Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh... Canada.

I am grossly behind on updating this blog, and there has been a lot to talk about, but no real time to stop and do so. There have been more immigration steps, house hunting, wedding planning, our illnesses, cat illnesses... and suddenly it's July.

So, I'll do my best to catch everyone up with where life is now, and where it's been since I last posted in November (NOVEMBER??? 9 months ago, really?!). 

So, given the position I was put in with suddenly being without a job, I had no health insurance after the first week in October. As I've spoken about a little in this blog, I have several health issues - some life-threatening, and some chronic pain-related - so not having insurance just flat-out isn't an option for me. That put us in one spot: we needed to get married as soon as I moved up, so I could be put on Steve's health insurance through work/put in my PR application with immigration so I could get a health card. 

We got married on December 18th (took us a month to get all of the paperwork in order), in the lobby of our apartment building by a Justice of the Peace. While she was fantastic, I'd been planning our wedding for 5+ years at this point, so the idea of giving up what I'd been working on/dreaming of for us really upset me. We decided this would just be the "official, but not official" marriage, and we'd go on with the actual wedding in the Spring, and celebrate that as our "official" marriage, and anniversary going forward. It's what would've been the wedding if I'd still had my job when I moved up, so it only made sense. 

That being said, above all else, this is a shoe blog. I bought these heels 3 years ago, and literally never even opened the box they were shipped in; saving them for our wedding day. I decided to give them a trial run on the "official, but not official" day, and thank goodness I did. They're PERFECTION, but too small, and I would've been in trouble if I'd had them on for the "official" wedding. But look how pretty!!!

Brand: Taylor Says Name: Til Death

Store: https://taylorreeve.com/

Review: 6" heel. Fits SMALL. I'd for sure recommend going up a size. Keep in mind, I'm used to having my toes squished, and being uncomfortable for the sake of fashion. These were unbearable, and I only wore them for about an hour, if even that. 

Since December, we've been house-hunting like crazy. The market is out of control right now in Halifax. People are listing for $50,000-$80,000 above what their house is worth, and getting it. It's been incredibly discouraging, especially since we waited this long to be together, and now are still waiting to start our life here on our own. We're getting glimmers of hope here and there in the last 2 months, so I'm trying to stay positive and know our house is coming soon.

Other than that, we dealt with health issues (both us, and Gus - our sweet, 18 year old cat), and *I* dealt with wedding, Wedding, WEDDING. That'll come in another post. It was almost 6 years in the making - it's earned a solo post.

I am still holding off on a job search, in hopes that we'll find a house soon, and I can get us through the move before taking on the stress of resumes, interviews, etc. We'll see if that plan changes in the coming months, if no houses come about. 

So, until next time (i.e. THE WEDDING), it's good to be back, and I'll see you all soon... I hope!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 37

It's been a while. A full year since I posted a shoe blog, and almost 8 months since I posted ANYTHING. A lot has happened. Namely, two surgeries for kidney stones that took about a month 1/2 of my life. Life in general, then a couple of crazy work months. And here we are.

The last couple of weeks have been the hardest hit on my anxiety I have ever had in my life. Not my emotions - that was (still is) easily my father's death. But my anxiety. I am going through something I have only shared with a small handful of people, and it is completely consuming me right now.

The thing is, I have learned over the years to be a high-functioning anxiety-ridden person. Anxiety makes people uncomfortable, awkward, annoyed, etc. It's easier to hide it than it is deal with the consequences of the real world (ESPECIALLY in a professional environment). I'm great at smiling/laughing/joking when inside I'm screaming. It's something I've - in a very obtuse way - written about before. I DO consider myself to be an emotionally strong person. The more I've thought about that over the years, it's because of that wall I've learned to put up. So when "normal" emotional situations present themselves, I can deal. When anxiety situations present themselves, I go into that same "strong" mode, but my brain NEVER shuts up. Ever. I can do 8 million things to try and silence it. Usually at home, I'll have a TV show playing on the computer while I play a computer game. Right now, I have a TV show playing while I write this - and yes occasionally am having to pause the show so I can clearly think through a thought. All the while, my brain is saying "What about...?" "Did you think about this...?" "What if...?" And if there is silence around me? Forget about it. I'll likely end up making myself throw up from the stress.

People that don't have everyday anxiety don't get this, and never will. Everyone understands anxiety. Everyone can have anxious situations. But for it to be all-consuming, where it can make you physically ill... not many people in your day-to-day will get that. They'll tell you to think about other things, or find a way to distract yourself. Which as you can see in my above paragraph, I certainly try to do. On "small" anxiety days, it sometimes works. In times like these - it barely touches my thoughts.

SO...

That heavy intro aside (I promised y'all I was going to be more real going forward - this is me being real) - I decided to distract myself today by dressing the way the-artist-formerly-known-as-Katie would. Heels, matching outfit, and purse. I had a new dress to wear, and perfectly matching Betsey heels and purse. 

And about halfway through the day decided to blog the shoes, as I would have back in the day. So, here they are!

Brand: Betsey Johnson Name: Kissez

Store: Smile.Amazon.com

(I specifically direct you to Smile Amazon, because YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE)

Review: 4" heel. Fits 1/2 size small. As you all know by now, a 4" heel is nothing to me, so these would be UBER comfortable, except the heel part of the shoe is SUPER tight, so rubs a blister on the side of my foot if I don't remember to stretch it out a couple times during the day.

