Conair infiniti i Series Hairdryer

For Christmas I received a present from Mom and Dad that I have needed for years (literally), a new hairdryer. I had been using for ages the old traveling hairdryer my Grandmama had in the Owners closet at the Beach House, and I had grown up using it on vacation. It was probably one of several things I had been using as a coping mechanism over their selling the house in 2003/2004. It was a dinky hairdryer, with no attachments, and had a horrible habit of sucking my hair into it to burn. Not so good. So, I took matters into my own hands this year, especially with my hair now down to my belly button, and decided that I should have a new one. I did some research at ULTA and read reviews. I decided to go with this hairdryer. And yes, IT IS PINK!!

I cannot wait to use it on my super-thin, baby fine hair and see if it frizzes as much as it used to. Supposedly, it is supposed to not do that. I seriously am hair-dumb stylistically-speaking, so you guys can give me tips on it as you see fit!

XO

Shoes!

Here is a post of some of the shoes I own that I love love love. Some are vintage shoes I inherited from my mother, others I purchased when still working for Nordstrom, and others in the past few years since I have acquired more taste and figured out where my fashion spectrum lay.

I am lucky enough to be the same size as my mother, so we can fit into 7s on up to 9 depending on the style. I'm really a legit size 8, which is weird, because I was a legitimate 9, and when I broke things off with one of my exes, I lost about 40 pounds and it was mostly in my fingers, feet, and calves. (not even kidding).

So, here are several of my favorite beautiful shoes that I rely on to make my day a little happier. I think that for someone who is still finishing undergrad, I am already doing pretty well. : )

The shoes below are Guess. However, they look almost exactly like the Coach shoes that were a full-page ad in all of the fashion magazines this summer. I just adore them. They scream sexy lady and make my gams look incredible. Surprisingly easy to maneuver in, although the heel is a bit skinny. It is a khaki leather with wood. I wear them with my Lilly Pulitzer shifts and other summer dresses just to amp up the sexy factor. I also paired it with a short linen skirt and blousy tunic tops. With these heels, it is all about the balance of how much skin is shown.



I love my J.Crew driving moccasins. These are from probably 4 years ago. I adore them because they are sueded and worn perfectly. I use them grocery shopping and running errands on Sundays. They also look effortless with a nice skinny jean (I love Donna Karen's) and a cashmere shell/sweater set. They don't really work with shorts. Then I look like I am loafing around in someone elses shoes and it makes me look ridiculous. Food for thought.




Remember that episode of "Sex and the City" when Carrie saw that pair of shoes and said, "Hello lover" ? Well, that is how I felt the first time my Mom let me try these shoes on, and how I felt when she let me take them with me to boarding school for my Senior year formal. I was wearing probably the second most expensive outfit I will ever wear - after my wedding dress - so it is currently the most expensive outfit I have ever worn. I felt amazing in it and my date was great and my friends amazing. The Jimmy Choo shoes in this photo were my senior formal shoes. I adored them, and still do. I wear them sparingly as they have pearls on them and gorgeous sequins.



Here I am on the night of that formal. One of the funnest nights of my life. With my date Jordan, who is my hometown's minister's son. We went as friends but I'd always thought he was soooo cute. My dress was ridiculously expensive but my Mom didn't bat an eyelash because it fit me perfectly. Awww it was a great moment with Mom. So, insanely expensive dress and insanely expensive shoes. The memories made it though.



Here I am, far left, with my a cappella group Sextet, performing probably "For the Longest Time" or "Hooked on a Feeling."



These shoes are my Banana Republic ostrich embossed leather heels. The heel is wooden and it is a platform. There is a brass band around the heel. It is a gorgeous chocolate brown shoe. I really love these. M bought them for me for a "just because" gift and I adore them. I think he got these early on in our relationship in the early Spring of 2008. I wear these shoes with jeans, I wear them with dresses. They are perfect for my suits which most are brown if they are wool blended - and they are the perfect height!



