Week 17, Day 4: Back to the Office

Week 17, Day 4 Outfit: Ann Taylor black sleeveless cotton tee with petal details (cheap camera and self-timer do not make for great detailed pictures), BR beige pencil skirt

Today was a drive in, drive out work day in Detroit. I could have stayed overnight but know that when I do, bottles (not glasses) of wine is involved and I'm trying to allow my liver a break before the weekend hits again. For those of you who have started to wonder if I'm an alcoholic, I can assure you that the answer is no...as is evidenced by the fact that I still suffer from hangovers...and can still get tipsy after a couple glasses of wine depending on the day. Though I may not suffer from alcoholism, I may be taking the "live life freely until you have a baby" motto a bit to the extreme. You only live life once, right? And...you can only live as a DINK (dual income, no kids) for only so long, too, right?

I had a more difficult time finding something to wear today...part of it is due to the dwindling closet, part of it is due to my laziness when it comes to ironing, and part of it is due to fact that I have yet to make the full migration of my summer clothes from my upstairs closet to the master bedroom closet...ha ha...fooled you all didn't I? I think I still have at least another good couple of months before I run out of summer wear. Work is a bit trickier, but that's when it'll be fun to get creative...or start wearing tacky outfits, whichever way you prefer to see it. Nonetheless, it is getting hard...isn't that what a challenge is all about?

As I sit here typing my blog (I actually thought my last sentence was it for the day), one of my cats starting scooting across the floor by using her front legs to drag the rest of her body across the carpet while still in a seated position. I guess it's kind of hard to describe, but it is the funniest scenes...of course when I asked Mike to look at her, she stopped...like that Warner Bros. frog that stops singing when his owner tries to get others to see him in action. Okay, with that weird thought, I sign off for the day.

Week 17, Days 2 & 3: Memorial Day 5K/BBQ & Working from Home Again

Week 17, Day 2 Outfit: Gap striped tank (what Mike calls my small town country-girl look), BR denim shorts

Though a bit rough around the edges from the Cinco de Mayo dinner the night before, Mike and I resolved to run a 5k at 8A on Monday. This 5k is a pretty small production in comparison to other 5k's we run, so the route and the lack of a cheering crowd (and maybe a bit of a hangover) made this race a little less bearable than other races. Nonetheless, finishing the race felt really good, especially since a quick glance at the clock in Mike's car reminded us that we managed to run 3.2 miles before 9A on a holiday...not too shabby!

The rest of the morning/early afternoon was spent sleeping...not sure why I'm needing so much sleep these days...perhaps catching up on what I missed during our European vacation? We then headed to Scott and Maggie's for some BBQ (ribs and salmon - YUM). I gave into the meat temptation as the ribs just looked to good to pass (sorry my fellow flexitarian friends). After an early dinner and a game of Texas Hold 'Em, Mike and I returned and I once again found my way to the bed and slept for the rest of the night...and continued to sleep until 6A this morning. Hopefully this is the final bout of jet-lag that I'll deal with and I can return to a normal sleeping pattern (though, honestly, I really didn't experience too much jet lag!).

Today (Tuesday), I'll just be working from home and catching up on work...so nothing too exciting to report on the outfit front. Tomorrow will be an office day, so until then!

Week 17, Day 1: Belated Cinco De Mayo Celebration

Week 17, Day 1 Outfit: Express Purple Camisole, Red Faux Fur Belt from Uniqlo, BR boyfriend jeans, Aldo wedges (5 inches high, baby...makes me actually begin to feel like I'm a normal height)

On Sunday, my fellow DUB Clubbers (that stands for Drink Up Bitches) and I got together for what has become more of a bi-monthly meeting...the boys were allowed to attend this outing as Diana cooked up a massive and extremely delicious mexican feast! The wine was superb as it was provided by our Vino100 hosts...what a treat! Whether it was the wine or the heat, I'm not sure, but I arrived home plenty exhausted and hit the sack before the sun went down (which is pretty late these days...9:30 to 10ish). The fellowship was great and we ladies had a chance to catch up on our lady-things. We also inducted a new member into our club - a youngin' (relatively speaking) who will serve as our B.I.T. (Bitch in Training).

I continue to churn through my summer drawer (hence the purple camisole that I haven't worn in ages) and am trying to be strategic with what I wear, as I know I have South Beach, NYC, and Vegas trips planned for the remainder of the summer - yes, I know how to live it up, don't I? Good thing is that I can use the money I would normally spend on clothes to subsidize our vacation expenditures!

Sunday (which felt like a Saturday) was a good day. Gosh, I love 3-day weekends!