This dress** is so simple, but I love it SO much. It's very Parisian, to me. In fact, it makes me think of the last two episodes of Sex and the City, when Carrie first gets to Paris:

As much as I hated how cheesy they ended the show (even though I loved the actual end result), I was (AM) obsessed with those last two episodes, because EVERY. SINGLE. OUTFIT. was perfection. That was most of my (and plenty of other women's) obsession with the show, was the fashion. Then the hilariously brilliant writing was a bonus. But OMG, those last two episodes. They could not have been any more perfect, fashion-wise. And I'm sure they went all out, given they knew they would never have to worry about budget again (until the movies came around). PER.FECT.ION. 

**Sidenote: that one picture of my dress took me sitting in the grass to set up my camera on my tripod/adjust angles/self-timers, etc. for maybe 2 minutes: and resulted in an hour+ long allergy attack. The joys of being allergic to outside, y'all.

Anyhoo, I know this blog has been all over the place. But that's just where I am right now, so I'm sharing it. See y'all... I dunno when. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in another year. 

      

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

"It's always best to start at the beginning - and all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road."

So to start at the beginning, for those that are new to the land of Katybug - here is a good start to introduce you to me (i.e. my Oz obsession). For those that know me, let's dive right in. In fact, let's just go through Dorothy's Oz journey!

Sepia (Kansas)

So years back, I discovered (likely because of a random Oz Google search) the existence of an Oz Museum in Wamego, KS. Made a mental note that one day I WOULD go. A few years later, I legit don't remember how I stumbled across Oz Winery's site. But again, mental note. Then happened to notice it was in Wamego, KS... and the bucket list trip was created and added to the list. A day at an Oz Museum followed by wine PLUS more OZ?!?!! Yes and YES. I didn't know when it would happen but knew it would.

Munchkinland

Cut to modern day, and Katie's plan to live life to its fullest. I decided now was the time. I was willing to go by myself, as I've discovered I actually have a lot of fun on solo trips, but tossed an invite out to numerous people to see if they wanted to join.

Now, mixed in between the bucket trip addition and modern day, there was the announcement that the Orpheum's Broadway tour this year would include Wizard of Oz. So, OF COURSE, I bought tickets to that back in December for a June show.

There are no coincidences in life. The weekend that worked best for our Oz trip happened to be the weekend of Oz at the Orpheum! So Friday at Oz in Memphis, then off to Kansas for a family visit and more Oz on Monday.

The Scarecrow

Appropriate, if you ask me, that this scene applies to this part of the story. The Scarecrow is my favorite character in The Wizard of Oz, and Dorothy's best friend. And I spent my Memphis Oz experience with MY best friend! She is a piece of my heart, so I wish we'd taken a picture of her Tin Man-inspired outfit. It was more perfect than I even processed that night! :-)

Waiting for the show to start. Selfies are always required.

We have matching Oz shoes (this IS a shoe blog, right?!), and I of course had to get a Betsey Oz fix in there with my purse.

Now, about my outfit that night: I knew I would be wearing "our" Ruby Slippers. So I just had to plan around that. Cue black pants. Then I thought "Oh, my black and white striped shirt would work. Matches the shoes." Suddenly occurred to me - I'll be dressed as the Wicked Witch of the East's legs! PERFECTION. Outfit selected. Presentation is everything.  

*Note: I thought on the drive down there (too late), I should've bought a toy house and glued it to a headband so I could've been an accurate portrayal. But at least now I have a Halloween costume. 

My review of the show (as posted the night of attending): "It was cute. Definitely wasn't blown away. I hated the way the Scarecrow was portrayed, and the Tin Man was annoying. THE. LION. WAS. AWESOME. Glinda's dress was mesmerizing. I wanted to kidnap that chunky little Toto dog. He got the loudest ovation at the end. Overall, I'm glad I went for the Oz experience, but wouldn't go again if it came back."

Tin Man

So Saturday morning, I hit the road for Kansas. Arrived late afternoon and spent a fun night visiting with family. Sunday we'd decided to do a day of antique-ing. Turns out, there was a beer/food truck festival going on down by the shops that day. Shopping, beer, and food... sign me up. We get to the first store, and I am immediately in love:

Started as a joke(ish), and rapidly progressed into me deciding I needed them. We decided to hit the other shops just in case I saw something else, or wanted to talk myself out of them. All I did was talk myself in to them more. PURCHASED. *Insert dramatic shipping story here and note: NEVER ship UPS. Just don't. Greyhound, if you have furniture/large items. FedEx for everything else.*

There were numerous other success stories from that day. Mom found some chairs, as well. We all found some little purchases here and there. One store we went in, the sales associate complimented me on my dress as soon as we came in the store. Later, I was looking at their novelty socks, and she came over and whispered "I have inappropriate socks, if you're interested.". BUT I thought she said "I have inappropriate thoughts.", and after being complimented the second I walked in the store, plus this, I was kind of like "Umm... ok, random stranger..." Once she kept talking and I realized what she had actually said, I started giggling uncontrollably and told her what I thought she'd said. We had a good hard laugh, and she said "Now I feel like I can't look you in the eye!" 

Of all weekends for me to find this album - it happened to be Oz weekend?! MEANT. TO. BE. 

Did I mention food trucks?! Buffalo chicken tots, FTW.

Cowardly Lion

So, Monday had finally arrived! Oz day!! We piled in the car and headed to Wamego. I found myself calmer than I expected, but I think most of that was that I had only slept like 2 hours. Once I had the museum in sight, I don't think the smile left my face. 

Blue gingham shorts for Dorothy's dress with my Betsey Johnson Ruby Slippers. PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING. 

You start your journey in sepia (the gift shop, ticket counter, etc). The entrance to the museum is through Dorothy's house.

