The Chicken or the Egg

It is hard to remember if I became passionate before they became popular or vice versa. What's the they you ask?  Shoes, wine, French Bulldogs and pigs (in no particular order). As I Christmas shop I have seen:

• wine glasses with inscriptions about shoes - "Shoes speak louder than words." "Shoe love is true love." (Both very true statements.)
• French bulldog cashmere sweaters, totes, statues, notebooks, pajamas, sweatshirts, shoes, ornaments - the list goes on and on. (All good things.)
• signs for the home with slogans about wine and shoes, pictures of shoes and wine, high-heel shaped wine bottle holders and wine bottle stoppers, etc. (Again, all good things.)
• pig statues and ornaments and stuffed animals and... the piece de resistance...

Christmas Hoggie.  Just what every home needs.  Well, this one anyway. (What would Sophie do if she saw this?  Stella wouldn't even notice but Sophie may attack!)

So chicken or the egg?  Trend or passion - which came first? I tend to believe I am a trendsetter and so retailers have just finally caught up.  

What are you passionate about?  (Besides family, friends, work, faith, etc. These passions are extras! And I refuse to call them obsessions despite what others around me say.)

Bucket List Boots

As you may or may not recall, I love red cowboy boots. And I am lucky enough to have a guy in my life that wants to make all my bucket list shoes a reality. But for some reason I was still shocked Christmas morning when I unwrapped a box and saw something I didn't even know existed - red Harley Davidson cowboy boots!!! I can wear them on a bike, on a horse or (as you can see here) to go with my Bestie on our annual trip to see the one and only Tim McGraw.  What better place to break them in than tailgating and dancing to Tim? Except maybe to a Broadway version of Footloose if that was to ever happen... "My Daddy hates these boots."

My First Haiku

I am lucky to be part of a really cool team at work called the Innovations Team. Inspired by one of my friends from the Academy, this team gets together monthly to use both sides of our brains as we try to identify challenges and solutions within our organization.  We rotate bringing creative exercises, check-in questions to get to know one another better and meaty substantive agenda items.  Yesterday's creative exercise totally inspired me!  Write a Haiku (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables) inspired by customer service.  So, without further ado, my first Haiku:

A Shopper's Dream:
I MUST have those shoes!
Do you have them in my size?
Yes, at a discount!

Feel free to snap as if you are at a poetry jam as I nod my head in appreciation.

What will you do that is new and creative today?

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... Shallow Gal?

I attended a board retreat last week that started with "speed networking". You were given 4 questions to ask and answer as you went around the room meeting people. One of the questions was, if you were a superhero and could have any superpower you wanted, what would it be? Now, remember, you only had 30 seconds to think of an answer. So think of yours right now. What would it be? And you can't change it!

I said I would be invisible. Basically, so I would always know what was going on around me. The first person I spoke to said he would be able to teleport. Great! We are on the same wavelength. I was feeling pretty good about my choice.

And then I met Michael. Michael said, "I would rid the world of all disease." Seriously? That's what you come up with in 30 seconds??? I'm not saying it isn't totally admirable but what superhero are you basing it on? Am I really that shallow? "Of course", I responded, "well since I am invisible, I can steal all the research you need to help rid the world of disease." Aren't I helpful?

But the more I thought about it, the more shallow I felt so I responded the way any self-respecting cynic would. I shot holes in his superpower. "You know, if you rid the world of all disease, we would have overpopulation and that would result in new problems." Who am I???

I met another teleporter and then a guy who would cure Dementia. And a woman who would make sure all families had all their basic needs met. And a guy who would end starvation in third world countries. Are you kidding me??? What happened to wanting to fly or turn yourself into anything?

And to add insult to injury, someone said they were surprised I wouldn't have asked for all the shoes in the world. OK, first of all, that isn't a superpower. I could ask Santa for that. Second of all, I work for a nonprofit too! Don't I have even the slightest image of wanting to do good in the world?

To add insult to injury, I was wearing my simple, 10 year old Kenneth Cole black patent loafers. And as I walked through ATL, I realized they had given me a blister. Was this shoe karma? Was the universe trying to tell me something? Fine. I'd like to change my response. If I could have any superpower in the world, I would make sure everyone in the world had comfortable, functional, stylish shoes.

Now, what would you call me?

If I were a Curator...

