Perhaps not as much "back in it, on it
and all over it" as I had hoped to be this week, but things are
looking up and getting done. Just dragged away by an unusually tasky
week again, so I hope you'll continue to be patient. I'm anxious to
have more time to get around to see all my favorite blogs, and will
begin catch up some tonight. Our little town has it's very largest
wine festival happening this coming weekend (less fun than you might
imagine in our industry) so I'll be able to carve out more time after
that. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed.
Dan's birthday was Saturday, so we
celebrated Sunday by driving north to a bigger Big City to dine. I had a little time to shop at the
Pinnacle Hills mall Promenade, self-described as a
"retail lifestyle center."
Well.
I had been there a few years back
when it was new and tony, and at that time it boasted some nicer stores
(Gap, Coach, Aldo, Fossil, Banana Republic, Loft, Sephora) but over
time it's switched its focus to a younger crowd with the same-old Forever 21,
Charlotte Russe and Payless Shoes as we have here. Sad ... all the interesting shoe
stores are gone, and although it's still a pretty outdoor mall,
post-modern and charming, only a couple of the better stores remain.
I left Dan and his Kindle happily entertaining a hoppy IPA and a
plate of calamari and took off on a tour around by myself.
I was so overdressed. I
chose this lacy little maxi with comfy-but-cute chunky sandals, a tote and minimal jewelry to take me shopping, but I stuck out like a sore
thumb with everyone else in cutoffs, flips and tanks or tees. I was
also the only old lady out and about, and most disconcertingly, the
only woman shopping alone. Aside from a few moms with
baby-buggies, everyone else was in a pack or in pairs.
Odd.
I was still empty handed after an hour
in and was heading back to collect Dan for dinner when I found a Soma
Intimates store. ( Does anyone else instantly think of the happy-drug called
Soma from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World ... "a gramme is
better than a damn" ? ) Arkansas is lousy with Victoria's Secret
stores, but I didn't know we had the more upscale Soma. I've been
looking for a good molded-cup minimizer bra to keep the boobage in
check for a long time but have had no luck. Bingo! On a "twofer"
sale, in my size and color and with a brilliant fit. Doesn't get
better than that.
Before dinner and quick-like-a-bunny, I
put on mixed-pair dangly earrings (fun!), changed into dressier coral
d'Orsay heels and took the clutch out of my tote ... and voilà
! Fancier for dinner! Again I was overdressed, as I so often am,
but I felt fabulous and Dan was pleased.
Everything
just tastes better when I'm wearing heels and a pretty dress.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A final note: I was pleased and surprised to find that this is my 100th post. Time flies when you're having fun.
Thank you all for letting me feel like I have something
worth talking about!