Here's the museum. Every display case, plus close-ups of certain parts. I have so many words, yet "Shucks folks, I'm speechless."

We had so much fun. Probably (likely) me more than my mom, aunt, and cousin.

Emerald City (The Wizard of Oz)

Museum tour over, time to head to the winery! I booked a private party/tasting for us - because if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. We chose 4 hors d'oeuvres, and they paired the wines accordingly. 

Our tasting room and custom menu. The Hot Pepper Bacon Jam was definitely the biggest hit (we all purchased some to bring home), but everything was DELICIOUS.

This was probably my favorite part of the day. Getting to geek out on Oz, and also laugh and chit-chat with family - well, that's a pretty good time, if you ask me. Also, discovering that they're allowed to ship wine to me (I've been told by other wineries that they can't ship to TN) was great. Because I really wanted to try their bubbly, but they're in a bottling cycle right now and didn't have any on-hand. Champagne/sparkling wine is my favorite. So I'm excited to order some. Plus be able to restock. 

Not hard to guess who belongs to whom here, is it?

There's No Place Like Home

Well really, there are a couple places I'd rather be than Memphis. But that's "home" for now, so I digress. Time to bring the chairs home! I have left the home office in a state of disarray for months because I couldn't decide if it was worth setting up the room knowing I'd be leaving for Canada at some point. Once I got the chairs, I decided they deserved to be displayed appropriately. So I took on the task of unpacking about 20 boxes and setting up the shelves. Then I ordered curtains. And poppies for my Oz vase.

The Oz wine also found its home. 

And, without further ado...

New chairs. Witch's legs curtains. Perfection.

And the panorama of the full room.

So that is my Oz journey. I may have mentioned presentation being important to me. So you're aware: this blog was written while wearing Oz knee socks. 

HOW ELSE WOULD YOU DO IT?!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 35 & 36

*This blog was started back in October and never finished. I post it just to explain here*

Honestly? I just scanned my phone to see if I'd missed any shoes since life has been what it has the last year. So these are the "missed" shoes.

I am trying to find myself in this new world. Shoe posts are suffering because of it. I want to get back to my passionate self when it comes to my heels, and I can see it happening. My passion for heels has not died. It's just the drive to do the pictures, blogs, etc. The fact I'm more "this pair is tied to this story" rather than just the shoes and the outfit helps a lot. I do better when I can speak my heart/mind.

That being said, I've waited WAY too long to try and do that with this post.

So I'm posting the shoes and telling you what I think.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Emia

Store Shoedazzle.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits true to size. LOVE these shoes. So girly, but a little sexy as well. I find myself prancing in them. Prancing is always good. 

The wrap dress caps it off! :-) 

Finding a New Way To Be Me

This blog has become something else. A shade of it's former shoe self.

I need to find a new way to be me. It's a struggle. One that really no one but me knows about completely. I can count on (less than) one hand the people that know every place my brain has been in the last two years. And even then, I keep a lot to myself, so as not to burden anyone with my "sad story".

The problem is, my whole life - especially in adulthood, but even as I was young, I have always (admittedly, by my own fault) taken everyone else's problems on myself. Even when they didn't know I was. I would stay up nights, mentally exhausting myself on "How can I help them?" without ever breathing a word to them that I was thinking this, in hopes I could come up with a miracle cure for their issue. And would rarely - usually never - ask for help when I had a problem. I'd go out of my way to find a solution so no one had to be bothered with me. Or would just swallow the problem if it couldn't be resolved, and move on with my day. Super healthy, right?

I am incredibly blessed to be a strong willed/emotionally strong person. People have always told me this, but I never really saw what they meant before. I felt like every time I broke down crying to someone, I was being weak and/or making them "deal" with me when they already had so much going on in their lives to stress over. If I complained about not feeling well, I was just "whining". Seriously. My kidney stone ER visit years back? Other than me spinning a funny story about my adventures that day, and the Percocet loopiness in days to follow - I damn near live-tweeted the passing of the stone - no one knew what hell I went through during all of that. Other than the person I was living with that had to witness it so of course he knew, I fully confided in one person, because he knew what I was going through having lived it himself. My Daddy.

And that brings me to where I am now in life. While I am WELL AWARE I have ugly moments on social media (rage blackouts, as I call them), what people don't realize is they're a minuscule fraction of what has actually happened in my day/week/month. Like you hear about the people that bottle stuff up, then just explode? My rage blackouts are me exploding. That old way Katie did things was definitely not healthy. But I made it work. It was how I had always done things, and when a personal crisis hit, I went into "Save Everyone Else From my Shit" mode.

Times are different.

Too much has happened in the last two years (mainly bad, but some good as well) to change my mental/emotional state, that I have to find a new way to be me. I don't want to change who I am. I want to continue to do everything I can to help family, friends, and co-workers. Mentally, emotionally, financially - whatever I am able to do at the time. But I have to find a way to do this without sacrificing myself. This, without a doubt, is something I have to learn to do myself. It's no one's fault I've not done it in the past. While people may have asked me for help (many didn't), no one EVER asked me to hurt myself/put myself in a bad place in the process. I just have to find my new way. 

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 33 & 34

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, Betsey Johnson. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Honestly, no. Nevermind. Because if I count, I might shame myself, and then not allow myself to continue indulging in your glorious work. Let's move forward.

