Archive for the 'It’s a Girl Thing' Category
March 19, 2007 @ 8:33 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me
When my Mom wished for a daughter who’d turn out to be a girly-girl, that’s exactly what she got. In school, I was almost always the last chosen for both, softball and Dodge ball teams. Even then, I usually somehow managed to talk one of the boys into running the bases for me.
In middle school, I briefly entertained the idea of taking up tennis. I guess this sounded plausible to my parents because they promptly enrolled me in a summer tennis course and we went out and bought a really cool racket, a tube of balls, and I’m pretty sure I even got some new tennis shoes out of the deal. My tennis career came to a sudden halt, however, when during my first-ever lesson, I was hit smack between the eyeballs with a ball…served by my instructor.
Um…no, I did not go back.
So when I casually mentioned a couple of years ago that I was thinking that maybe I’d like to take up golf, let’s just say that garnered me a lot of indulgent smiles. It even made my brother laugh out loud. Really hard. There may have been tears involved.
Still, I was persistent. Armed with a brand-spanking new golf bag and putter (thanks to a Christmas gift from Amy, my girly-girl step-daughter who believed in me and my inner golf diva:), I spent that first year just learning the basics. And I do use that term – basics, that is – loosely.
I learned how to grip the clubs, and I learned (the painful way) what can happen when you grip them the WRONG way. I learned lots of patience, which was a good thing because I putted air more that first year than I did balls. I never actually played any rounds that year; instead, I fell in love with the driving range, probably even using it as an escape a time or two.
Who knew that such inspiration was practically in my backyard? Undeterred by my ineptness, I would come home exhilerated and then spend time flipping through Golf Digest for Women. Okay, I was admiring the cute shoes more than the articles. Remember, I AM a girl, after all…
Last spring, I bought my own set of golf clubs. Now I was the proud owner of more than just a bag and a putter. When I discovered that Rochelle also played golf, well…that sealed the deal. We spent many an evening at the golf course together and – though much slower than I’d like – I did make great strides last year.
Once again, I was thoroughly engulfed with the sheer inspiration and beauty that always met me on the green. I don’t know which I enjoyed more – the sound of that deliciously firm, undeniable crack! as my club made solid contact with the ball, or the glorious streaked sunsets that would slowly fade to darkness around me. I knew last year that I’d found a writer’s paradise. A place to rejuvenate, a place to relax. Okay, and yeah, a place to sometimes (not MUCH) take out my frustrations on poor, unsuspecting balls.
I suppose that as much as I’d like to call myself a golfer now, maybe calling myself a seasonal golfer would be more accurate. I pull out my golf clubs for three to four months out of the year. Today was That Day. The first of this season. I couldn’t help feeling flutters of excitement as I brought in everything from the garage, in preparation for the driving range tonight.
Although it had been months since my fingers had slid into place around my driver, I think I might have even smiled as I locked them into place and prepared for that first swing. Skies were overcast and the wind was up a bit too high, but those facts faded from my mind as I felt my body relax and my mind sharpen.
I think that this year it’s time to take my game to the next level. I’ve been carrying a golf pro’s business card in my wallet for a year now. Though I may have been hoping that I’d perfect my swing and improve my game by sheer osmosis, evidently…that’s not going to happen. So I’m thinking that golf lessons are in order for this girly-girl.
After that, the sky’s the limit, right? Who knows? Maybe I’ll play here, or here.
No, wait. I’ll play…here.
Does that make me an athlete?
Or just a girly-girl who’s discovered another part of herself?
March 2, 2007 @ 6:41 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me
My purse arrived yesterday, right on schedule, from Hong Kong! My worries, it turns out, were just that…worries.
Brand new, with tags still on, and enclosed in that silky smooth chocolate-brown Coach cover, it might not have been just like picking it up in the store, touching it, and then carrying it home with me…but it was sure close!
The first thing I did was check out the serial number to make sure I had "the real thing." Breathing a huge sigh of relief that it was all legit, I promptly registered The Bag in my name through Coach.
It’s mine!
