My Outfit - Bold Red Booties

Jacket - Guess - Similar @ Amazon

Top - WHBM - Similar @ Amazon

Skirt - WHBM - Similar @ Amazon

Booties - Xappeal, Alexa - @ Rack Room Shoes Similar @ Amazon

Tights - Target - Similar @ Amazon

Belt - Target - Similar @ Amazon

The last time I was outlet shopping I was in shoe heaven.  I was in a place called Rack Room Shoes, at the Tejon outlet mall in California, near the Grapevine, if you know the area.  Anywho, I had found about 3 pairs of lovely feeling boots when I spotted this bright red beauties.  I really didn't think they would be work appropriate, but I have not purchased much in the way of fashion shoes lately, so I went for it.

Generally where I live there is no nice place to shop.  Many of my friends get annoyed with me as my preferred activity when I visit them is to shop!  They often roll their eyes at me, and lament that I am too into shopping and I need to get out and do other things with my time, and especially our time together.  The harsh truth of where I live though is that there are no nice places to shop.  Even the places that often carry high end clothes, like Macy's, do not offer those nicer products in my area.  It is really sad actually.  I feel bad for people who do not have the means to travel far from where we live to find those nicer products.  It is really sad when you consider that this same policy holds true for food as well.

Well then..... I had these super cute booties waiting in my closet and yesterday was the day they made their first appearance to the world.  And I'm not 100% sold on how I wore them.  They certainly popped with this outfit, but the white tights may have made them pop a bit more than I was really wanting them to.  Without the jacket on they do look a bit out of place.  Hmmm..... sometimes to be fashionable one needs to take fashion risks.  I don't know how fashionable I am, but I do know I take risks with my clothes.

Another risk I often take that my wife just does not approve of?  The white tights.  They really rub her the wrong way.  However, I will say she is not a leggings, tights, jeggings, stretch pants, type of girl anywho.  I mean, she thinks they are fine on some others, but not for herself!  I have noted that she tends to be a bit more discriminating than I in these types of leg coverings.

Alrighty, that's it!  I'm outta here!

Love you!

Love yourself!

Love red booties!

1 Regret, Some Could Have Done Betters, And Lots of Glad I Dids

About 6 months ago.

I will be the first to admit that my transition has not gone the way that I expected it to.  My whole life has been spent picturing people chasing me down with torches and pitchforks.  I know that would never happen, but as well I am the type that is afraid of a shark biting me when I jump in my pool.  I know that it isn't real, and I know it is not ever going to happen.  But that doesn't make the fear go away.

What does?  Facing those fears.

This has been a long slow event for me.  I see that now.  Some part of me must have known what was coming because while some may say my easy transition is due to luck, I see now that much of it was due to hard work.  Much of that work was done by those who have come before me.  They are the ones who endured much of the vitriol that is born of ignorance.  They are the ones who helped to open the door.  Me?  I'm just taking advantage of that opening.

There are many things that I am glad I figured out, a few things that could have been better, and really only one thing that I have absolutely regretted.   

Glad I figured out:

Name - I have been through a few of them.  I couldn't imagine having the first female name I used on all of my legal records.  Nope.  SO glad I figured out the name thing.

Clothes - 28 days at work, how many outfits do you think I have repeated?  Zero.  Yup, zero.  Do you read this blog at all?  Have you seen my clothes?  It is as though I have been preparing to be out at work for the last 10 years.  I have been so thrilled to be out as me and not only not worry about my clothes, but to have my clothes bring me strength.  It is funny.  I have said before that my clothes are my friends, and I feel as though my friends have finally come out to play in the real world. Can you guess my favorite clothing store?  White House Black Market anyone!!!

Community connections - Yeah, this is another biggy.  A real biggy.  This has been central to the easy transition I have had.  If not for the support of the people in my life, I would not be able to do what I have done.  It is not merely that people are supportive, it is that I took the time to build community connections prior to coming out.

Eeeek!!!  So glad I learned!!

Hormones - This one was life changing for me.  It really opened my eyes to my reality.  I laugh at who I thought I was prior to last July and changing my hormones to the right ones.