Week 16, Day 7: Shroom Fest

Week 16, Day 7 Outfit: Black Sleeveless Ann Taylor Loft dress, Ann Taylor strappy kitten heels

Having just come back from a trip to Amsterdam, I'm sure that many of you are interpreting the "shroom" in a certain way...sorry to disappoint, but Shroom Fest refers to a 5 course dinner (paired with wines) I had with fellow wine club members at a restaurant called Shiraz up in Detroit. Morel Mushrooms are all the rage right now as it is the season, so this restaurant served up 5 courses in honor of this delightful fungi. We began with a mushroom bisque which was heavenly, followed by a pickerel wellington, then a salad with big morels (yummy!), salmon for me (with no hint of mushroom...kind of disappointing), and a coffee semifredo (kind of like ice cream) with a merangue shaped like a morel mushroom. By the end of the dinner, all of us were undoubtedly full and buzzed. We ended the night back at my co-worker's house and ate some mushroom shaped chocolates that I brought back from Belgium.

Our Country Club's pool opened on Saturday, so Mike and I spent about an hour soaking up some rays. I was pelted by a runaway ball that some kids were tossing around and got rather angry when upon being assaulted by the object, none of the kids bothered to apologize! Geez, kids these days! I was hoping that it would happen again so I could grab the ball and hold it hostage until one of the kids showed any form of manners and apologized...but apparently wanting to be hit by a ball is the same as watching water boil - it won't happen until you stop thinking about it.

On the clothing front, I continually am depleting my closet, though still have many options left - especially since the temperature has risen and I can now dig into my summer-wear drawers...be prepared for seeing more skin (hopefully progressively tanner skin with each week!).

Week 16, Day 6: Back to Reality

Week 16, Day 6: Green Ann Taylor Loft Cap-sleeved button down, Anthropologie trousers, originally rolled up for my pedicure this afternoon, but then realized that it was kind of fashionable with my shoes, Aldo espadrilles (yay, it's finally summer!)

Okay, so back to reality today...phooey! The flight back was pretty brutal...I'm guessing flights back from vacation feel a lot longer than the ones to your vacation spot because you lack the anticipation and excitement of being on vacation and are instead confronted with hours of dreadful realization that your vacation is over. Not even the large selection of free movies could ease the ride back...but regardless, we made it back, and pulled into our driveway around 7pm local time...not too shabby. Mike and I both vowed to stay up as late as we could to fight the jet lag, both popped a melatonin, and dozed off of to domesticated dreamland. I made it a point to get back into the swing of things by attending a 6AM cycle class - which I did (yay me!) and then came home to confront work. Luckily, I made it a point to sort through my emails last night (which also helped to keep me awake long enough). Speaking of emails, I am proud to say that I resisted checking them for nearly the entire trip. I did sneak a peek while Mike and I were waiting for our dinner reservation time to roll around on Wednesday evening (the day before we left). I was amazed at how few emails I had in my inbox (only 178!) and how few fires flared up this past week. Either I chose the perfect week to be gone or I'm really not that important! I'm hoping for the latter - yes, that's right, the latter...because that means I can take more vacations like this and the world will not end (btw, I know I'm not that important, but some clients just make you feel like a week vacation without you responding to your emails is a cardinal sin).

One thing I have learned about taking a week vacation with no access to email is, like shopping, after getting through the withdrawal for the first day or so, you really don't think about it again until you have to. I'm sure being in another country makes it a bit easier, but still, what a release from being email, cell phone, and computer free! Also, I'm am SO planning all of my vacations around a 3-day weekend...it was so nice having my first full day back being one that most other people were taking off. Email traffic was light, my phone was not ringing off the hook, and people generally just seemed happier today than they normally do. Yay, 3 day weekends...speaking of which, I should begin enjoying as I have now spent about 2 hours blogging about my vacation!

Off to bed...or, trying to not sleep for another hour or so...but sleep sounds so good right nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Week 16, Days 3 - 5: Amsterdam, and (sigh) return home

Week 16, Day 3 - at the train station in Brussels on way to Amsterdam: Black Ann Taylor Loft short-sleeved button down with ruffled detailing down the middle, striped BR jeans, flip flops!!

Week 16, Day 4 - in front of the Van Gogh Museum, which was AMAZING: BR pink wool cardigan (it was chilly!), BR 3/4 length sleeve black tee (same shirt I traveled in...hey, how else did you think I'd be able to carry on for a week-long European trip?), striped BR jeans (yes, I know, I've pretty much worn them every day), Brooks running shoes (I really could've just worn the flip flops, but I packed the darned things because I thought I'd actually get in some exercise, but since I didn't, decided to wear them so I could justify the space it took up in my suitcase)

Week 16, Day 5: Gap White Jacket with Embroidered Flowers, (unseen) BR black scoopneck sleeveless tee, my favorite shoes on the trip, Reef Flip Flops (don't know what I would have done without them!) Yes, that's me frowning at the fact that I am in the presence of the most amazing clothing boutiques and cannot spend a dime on a single article of clothing!