I remember when I first started getting into fashion as a preteen/teen. I wrote the most sadly pathetic e-mail to CoverGirl, asking them if I could be one of their models. In their defense, they actually responded (heaven knows they get thousands to millions of e-mails a day - between consumer affairs, models, spam, etc) - telling me to sign with a modeling agency first - then get back in touch with them. Maybe they saw potential in the pics I sent, maybe they were randomly taking pity on a sad, sad girl. Whatever it was, it was enough to light a fire under me. I started buying every fashion magazine I could get my hands on, and burying my face in them night after night. Often tearing pages out when I would find something I was so obsessed with (both fashion and modeling poses/looks), I couldn't bear to throw it away with the rest of that magazine. To this day, if you were to go through my storage boxes (and for that matter, folders on my computers), I PROMISE you: you will find stray magazine pages.

Now I had years of the "modeling" world. What this boils down to is being screwed over by a "modeling agency", but also many wonderfully fun years of posing for a photography class for U of M, and eventually, the photogs I made friends with from said class (and a couple from a modeling site I had joined). For the most part, those days were glorious fun, and I remain friends with several people I met during those times.

But my heart was always more on the fashion side. As time went on, and I learned more about who was who in the designer world, Betsey Johnson always stood out to me. When I first encountered her, it was - "She's kinda weird. And I like it." As the years went on, and ESPECIALLY now that I've grown into my personality as a woman, I admired her for her focused determination to live life youthfully. Who cares what number your birth year puts you at? Age is what you feel. Who you are. Your spirit. And by golly, Betsey Johnson lives and breathes this every single day.

An added bonus for me: I ADORE her work. While that bonus did not work out for me in my younger years, and budget being what it was - over the years I've learned to save. watch for deals, etc. So today's blog is a tribute to two pairs of heels, but really - as you can tell - Betsey herself.

Brand: Betsey Johnson Name: Barbe

Store: Honestly forget - maybe Amazon

Review: 6" heel. True to form for Betsey, fits 1/2 size small. So me being a 9, I always order a 9.5 for Betsey heels. I love, Love, LOVE these shoes. Besides the fact they're houndstooth (ROLL TIDE ROLL, AMIRITE?!), they are sexy as hell. I can't help but strut when I'm in them. 

Brand: Betsey Johnson Name: Leanah

Store: Amazon.com

Review: 6" heel. Probably closer to 7 (as is Barbe, above). Fits true-to-Betsey. I wanted this shoe for 2 years, but couldn't afford, given financial times. Life happened, and suddenly she appeared before me again. Haiiiiii. Guarantee you, this will be one of my most-worn heels. Comfy and SEXXXY.

Betsey, I love and adore you. Please don't ever stop realizing your brilliance! I could post pics of everything Betsey here, but just know there's a lot. Plus this:

http://mindifibugyou.blogspot.com/2012/10/shoes-glorious-shoes-12.html

http://mindifibugyou.blogspot.com/2012/06/shoes-glorious-shoes-7.html

And be aware there are more Betsey shoes to come. Long live Betsey Johnson.

Am I Jaded?

So, in keeping with my decision earlier this year that I was going to live life more, a couple of months ago I randomly one night got the idea of going to see Aerosmith on their latest tour by myself. I've honestly lost track of how many times I've seen them in concert now, but I think I'm somewhere around 10 shows. However, never have I seen them alone. I also never have had floor seats. This was always on purpose. I didn't want to be the unlucky one to get stuck behind someone ridiculously tall and not be able to see everything the show had to offer. So I decided that night not only was I going to alone, but I was going to splurge and get VIP floor seats.

*cut to a month+ later*

At this point I had talked myself into and out of the tickets NUMEROUS times, to the point I had missed out on the VIP Brad/Tom meet & greet. The reasoning behind this was complicated, but mainly boiled down to me being so overwhelmed with life, that the idea of traveling to a city I didn't know and going to a concert alone was too much for me to process. One night, I had enough of life trying to kick me while I was down, and decided I was fighting back, and fulfilling my promise to myself. Without letting myself think twice, I got online, booked one of the last remaining floor seats available, and a hotel for the night. 

Once I got everything booked, I started thinking about the fact that I had to be in Rockwood (East TN) that weekend. Did it really make sense for me to drive back to Memphis on Thursday, and then over to Rockwood on Friday? So the wheels started turning again, and suddenly I had an entire road trip planned. Memphis --> Evansville --> Gatlinburg --> Rockwood --> Memphis. More on that to come.

The day of the concert arrived. I drove up to Evansville that morning/afternoon. Got checked in, grabbed a quick bite to eat, then went back to the room to get ready:

You remember here where I not only showed you the shoes, but told you about a ring I was ridiculously excited to wear to an Aero concert? Now you know why.

Had every intention of walking to the concert, because I didn't want to fool with moving my car, waiting on valet, etc. When I got outside the hotel, there happened to be a large group of people boarding a shuttle bus. I asked, and sure enough, AEROSMITH! "Sweet!", I thought. Save me the walking in heels. Had I known how that ride was going to go, I probably would've walked. The shuttle bus was packed, and I was one of the unlucky ones who had to stand. Let me tell you - trying to balance while standing in 4" heels in a moving shuttle bus when the driver is taking corners like she's in a friggin NASCAR race... not as easy as it sounds. Doesn't sound easy? Correct. Difficult. By the time we got there, my knees and calves were burning like I'd just done 3,000 squats. 