Therapy - Have I mentioned before that I love my therapist?  Well I do!  Not merely because she is my therapist, but because she is a specialist with gender issues.  Her listening ear and gentle guidance has been so lovely!

Makeup - I started with getting foundation from Target or Walmart.  It functioned, but it didn't make me feel like a queen.  Now?  I love that I have had the last ten to fifteen years of my life to practice with this stuff.  Practice is necessary.  Who do I use today?  A combo of Clinique and Urban Decay, mostly just UD. 

Hair - my first wig cost probably about forty bucks.  My latest?  About four hundred and fifty bucks.  Why pay so much?  Because it rocks!  Currently I have three main hair pieces.  They are all by Jon Renau and in a large size cap for my large noggen.  Amber - long and curly.  Zara - long and straight. Cameron - short and straight, and the most expensive due to the hand tied lace top cap.

A sense of humor - This is important.  There is a certain reality to my situation.  I was born with a male body, bummer for me!  People like people who smile.  Smile more.

The world does not revolve around me being transgender - When I first started going out in public, I was sure that every little laugh, every mean look, every rude person, was doing that because I am transgender.  When in reality more than 99.9% of the time none of that had anything to do with me.  Some people laugh. Some people have weird looks on their faces.  Some people are rude.  And that is just how they are, and they would be that way regardless of how I chose to dress.  The worst that I have seen from humanity was while I was presenting as a male.  The best I have seen from humanity has been while I am me.

Ahhh..... that hair!!!

What could have been done better:

Shoes - I wish I had invested more time in finding cute, all day wearable, functional shoes!  This has been hard as it is a super weak link in my outfits.  Shoes I thought would be wearable really are not when you are talking about being on your feet for oh, 8 hours a day, walking circles around your classroom.

Bras - Good wearable bras, that are good for the entire day, day after day, yeah, I should have spent more time on this!

Legal name change - I got the court date and social security number done with prior to going back to work, but I wish I had gotten it all done.  I'm currently on Birth Certificate.  Then onto Driver's License.  And lastly will be Passport.  Well actually, after the DL, then I will start doing everything else - bank, bills, utilities, you know all that stuff?  Yeah, I wish it was done.

Some sort of functional scheduling system - Since I switched to estrogen my memory has gone to crap!  Seriously!  It used to be so easy to pretty much remember everything, always, for all time!  Now?  Yeah, not so much!

My one regret:

Electrolysis - Wow, I wish I had finished this up long before I decided to go full time.  It really would have been mentally much easier to have had that done by now.  Too bad for me that even though I read this advice, I thought it would never apply to me!  Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!  Ahh well!

Well then, there ya go!  That is my 1+ month reflection of being full time at my job.

Love you!

Love yourself!

Good luck!

My Outfit - Tall Maroon Boots

Tunic - White House Black Market - Similar

Leggings - White House Black Market - Similar

Boots -  Unisa  - Similar

Belt - Mossimo - Similar

Jacket - Max Studio - Similar

Do you love the boots?  I do.  I don't think I have a very good picture of them though.  Hmm... let me see if I can figure one out.

Awesome huh?  Well I think so!  That was why when I was last shopping at DSW in Dublin, CA, and ran across these beauties, I was so thrilled when I found them in my size.  Furthermore, they actually fit!  Wow!  Glory be to the holy shoes!  I mean I love suede, and I love boots, and I love maroon, so what is not to love about these?  Seriously, I really like them.

I chose to wear these to one of the sessions with my counselor, who really likes shoes!  I think she said she had somewhere between 100-200 pairs?  Maybe my memory is a bit off, but I do know that she really likes shoes!  She told me that she is a firm believer in "shoe therapy."  I mentioned it to my wife who kind of lightly scoffed at the idea but reconsidered when I pointed out that if it is something that truly makes you happy, you can afford it, and it doesn't hurt anybody else, isn't it kind of a good thing to do for yourself?  Just as anything along those same lines would? 

