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!

Week 21, Days 1 & 2: Sweltering Heat!

Week 21, Day 1 Outfit: Ann Taylor Red sleeveless tank, Zara Denim Skirt, Ann Taylor Loft black wedge flip flops

Week 21, Day 2 Outfit: Loungewear: BR maroon cap-sleeved tee, David and Goliath shorts

It was a hot one yesterday - registering 95 degrees with a high level of humidity (not exactly sure what the heat index was). Mike and I had been wanting to buy another painting for our living area from an artist that was showcasing her work at the Toledo Art Fair, so we began our day walking around the fair, dripping with sweat. At times, I questioned my decision to wear a form fitting tank and thick denim skirt! The rest of the afternoon was spent running errands, getting a massage (yes, Adam is back :) ), and then taking an afternoon nap. We also have a bit of aftermath from the garage sale that will require us to put a few things away...but aside from that, I am going to call this a productive weekend. Speaking of the garage sale, we made a whoppin' $150. Certainly not worth the effort put forth...so this maybe our last one - unless we move and need to get rid of a bunch of furniture.

Today is a work from home day, so I'll be lounging in my favorite PJ shorts. I bought these in Vegas last Christmas from a store called David and Goliath. They say "Rock is Dead, Long Live Paper and Scissors." Too funny!

Work is starting to get a bit hectic as I have multiple projects going on at the same time - and sprinkled within the next couple of months - 2 short vacations. I am hoping I can survive the rest of the summer and actually pull all of this off. We shall see!

I filled my friend, Nikki, in on my shopping challenge this morning as she was wondering why I was indicating that I cannot shop when we all get together in New York. That will certainly be the greatest challenge...because not only will I be around a ton of great stores, I'll also be around 3 other women who are going to be in shopping mode! I did succumb to a bit of shopping curiosity Saturday afternoon as I had some time to kill and therefore started to look at prices of Christian Louboutin shoes and Louis Vuitton bags. I still want that token item that my friend Soni refers to as the "bitch bag" or "bitch shoes" that you splurge on and buy for yourself to say to the world "I've arrived." I'm still not sure if I will wait until this challenge is over, or perhaps allow myself to buy it on my 6-month mark of this challenge - which, incidentally, is when I'll be in Vegas...what better place to make the purchase than the city that has every high-end store you could imagine within a 1 mile radius? We shall see!

Week 20 - Where did it go?

Week 20, Day 1 Outfit: BR turquoise cap-sleeved tee, BR denim shorts - good outfit for garage sale prepping!

Week 20, Day 2 Outfit: Office day - Ann Taylor Loft navy skirt, BR stripped short sleeved button down woven shirt (missing a button which is why I am standing so weird!), BR beige patent leather pumps

Week 20, Day 3: Work from Home Day

Week 20, Day 4: Travel Day - BR black camisole, Gap Green Courdoroy shorts, Black Ann Taylor Loft wedge flip flopsWeek 20, Day 5: Plant Visit Day (re-enacted at home) - Burberry polo, Ann Taylor Loft Beige Khakis, Sketcher sneakers

Week 20, Day 6: Another plant visit day (re-enacted at home) White Old Navy v-neck woven shirt, Pink Ann Taylor Loft capris, Black flats from DWS (can't remember the brand)

Week 20, Day 7 Outfit: Garage Sale Day! Pink Ann Taylor Cap-Sleeved Tee, White JCrew trousers, black Ann Taylor Wedge Flip Flops

Wow, has this week flown by! I spent one day in the office, then a work from home day, then travel to Florida for a 2-day plant visit. The travel gods had it out for me and I therefore paid my dues on Wednesday. My flight from Detroit to Atlanta was delayed by an hour because the flight crew was late coming in from San Diego. This caused me to miss my connecting flight which put me in the throes of a mad (literally) crowd of people who also missed their connecting flights and were frantically trying to find alternate flights. Delta now has this system that will automatically re-assign you to the next available flight to your destination. All you have to do is scan your original boarding pass and out pops a new ticket with your new flight plan. Well, given that this was a client engagment, I HAD to get to Florida, so I stood in the crazy line in front of Customer Service, was directed to a phone to speak with a customer service rep who ended up being very helpful and putting me on a flight to a city about 1.5 hours away from my original destination. This put me into the city at right about 1:30 in the morning after landing, getting a car, and then making the drive. It's just amazing how rude some of the flight attendants can be. When I realized that I would likely miss my flight, I flagged down one of the attendants and asked her if there was anything could do. Her response? "I don't know what to tell you." My response back to her "Well, can you make some kind of announcement asking travelers who don't have a flight to catch to let the rest of us go first?" Her response "you telling me that you're gonna run all the way down the aisle to catch your flight? Pft! Good luck!" and she walks away. BITCH! Earlier, at the gate in Detroit, I approached the ticketing agent to ask if I should be concerned about catching my flight...her response "your flight to Florida doesn't leave until 8:45pm, you'll have plenty of time to catch your flight." My response "my ticket says that my flight leaves at 8:20." Her rude reply "You are looking at the boarding time." Me: "um, okay, even though it's plain and clear on my ticket that the flight leaves at 8:20!" BITCH! Seriously, I sometimes think the main criteria for hiring these employees is "how much of an attitude can you throw at innocent passengers...especially if the reason they miss their flights is because we are total idiots and cannot seem to get things running in an efficient manner?" Southwest is still my favorite airline...the people are way nicer, as soon as the plane door closes, the plane pulls back and takes off within 10 minutes. Delta? The plane door closes, and 10 minutes later you get an announcement from the captain telling you that there is paperwork that still needs to be filled out and there will be a bit of delay. Um, HELLO??? What the hell were you doing all the while we were boarding the plane? Picking your nose?