I wear a lot of Nine West shoes for "going out" shoes. I don't normally wear them to work or to church, they are just my can-ruin-on-cobblestones-railroad-tracks-etc shoes. However, this pair of Nine West shoes I purchased while still working for the US Government back in 2007. I love these shoes and apparently they are right on trend right now. With my high arches these shoes fit me perfectly. They have a hidden platform of almost an inch, are gray suede, and are the cutest bootie-oxford mix I have ever seen. I wear them with skirts mostly. It is fun to wear them with contrasting tights in the Fall/Winter! For example, I wore them with a J.Crew burnt mustard miniskirt, a plaid button-down "camp shirt", and a chunky grandpa cardigan in navy. I had my one length of faux pearls wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet. It looked great (super awkard, my Mom took a picture of it she liked it so much).



The delish boots featured below are a gorgeous pair of vintage Son Camino boots. [cannot find that brand anywhere online but they are impeccable with great stitching, material, stamping on the interior, etc.] They were my Mom's and she gave them to me when I found them buried in a closet. Gorgeous Made in Spain boots sitting around! I wasn't about to have that. My Dad had the heel replaced and the rest is history. They are a gorgeous almost terra cotta reddish brown sueded leather, and are incredibly broken in and comfortable. I wear them best with bare legs but occasionally will tuck them into a jean or wear them with other pants when visiting a barn and/or farm.




I adore these Sperry Top Siders. They are a men's style which I bought at a surf shop in Atlantic Beach, NC when I was working one summer at Camp Seafarer - so summer of 2004. I adore these shoes so much because they are full of memories. I had campers draw on them, another camper accidentally dumped citronella candle on one of them, which was actually nice because it kept everything below the knees from being bitten for the rest of the summer. I have worn them on yachts, sail boats, Flying Scots, Sunfish, motorboats, everything. So wonderful. They always have sand in them and when I wear them occasionally to class and feel that, it makes me feel all happy inside!




All photos taken by me or with my camera camera camera.

Engaged!

Hey all, so... if you haven't heard on my Twitter (worthystyle), then surprise!! I am engaged! It finally happened, and I only say that because PBF and I have talked about it since we first got together and got serious about six months into our relationship!!

PBF did it on Sunday, June 13 in the Italian gardens at Maymont in Richmond, VA. It is a beautiful place where we have always enjoyed spending the day walking around and cuddling, picnicing, etc. It was HOT and he knew that so he tried to get me up and into the City early early in the AM. I had a hunch it was going to happen but I was not positive about it. I had had "hunches" before and was wrong so I was pretty flip about it!

Here are a few pictures so you can see how genuinely beautiful Maymont's Italian garden is:










However, Maymont is not just an Italian Garden. There is also the Japanese Garden, the Maymont House, the wildlife and nature center, as well as the Children's Farm. It is located on 100 acres in the middle of Richmond. It was built by the Major James Dooley for his wife Sallie in the 1890s. When they died they bequeathed the entire Estate to the City of Richmond.

It is very romantic and lovely. He asked me after we got to the Park at around 11:30am on that Sunday. He asked me in the gazebo. NO ONE was around to take our pictures, and I had no camera! He even told me not to bring one! All I got was stuff from my Blackberry... sigh... We went to walk around and I just kept looking at the ring... couldn't help it! I am very happy and PBF has amazing taste. He designed it himself.

In this picture, you can faintly see the gazebo he asked me in by my pinky finger. Lots of photos are done of the wrought iron gazebo on the other side of the garden, but we've always called that one our "nook". This waterfall falls into the Japanese Gardens below the Italian one...:




The below photo is from the Italian Gardens fountain from the bottom. Isn't the architecture great? The Dooleys had specialists from their home country come to Richmond to work on these gardens... many spent over a year or five working on these gardens making sure they were as accurate as possible to the taste of their home country.:



This close-up of the ring was taken by my brother J on Father's Day this weekend. PBF (who we will now call MJA as he is not just a BF anymore!) and I went over with Lily the dog on Friday PM. What a great weekend to celebrate with family all kinds of things! Our engagement, my Pappy's 92nd birthday, Father's Day, etc.!