She had to admit that I had a point.  Of course, maybe it was all just a ploy for me to justify buying another pair of yummy boots?  Hmm, maybe.  No, no, no.  Seriously, I don't need to justify to her anything that I want to buy, nor does she.  And I do think that shoe therapy is a real thing, a real good thing.

Okie Dokie.  Thanks!

Love you!

Love yourselves!

Love really awesome shoes that make you feel like a million bucks!

Smooch!

My Outfit - Making It Work

Top - Patty Boutik

Tank - Guess - Similar

Skirt - H & M - Similar

Leggings - White House Black Market - Similar

Booties - Madden Girl - Similar

Belt - Mossimo - Similar

This top has been hanging in my closest for quite some time.  I think it has remained there, despite not wearing it very often, because I really like the color.  Well that and it shows off my boobs quite nicely.  But when I put it on this past Saturday, low and behold, it decided to morph into a top that barely even covered my boobs!  Yikes! 

That was certainly not the look that I would ever go for!  I mean seriously, it is not like it didn't fit a little bit, it didn't fit a lot!  It was so bad, that I wondered why I even purchased it!  This particular top is purchased by your breast size.  When I first purchased it, it was fine, then within a short bit, it was stretched, but I could make it work by using some double sided tape.  But seriously, this past weekend, no amount of tape would ever work! 

Instead, I obviously wore a tank underneath.  I thought that possibly it looked a bit ridiculous, but according to Jules it worked!  I still like the color and as well, with the black tank peeping out, it worked with the black of the skirt and leggings. 

Oh I don't know if you can really see my booties or not, but I love them!  I got them about a month ago as sympathy shoes.  Yup, sympathy shoes.  I was sick, and my sinuses hurt, and my stomach was in super pain due to a bad reaction to some antibiotics.  So on the way home from therapy, I rewarded myself for dealing so well, with a new pair of shoes!  Yay!  Yummy!  Shoes!!

Love you!

Love shoes!!

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!

I'm SO Weird!

Saucony Cohesion 6 - Similar

I've known this for much of my life, but I am constantly amazed at how often it is exemplified.  Thus yet again this morning I had to shake my head at myself.  Why, you ask?  Well, this morning I finally decided to wear the above shoes to work!  And I was totally freaking out about it.  Okay, well let's dial it back a bit and give some explanation.  I wasn't having a panic attack or anything, I was just super unsure and continued to go back and forth on if I should wear them or not.  Yesterday I had the same thoughts, and decided against it.  I have had the same thoughts for quite some time, and yet have never pulled the trigger on actually wearing them until today.

I was super unsure of my decision, but I stood up from the couch I normally sit at to put my shoes on and I stated to Jules that it was finally time and I was going to do it.  She gave me a quizzical look as I walked over to my closet.  I heard her ask "what are you going to do?" from behind me as I reached down and pulled out my super pink tennis shoes.  I showed her the shoes and tentatively announced that I would be wearing them to work today.  She kind of rolled her eyes at me, not in a condescending fashion because she couldn't believe my audacity, but rather she couldn't believe I was feeling weird about it.  She then stated that she thought I had already done that.

Yeah, maybe that is what some of you have already thought to yourselves as well.  But no, I had not already done that.  But for the heck of it, let's review what about this situation makes it all a bit weird for me to be feeling concerned about wearing pink tennis shoes to work shall we?  Okay, here is the list of things I do, that are a bit atypical for my perceived gender:

- I wear my nails painted pretty much 24/7/365
- I wear mostly female clothes, consisting mostly of undershirts, jeans, and shoes
- Both ears are pierced and I wear obvious female rings on my fingers
- I carry a female phone case, wallet, and iPad cover
- I wear female smelling lotions daily
- Daily, I bring to work my two-tone pink Victoria Secret lunch cooler
- I have told several people at work I consider myself to be transgender
- I wear a lightly padded, visibly obvious, bra almost every day

I think that about covers it.

