherwise, they may end up repossessing your house, incarcerating you, or bringing your life down. Needless to say, the rest of the day was ruined for me...as I had lunch with some colleagues, and then spent my time in the office on back to back meetings. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was strap on my running shoes and burn off a lot of steam!

Thursday was again a hectic work day, though all of my meetings ended by noon. The sheer amount of work I still had to get done before meeting up with Jen and Maggie for yoga certainly left me wound up and not in a yoga state of mind when I first arrived at the class...but by the end, I regained composure and enjoyed the rest of the evening with the ladies - which included a trip to the farmer's market, cooking some great food with the gals at Jen's using locally grown produce from the market, and having a few glasses of wine to un-do what the day had done to me.

Friday was my "screw work" day. Having logged anywhere from 12 -15 hour work days throughout the week, I felt absolutely no guilt when I left my home office for a cycle/yoga class at 9A, came home to shower, and then headed back out the door to meet up with the DUB ladies for a nice lunch outside on the patio of a great local Italian restaurant. I did have phone call scheduled at 2:30 (what kind of client schedules a 2:30 meeting on a Friday before a 4th of July weekend? Oh, I know - MINE!). After that call, I took care of a few odds and end work things and was finally able to shut down my computer around 4pm...just as the hubby was pulling up. So we headed out to the pool, got an hour of sun, and then headed to vino100 to meet up with a group of friends that have not been together in quite some time! We were able to convince everyone to come to our place afterward to watch fireworks being shot from our country club (which we can see from our backyard). It was a perfect evening to help me return back to myself after a long week of work - myself being a total hedonistic lush!

Someone asked me earlier this week how I was going to go to New York City and not shop. I truly have convinced myself that it will be a piece of cake...but who knows! I guess I can say that the support that I'll get from my lady friends will help me continue with this challenge! We'll see!