Hooker Heels

Last weekend I went to see Spank a play that spoofs 50 Shades of Grey.  If you haven't seen it but have read the books, get tickets.  It is hilarious!  Since it was a GNO, I decided to up my usual weekend game and donned my BCBG black patent peep toe stiletto Mary Jane's.

Upon arriving at my girlfriend Edie's house, her husband exclaimed "Melissa, nice hooker heels!"  Now I realize he was giving me a huge compliment but his statement certainly gave me pause.  Are they really inappropriate?  After all, I wear these to the office!  And what about the other stilettos in my closet?

(OK, so the last ones are pretty bad.  They are going because I almost maimed myself walking through Georgetown in them.)

But the others, are they appropriate for daytime at a meeting or am I completely off?  Mind you, I'll keep wearing them because I love them but I am curious about your opinions...

A Christmas Miracle

Tis the season of miracles. If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have believed it. It hasn't happened, well, ever. This Christmas, my grandparents, parents, brother and wife, pups, niece and nephews and the love of my life gathered to celebrate the holiday.

Faithful readers know that I have struggled being out of contact with my brother for the better part of the past decade. A few months ago, he emailed me.  The emails turned into texts. The texts turned into phone calls and I saw him for the first time and met my two youngest nephews shortly after Mom came home from rehab after her big surgery. When my 3 year old nephew walked in, handed me a turkey made from a pine cone and said, "I made this for you, Aunt Messy", I was in shock. He acted like he had just seen me last Tuesday.  Truly amazing.

So I really didn't think the next event would happen - this early Christmas celebration. I was so suspicious it was real that I said we have to photograph it. So my sister-in-law (yep, finally got to meet her!) brought the camera and tripod and we now photographic proof thanks to the above family portrait.

I don't know why he reached out. I still don't know what happened to cause him not to talk to me. But what I do know, true to my word in earlier blogs, he has been accepted with open minds, open hearts and a hint of trepidation. You can't blame me for that, can you?

It has been an incredible holiday season for me so far. I have been blessed with friends, family and fun:

• Early Christmas with the family - including Zoo Lights with brother, sister-in-law, niece and 3 nephews
• Cookie swap with a new group of gal pals - including an early baking date with a great friend
• Shrek the Halls with my niece, nephew and their mom
• Dave Matthews in concert with T
• Wonderful birthday date for my special day - and don't forget my Jimmy Choos!
• Annual Christmas shopping and breakfast with Dad
• Christmas with my bestie and her family, parents and aunt and uncle yesterday - including awesome Christmas ornaments made by my beautiful goddaughters and a surprise from my bestie - recipe cards written by my grandmother that she gave Mel for her bridal shower.  She copied them and gave me the originals.  Yes, of course I cried.  You would have too!
• Still to come - Shrek the Halls and dinner double date with friends
• National Christmas tree with T
• Christmas day with my family

Can you believe all of this? I can't! 2012 is ending beautifully for me and I can't wait to see what 2013 holds.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours. I wish you health, happiness and blessings in the New Year. 

I CHOOse You!

Yesterday was my 39th birthday and I must admit I was not thrilled about it. Don't get me wrong, I have much in my life to be thankful for and I am - especially having another birthday! But it's hard not to reflect on the first half of your life and wonder how you got where you are, what you could have done differently, what the next half will be like. And so, I got a little melancholy.

T doesn't stand for that. He hates to see me sad and was so excited it was my birthday he sang to me at 2:00 am when he took the doggies out. Then again at 5:30. And at 7, we were up! He saw that look in my eye and said it was time to open my presents.  The first was an ornament with our picture in it to hang on our tree. I loved it - nothing better than a homemade present. Well, almost nothing...

In box #2 were the long lost loves of my life. The classic, 4 1/2" heel platform black suede Jimmy Choo pump. I almost wept with joy as I hugged them to my chest. And kissed T of course! (And then wore them all around the house with my fleece pants and pullover.)

When I first met T, he said he could never see spending that kind of cash on shoes. After all, he beats his to death. For goodness sake, think about how many golf clubs or engine parts you could get for what one pair of high-end shoes cost. And yet, he did this. He took a tape measure into my closet to try and get the size right (my closet includes shoes sized 8.5 - 9.5 so it can be very confusing) and sought expert advice (from our good friends at Saks) before taking the plunge. He did his research!

Here's the thing:  this isn't just about getting my first pair of Jimmy Choos. It's about what is behind the gift.  That we can strive to be better people because we want to deserve the love we have. That the person you love's happiness can sometimes be more important than your own. That seeing a light come on behind sad eyes because of what you have done makes it all worthwhile. These aren't just shoes. They are a symbol of a love that has grown because two people are intentional about communication, respect, kindness. They may as well be a diamond ring because these beauties are proof positive that T chose me. And I will continue to choose him everyday for the next half of my life and beyond. Happy Birthday to me!

You Had Me at Carlos Santana

I'm sure you will agree that one of the most romantic scenes from a movie was from Jerry Maguire. When Dorothy Boyd told Jerry Maguire, "you had me at hello", your heart melted. Not to mention when Jerry said, "you complete me." Sigh, that is why we go to the movies!

And I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a moment like this two weeks ago. I work from home or am on the road so don't get to the office very much. But when I do, I figure why not wear a pair of killer heels. What's the point of all that beauty being confined to my closet, right? So as I walked into the kitchen one morning wearing these sexy ankle wrapped, cork heeled, multi-colored stilettos I just about fell over when my boyfriend said, "You look beautiful.  Are those your Carlos Santanas?"

I'm sorry... what?!? This is a race car driving, incredible at golfing, hard working, manly man.  He doesn't read In Style or fantasy shop on jimmychoo.com. How in the world did he know that? So I asked...

"You told me about them when you bought them.  Don't you remember I was on the phone?  Honey, I don't forget anything you tell me."

Seriously? Now I knew he was amazing before this moment but it just reinforced my admiration. And as I drove to work, with a smile on my face, I couldn't help but remember Dorothy and Jerry. Romantic moments don't only happen in the movies!

Very Girlie

It has recently been brought to my attention that I am very girlie. High heels, dresses, make-up, etc. I can't help myself! I love sparkles and fashion and feeling pretty.

But just because I'm girlie doesn't mean that I'm not tough. Beneath the frills is a strong, independent woman who has survived many trials in life (often of my own making). Sometimes it is easy to forget that... at least it's easy for me to forget and I need a reminder. Sometimes that reminder comes from a friend. Sometimes it comes from my footwear.

Take these star-studded Jimmy Choo stilettos for example. The strappy sandal is as girlie as it gets but the studs give them just enough edge to be tough. That is just the combination I need to get me through difficult times. Well, shoes plus a fabulous friend who reminds me how strong (and delicate) I am.

Bucket List Boots

I recently wrote my bucket list and will share it in a future post. Obviously, golfing was on it, and I got the swift kick in the butt I desperately needed to start playing when a friend invited me to play in a tournament. I've been pretty consistent since - taking lessons and playing with my Dad.

Most of my bucket list is based on places I want to see and experiences I'd like to have. These over the knee Jimmy Choo stiletto boots would fall under the experiences I'd like to have column.

Can you imagine what those experiences could be?