Thus, it is almost laughable that today I was worried because "Oh no, what are people going to think about my bright pink shoes!"  I mean, maybe, possibly, they might think I am a bit different.  Maybe it will be the pink shoes that shoves somebody over the edge and they will risk their careers to come hassle me over it.  Maybe this will be the thing forces my clientele to finally demand that I be replaced with someone far more competent.

Ya, right, that's what's going to happen.  HA!

And do you know what?  Nothing has happened.  Why would it?  Why would innocuous cute pink tennis shoes be any more blatantly gender variant than anything else I do?  I am three fourths of the way through my day and so far nobody has said anything.  My coworkers still talk to me normally, my clients still work with me.  Everything is totally fine and normal.

Now I feel like a bit of a ding-a-ling for keeping these super cute shoes in the closet for so long.  Ha! I wasn't in the closet, but my shoes were!  So weird.

How worked up was I?  I forgot to wear my bra today.  Now I have on cute shoes, but I feel a bit naked and exposed!  OMG, I weird myself out sometimes.

Seriously, I had thoughts that one day I wouldn't feel this way.  I could live a life where I stop restricting myself to what I think is socially acceptable and just start wearing whatever the heck I want to wear!

Love you!

Love yourself!

Love awesome pink tennis shoes!

Love This Shoe!! - Boo-Hoo For Me!!

CONVERSE X PATBO CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STAR HIGH TOP

I will freely admit, I do not have official permission to use this image!  I know, right! Image thief!  Well does it help that I am advertising the Converse brand?  Probably not.  I am totally in love with this shoe though.  I have taken to recently wearing Converse shoes to work almost everyday.  None of them are quite this feminine though.  Well maybe a couple of them, but not quite this pretty!  I really like that they have actual embroidery on them.  Often with Converse they will have painted on images that resemble embroidery, but they don't have actual embroidery on them.  This pair though, has really embroidery done on them.  So why am I SO bummed?  Well they no longer have them in my size!!

Boo-Hoo for me!!  Um.... I am majorly bumming!  So, if anyone knows where to buy these in a ladies size 10, then let me know!  I will be eternally grateful!

Speaking of Boo-Hoo, reader Clare wrote in and asked:

Off topic...thoughts on dressing en femme (to work) on Halloween?

To which I will say that I have never done that.  I have considered it, but I yet to actually do it.  And I am kind of mixed on my thoughts on doing it ever.  On the one hand, I am interested in going to work fully dressed as a woman, but at the same time, I am kind of not interested in that.  As well, I don't really like the idea of dressing as a woman for Halloween.  Halloween for me is a time to dress specifically in a costume.  Thus if I were to dress as a woman for Halloween, does that mean that I am presenting myself dressed as a woman, as a costume?  I kind of don't like that idea.  I don't like the idea of me dressed a woman being a costume.

I totally get though why so many other MtF transgender people do dress as a woman though on Halloween.  They see it as the one time of the year when they can get out dressed as they please, and no one is going to think they are a freak.  I totally get that there is some sort of assumed safety of dressing however on Halloween.

But it is not for me.  Well, I could see dressing as a woman, but then being in an actual costume.  Like I did for this photo:

Other than that though..... I don't think I will ever just dress as a woman, and then go to work for Halloween.  Now just dressing as a woman and going to work on any random day.... hmm..... possibly!

Love you!

Love yourself!

Love Cute Converse with Embroidery!!

Image:
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/converse-x-patbo-chuck-taylor-all-star-high-top-womens-shoe/pid-11340121/pgid-11627209?cp=usns_pdsoc_nike_103016_mln_fbk_wmn_xct_rtgng_dpa_x_x_x&k_clickid=ef9608fa-3ce9-4f36-810f-501dca9add50  

Who Wears Cheetah Anyway?

Jacket - Guess - Similar

Top - Vince Camuto - Similar (in print)

Jeans - Levi: Denizen

Shoes - Kelly & Katie: Larissa - Similar

I so love the plant that is growing up behind me and this is my favorite time of year for it!  Well, okay, so maybe it is off by a few weeks or so.  In a little bit it should be absolutely covered with purple flowers.  So pretty!  It is a wisteria by the way.  I planted it when it was fairly small and have been training it to grow along the awning.  I love it, but it is work; if I am not careful it will easily destroy the entire awning!