Okay, so even though we had visited Belgium and Germany, Amsterdam, Holland (aka the Netherlands, which, btw, I didn't know until this trip - call me ignorant!) was hands down the most amazing stop during our trip. The city has got to be the most difficult to navigate around (probably impossible for a tourist in a car, but pretty damn hard on foot), but who cares - you are surrounded by canals, picturesque old brick buildings, amazing eateries and cafes, and coffeehouses (yes, there is a difference between a cafe and a coffeehouse in Amsterdam, but for fear of revocation of the 1st amendment, I will refrain from explaining to those of you who do not know the difference what that difference is...let's just say that brownies and vanilla cakes in an Amsterdam coffeehouse will leave you feeling a little "different"). We spent the first day in this amazing city *trying* to get our bearings straight. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant that served "whatever" was fresh - which was all amazing, took a nap at our hotel, and then met up with Scott and Maggie to paint the town red (well, whatever part of it wasn't already red, if you get what I mean...uh hem, ever heard of the red light district?).

Our night out in Amsterdam ended up being pretty *mellow* (again, code for however you want to interpret this blog) and involved at least 8 different stops throughout the night. I'm not sure how we did it, but we still managed to be back at the hotel by 9pm. We had a night cap there (and probably a handful too many of cookies, hint, hint), and then called it a night. The next morning, we set out for what seemed like mission impossible - to find a cafe that actually served eggs and bacon - together - for breakfast. You could attain the two items separately at most places, but hardly ever on the same plate, and certainly not for breakfast...so we circled back to the hotel to enjoy our overpriced "English Breakfast." Scott and Maggie headed back to Brussels while Mike and spent the rest of the day hitting up just a couple of the numerous museums in Amsterdam. Our first stop was the Van Gogh museum...which was absolutely amazing. To have so many breathtaking pieces of art under one roof is beyond words (well, almost, since I am putting this in the form of words). We then set out to find a cafe where we could have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and instead stumbled upon the Bols Liqueur Museum. Bols, though I had never heard of it, apparently is one of the first originators of flavored liqueurs, their original libation being what they refer to as Genevre. The museum appealed to all senses and in each little corridor you encountered, you were encouraged to use a different sense...my favorite being the sniff room where you could take a whiff of the 32 different liqueur flavors that Bols produces and guess what you were smelling...can you say Yogurt flavored liqueur...sounds gross but was amazing! The tour ended with a cocktail of your choosing - which gave Mike and I just the right buzz to move onto the Reich museum - never have we seen so many Vermeers and Rembrandts!

After grabbing lunch at a cafe, we headed back for a nap and then did a little more city exploration, passing through the shopping district of Amsterdam. I must say, this was the first time I was tempted to set foot in a store and unleash the repressed shopaholic within me...but, amazingly, I resisted and instead just hit up another couple of bars with Mike before heading off to a 4 course dinner at a restaurant that has been around since 1650!!! Crazy! After dinner, we embarked on the night scene...and I'll just leave it at that as I think it might be best to plead the 5th.

Ahhh...Amsterdam...probably one of my most favorite places in the world...so much that I think I'm experiencing withdrawal...or perhaps it's jet lag. Either way, it's not pleasant. I must go back someday!!

Week 16, Days 1 - 2: Koln, Germany

Week 16, Day 1: BR shirt dress (see previous pic for what the top looks like), North Face zip-up (good for the brisk windy nights in Koln) - guest star, in picture 1, Christine (our host), and in picture 2, the hubby

Week 16, Day 2 (daytime): White Ann Taylor sleeveless cotton top, Brown BR trousers, FLIP FLOPS! Is it me or are European smart cars even smaller?

Week 16, Day 2 (evening attire): Lavender BCBG long cardigan, Zara stripped dress, Reef flip flops!

On Sunday, we took a 3 hour train ride to meet up with Mike's acquiantance from Facebook (he actually owns her as a 'pet'). We spent yesterday touring the city center, had beer and dinner at a couple of outdoor restaurants on the Rhine river, and kept it relatively low-key. Monday, we climbed 533 steps up the famous Koln dome (which is massive and what I'm pictured with Mike in front of on Day 2), went on a boat ride down the Rhine, and then ended our afternoon at the Chocolate Museum (yes, I bought many goodies for those of you back home - about 50 lbs. worth of chocolate!). That evening, we headed out to dinner at a recommended German restaurant, and I on the most severe form of flexing on my Flexitarian diet, ate a sausage...and it was damn good! Luckily, all during my trip in Koln (as we walked down the shopping district in the city), all the stores were closed due to a Catholic holiday that's well celebrated in Europe - 40 days after Christ's death and resurrection...hmmm, not sure why it isn't celebrated in the U.S.! Oh, and just in case you didn't know, Koln is the shopping capitol of Germany...just my luck!

Onto Amsterdam!