After making my tour merch purchases and waiting in a RIDICULOUSLY slow line at the bar, I made my way to my seat. As I walked in the direction the usher pointed me to, I noticed I was getting closer... and closer... and closer to the stage. I knew my seats were good. I had no idea how good! I was two rows back from the center stage extension. So at this point I was shaking (literally) with excitement. To the extent that I had to put one of my drinks down (the only plus to the slow line - they DID let you buy two at a time) so I could hold the other with both hands so it didn't spill. Haha 

Living Colour was the opening act, and very entertaining, considering I only know one of their songs, Cult of Personality. Corey Glover was having a blast interacting with fans. To the point that after taking numerous selfies while singing, he jumped down from the stage and headed into the crowd.

They, of course, closed with Cult of Personality. And then left the stage for the crew to begin preparing for Aerosmith. During our wait, The guy next to me began chatting about how long it had been since he'd seen Aerosmith (Original GNR was their opening act, if that tells you anything) and that he was so excited to be bringing his daughter to see them for the first time. If I were to guess, I'd say his daughter was maybe 10 or 12. Super cute. 

The moment finally arrived, and Aerosmith started their set. Not only did they start their set, they started it RIGHT. IN FRONT. OF ME! I Periscoped this part, so I don't have a video. The show was awesome. HOWEVER: there were many oddities during the concert. I'll admit many of my Aero concerts I've been a bit inebriated. That being said, I remember a couple of shows that Joe was frustrated with the sound of his guitar. This show however, was different in that EVERY guitar change he did, he messed with the guitar for a long time. Almost like he hadn't bothered to do a sound check before the show. Several times during the show, Steven was calling for him to come join him center stage/stage extension, and JP was nowhere to be found. One point we could see JP, but he was messing with his guitar so much that Steven finally said "It sounds fine damnit, come play!" Given their toxic relationship, you always wonder how much is good-natured ribbing, and how much is tension. But the rest of the show they were giggling and grinning at each other, so I think it was all in good fun.

The JP guitar issues aside, there was also a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNG delay between end of the concert and encore. Once they finally came out, Steven apologized for being late on the encore because he was on the phone wishing his daughter (Mia, I'm assuming?) a happy life because she just got married. Well, a couple things: 1) why schedule a concert on your daughter's wedding day? 2) you only had 2 songs left - since you're not there, can you not wait 10 more minutes to call?

When they went into Sweet Emotion as the finale, Steven said something about Brad getting off the phone. Well, lo and behold, you look over at Brad, and he's on a cell the entire first part of the song. Given I've seen them enough, I found this a smidge annoying, but mostly funny. However, I'd imagine first-time goers might've been more annoyed by it. The whole experience was just... odd. Like they were enjoying themselves so much that they thought they were in a casual environment where they could do whatever. 

That being said, most of the concert was what they've done for the last couple of tours. The drum solo by Joey, where Steven comes out and plays over him. Dream On with the piano that JP gets on top of, etc etc. Awesome for first time goers, good/great for those of us that have seen it numerous times. One fun part that was different for this concert: it was Joey Kramer's birthday. The below video was right after he and Steven had finished the drum part I was talking about.

 

If you'd like to see the rest of the videos, just go to my YouTube (you'll see a bunch of other craziness, too).

And here are the rest of the pictures I took from that night (click image).

Leg one of Buggy's Road Trip: in the books. Or blog. Whatever. 

   

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 32

I'm making an effort these days to do things that make me smile. Life is really just kicking the crap out of me/my loved ones the last 6 months. But if it has taught me anything, it's that you have to keep making attempts to find reasons to smile. Some days are easier than others. But I've decided I'm no longer just settling for things as they are. I tackled something that has been bringing me down for years at the beginning of this week. No guarantee that anything will change, but I did at least do my part to make the situation better. That's all you can do. You have to learn that some things are just out of your control, and it's what you do about those situations - speak up, leave, bite your tongue and be miserable 24/7 - that affects your every day life. I have been known to speak my mind on occasion...

*insert raucous laughter from friends and family here*

...however, when it comes to a situation that affects my daily life (i.e. friends, family, work), I tend to hold my tongue. Usually at the cost of my mental health. I don't want to hurt the feelings of people I love. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable in a day-to-day situation. And so, I stay quiet. Sometimes (like in this case) for years, where things build and get worse until I finally break. My goal is to get better about this. It will probably take baby steps, but I'm at least making strides. While I still don't want to hurt people I love, I know they also don't want me to be hurt, and that requires me speaking up. 

Speaking up for myself aside, I've also decided I'm living life this year. Taking weekend trips with friends, going to movies alone when I want to see something but no one is free, seeing a pair of shoes I want and not thinking twice before hitting the checkout button, etc. Which brings us to today's pair.

I am switching everything up for a while. Since most of my outfits are usually 90% the same, given they're work outfits, I'm going to start picking and choosing when I post outfits. Spring/Summer you'll probably see more outfits than Fall/Winter. Just more options when it's warm. Plus you can see the shoes better in a skirt than in long pants. So today, we focus on the shoes and accessories.

This pair is SO MUCH FUN. And totally me. Anything that has a rocker edge, I'm good with. I instantly go to "I can wear these to an Aerosmith concert!" (sidenote - I have a new ring that is SO AEROSMITH-worthy, I geeked out when I saw it; you'll see it at some point)

Brand: Style by ShoeDazzle Name: Yousra

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits true to size. I'm not going to go into the typical ShoeDazzle vs Katie's long toes in their pumps story here. These are actually pretty comfy, as long as you're used to walking in heels with no platforms. And SO rockstar, right?! No? Super plain, you say?

Sssssssssssssssilly you, for thinking I would tease a rocker shoe, and not deliver. Plus, I love a little toe cleavage. Sexy, edgy, different. LOVE.