As much as I love this purse, and as excited as I am to begin carrying it, I have to say that I love even more the involvement you have all taken in this purchase with me. It will always be special to me, not only because I wanted it so badly and truly thought out the purchase, but because forevermore when I look at the purse, I’ll not only see the Coach Signature Tote in blue that I so wanted, but I’ll see reminders of the great friendships that I have in my life.
So thank you to all of you who sent emails or left comments during this process. You gave me lots of food for thought and a lot of just good ‘ol fashioned encouragment! And to you who actually made the trip to a Coach store for me…I’m speechless. Truly, that means more to me than the purse ever will. I think I owe you…
February 21, 2007 @ 5:59 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing
***Update on the Update:
I bought the bag on eBay! It is coming from Hong Kong but should arrive on Thursday. I’ll post a picture of the real thing as soon as possible! Thanks to all who either posted a comment here or sent me private emails regarding my hunt for The Bag. I can’t believe you all went to your local malls in search of it and spent your precious time googling it online for me. Your friendship overwhelms me!
***Update on The Bag:
As of this morning, Friday @ 5:58a.m., I’m now bidding for The Bag on eBay. Seventeen hours, thirty-three minutes left. What time will that be, anyway? (This simple computation involves math, doesn’t it? Y’all know I don’t *do* math. Who knew I’d have to do math in order to get The Bag? Ah…the sacrifices…)
I’m one of those women who resist fashion trends and changing fads, opting instead for more classic styles that flow from one season right into the next. But on those rare occasions when I see something I love and finally decide that I must have it, inevitably…it’s too late.
I went to buy The Bag yesterday afternoon. For those of you who’ve been following my infatuation with this Coach purse, you know how much thought I put into this upcoming purchase. I weighed the pros and cons and staged a fairly lengthy debate with Me and Myself on whether or not a handbag was worth the kind of money tagged on this one. When all was said and done and all of your comments were factored in, I knew this was a purchase that I would treasure for years to come.
In an effort to make it feel more like a reward I opted to wait for this quarter’s royalty check. My final deal with myself was that if this check was a certain amount, then I would, indeed, spend a portion of it on this purse. Last Friday the check was in the mail and, let me just say, I did my own little happy dance all the way through my house, waving it in the air.
For we writers, payday comes but twice a year and those little tell-tale sales reports that come attached can sometimes mean the difference between future publication and "well, let’s wait and see how sales are next quarter before we release another." Thanks to YOU, my very faithful friends and readers, this past quarter was the best I’ve seen yet. The numbers just served to further buoy the renewed burden and excitement that I’ve experienced these past couple of months.
So, with the allotted money in the bank, I walked into the department store yesterday, already anticpating walking back out with my precious purchase. I walked around and around the Coach section, searching every shelf, every nook and cranny. The sales woman approached me and I’m sure she glimpsed the concerned look in my roaming eyes.
"Can I help you find something?"
"Yes," I turn to her, but in the pit of my stomach I already knew the answer, "I’m looking for the Coach signature medium tote in the blue…"
Her expression said it all. "We are sold out. From what I understand all our stores’ inventory of that bag is depleted."
"Will you be restocking?"
She shook her head as I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that The Bag would not be coming home with me tonight. "That was our Fall ’06 version. Our Winter version – the bag in punch color – is already sold out as well. Right now we’re awaiting our Spring signature bag. Maybe you’d like to check back?"
Uh, no.
I want the bag in blue.
I went on eBay last night and, wouldn’t you know it, it seems as though I’ve waited too long there as well. Where as a month ago, there were three or four listed there, last night there was only one. It is in Hong Kong.
HONG. KONG.
Somehow, after the shipping and insurance and all that – I’m not feeling the Hong Kong transfer so much.
This morning I remain the woman who always manages to try to catch the fashion train right after it has pulled from the station. My plea to you is this. I’m putting out an APB on The Bag. If you happen to catch a glimpse of it anywhere, will you let me know?
Oh, you want a reward? Okay, let me think. How about this? The first person who can locate The Bag that leads to my ultimate purchase, I will send you a box of premium chocolates and you will hereafter receive a FREE copy of each of my new releases.
