Happy New Year!

In case you haven't noticed, I went silent for awhile. Even though I was taking photos, I was having trouble keeping up. Work has been keeping me really busy so by the time I get home from work, I just want to chill.

Many people have been lamenting how tough 2016 was and they have kissed it goodbye. Many of them have been doing this because of the number of celebrities we lost. Prince. David Bowie. Debbie Reynolds. Carrie Fischer. Florence Henderson. And many more. However, one of the worst tragedies experienced on U.S. soil occurred in Orlando, FL in the wee hours of June 12. 49 people were murdered at Pulse nightclub.

Life is full of disappointments but my biggest disappointment of 2016 were the election results for the presidential election. When I realized that Donald Trump was going to win the Electoral College vote, I became sick to my stomach. Jerry Martin with KPRC Channel 2 said it best when talking about Trump. He said just because we're giving you a chance we're not giving you a pass. Time will tell.

So what did I do on the first day of the year? I went shopping. I was told by a friend that whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will be doing that the rest of the year.

Pic Of The Day - 12.20.15 - More Food

Yes, that is another brisket sandwich and homemade potato chips from Buc-ee's. I had to go to Baybrook Mall to get Helen's iPad and then Roni wanted a blanket from Buc-ee's and so what is another 8 miles south. Long story short, I ended up in Texas City at the stroke of noon on Sunday when everyone wanted to buy beer. End of story.

Pic(s) Of The Day - 12.18.15 - Scenes From A Mall

I finally made it back to The Galleria to continue with my Christmas shopping. Traffic was a bitch getting there and once I arrived, I decided I was going to valet at Nordstrom because it's just what the doctor ordered.
I made my annual pilgrimage to the tree in the ice skating rink and it wasn't lit!

Usually there is one or two displays that will catch my attention and this year the award goes to Coach!

And so, I was minding my own business and I thought, "Hmmm. I haven't been on the 2nd level of the Nordstrom wing. Let's go that way." So I did and THEN I saw THIS:

The store is closing! At some point it will reopen but not in The Galleria. My bet is that it will re-open in River Oaks District.

And yes, I purchased some more shoes. Can you blame me? It was 70% the last marked price. #MerryChristmasToMe

Pic Of The Day - 08.13.15 - Shopping From A To Z

I need some new athletic wear and I'd been looking at this Astros colored shirt at Sports Authority which then lead to me looking for a bargain or two which then lead to me walking down to DSW and finding some shoes and socks and boy was I tired!

Pic Of The Day - 12.20.14 - You Deserve A Break Today

Sometimes I amaze myself. Toward the end of the move when I was hauling my belongings from the house to the car, from the car to the storage unit and to the apartment, I acted like I was a contestant on The Amazing Race and I was doing a road block and Phil Keoghan was waiting for me at the finish line. #determination

So...that's how I treated Christmas shopping. I took off from work on December 19 and knocked out a big chunk of my list. I saved Saturday for Highland Village, Petsmart, Target and various other places. By the time lunchtime approached I was hungry and decided to venture to River Oaks Shopping Center. I had already decided that if I couldn't find a parking place, I wasn't stopping.  And guess what? I found a parking space.  Off to Le Madeleine I went!

French onion soup, lemonade and Caesar Salad with chicken. #foodporn

Pic Of The Day - 12.19.14 - Oh Christmas Tree

It's been a few years since I have been this far behind on Christmas shopping. Thank goodness for Macy's and their preview of their One Day Sale!

It was pouring down rain on Friday and I had shopping to do. I whisked The Calvinator off to daycare at Dogtopia, purchased a new pair of glasses and off I went to The Galleria.

I made it through most of my list at Macy's and then decided to stroll down the mall to Versace, Polo, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, and Neiman Marcus. And no, I don't have the money to spend at those stores but it's always fun to window shop.

This wing of the complex also as the ice skating rink. The ice skating rink is also home to the Christmas tree.

Bastille Day

Today is Bastille Day in France. Greetings to Aleksander & Stephane at Oh La La. These two guys are two of favorite bloggers. This photo was taken was taken by Steph.

Photo of the fireworks over looking the Vincennes Park in Paris by Steph

For those of us who aren't quite sure what Bastille Day is, this is from Wikepedia: Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is called "Fête Nationale" ("National Holiday"), in official parlance, or more commonly "quatorze juillet" ("14th of July"). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the storming of the Bastille was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French "nation", and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

In Other News...

I went for a 6 mile run this morning and saw something rather disturbing. While I was in the jungle gym area doing my post-run stretch I thought I saw a man wearing a diaper. I looked again and well let's just say he shouldn't have been wearing those white shorts...they were a bit too small, too wet and did not complement his body at all. And I was the only one doing a double take!

I schleped wine around yesterday in preparation for tonight's Krewe Party. Hope y'all can make it. In addition to this, I was running more errands for Kaye Sedilla. She puts the "I" in dIva! I got a steal at Macy's Red Apple Sale today. I went looking for a white shirt and ended up buying a black shirt. LOL (I crack myself up.) Here's the deal.

The sign on the rack for the black shirt said 50% off blah, blah, blah. However, the white white shirt (exact same style) wasn't on that rack. So I thought, "hmmm. I can always use another black shirt." Turns out it was 50% off the marked price. The shirt had already been marked down 50% and it was 50% off of that! At that price, who needs a white shirt???? :-)