Splish Splash

Ah, spring. This is the time of year when I'm ecstatic that a few 85ºF days are thrown my way and that pretty things are blooming. Then that nagging voice in the back of my head says "You do know that after months of hiding under big sweaters and indulging your inner fat kid, you now have to wear a bathing suit in public? And you've become uber pale, so there's no base tan to give you that faux-lean look?"

Have no fear. The geniuses in fashion have finally come up with some super sexy ways to be comfortable. Granted, these suits are probably only practical for lying in the sun and having someone serve you drinks, but look how pretty they are! You can change into something sportier when it's time to get in the water.

Badgley Mischka BM11. This style is so unique. The color is great, and I like the detail on the strap.

La Blanca by Rod Beattie One Piece Bandeau. The rouching on this one seems nice and subtle. Plus, it won't cause weird tan lines up top!

Jantzen Heritage Ruffled Bikini. This would be good for those who can wear bikinis but want more butt coverage without a really obvious skirt. The top actually looks surprisingly supportive too.

Magicsuit Goddess Convertible One Shoulder. I'm always drawn to Grecian styles and mustard. It's convertible into a bandeau too!

Victoria's Secret Plunge Tankini. This looks like the swim version of a classic LBD.

All I need now is a great beach and a hot cabana boy!

Love these Earrings

I love these Amrita Singh earrings.  They look similar to the earrings that I borrowed from D and then lost in Napa...OOPS.  But I got these from Rue La La in hopes to replace them for her.

Don't you just love these?

America's Department Store

Without realizing it, I took photos of a few different Macy's stores over the holidays. I thought I'd share since it amuses me for some reason.

Garden City, NY. 27 Dec 10. The sign of a true blizzard (or hell freezing over).

Herald Square, Manhattan, NY. 29 Dec 10. Magical.

Union Square, San Francisco, CA. 3 Jan 11. So that's how they get those big ornaments on and off the tree!

2010 Reunion-a-RoNi #4

What better excuse for a reunion and a trip to ATL than Ms. J's wedding?! It was a fabulous weekend.

Wednesday: Drove to the Dirrty Dirrty and gorged on Antico Pizza and King of Pops with Ree and C. All the food totally lived up to the hype.

Thursday: Got R from the airport and drank coffee on Ree's awesome rooftop (so jealous) while the sun rose. Checked in to the Hotel Palomar and sat outside to enjoy lunch and champagne cocktails at Pacci -whose executive chef, BTW, went to school with us! Ran errands, impulse bought some mark makeup (stay tuned for recos) picked up the bachelorette, and got dolled up. Met up with the other girls to get our nails did and watched Ms. J experience her first pedicure ever. :) Dined at ONE.midtown kitchen and freaked out about their homemade limoncello. And then...pole dancing! It was quite an experience and workout. Wore the fab t-shirts that R made and chose "sexy" names for the night. Guess which one of us was Ooh La La and which one was Spice. :P Each of us 6 girls had our own pole - and dude, did anyone know that you can change them so that they either stay stationary or spin on their own?! Made fun of ourselves and later made fun of the instructor, who apparently got into the business to "teach women how to keep their men at home." Interesting. Headed back to the hotel with Ms. L in tow for drinks on the rooftop at AltoRex and a slumber party.

Friday: Brunched at the GT WaHo and cried about how lucky the current students are to have easy access to grits and smothered, covered, diced, peppered hashbrowns. Hightailed to Norcross and then Perimeter Mall for one of the most productive RoNi mall experiences ever. Found R's signature scent (see previous post) and these adorb atomizers. Randomly managed to find our matching right-hand rings! Deets coming soon to a blog near you. Had a drink with G back at the hotel, got dolled up, and rehearsed Ms. J's wedding. Ate delish rehearsal dinner food at Ippolito's. Returned to the hotel bar. Of course.

Saturday: Met the bride and other bridesmaids to get our hair/makeup did over mimosas. Watched R feverishly look for Paris Hilton's mugshot so she could imitate her 'do. Rehearsed, took silly pics, and hung out at the church. Stood up with the beautiful couple as they took their vows with absolutely no disasters, major or minor. Headed to Flint Hill for a reception full of yummy veggie spring rolls, LOTS of dancing (we are still pros at the Electric Slide, thank you very much), and Ms. J's amazingly fun family. Vogued like there was no tomorrow and made the other guests jealous that they can't rap as well as we can. Returned to...you guessed it, the hotel bar. Drank shots of ouzo/sambuca/151 that are apparently called Yellow Jackets. Convinced Ms. L to slumber party with us again, leaving the 2 hubbies to fend for themselves.

Sunday: Brunched at The Flying Biscuit. Hung out with Ree and C and mom until time to hit the road, leaving R and G with the fam. Sad goodbyes all around.