Okay, anywho...... Who wears cheetah?  I do!  it is actually the first bit of cheetah anything that I have and I think I bought it more for my wife's cheetah enjoyment.  For me?  Eh???  Maybe?  But they were on sale at DSW for about 20 bucks!  So how could I not buy them?  

I don't think you can tell in these photos, but the top has some blue in it.  Isn't that cool?  Okay, well I think it is because I SO love black and white and that is how the top looks, but upon closer inspection, it has a bit of blue in it.  I didn't even notice until until half way through the day Jules happened to mention it.

Did you notice the necklace?  It was my mom's!  It is one of about 3 or 4 pieces of jewelry of hers that I happened to inherit.  I really like it.  I didn't think I could pull off a choker.  I don't like tightness on my neck, but this piece is a solid piece of metal, silver I think.  It doesn't have any tension on it; it just sits there.  It is lovely!

And lastly, I wore this outfit to get our nails done and to go shopping at Costco.  I think my nails are adorbes!

Love ya!

Super Shoes

Sweater - 69th & Madison - Similar

Tank - WHBM - Similar

Skirt - H&M - Similar (as shorts)

Shoes - Naturalizer: Believe

I built this outfit mainly around these shoes; which are totally awesome by the way!  While Jules and I and were driving to DSW she asked what I was looking for.  My answer was a pair of black heels that I could actually wear for the day, walk around in comfortably, and not get any blisters, or sore feet.  Thus in we walked into the store with a goal in mind.  Jules was totally awesome.  She pointed out a pair of heels, which happens to be the ones I am wearing, and while I began trying them on, she brought me pair after pair of various heels to try on.


It was quite the event, with boxes and boxes of different discarded heels piling up around me as I tried on pair after pair.  I began to feel a bit guilty.  I was opening lots of boxes, taking out perfectly packaged, never opened, never spoiled, wondrously beautiful pristine heels, and putting them aside after quickly determining that if they hurt while trying them on, then they would certainly be quite painful trying to survive all day in them.  I tried as best as I could to replace them all in their perfect little packages, but I know it was not as good as they were done originally.  But I put them back as best as I could, and stacked the boxes around me as neatly as possible for the sales associates to replace them on the shelves.

Eventually, after trying on about 20-30 pairs of gorgeous heels, I chose the very first pair I tried on, the ones pictured in these photos, and a second really cute pair of simple black suede heels.  I was super thrilled, and especially so as Jules also found a cool reversible belt for me marked down on clearance!  Awesome shopping trip!

And, the end result?  Heels that I can wear all day long!  Okay, well I maybe have not worn them all day long.  But I did wear them on a shopping trip when we went to Sephora, Costco, and out for lunch.  Thus there was a significant amount of walking and hanging out in them for the day.  In total, it was at least 8-10 hours in the shoes.  And my feet?  They felt totally fine! Not a hot spot, not a blister, not a single sore toe in the bunch!

Love those shoes!  Yay!

Buy happy shoes!

Have happy toes!

Love you!

Gender Non-Conforming - Shoes

Saucony - Famous Footwear

Today I am more than bit nervous.  Why?  Well because I am at work with female shoes on.  The shoes that I have pictured above are the ones that I am currently wearing.

Saucony - Similar

And aren't they totally different from the male shoes that I normally wear, which are the ones pictured above?  OMG, they are so totally different!  I mean, can you see the pink splash of the Saucony symbol across the side of the female shoes?  I mean if anybody were to see that I would surely be pitchforked, right?

Well, I decided to call BS on myself yesterday and buy the shoes regardless of what my inner meanie voices were saying.  I had gone to Famous Footwear here in my town while on a break from work with the specific intent on buying some female shoes that I felt as though I could wear to work.  This is something I have been doing a bit more of lately.

Converse - High Top

Converse - Low Top - Similar

Here are some shoes that I have been wearing to work.  They are female, and I have never gotten anything but nice positive comments about them.  I work with a couple of people who really like Converse and they were sure to tell me how much they liked the ones I wear.  Super nice!

