A Shopping Oasis

I love the holidays. In fact, Black Friday is one of my most favorite holiday's. Yes. It is a holiday. Prices slashed left and right, speed shoppers weaving in and out of the turtles wandering with no direction, and the music. Ahh the music. Nothing puts me in the spirit like Bing Crosby and Mariah.

I spent Black Friday this year at the Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut with my fabulous friend Christina. A few mishaps early in the day: Christina overslept and I forgot my wallet. We are the absolute best dysfunctional friends you could find. Back on track, we checked out artificial Christmas trees, specials at Williams-Sonoma, and of course all of the important retailers. It was late in the afternoon when we were not only starving for food, but starving for an unsuspected Black Friday miracle. Then it happened.....we suddenly stumbled upon a store we had never laid eyes on before: Martin & Osa. It was a shopping oasis!

Martin & Osa has been around for about a year and is the high-end sister store to American Eagle. With only a handful of select locations around the country, this store brought a breath of fresh air to our tired bodies [and spirits]. Martin & Osa is crisp, clean and had wide open space - you can actually feel the cool breeze lacking in retailers such as Abercrombie, Hollister and H&M. With an oak decor and colorful images of men and women frolicking in the snow, it seems as though you've been transported to Aspen.

Now for the dressing rooms: oh how they impressed me! The waiting area was stocked with comfortably padded benches with an array of magazines to flip through. The dressing rooms: large, with room for two, a call button near the door, a sign explaining the "Free Alterations" policy....and the Fiji water. A cold bottle of Fiji was handed to Christina and I before entering the dressing room. Can you say Heaven on Earth?

Sadly, I was not too impressed with the variety of silk dresses and tops. Silk just lays awfully on people. However, I found that the men's selection was very nice and reasonably priced - that is, for a Black Friday sale. At checkout, my item was placed in a canvas bag, then placed in a large box. The receipt was put into a little white envelope and added to my shopping bag. Yes, Heaven on Earth.

As I write this, I can only hope that Martin & Osa continues their refreshing customer service in each store they open. It's so rare to find a place at the mall that isn't over-heated or mobbed with teeny-boppers.

End of the day analysis: Great Day. Fabulous Company. Family Gift List Complete. Mission Seriously Accomplished.

It's a girl thing...

Last week, accompanied by my lovely friends, I experienced Shecky's Girls Night Out. The DAR constitution hall was turned upside down and inside out to accommodate the mass amount of fashionistas, fashion victims and fab vendors. While noticing the obvious no-no's in choice of apparel, free drinks and discounted goods kept me buzzing from table to table. With a complimentary massage throw into the mix and a hot new designer to do PR for, the evening was non other than Fan-freakin-tastic.

DC should really invest more time into finding organizations like Shecky's to fulfill the many wants and needs of its fashion forward women. This is no longer a city of blazers, pant suits and boring, plain navy and grays. DC is experiencing a new splash of color, where a stylish while still conservative dress with a funky necklace can overtake the pant suit on the Hill; where half priced pedicures are more popular on the feet than overpriced taxis; and where dinner and drinks at a trendy bar trumps getting to bed early to be in the office at 7. DC - listen up - the women I saw at Girls Night Out are powerful, trendy and sassy....and we are painting the town.

A Sad, Sad Day

My friend Carissa is about to start a new job downtown and leave me all alone at work. Well, not all alone - but semi. Rachel and I are simply heart broken over Carissa's move. Though it's a wonderful opportunity for her and we are happy for that.....it's just not the same.

We were the humorous three amigos. The mighty three musketeers. The three good fairy's of Sleeping Beauty. OK, so maybe I'm taking this a bit too far. We are all still such wonderful friends and will have many good times to come. Still, I can't help feeling a bit down.

Carissa, my friend, I wish you luck as you start the next chapter of your life.....we will continue to sip martinis and guzzle beer....dance like we're the only ones on the floor....and perform wardrobe consultation. Perfect.

......And I find a little extra comfort in the fact that I'll have you here for at least a few more years. Just a little:) HEART YOU!

Autumn

School buses zooming by....leaves changing color.....a cool, fresh breeze floating through the open window.....the smell of spiced pumpkin. Yes my friends, Autumn has arrived.