So why not pair it with a matching ring? A 4-finger ring, at that (excuse me while I switch into Bama mode for a second - FOUR FANGERS! FOUR FANGERS!). Note: if you have never worn a 4-finger ring, prepare yourself. It flat-out does NOT work in an every day world. I had it off for most of the day at work. You can't do most tasks, because you can't separate your fingers. But if you're wearing for a social engagement, it's fine. Not uncomfortable for several hours wear, as long as you don't need to type, write much, etc.

And then a little extra special touch on the other hand. LOVE this ring/fingertip accessory ring. The spike ring on my pointer finger is hard to see, but the rocker vibe was carried out. 

So for now, dear blog readers, I bid you adieu. But hopefully soon, I'll have a lot more to talk to you about, and not just shoes. 

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 31

Well, as usual, life got the better of me for a bit and I am now behind on blogs - and on shoe wearing. The blog part, meh. Can always catch up several at a time, as I have clearly demonstrated in the past. But behind on shoe wearing?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? IS THIS THE END OF THE WORLD? HAVE I STARTED THE APOCALYPSE AND WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR THE LOCUSTS TO SHOW UP?!?!!!!!!

Ok, so that might have been a bit dramatic.

Anyhoo, this pair that I'm about to show you I have actually had for a while. Had only worn them once prior to this, and realized they're a smidge big. Decided I was going to buy an insole to put down near my toes to help hold my foot at the back of the shoe... and well, that never happened. Cut to me wearing them months later to work, and realizing it had never happened and barely being able to walk all day. At some point I'll get all of this straight, I swear. Life will start to fall into place, and all will be right in my shoe world again.

Speaking of life falling into place, I am hoping this near year will bring some calm into my life. It's certainly not starting that way, as right now I have a sick kitty to worry about, but hopefully after his follow up next week (*sends prayers up for good news*) all will slowly return to peaceful. Or as peaceful as life gets with two kitties and an 80-lb ball-of-energy pup. I am never once to make resolutions, as I feel you just set yourself up for failure, but I do have a couple things I am excited about getting in to in the new year. I have always been a fan of making my own pasta, but the process without the right tools is SO tedious. Everything was by hand, and usually turned out yummy, but not quite what I knew it could be. I have a KitchenAid mixer and all of the pasta attachments coming to me this week, and I am excited to be able to experiment with different recipes and just play in the kitchen again. It's been far too long since I have  really cooked and I feel my inner chef is screaming to be set free. Also, in the spirit of getting back to my creative side, I have gotten my brand new (3 years old, but still in the box) sewing machine out of storage. I have no plans on what my first project will be, but I have had numerous ideas over the years, and now I just need to stop thinking and DO. The one possible snag in that plan is I'll basically have to teach myself to sew all over again. I haven't been behind a sewing machine in probably 15 years or so. And even then, wasn't a pro by any means. So, we'll see.

On to the shoes:

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Nadira

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 7" heel. Fits large in length, width is fine/slim. It's hard to see in the picture, but these have a great gradient effect from the pink in the front to the black at the back. Super fierce. And the pink is WAY more intense than these pics reflect. 

I'm going to have to find a new place to take outfit pictures at some point. These are just serving their purpose, not really giving you a good view of the outfit/shoes. 

At whatever point I actually wear the other two new pair I have, the blogs will come. And who knows, if I stick to this whole pasta-making/sewing plan... maybe some different blogs, too!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 30

Two blogs in one day? What is going on? Who is this girl?!

I almost considered just putting them in the same blog, given they essentially have the same story. This was the other half of the buy one, get one mentioned here. Except this was the pair I was excited about. You'll notice almost all of the shoes I buy are black & white or black & hot pink. While that might seem repetitive, that's most of my wardrobe, too. So it allows me to change the same old, same old outfits up just by switching up the shoes depending on mood.

These bad boys don't play around. I have compared them to the pink & black masterpiece you met here, but they might just have taken the prize for tallest heel. And they are DANGEROUS right now. I need to scuff the bottoms up some to give them more grip. I almost slipped and fell several times the day I wore them. Luckily, given I stay on 5"+ heels 90% of the time, I have become very skilled at regaining my balance when hitting a slick spot on the floor, uneven surface, etc. I'm sure one day that luck will run out, but until then, I am claiming it as a valuable skill. May even put it on my resume. I'd be sure to get a promotion to the top of the company simply with that change.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Tichina

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 7" heel. Fits true to size, maybe a smidge small *insert standard long-toed ShoeDazzle disclaimer here*. This, as has become standard for me with closed-toed ShoeDazzle shoes, requires skill to get them on just right. But once I do, they're not uncomfortable.

You can pretty much tell just from this picture how tall these heels are, given my legs look 5 miles long. I *do* have long legs. But not that long. Haha

Alright kids, that does it for today. I have one more coming soon, for the pair I have on today. And then two new pair that haven't been worn yet. YAY, SHOES!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 29

Is it bad that you are buying shoes so often, they don't really have a story? I say, with how little I'm actually spending out of pocket each time, NO IT'S NOT! 4 pairs of shoes over two orders for under $40 is not too shabby, if you ask me.

I got this pair mainly because I needed a second pair in a buy one, get one situation. They didn't necessarily blow me away, but they were super cute, and part of Gwen Stefani's new line for ShoeDazzle, which I had been anxious to try. So into the cart they went. Now having worn them, can't really say I'll be buying any more from that line. Shoes, anyway. Maybe some purses, if I strike a deal on them.