Picture 1 from gonomad.com, Picture 2 from Pyogenes, Picture 3 from Todd Dixon blog, , Picture 4-5 from me, Picture 6 from my brother

Beach Towns

Being from a family with interests in sailing and an appreciation for nature means I grew up going to various beach towns as a child. Now that I am older, the fun of travelling to these towns is even greater, as I can try local cocktails, appreciate local art galleries, and cherish the time I spend with my parents. My favorite memories are from the beach, and I hit a lot of milestones at beach locations as we practically lived year-round at our family OBX house (lost first tooth, learned to ride bike, etc).



Photo by Tripadvisor

My Dad's parents owned a home in Corolla when I was a child. My grandfather purchased it in 1991 and we owned it until 2003 (when I was a freshman in college, sigh...) - when they couldn't take the "Yankee takeover" any longer. They were also increasing fees in a way that was not good business sense for those with "smaller" homes like ours (4BR being unheard of there now, really) and rented it to a few people on selected weeks during the peak season.



Photo by Snowbirdbeaches.com

My Dad's cousin owned a condo complex in Panama City, FL, which we visited, too. Panama City is where my family had a shipyard which built Liberty ships during the war, and a lot of my family either lived here, or grew up here at some point - including both of my Dad's parents!



Postcard of the Galen Beach hotel

My Grandparents ran a hotel on Key Biscayne for many years, which they sold before I was born, which was called the Galen Beach Hotel. They sold it to Sheraton and was renamed the Royal Biscayne Hotel before Hurricane Andrew. The current location of the hotel and some of its outside facilities are used by the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne on the same property. While in the Miami area, they lived in Coral Gables, FL at this time in a beautiful section which George Merrick designed in the 1920s. They love talking about that hotel, as it was a really fun time for my family.



Photo by Discover Georgia

During WWII, my grandfather lived outside of Brunswick, GA, while my great-grandfather ran the Liberty shipyards in Brunswick and Panama City, FL. So St. Simons has always been special to them.



Photo of Camp Seafarer aerial shot from Pimlico, NC government

I went to Camp Seafarer as a girl. This camp is located on "the Crystal Coast of North Carolina" and it is located in Arapahoe, NC, across the Neuse River from Cherry Point base. We would frequently visit New Bern, Oriental, and Morehead City with camp or as a family before and after my month-long session. When I worked at Seafarer I loved travelling around this part of the coast.



Photo by my cousin of my Dad and I on Kiawah last week

My Dad's cousin has a house on Kiawah Island, and that place is gorgeous. It is populated, but the developers have laid it out so it doesn't seem like it. You never worry about locked doors or dressing up here, which is the way I like my beach experience!


Where did you enjoy going for beach trips when you were young? Where do you travel to now?

What have you recieved from your parents?

Stacking Pennies and Fabulously "Broke" both did an entry on this subject (originating from Stacking Pennies), and I found it interesting and thought-provoking.

As Stacking Pennies put it - "Financial independence of those of us in our twenties has been a bit of a hot topic in the past month or so. From minor “handouts”of meals and gifts, to tax exclusion gifts, to nothing at all, the level of help we get from our parents varies widely. I’ve considered myself financially independent for quite some time, but I wanted to take a minute and reflect on what I have received, what I still receive, and what I expect to receive in the future."