But I have been down to one pair of tennis shoes, male ones, and I think it is better to have more than one pair of tennis shoes, otherwise they wear out so quickly.  Thus I decided to try and find some female ones.  And in Famous Footwear, I found some, the ones pictured at the top.  But after trying them on and experiencing the fabulous fit, I decided that they were much too fem looking for me to be able to comfortably wear them while dressed as a male.  And I left them sitting on the bench and walked out of the store.

As I was walking back to my truck, I looked down at my fingernails.

And there I was.  Contemplating my own messed up voices.  So, my super obvious female styled nails are fine, but shoes with a bit of pink on them, yeah, that's not okay.  My two pairs of female Converse, yeah those are fine and I wear them all the time, but shoes with a little bit of pink on them, not okay.  Wow!  I am messed in the head!

I returned to work and pondered my twisted up perceptions.  For the next few hours I questioned myself and returned again and again to the question of, if I am okay with myself, then why not buy the shoes?  What is the worst that would happen?  Someone might ask me about my new shoes with some pink on them.  I was all twisted up about a color.  A color that apparently I had deemed as not appropriate for a guy to wear.  Even a guy with his nails painted.  Even a guy who has both of his ears pierced.  Even a guy who wears a diamond and sapphire wedding ring.  Wow, seriously?

So I called BS on myself and I went and bought the shoes.  And today I have them on my feet and I am at work!  Wow, small victories huh?  Yeah well I have not made it through the day yet.  Who knows maybe I will still be pitchforked at some point!

Okay.  Sounds great.  Then how come I am still unwilling to wear my pair of super hot pink Saucony tennis shoes to work?

Saucony - Similar

Wow, is it too much for me?  Do I not want to wear this pair of super female shoes while dressed as a guy?  Or do I think they violate the guy dress code far too much?  Hmm??????  Just when I think I have myself figured out I find yet another area that I can't quite figure out.

I like to think of these things as an unsolved Rubic's Cube.  I pick it up, twist it about.  Try out different combinations.  I can't quite figure it out, so I set it down and let it sit while I observe it from a distance.  Occasionally I will go over, pick it up, twist it around, ponder it, and then set it down again.

I don't think there is a solution to the puzzle, just different combinations.

Hmm.....

Hot pink.....

Guy dress code violations......

Hmm.......

Painted fingernails, totally fine......

Hmm........

Just when I think I have it figured out......

Love you!

Wear more pink!

Outfit for 5-7-15 - The Outfit That Almost Killed Me

Dress - Calvin Klein

Sweater - White House Black Market

Shoes - Guess

I really wanted to try out my new wig and thought, I should wear something new and fun. The obvious choice was this new Calvin Klein dress and had just recently purchased. I really like how it hugs my body with its super stretchy fabric. Just on its own, it shows off any curves that I actually have. The horizontal stripes also work to give the illusion of a curvier body. And of course I had to pair it with my T strap Guess shoes.

It was with glee in my step that I setup my camera on my tripod and walked out my front door to snap some shots. Without really thinking, while holding my tripod, topped with my pricey relatively new camera, my heel came down right on the edge of the short little step on my front porch. I wobbled for a second, and then began a horrific feeling fall.

I knew I was going down. I knew it was going to hurt. But I had some forethought and I brought down my tripod, still with its legs folded together, and managed to control my fall. My camera stayed upright instead of ending up in pieces smashed in my demise, which was super lucky. But then I came down hard on my right knee.  It smashed into the ground and then then event was over.

I stayed there for a moment, catching my breath, and making sure I was steady. Slowly I got to my feet and surveyed the damage. I was sure that I was going to be bloody, or maybe broken, or at least chipped. But thankfully no. My knee hurt, but all that had occurred was a sore spot and a slight grazing of my knee.

Being out of danger, I setup my tripod and snapped my shots!

Yay, I lived! Yay, I didn't break anything. Yay!