A lot has changed in my life over the last two months. Actually, mainly just one big thing, that I might feel up to blogging about at some point, the time for that isn't right just yet. With that being said, though - I anticipate my next few posts will be fairly succinct. My brain is having a hard time maintaining focus, and being exhausted on top of that isn't helping matters. But, far be it for me to keep that from sharing my lovelies, so here you go!

Brand: Gx by Gwen Stefani Name: Hoshi

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits... weird. Small in the toes (like pretty much ALL ShoeDazzle shoes), and the ankle straps almost made me wonder if I got a botched pair. I have pretty slender ankles, and I could barely get the ankle strap buckled. At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to get it buckled at all, but after adjusting where it hit on my ankle, managed to get it fastened on the last hole. As you can see in the above and below pictures, they're really cute. But the quality was just not there for the price (luckily I didn't pay full price).

A side view for better reference on the ankle strap. I think it's because it's cut so far in front of the heel. Think about a foot/leg actually being in there, that is extra strap that isn't accommodated for.

Yeah, you can't really see the shoes all the way, but you get the idea.

On to the next! :-D

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 28

They say it doesn't matter how much they hurt, as long as they look good. So the fact I had a bloody/scabby leg (seriously, see pic below) for a few days afterwards with these is worth it, right?!

ShoeDazzle keeps luring me in with good sales that I can capitalize on when I have accumulated enough VIP credit and don't have to spend a lot (if anything) out of pocket at that moment. Overall, I'd say the site has gone downhill with nicer stuff since Rachel Zoe took over. If that makes sense. The whole premise of the site when it was started was every shoe was $39.95. Now hardly ANY are. I don't think Rachel grasps that not everyone rolling is money like she is. Just like her Zoe Report newsletter. When they showcase fashion "on a budget", rarely is anything under $100. One item (ESPECIALLY a non-shoe item) for $100 is a fairly large splurge for me. A budget purchase would be like a sweater for $15. But I understand she's catering to her LA clients so she can keep bringing in the big bucks. I just wish she wouldn't also have let that affect the concept of ShoeDazzle. I've debated leaving a few times lately, or at least cutting off my VIP (paid) account. But, as you'll see over the next few weeks/months/however long it takes me to wear and blog all of the shoes I've bought from them recently, they're definitely still pulling my money in right now. BUT not as much as they'd be getting if I weren't waiting to strike at the right moment.

That being said, this pair was exactly that. The other half of the buy one, get one deal you read about here. And honestly, these were the pair I kind of "settled" for. The pair I REALLY wanted sold out before I could snatch them up. After wearing these around for a full day at work, I almost wish I hadn't even bothered. But they ARE super cute. I'll just have to remember never to attempt to wear these again without applying, and being armed with extra moleskin. My legs will thank me for it.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Jaffie

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits true to size. I included a stock picture of them below so you can see the whole shoe. So that part that goes up the leg rubs like crazy. I don't know if maybe they were tighter it wouldn't... regardless it does. Wear with caution and moleskin. 

This was the result of me not heeding that advice - though I didn't know to give that advice until after this happened, but I digress.

And here is a very dark picture of the outfit. I need to rethink this AGAIN.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 27

And now we've made it back to the SERIOUS shoe posts. Meaning the shoes are serious. Not the posts.

The last blog will be a tough act to follow. I mean, going from love and paradise back to just plain ol' Katie and her shoes... it's a lot of pressure. But who am I to try and silence my love for heels? It can't be done. And so, we soldier on, people.

Given that my budget is a LOT tighter these days than it used to be, the only time I really get to make new purchases is when I can find a really great deal, or have several month's worth of ShoeDazzle VIP credit to spend. This month happened to be both. Caught ShoeDazzle on a Buy One, Get One sale. I honestly can't remember if it was free or 1/2 off, but that plus my credit balance, I got two pair for practically nothing.

The day I decided to wear these, I had my outfit picked out the night before. I had kind of noticed earlier that day at work, my toe was hurting. But didn't think anything of it. Figured I just stubbed it, or something and it would be fine the next day. So I get up that morning, start getting ready for work, look down, and:

This picture actually doesn't do it justice. Hard to tell, but the whole toe was black and blue, and much darker than it appears here. So I apparently either REALLY jammed it, or somehow managed to break my toe... without having a clue it happened. Not sure if this should concern me, or I should be grateful. Either way, you can't keep a good girl down... I wasn't letting one measly broken toe stop me from workin' these new shoes out!

And so, off to work I went. Got a couple of comments during the day, either from people who had seen my post on Facebook about my broken toe, or ones that were looking at my shoes, and could see the multi-colored toe peeking between the straps, "Doesn't that heel put too much strain on your toe?" To which I gave the only acceptable answer, "Hey, when you're devoted, YOU'RE DEVOTED." 

Shoe love is real, and it's DEEP, y'all.

Name: Zofia Brand: ShoeDazzle

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 5" heel. Fits true to size, length-wise. I know I am always telling y'all about my crazy long toes, and how ShoeDazzle's pumps usually squish them like crazy if I don't put them on JUST right. Well, these shoes prove my point. The only toes that stayed on the shoe during the day were my big toe, and "pointer" toe. The rest, as I walked, I could feel them touching the floor/ground. The tip of the shoe is SUPER slender. But the shoes themselves are comfy, and the straps are loose enough that you don't get that digging in, like you do with some strappy shoes.

I had to improvise on the outfit picture, as I was going out for drinks after work, and knew I'd forget to take it by the time I got home. Since I knew I had some time to kill between work and meeting people out, I went to "shop", i.e. pretend I'm trying something on, so I can use the dressing room mirror for my outfit pic. 

Whatever works, right?

I Slappa Da Bass, Mon!