I thought I was going to be a curator at some fancy shmancy art gallery in NYC when I was younger. Instead, I was the assistant to the curator at the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale in the Bronx. Then an assistant curator at Columbia University. Then on to Boston to be an art consultant at Boston Corporate Art. None of that was very fancy. Although I did have big fun living the high life (on credit) in my 20s in Boston. Then I moved back to DC, got a position at AAHSA, and the rest is history.

I love my job. I love our mission, working with the members and knowing we are making this country better for people like my grandparents and Paul's dad. I love knowing we are transforming aging. But sometimes, I can't help but wonder, what life would be like if I had stuck with the art history. Would I be at the National Gallery right now? Would I have gone to Europe? Would I work in a swanky gallery in NYC?

None of this is regret, mind you. It is just an exercise in wondering... do you ever do that?

Regardless of where my path would have taken me, I know I would have owned these fabulous Joan & David pumps!

Spring is Sprung

It is impossible to be unhappy when the weather is as beautiful as we have had this week. However, the change in season can be tough when you haven't gotten a pedicure yet. That's why I broke out my Nicole Miller "they're like BUTTA" beauties for a trip to the office and a big meeting yesterday. They are perfect for the weather and put a spring in my step without my toes having to peep. What are your favorite shoes for this time of year?

And, yes, I did get that pedicure today!

Party Shoes

Black velvet dress.

Green tango shoes.

Fancy purse.

Let's party!

Oh Christmas Shoes, Oh Christmas Shoes!!!

(Picture the Cheetah print in black and grey with a silver platform.)

God bless us. Everyone!

Friends and Neighbors

I used to have a very odd theory that being friends with neighbors would suck. They would pop-in, watch your every move, etc. So new neighbors moved in and they had parties. Paul would go and claim I was sick. I later found out they really thought something was wrong with me because they never saw me (I travel a lot for work). Little did they know that while Paul was being social, I was laying on the couch catching up on General Hospital. (Don't judge me, my job requires me to meet, talk to and be with people a lot, I just needed a break when I got home.)

This theory went out the window when Paul bought a new set of pots. The pots we had been using were my very first set that Grammie and Grandaddy gave me when I moved to New York and my first solo apartment. I cried as I packed the pots up (Grammie died 5 years ago and I still miss her everyday) and told Paul to make sure Goodwill got the pots. They were still in great shape and he promised. The next day I went out of town to return 2 days later.

As I walked up my driveway upon my return, my next door neighbor Amy yelled from her balcony "Thanks for the pots. I hope you don't mind I took them!" As we started to chat, I learned my loving husband had put my special pots out for the garbage pick-up (yes, he lied and I caught him. I win!) Amy was in need of pots (you'll have to ask her why), so when she saw my nice set outside in a box, she thought it was karma. I believe it was Grammie's way of introducing us.

From that day on, we weren't just next door neighbors anymore but also great friends. I even became the dreaded nosy neighbor who would report the comings and goings from friend's houses. We laugh, we cry, we shop, we go to shows and generally just have a great time. I am so lucky Paul put those pots out for the trash (I win again!)

One more thing, if it weren't for Amy, I would never have welcomed the lovely navy grosgrain and silk peep-toed, pink heeled, pink and white rosette Giuseppe Zanotti's pictured above into my life! How is that for a happy ending?

This Season's Dream Shoe...

Need I say more? The question isn't which pair, but when... Happy Fall Shopping!

I Have A Lot of Stuff in My Head

My husband asked me why the sudden urge to blog, and my response was "I have a lot of stuff in my head..." It's true, like many women I know, my brain never stops working. I get up in the middle of the night out of a dead sleep to pee and immediately my brain wakes up with things I have to accomplish the next day. It is totally annoying and overwhelming. So maybe this is my attempt to get my brain to slow down... Or maybe I'm just intrigued by what will come through my fingers. I don't expect anyone else to read it (doesn't everyone start out that way?), and I'm not sure what I'll talk about. What I do know is that I fret a lot (thanks, Mom), love my family, am obsessed with shoes, and have a good life. Yet I can often complicate things in the blink of an eye! I guess I'll just have to see where this journey takes me... Oh, yeah, along the way I'll make a note of my footwear. Tonight it is pink giraffe print fuzzy slippers (Christmas gift from Paul, my husband). Oh the comforts of home!