My Outfit - Black and White Polka Dots - My Favorite!

Dress - Laura - Similar

Leggings - White House Black Market - Similar

Booties - Madden Girl - Similar

Belt - White House Black Market - Similar

This past summer Jules and I were on our Alaska cruise and we pulled into port at Victoria, British Columbia.  We were really unsure what to do as it was a much larger city than we had visited on this trip and we are not super big on large cities.  We chose to just walk the streets and see the sites as pedestrian tourists.  As we were strolling down some nondescript road I spotted a super cute dress in a store window, but alas the shop, Laura, was closed.

We had no idea when the place was going to open as there was indication of store hours.  Maybe it's a Canadian thing, eh?  Ha-Ha, I'm so funny!  Okay, so anywho.... on we walked.  Really we had one idea in mind, to find some sort of British pub like establishment and get some pub food!  We are not experience with that type of food and we heard that Victoria can be known for it.  So we searched and searched.  It didn't really help much that it was about 9 in the morning and our ship was leaving at about 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

 We utilized our technology and found a good sounding place for some grub.  Upon arriving at the location, we were quite dismayed to find it closed.  It was something that had been repeated over and over.  Apparently, cities are not always the most convenient of places!  Feeling a bit frustrated, I convinced Jules that the shop I saw that cute dress in was probably open by now, being as it was after ten.  Thus we walked back towards the mall containing the shop with the super cute dress!

When we arrived there, surprise, surprise, it was in fact open!  And there were happy, friendly sales people milling about, ready and willing to help us!  And further good news, I found the dress I saw in the window, and it was in my size!  Oh good lordy, it was indeed shaping up to be a glorious day!  I took the dress in hand and began perusing the other garments on the racks.  A sales person approached and asked if she could start a fitting room for me.  Which I gladly accepted.

Oh and yeah, there was not a single hint of any sort of weird vibe from these glorious Canadian city dwellers.  I was clearly in mixed presentation mode.  I had obvious boobs, and was dressed in female clothing, but no wig or makeup.  But heck, these people treated me just like any other human!  Wow!  Such awesomeness.  I picked up a couple of other items and with anticipation of the super cute dress, I went with glee into the fitting room.  As well, Jules found a couple of things to try on as well!  It truly was a glorious day!

I went into the fitting room, stripped down, and put on the super cute dress and was instantly disappointed.  Boo-Hiss!  Crestfallen, I stepped out of the fitting room and showed the funky hanging dress to Jules.  While the dress was indeed cute, it was super not cute on me.  Ha!  Ah the perils of trying on clothes!

Oh well, I still had a couple of other options in the room waiting for me.  One of them was just as funky looking on me as the super cute dress and was quickly discarded.  But, this dress, in these photos, was tried on next and a warm glorious rainbow descended down upon me and I thought I heard a angels singing as the dress fell down around me and fit me like a glove!  Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, there certainly was no rainbow or angels singing, but seriously this dress fits like an absolute dream!

As well, it is in my favorite colors, black and white!  And what else, it is polka dots!  And what else, the dots are not uniform!  Oh glorious dress!  Oh and wait, it is stretchy too!  Oh and what else, it is the perfect packing dress as it can be rolled into a ball, pulled out, put on, and it looks fabu!  But wait, there's more, the dots are applied with a puffy type of paint and they produce the most fabulous texture that is so pleasing to run your hands over!  Oh My God!  It is a fabulous dress, and I love it!

Needless to say, everything else got left in the fitting room and this dress was brought to the counter, without a care as to the price.  Okay, well maybe a small care about the price, I mean I'm not about to drop a fortune on a dress, even if it is the most perfect dress in the world.  It wasn't bad, I think it was about 80 dollars, Canadian.  But what was also awesome, Jules found a super fitting beautiful dress as well!  Wow, Jules finding a dress that she likes, and fits well too?  Oh gosh, it was almost too much!

So.... I don't know if Laura is worldwide or just in Canada - a quick Google search makes it appear as though it is a Canadian store.  This store is fabulous!  It has so many cute things in many different sizes, for many different bodies shapes, with reasonable prices!  It is a really nice store with nice clothes and super friendly sales people!  Seriously, this was my highlight of Victoria British Colombia.  If I ever go back to Victoria, you know I am going back to this store!

(I really think Laura should pay me something for this review, don't you? - But seriously, it is a great store that super impressed me if you can't tell!  Ha!  I need to write more!)

Okay, I gotta run!

Love you!

Love yourselves!

Love textured, super yummy, black and white, polka dot, dresses from Laura of Canada!

Ha!

Outfit - Hot Pink Sandals

Top - White House Black Market - Similar

Skirt - American Apparel - Similar

Shoes - Kelly and Katie - Similar

Belt - Mossimo - Similar

Bangles - Chico - Similar

I planned this outfit around the shoes.  I had purchased them a few months back, well at least a few months back.  Honestly, I can't remember how far back I had purchased these shoes, but I do remember that when I did purchase them, I had to purchase them as they are so darn adorable!  But when I did buy them, it was not quite the right weather for little pink sandals.  So I brought them home and placed them in the closet where they waited for just the right time to bring them out.