There was no way I could go with any other title for this "fun" post for the last two pairs of shoes I posted. NO. WAY. I Love You, Man is fast solidifying itself into my all-time favorite movies, and as soon I found out we were going to Jamaica I made the decision that instead of going with everyone's go-to "Yeah, mon." phrase, I had to Katify it.

Now, for the last year(ish) I have been in a wonderful long-distance relationship. When I say wonderful, I mean the relationship is wonderful. Not the distance.The distance is LONNNNNNNNG distance. We are precisely 1,937 miles apart. So we take any opportunity we have to be together in person and not have to live out our relationship on social media, Skype, and phone. Especially with as much as I hate talking on the phone. After years of being a receptionist, the last thing I wanted to look at when I came home was a telephone. And I guess that has kind of stuck. But I'm working on it. You have to when you're 1,937 miles apart.

I'm making sacrifices, people.

But, I digress. So, the trip presents itself. As I said, as long as we're together, we don't care where we are. But when you have a chance to take an all-expense-paid - thanks to LOTS of hard work on Steve's part - trip to paradise, you don't exactly turn it down, amirite?! I have an app on my phone that you can create countdowns. All the way down to the time of day, so you know the exact amount of seconds you have until your event. Yes, I know I bugged the crap out of everyone giving them the count every other day. Do I care? NO. 

As you can imagine, being 1,937 miles apart (have I mentioned how far apart we are, yet?), our relationship has been all about adventure so far. Our first "us" time was in Atlanta, a city I call home even though I only ACTUALLY lived there for 3 1/2 years. I get back as often as I can, usually a few times a year. This was Steve's first time there though, and being a lifelong Braves fan, was a pretty big deal, in itself. Next up was me to Halifax (where he lives). I had only been across the US/Canada border a couple times, and both of those times were not even a full day. So essentially, my first REAL trip to Canada. After that was him to Memphis (where *I* live). Also a first for him, and at Christmas time, so that was a lot of fun. But up until that point, everywhere had been a familiar place for one of us. This was our first trip to somewhere new, together. Though I had been to Montego Bay, I had not been to this resort, or there for longer than a day, so I call that new. A real adventure.

And so, the trip began. Him flying from Halifax, me from Memphis. I flew through Charlotte, an airport I am familiar-enough with to not make travel stressful (no "Do I have enough time to get to my next gate AND go pee, or...?" worries), so my thought was "Yay, a quick trip and then Katie/Steve/paradise!" Boy, was I wrong about that. As I said earlier, I have been to Montego Bay, but it was just one of the ports on a cruise I was on, so there was no dealing with customs. Actually, back then there was no dealing with customs, period, for the Caribbean. All you had to have was your birth certificate with you, and they just checked that with your ID as you got on the ship. Times have changed. As we got off the plane, and got inside a hallway, we hit a line about 5-6 people wide. I thought ok, we must be at customs. Turn the corner, another lonnnnnnnnnnnnng hallway and then...

The picture does not even come close to doing it justice. It was about 10 rows of this, and way more than the camera could capture in one frame (you weren't supposed to have phones on, so there was no time to do a panorama). You can see how low the ceilings were, and there was NO air conditioning, with Jamaica heat coming in from frequently opened doors. Took about 45 minutes to get through customs. It was easily the most miserable traveling experience I have ever had. But at the end of the line:

HAPPINESS AWAITED.

A short shuttle bus ride took us to our resort, the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa. Being that this was a sponsored trip with Steve's job, we had to get checked in, orientation packets, wristbands, etc. first. Whereas I just wanted to run straight through the lobby to the view that awaited on the other side:

Being that we both had SO much stress going on in "real" life, we agreed that this trip was just going to be about us and relaxing. While everyone else chose an excursion, we chose a couples massage. We spent a lot of time by the pools and ocean... 

We drank a lot of these... 

This was the view from our balcony. Not too shabby.

Breakfast every morning was beautiful, albeit a bit stressful for me. 

Birds in Jamaica are CRAY, y'all.

Looking at this picture is making me crave the honey butter and almond butter. And the french toast. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh man, the french toast... *drools*

We learned the Jamaicans are apparently NOT Wizard of Oz fans (note the name of the dessert)...

And pretty much just enjoyed being together. 

It was a glorious week, and we made a lot of fun memories. Like this picture that was one of the only ones we got of me in this dress before I got a little over-zealous demonstrating the proper way to do the Braves victory dance... whilst holding a glass of red wine. 

Our last day there. This picture was right before we went to get on the shuttle bus to the airport, and I can't say I didn't think about "missing" the bus.

Though you can't SEE the shoes from this post in most of these pictures, they ARE there, and served their purpose well! 

As far as my review of the resort: FABULOUS. I really hope we get a chance to go back one day. Everyone was so friendly (shoutout to the best waitress EVER, KimAnn); it's an all-inclusive resort, including alcoholic drinks - as long as it's not top-shelf; there were some real shining moments food-wise, but I wouldn't grade the food overall super high - nothing we ate was bad, most everything was good-enough/good, and then everything else was... ohhhhhhhh, did I mention the french toast?! This IS a family resort, but there was never a time I felt overwhelmed by the kids there. And if you ever do, there is an adults-only section of beach for you to escape. Not sure if there are multiple levels of rooms, I'm sure there are, but ours was spacious. A king-sized bed, large dresser, desk, sitting area with a chaise lounge, and of course bathroom and balcony. I could go on and on, but the epicness of the resort can be summed up with one picture.

Any place that leaves me a heffalump towel animal, is alright by me!