In the past I’ve received:
My parents sent me to a private pre-school, and in a small town, it was made up of all of the people I associated with on a regular basis from the Country Club, Girl Scouts, RARO, and ballet/dance classes. After attending public elementary and middle school education, I then attended Chatham Hall after barely surviving an awful 9th grade year at the local public high school. That ran about 25k a year, but I earned scholarship money so I have no idea how much that expense really ran. However, with books, my weekly allowance, trips abroad (Costa Rica), trips within the US (roomies and friends and school trips to SC, NC, Boston, NYC), and mixers (Woodberry Forest, Episcopal High School, Hargrave Military, Virginia Episcopal, Blue Ridge School) - those ran up the monthly charges I sent home. I had vocal lessons but both of my grandmothers contributed for that. Likewise with summer camp, I think a grandmother paid for half so the other 1/2 was paid for by my parents.

College: As I had gone to Chatham, in high school I had no cell phone and no car - so that expense came up with college. Mom added me to her Verizon account and she gave me her old convertible (Sebring, candy apple red!) and my Dad upgraded it by having a CD player installed into it. I went to a private Methodist college (Randolph-Macon in Ashland, VA) and while I had a lot of scholarship money, I didn't get enough to completely cover my tuition. However, I did not understand my Dad when he had me sign papers --- turns out most of the leftover money I had put into loans in my own name. (Didn't get that understanding). I think all in all my parents have only had to spend about $25k in full for my college tuition, as the past 3 years I have paid for myself and with gift money from my Grandfather.

Car and Insurance: My Mom loaned me her car when she wanted a new convertible and that '97 Sebring served me well from 2003-2007. She and Dad then gave me permission to trade it in when my Grandfather gave me money for a "less sad-looking" car in 2007 (i.e. Sebring had a vinyl top that was shot and paint had faded to a sad burghundy, no longer Candy Apple). So that was when my Grandfather and I bought my current car. Even though I haven't lived in Rockbridge County since 2004 - my car's legally still named there - only because my Insurance is under my parent's account as it shares the account of their home insurance, mortgage, etc, so it really is in their favor I keep it there as long as possible - but I think that time is running out now!!!

Free rent during college: I didn't live with my parents in college except for 1 semester before going to Sweet Briar for a semester. When I was at Macon, my rent was included in my scholarship and I was lucky enough to get an, albeit outdated and ghetto, suite, a suite in a coed dorm nonetheless (coed by floor!! scandal for all girls boarding school me!).

Still receiving:
Cell phone plan: My Mom still has my phone, her phone, my Dad's phone, and my brother's phones all on the same Verizon account. I am at the expense of $15 a month, unlimited minutes and texts, etc. But our total monthly charge is rarely over $120, and if you divide that by 4 it's really a good deal.

Gifts: My parents are extremely generous people. If I ever genuinely need anything and Michael and I cannot work something out, I will ask for their assistance. This past semester, with tuition having gone up, I did have to ask for about $100 in textbook money. When I have holidays and birthdays, they always give me the best gifts in the world, some material, and some useful (like groceries --- I love applesauce and expensive jams/jellies and so they will indulge these loves!!), and they really don't spoil me so much as enjoy the thought behind giving as I do.

Meals: As I go home about 1x every 2-3 months, I really don't get asked to pay. When my Dad or Mom has a day off from work, they may meet me, or me and Michael, for lunch somewhere (especially Dad as he has been our Realtor on the house), and I might pay for the gelato dessert or the sodas at the movies, but they don't expect me to do anything else - and almost adamantly refuse to accept any kind of monetary assistance. They have told me when I am done with college I can expect to pay for the occasional dinner, and unless they are visiting Michael and I and we are hosting them, I am definitely going to insist on paying because when you are hosting someone it is so rude, ( I really hate when people do this ), to expect the guest to pay. If they want to buy a lunch, okay, but not a nice dinner out or something like that. So TACKY!!!