Sirens on. Lights flashing. Let the search begin…
February 14, 2007 @ 7:50 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing
"Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and strengthening the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favoring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything topsy-turvy." —MARGUERITE DE VALOIS
__________________________________________
FUDGY FONDUE
4 1 oz squares sweet baking chocolate, chopped
4 1 oz squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup light cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine chocolates, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan (or your fondue pot!) over low heat. Cook and stir until melted and smooth. Dip fruits, cakes, or marshmallows for a sweet, romantic treat!
(Um…no calories, no carbs:)
February 1, 2007 @ 5:32 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing
this would be my scrapbooking area!
Hey, what’s a girl without her dreams, right?
January 22, 2007 @ 10:09 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing
"I am a woman above everything else."
I’m borrowing these words from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as a way to justify this totally girl-thang post. So for the men in my life who occasionally pop in here to see what’s new or inspirational, well…I hope you’ll allow me to explore these thoughts that have been rolling around in my head today. (Yeah, I know…scary!)
Here’s how it started.
About four or five months ago I found a purse that I’m thinking I. must. have.
For those of you who really know me, you’re aware that I am SO not a purse/shoe/accessory freak. I love nice things and have some nice things. But I am a bargain-hunter-downer and part of the thrill for me is thinking that "I’ve beaten the system", so to speak, when I find a really great deal. I conveniently ignore the fact that the store is not losing money on me as I’d prefer to think, but that my "great deal" only serves as evidence that the retail markup on clothes/shoes/purses/accessories is just astronomical.
Criminal, really.
All that said, I did find this bag that…well, quite honestly, it was all but calling my name. Seriously.
No, really.
This very seldom happens to me. And particularly not in this way. See, it’s not just a purse. It’s a Coach bag.
To be absolutely specific, it’s the Coach Signature Stripe Reversible Tote…a sporty, reversible Coach tote of signature jacquard fabric with a bold denim stripe. Dogleash-clip closure opens to a lined interior with a keyring clip, zip pocket, and matching luggage tag.
Yeah, I’ve looked at it just a few times, haven’t I?
I think I’ve surprised several of my friends. I dragged Cheryl through Macy’s back in November to *look* at it, and then I talked Dawn into going into the Coach store just last month in search of it. My friends have never seen me really want a purse. Not like this.
I’m practical to a fault. Many years of living on a shoestring taught me to save my pennies and think twice before committing to a major purchase. And now, when I could purchase it, I suppose, I’m just having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the impracticality of it.
Ordinarily, I would never think of a purse as a major purchase. I’ve never spent more than $36 on a purse before. Really. And that was the bag I carried all last summer that my friend – Rochelle – affectionately dubbed my "carry-on luggage."
To me, spending much more than that on a purse is huge. I mean, shoes I’ll keep and wear for ages. But purses? In my experience, I guess I’ve been a commitment phobe. I’m fickle with my purses. I tire of them. Or I think I love them and then I’ll turn on them. You know what I mean?
Purchasing a Coach bag would mean finally commiting to…a purse. I mean, friends, really now. When we spend that much money on a person, that’s means there’s a relationship involved, am I right? So am I ready to settle down with one purse? And how do I know for sure that I am ready? Is there Coach counseling available for women like me?
I’m thinking that since this attraction to this one bag is not going away, and I have introduced my friends to it, that maybe – just maybe – I. am. ready.
Last night at church, my friend, Holly, suggested I try eBay. I promptly logged on right after getting home and you know what? I found it! The sad thing is that it is relatively new on the scene and, after paying shipping charges, I’d still be basically in the same price range. Which leads me to my next moral challenge. If it really is THE purse for me, shouldn’t I be able to wait until next season when I can get it for a discount? Or is real infatuation worth full price?
These are my questions for you. Help me decide, please! When is a commitment to a frivolity just too much? When is a whim acceptable? And can something in the triple digits actually qualify as a whim?
I can’t wait to hear the advice you all have for me. Until then, I remain soulfully…unattached to any bag…!