Over all of the years of wearing heels, this was the first time I have ever gone down. A little wobble here and there of course, but I have never hit the ground before. It was pretty terrifying!

The obligatory cat photo!

Watch out for those steps people!

Outfit for 3-17-2015 - Stripes!

Top - White House Black Market

Skirt - 36 Point 5

Shoes - Taryn

Belt - Mossimo

Overall I think my outfit looks pretty good.  I especially like the shoes!  Do you know how long I have been looking for a nice pair of shoes in a nude color?  For a LONG time!  I ended up spending about $100 on these shoes as I had finally found a pair of mostly comfy nude shoes.  And they are wedges as well, which means that they are fairly usable as shoes I can actually spend the day in.

And on this day I did spend quite a bit of time in them.  Alas as with most cute shoes, after several hours, they did make my feet begin to hurt a bit.  But with going to a department store, the movies, and then to Costco, and walking all around that giant store, I would honestly be surprised if my feet didn't hurt me at least a little!

Okay, so, while I love the fit of this top, the color of this top, the fabric of this top, I just don't know if horizontal stripes on my torso is the best thing for me!  After reviewing this pictures for this post, I kind of get the feeling that the stripes make my torso look bigger.  Maybe it is pairing this top with this skirt.  The skirt is pretty straight and skinny, and I rarely use my hip pads anymore.  So my bottom half looks pretty small, but my top half looks a bit larger.  I don't know, maybe it is just my perception!

Oh and while I was snapping shots, my dog thought he would get in on the fun.  Isn't he a cutie?  I don't think I told you all yet, but I am getting a new puppy soon!  It is less than two weeks away at this point.  I am so excited, and so nervous!  Good golly, a new puppy?  How am I going to do that??  Ahhh....... I am nervous, and excited, and afraid, and happy and.....???????  Oh I hope I can give my new little guy everything that he needs!

Okay.  Love you all!  Thank you so much for reading.

What do you think of the stripes?  Good, not good?  Opinions?

Oh and I am still looking for other folks who are interested in posting their own outfit posts.  What I would be interested in you doing would be to: take at least 1 full photo of your outfit.  Tell us who made what.  And what you like or don't like about it.  Come on people, I am not the only little fashionista out there.  I know you folks love your clothes and outfits, and that many of you look great!  Don't be shy!

Love you again!

Outfit for 2-6-15 - Red & Purple

Coat - Guess
White Sweater - White House Black Market
Purple Tank - White House Black Market
Skirt - ????? (I don't have that info with me right now!)
Shoes - Born O Concept

In reviewing this outfit for this post, I really think the shoes are not the right pair for this outfit.  I think the shoes are far too casual.  Lately I have been having a tough time mentally with my shoes.  I never feel as though I have just the right pair.  I totally understand how some people can end up with lots and lots of shoes.

I am currently limiting myself in the shoe arena for two main reasons.  1 - Storage space.  I store all of my shoes in shoe boxes with pictures of the shoes on them.  This really helps to keep my shoes dust free and ready to wear right when I pull them out of the box.  2 - The other reason is price.  I have been trying to limit my shopping as of late.

Shopping is such a favorite activity of mine, but alas I can spend so much money in doing so.  For me it is such a stress relief to shop, but spending money is a can often cause stress.  Such a balancing act!  Gosh, can't I just win the power-ball already!  Ha!  What a lark!  Although once, awhile back I did get 5 out of 6 numbers on the CA lotto.  I was one number away from winning 12 million!  Could you imagine the shoes one could purchase with that kind of bank roll?

Things around here have been super busy as of late.  I have many work related projects that are absorbing my time, which I am currently ignoring to write this post! Ha!  So I work all day, and then go home and work my butt off in the yard.  I am trying to redo the entire giant garden Jules and I have.  I have been taking out fences, moving giant shrubs, putting in fences, and still have to redo the irrigation, take out the planter beds, grade the land, etc, etc, etc!!!!  OMG, I am SO tired!  Uggg!

BTW, I absolutely love this purple tank popping from underneath the white sweater!  Gosh it looks so yummy!

Love you!

Wear purple!