Wedding: They paid for some of my older half-sister’s wedding (she married older at 30), which I estimate cost around $5k total and no way did they spend that much on her. I mean, she is older, and she and her husband have a very nice comfortable income with her choosing not to work and his being an engineer. Our tastes are very different, and so as she is my Mother's eldest my Mom spent more than my Dad. My Mom's parents also contributed as she is their oldest grandchild (of 12) and she and my Mom lived with them in the 1970s as she was going through a rough divorce. However, when I get married, it will be in my hometown, at my Dad's alma mater, and at the church I grew up at. Therefore, it will likely not be as expensive as it was for her, trying to coordinate a wedding from Atlanta to the wedding site in Virginia. As a current (forever?) VA native, I will be much more hands on and will not need to hire a wedding planner. The church will be free, as I am a life member, and I will of course donate to the church in honor of the pastor (whose son I was totally enamored with in high school - he was my Senior formal date!), and the musicians who trained me vocally when I started my music career - they may require a fee, but it will be minimal. The reception will be at W&L, I think the most expensive things would be Open Bar - which Michael will likely pay as my parents do not drink alcohol and I don't want them to feel pressured to pay for that, and the music, which I hope will be done by Charlottesville Swing Orchestra, a wonderful big band with talented area musicians I greatly enjoy. Both of those things cannot be more than 10,000 - but I plan on having a larger wedding, as I work, and because Michael and I work together in the same Federal Building, we feel it would be best to invite many of our coworkers - and that by itself is around 50 people if not more in just our building. We also have coworkers from Harrisonburg, Roanoke, and then my Camp Seafarer, Chatham Hall, Rockbridge County, Randolph-Macon, Charlottesville, and Richmond friends, his Army, Long Valley, Marshal service and Jiu-Jitsu friends. And our family! And our family friends (incl. politicians, etc) Yeesh!

Going Forward:
Michael is buying himself and I a house, and naturally the next thing will be engagement. I am trying to pay off most all of my student loan and credit card (from college) debts so we can have that extra $300 month go to our wedding fund. I want my parents to pay for as little as possible. However, because of my parents, and my grandparents, a certain level of popularity will be surrounding this wedding. I would expect no less than 250 attending, unless the economy hasn't recovered in the next 2-3 years. I would also anticipate this wedding wouldn't - obviously you all knowing my tastes - be a wedding that is average in Lexington. The cake will not come from Wal-Mart, the picture in the paper wasn't done at CVS, and then reception won't be in the hall off of the side of my church. It will be formal, and there won't be a DJ playing hip-hop. So, naturally, it won't be cheap. Again, not expecting my parents to pay for most of it if we can help it. But because of my family's ties it may be the last hurrah for a long while in entertaining. I also know they are planning to retire, and so Michael and I are trying our best to prevent any extra expenses from touching them. For example, I really don't want to have to worry about my parents being obligated to pay for anything associated with me for much longer - health insurance doesn't count as I am still in school and still not married yet - but car insurance is like $650 a year I could do on my own or tied with Michael and our own home insurance. I don't plan on ever asking them for health when I finish my Bachelor's, Masters, or start my J.D. I will start insisting on covering dinner out on occasion. I don't want them to expect that they need to pay for major car repairs as they occur, or replace my laptop, or anything like that. I continue to be impressed by the thoughtfulness that surrounds my direct family, as we are generous to each other while also remaining useful (the Coach wallet they gave me is a good example, as I needed a new wallet but it wasn't super-super expensive). I have not been on vacation with my parent's since August 2003, at least on their wallet - the trips we have done have been paid for by my Dad's parents, who spend the money as gifts to us as they enjoy spending time with our direct family. However, last summer they tried to coordinate a beach trip but that didn't work out and they along with my brother had to go alone. Dad and I did go to a Dave Matthews concert a couple of years ago while my Mom traveled over 6 weeks in China with my brother (who lives in China). I hope that at some point Michael and I can do a trip with them - even just to the beach to spend time with them. Good quality thank you time. Especially since my Dad is taking NO commission on helping with our house purchase, not even closing $$, even though the economy sucks - that is $7500 he isn't getting in his pocket. Which is immensely generous.


What about you? Make your own post, or leave a comment!