OBSESSED - Over the Knee Boots, Do or Don't?

The other day wihle I was frequenting the Nordstroms website, I came across these lovelies:

Stuart Weitzman 'Vigorous'

 What do we think people, do or don't?  I keep envisioning them with dark skinny jeans and a over the shoulder cream sweater and the camel over the knee boots....HOT!

The Perfume Project

1. R and I take quizzes* online and read descriptions to find 3 potential "signature scents" for ourselves and each other.

2. Each of us, hopefully armed with store-provided coffee beans, sniffs away at the predetermined list of aromas to narrow it down to one.

3. We send each other the names of our personal scent of choice and the scent we each think will best fit the other.

4. Discussion and trips to Nordies will ensue, and we'll score our signature scents! Added bonus: I will cross another item off my "30 Things" list.

*In case you're interested:
http://www.marieclaire.com/fragrance-finder/
http://www.lhj.com/lhj/quiz.jsp?quizId=/templatedata/lhj/quiz/data/FragranceQuiz.xml

5 Reasons I Heart Spring

The top 5 reasons I heart when its spring!!!  I'll keep warm weather out of this list, since its obvi a given.

5.  Peep toe shoes where you can show off your latest pedicure

4.  Sitting outside with a yummy margarita or white wine.  Or sitting outside after dinner with a glass of wine and a fire in the firepit table.

3.  Wearing fun colored dresses to work

2.  The good mood I seem to be in ALL THE TIME!

1.  Weekend adventures.  Now that its warmer outside, there can be more Sunday Fundays, where we can explore parks / have picnics / go wine tasting / etc. 

Woohooo - N is coming to visit!

YAY!  N is coming to visit in early April!  SOOOO EXCITED AM I.

I wanted to post a tentative itinerary, so it could be open for comments.

Thursday:  N lands around 7, so we could go for dinner/drinks at Cascals.  Then we could just come back and chill.

Friday:  I have the day off.  We are thinking of going up to Point Reyes for some hiking, some Cowgirl Creamery, some exploring around.  We were debating between Big Sur and Point Reyes, but I think the promise of cheese pushed us to Point Reyes.

Saturday:  If its really nice weather, we want to drive up to Ridge and picnic up there.  After that, head up into SF and walk around Union Square (ahem, shop) and then do a group dinner at Andalu.  Andalu does a really inexpensive group menu ($20!) so it seems like a perfect idea.

WOOHOOOO!!!  SO EXCITED!!!

Ways to Spend My Day (If I didn't have to work)

Lately, my favorite thing to fantasize about is how I would spend my day if I wasn't working. I know everyone thinks I'd be really bored after a week of not working, but I really don't think I would...I think I would LOVE it, of course if I could get paid real money to not work :)

Here are the top 6 ways I would spend my day if I didn't have to work:

1. Cook. I took a cooking class in January (yumm, Vietnamese food) and am taking one more tonight with the ladies. Don't get me wrong, I love that G enjoys cooking, but there are times (especially when I can see indian mothers everywhere judging me) where I would like to have a nice warm dinner ready for him when he finishes his day.

2. Excercise. I strive to go to the gym about 4-5 days a week, but these are quick workouts that just get my blood pumping and ensure that I don't gain 10000 pounds (mama likes to eat). I would love to take advantage of the fun classes that are offered in the middle of the day at my gym. Classes like bosu, spinning, cardio yoga, pilates are just some that all hot housewives get to attend....hot software executives (like myself) are restricted to the treadmill and some weights.

3. Charity Work. Certain causes (especially those affecting kids) are ones that I'm greatly interested in. When I was younger, volunteering was an activity that I frequently participated in. As an adult, I can't remember the last time I volunteered because work and life are always in the way.

4. Travel. Traveling anywhere is such a drag when you have limitations on when you can travel due to client meetings and/or conference calls. Travel also becomes very expensive if you can't fly on a random day like Tuesday. But with no work life, I could fly whenever Delta wanted me to and I could see

5. Be a better person. Oftentimes, I am in bad mood due to a bad day at work. This results me in being a bad daugther (to my parents), a moody sister, a grumpy wife, poorly dressed friend, and cranky daughter-in-law. HOWEVER, if I didn't have bad days at work because of no work, then I would be the fabulous person we all know I can be.

6. Shop! Malls are so much less crowded during the middle of the day on a Tuesday. It allows you to really see all the clothes / shoes / accessories in great detail and put together FANTASTIC outfits. Rather than dressing like a homeless person daily, with the right amount of time at the mall, I could be dressed like this, with awesome accessories:

Lastly, I'll say this here (and only here), that if I didn't work, I'd promise G that I would care for this "dog" he thinks we are getting. Haha, I have him fooled - I'll stop working and then develop an allergy to it.

Yay! Work is over now :)

-R