Newness

I now blog (or try to) at http://jacquelynjoy.wordpress.com/ -- join me there and pressure me into posting more often.

Oh Lawd.

Leila just came flying into the living room.
She had a chocolate in her mouth and I could not understand what she was saying! So she repeated it slightly more slowly but still VERY excitedly. What was my child saying to me with such excitement in her eyes?

"The toilet paper roll fell on me and then it fell into the toilet!!!"

le sigh.

Weekday outfit.

Still haven't bought that damn full-length mirror, but I will try desperately to post my ensembles.

From 5-31-2009

The turquoise of the skirt against the muted lavender was gorgeous to me...

From 5-31-2009

I wore them with these adorable espadrilles:

From 5-31-2009

But knew I'd switch them out for these beauties at work. I'm on my feet all day on concrete floors!

From 5-31-2009

I took these pictures before I put on my gorgeous bracelet from Pixie-pants.

Purple cuffed tee-- Gap
White cami-- Ann Taylor Loft
Turquoise skirt -- Gap
Espadrilles -- Ann Taylor Loft
Sandals-- Talbots (I know! Who'd've thunk Talbots would have pretty, delicate, shoes like that amongst the old-lady-wear. Just goes to show you should never leave any retail space unexplored!)

Rainy Day Outfit

*Striped rainboots: made by Rampage, bought at DSW
*Cable-knit babydoll hoodie in navy: Ann Taylor Loft (I also own this in green.)
*High-waisted denim pencil skirt: Old Navy
*Brown opaque tights: Ann Taylor Loft
*Teal cotton spaghetti strap cami: Lucy
*Pink l/s tee with gathering at the bodice: Ann Taylor Loft (no joke, I own this in five colors. They are the best basics ever.)
*Ombre pink scarf with sequined detailing: Old Navy
*silver hoop earrings: Uh. I don't know?
*pink bracelets: Pixie Originals ;)

I loooooove layering, as you can tell. I almost NEVER wear just one shirt. And it's too cold for bare legs! Damn weird weather.

Storm of the Century

The whole damn metro area freaks out when it snows, which makes me feel right at home. I grew up in Arkansas and various other locations across the South, so I'm not exactly an old hand at blizzards and the like. I have lived here for about six years though, and I believe there's only been one really big storm *in* that six years.

Which made me think about...well, the past six years. I moved here when I was twenty one, got married shortly after and had Leila almost exactly a year from the day I walked through BWI. Three years after that, I was moving into this apartment, splitting from F, starting over...again. And I needed to make the city mine again. It had been mine and his, and every single landmark, every single store, every single everything between Montgomery County, DC, and NoVa belonged to us. I couldn't go anywhere without being overcome by memories of coupledom. That's rough, probably the hardest part of divorce. I know now why people move away and start from scratch when they get divorced, because it's hard as hell when everything you see reminds you of everything you've lost.

I started with the monuments. I'd never actually been to any of them...so I went. I dragged my daughter to the Natural History Museum, as I'd only been once. I took the metro (which I'd once found terrifying) to Pentagon City mall and went shopping there. I never had before, and I sat in the food court watching groups of tourists with matching hats, or shirts, or whatever. I went to the Rock and Roll Hotel, to a couple of shows at the 9:30 Club. I walked around in Chinatown, (tourist watching gold, there) sat on the steps of the Portrait Gallery, and I made new friends. Learned how to find my way around, tried new restaurants, wandered around Silver Spring on my own.

Instead of being lost inside the metro stations, now, I give other people directions. I must look a) nice b) friendly and c) like I know where I'm going, since I feel like I spend most of my time there pointing people in the right direction. I like to brag that I could be dumped anywhere in the county and be able to find my way home. And...in all of this finding the city, and making it mine, I have found my way home.

I like to tell people I live within pissing distance of the DC border, which is definitely true. I live as close to the border as I can, literally across the street. Montgomery County's public school system is amazing and I need that for my daughter...but I'd love to live in the city. My roommate and I have talked about moving into Rockville, but she said that DC is like a security blanket to her, and she wants to be close to it. I know exactly how she feels.

Martian Death Flu, Round 39854

Leila has generously shared her germs with me once again, and I am feeling like death. Of course this would happen on the same day that I have plans to meet up with a friend, because it definitely couldn't have happened yesterday, when I was laying around the house doing nothing productive at all. Despite momentarily thinking I wouldn't make it out the door, I managed something approximating my normal level of cheerfulness. Such as it is.
Speaking of The Germy One, she is sitting next to me reciting my Starbucks order, over and over, like a chant. "I would like a venti iced caramel macchiatto, extra ice, and a kid's hot chocolate." It sounds quite musical, actually. And she doesn't even stumble over macchiatto. My caffeine addiction is improving her vocabulary! Amazing parenting on my part yet again.

Life in the Big City, Part 75397

Witnessed: Shortly before 12PM: Me, on my hands and knees, cleaning up the cocoa my child spilled in Ann Taylor Loft, only to realize that a) no one who actually worked for the store offered to help me at any point, and b) the spot I just spent ten minutes cleaning is now the cleanest spot in the entire store.

Witnessed: Shortly after 12PM: A couple in their fifties, getting pissy and leaving my favorite sushi place because they could smell Pine-Sol from the recently cleaned bathroom. I guess they like restaurants that have citations from the Health Department.

Witnessed: 2PM: A young woman in bright nursing scrubs, jaywalking, and almost getting killed on the corner of Georgia and Colesville. Look, you obviously live here, don't you know these people will run your ass over? Damn good thing one of your friends was quick enough to pull you back, otherwise you would've been a candy-colored smear.

Witnessed: Yesterday: A woman clearly too insane to stand in line to vote November, but wearing something close to fifteen Obama pins big enough to eat dinner off of.

God, I love this place.