But they languished in the closet waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  I kept looking at them and thinking, nope, not today, today is no the right day to wear them.  I think a few times I heard them boo and hiss at me as I passed them over in favor of other more appropriate shoes.

And then, on this day, I said, fuck it!  They have got to be taken out and worn!  They are too darn cute to sit in my closet for the rest of time waiting for the right time!  So out they came!  I actually think that what I paired with them turned out to be a super cute outfit.  Surprisingly I don't know if I have worn this top a great deal either.  It is something I purchased and thought was cute but never found just the right time to wear it.  But with this outfit, it works really well!

The skirt is one of my all time favorite items, a simple sheath skirt with a small slit up the back.  It is nice and tight and super stretchy.  So it gives me a slight appearance of hips as it totally hugs in at my knees and affords me a great shape.  Thus even though it was super cheap, it works really well!

Okie dokie!  That's about it.

Things here are chugging along.  Yes the fire is still burning.  It is about 32,000 acres and about 70% contained.  My life is slowly returning to normal - meaning, I am busy as all get out!

I generally don't talk about my regular employment here, and I don't think I will begin to today.  But I will say that recently my job started up again and I am doing a couple of new things and it seems as though everyday I go to work, work for about 10 hours, and come home and still have about 10 more hours of things to do.  Needless to say, I never accomplish it all.  Ugh!  Thus if my blogging appears to be affected, it is because of this!  Got to make the big bucks right?!

Okay, love you!

Love yourselves!

Love cute pink sandals!

Day 70 Hormone Comparison Photo

Well here we are at day 70 of hormones!  Can't you tell the huge difference in my appearance?  I think the change is quite obvious!  Ha!  I amuse myself so much.  Seriously I think it is quite amusing.  There is that total part of me who is wanting to see changes each and every day, but I really need to keep it in check, with a healthy dose of reality.

I am on a super small dose of estrogen and spironolactone and the changes at this point are expected to be pretty negligible.  Maybe once I have my doses upped there will be more obvious changes, but for now there really has not been much happening.  A month ago I updated my happenings and nothing much has happened since then.

Over the past month I would suppose the largest change is that I have not had a wig and makeup on for about a month!  That is indeed a change.  Lots has been happening in my life, um... fire anyone?  Thus things have been more than a little full, but as well, possibly some drive to dress has lessened.  Possibly some part of me used to dress to feel some connection to being feminine, but now being on estrogen is a pretty good connection to the feminine.  So maybe that has also dampened my desire to fully dress.  It certainly hasn't lessened my desire to dress in female clothing.  That I continue to do on a daily basis.

So.... uh..... yeah, there ya go!  My hilarious update on my hormone journey!

Oh, and yeah, if you did not see my Facebook fire update, as of today we are up to about 60 percent containment.  They have established a fire line between my house and the main fire and with that comes about a 90% assurance that it won't jump the line.  So.... it appears as though things are going to be okay.  We have picked up the dogs from the kennel, got our stuff from storage, unpacked our bags, re-hung our pictures, and life is slowly returning to normal.  It is still super smokey, my sinuses are still quite full, my lungs still hurt like heck, but hey, my house is here!

Alrighty then!  Love you!

Love yourselves!

Love humor!

Fire, Fire, Everywhere

Have you ever had to experience the surreal event of walking through your house trying to decide what needs to be saved, and what you are willing to allow to burn and leave your life forever?

This is from about 10 miles from me.  Pretty frickin scary!  This fire started on about August 29th.  It is currently up to about 17,500 acres.  The area it is burning in has not burnt in recorded history.  Which basically means that it is well overdue for a burn.  We are hopeful that we will not have a problem at our house, but we are prepared to go.

It really brings about the question of what is important.  We had to make a list of priorities:

Number 1 - each other
Number 2 - the dogs
Number 3 - the cats
Number 4 - keepsake items
Number 5 - important documents
Number 6 - current medications
Number 7 - clothes and toiletries for at least a week
Number 8 - photographs
Number 9 - cute clothes!
Number 10 - cute shoes!
Number 11 - cute purses!
Number 12 - good outerwear!

So.... all of these items are pretty well covered.  Many things have been packed up and moved down to our off-site storage unit.  The dogs are currently down the mountain at the kennel for an ongoing stay.  The cats are all inside and have food a carriers by the door.  Our bags are packed, purses accounted for, documents in the purses, the emergency list has been written of what to do when they come and tell us it is a mandatory evacuation.

We are prepared to go, but hope we don't have to.

Hope you are well.

Love rain!


Photo Credit:
http://kmph.com/news/local/pier-fire-explodes-in-size-near-springville-no-containment