Anyway, I got to my destination fine, got a total of 4 hours of sleep, spent the day visiting a large orange juice manufacturing facility, and then caught up on work, had dinner with the client, and was "forced" to stay out until 1:30A with the client bar-hopping...yes, another 1:30A arrival back at the hotel! While out at our last bar, one of my clients was listing off his top rules in life - and one was to save up for retirement. One of the other clients, a very well-dressed New Yorker from the corporate offices of the company I was doing work for, mentioned that she might need to start doing a better job of this given that she loves clothes (as was evident by her Calvin Klein pin-striped pants), has both a Hummer and a BMW, and a house in Chappaqua - all for just herself! Um, yes, perhaps she could start saving a bit more...but damn, she is well-dressed! I mentioned to her that I was doing this challenge, and she said...wow, that's a great idea...not sure how much she took it to heart.

While away, my poor cat Sunny breathed his last breath. He had been losing quite a bit of weight over the course of the past 2 months and pretty much stopped eating on his own for the past month. Mike was force-feeding him Ensure...but I think he finally just gave up. He was buried beneath the buddha statue in our back yard - fitting considering that his full name was Sunshine Dharma and came to Mike as he was meditating at a buddhist monastery.

To round out the week, we are on Day 2 of our Fri/Sat garage sale. Before leaving for my trip, I spent as much of my spare time I could rummaging through all of my goods (clothes included) to find stuff to sell. We got rid of quite a few larger items that were taking up space - a couch, a bar & stools, a futon. As I was traveling most of yesterday, Mike had to man the fort - and was going by the motto "let's get rid of this stuff, even if it means giving it away for free, because we don't want to have to haul it back inside." I'm now blogging on a dining room chair which I'm hoping to get rid of by the day's end, staring out into the empty street wondering where all the garage salers are. I did sell a purse that I bought for $60 for $1.50. Wow, what a return on investment! Apparel is not the big seller at these events...that's for sure! Our proceeds from this weekend probably wouldn't even cover one shopping trip in my past life! I think we'll instead use it for dinner out :)

Week 19, Days 6 - 7: Vino & Baseball

Week 19, Day 6 Outfit: The Limited Turquoise v-neck sleeveless empire waist silk shirt, White House Black Market white shorts, Aldo peep-toed laser cut beige stilettos

Week 19, Day 7 Outfit: Gap white sleeveless cotton tee, Gap dark wash denim shorts, JCrew flipflops

Friday was mainly a work from home day, with plans to go out to Vino100 for a couple glasses of wine. It was a mellow night and great to just chill out for once. Given the outfit on this day, a couple of people I saw on Friday asked if I was still on the challenge. That's the nice thing about a change in seasons...more options...as my winter attire is very quickly dwindling. Amazing, though...I'm now in almost my 5th month of this challenge and still have plenty of clothing that I have not yet worn!

Saturday, a few friends came to visit (one from Pittsburgh, the rest from Detroit) and we went to a Mud Hens game. It's so great to remind yourself of the great activities that you can actually do in Toledo. Had this been a Major League baseball game, we would have been sitting in the nosebleed section...but given that this was Minor League, we had front row seats right behind 1st base...and all for a whoppin' $10! Gotta love smaller towns!

Week 19, Day 5: Productivity!

Week 19, Day 5 Outfit: "Little Miss Lucky" Tee from Urban Outfitters, New York and Company black pants (that I have turned into yoga gear)

This week has been a total contrast to last week from a crazy-busy travel schedule perspective. Aside from a day trip to Detroit, I have had the luxury of working from home, which allowed me to get much more than just work done. I have shampooed carpets during my lunch break, replaced light bulbs (okay, not really, but have made the commitment to doing it tomorrow), cleaned out the refridgerator, and got caught up on work from last week! I feel like superwoman! I read an article in a local magazine publication today about making time to organize your house - 15 minutes at a time...though a simple statement, there's definitely something to that. If I can schedule everything else in my life, why can't I schedule time to take care of things that I get all worked up and stressed about when I walk by them on Sunday night (when experiencing what Mike calls my Sunday Psychosis). Little by little, perhaps all of our closets will be well-organized. Mike and I have decided to have a garage sale a week from tomorrow...it'll be interesting what preparing for that event will do to spark some kind of manic cleaning streak. Mike tells me that I am like the Tazmaninan Devil when these streaks strike - I spin around the house cleaning everything in my path...and probably utter sounds similar to what the Tazmanian Devil makes - ougha loo agh ogush ogha lah ogha! Translated into English: "Mike, why can't you put your socks here, where they belong. Honey, why are there glass cups on the bath tub. Sweetie, our house is so gross..." (notice the use of words like "honey" and "sweetie" to somehow soften the blow of an otherwise accusatory statement. Lucky him, huh?

Today marks my 4th consecutive day of spinning...which is probably why my legs feel like lead and my entire body aches...that paired with hot yoga and intense 6A yoga classes and the killer Pilates class I had yesterday. Since I've been home every morning and night this week, I have decided to make full use of my membership at Essence...to make up for what I missed all last week while traveling! That, and this desire to remove the crazy weight gain I experienced last week. So, in honor of my week-long addiction to Essence, I post for you yet another yoga outfit.