I'm pretty positive that autumn is my most favorite time of year. The chilled weather is perfect for a long sleeved shirt or light jacket. You can walk all around downtown without breaking a sweat. Pumpkin patches are up and running for visitors to stake their claim. The best part of autumn though, is the smell.

You can say there's no "smell" to the season, but there certainly is. And I just heart it.

Dirty Laundry

Rules:
1. Dirty Laundry is to be kept sacred among those the owner tells. This does not give permission to observers/handlers to do any of the following:

a. tell others

b. speak freely around the owner when in a social situation

2. Dirty Laundry is only to be shared with the most trustworthy friends - obviously you are trusting them to provide you with advice or simply just get it off your chest. Not every friend is entitled to this trust so you should consider yourself lucky.

3. It shows a lack of class to air someones Dirty Laundry. Point is simple: don't do it, no matter who the people in the room are.

4. Come on all you lovely ladies out there....bring back the class I know you have somewhere deep down....possibly far far down, but still. I know it's there!

Foot Note: If one feels like they might burst out some Dirty Laundry, follow this procedure:

1. Pause to think about who you are with

2. How may this affect the owner of the Laundry?

3. Put a Hamper on it!

No one ever said housework was easy.

An unadorable mistake on the stage

For all who watched last Sunday's VMA's...or simply read the 30 blogs about it on Perez Hilton, you know that Brit Brit did not have the anticipated comeback many of us hoped for. What was supposed to be a career resurrection quickly turned into the plight of the once-fabulous Ms. Britney Spears. I can't say that I'm not disappointed or surprised.

Perez called her out on it all - drinking and partying every night instead of rehearsing, placing blame up and down the VMA guest list, simply not trying. PH might have been a bit harsh, and I certainly don't agree with him that Sarah Silverman [how fowl is she!] rocked the show....but come on Brit - take control of your life! And seriously, she should have objected to the glitter clad bikini they expected her to jiggle around the stage in - I'm sorry but she is not confident enough in her body yet to be getting down on the dance floor in anything that lacks material.

I will obviously purchase her upcoming album, with fingers crossed that Ne-Yo pulls through some fantastic, earth shattering songs for her. In the meantime, I can only hope that Britters gets her sh*t together and shows us what a truly fabulous entertainer can bring to the stage - regardless of the path her life took these past few years. It's a shame that K-Fed had ambition to be somebody.....that could have saved Brit a lot of trouble [i.e. money, style and stretch marks]

Fare thee well

My good friend A is saying goodbye to cold winters, autumn color changes and new-beginning springs. Next weekend she's packing her bags, loading her car, and moving to sunny Florida where the summer weather lasts forever.

I trekked to PA this past weekend to help celebrate A's departure. L met me in West Chester and we continued on to M and A's apartment. As L and I were catching up during the drive, I let my random thought come out, "what if C is there?" In this case, C is an ex....an ex where things did not end so pleasantly.

"Why would he be there?" L said.

I explained the 'why' and she says "doubtful."

Everything at A and M's apartment was great....I love seeing the girls and reminiscing of college days and sorority escapades. After several adult beverages we hop into our cars and head to the hip bar, Kildaire's in King of Prussia. We pay the $3 cover, walk to the back of the bar and up the stairs to the second level where the DJ is spinning some hits. Walking toward the back table where I've spotted our friends, I notice an Asian man that looks familiar.....where do I know him from?

Two seconds later I take in the tall, dark haired man in glasses sitting across from him....it's C.

Grabbing L's arm I whisper "he's here. C is here!" At the bar L and M stare at him while I'm getting drinks....they don't believe it's really C. He looks thinner, significant loss of muscle...no where near as vibrant as he used to be. Back at our table I decide that I'm pretty sure he's seen me....and if not me, then certainly my friends' staring at his table. I'm the bigger person.....I go over to say hello.

It was fine. Totally fine. He's doing well....I'm doing better.

With that, I go back to the girls, enjoy my drink.....then give hugs and warm wishes to A. One last glance to C on my way out, and I know that when that mess ended, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. He's just standing. I'm soaring.