Dress #25 Part 2

Today (7/31), I wore my floral skirt to work.  I didn't have any real reason at all.  It's just mid summer and hot out so I figured it was time to bust out my skirts for work.  I really liked wearing this outfit the other day and just decided that I wanted to wear it again to work.  I'm not going to update every time I re-wear an outfit (for example, I wear my jean skirts all the time but I'm not going to post every day that I wear them) but I just felt like posting this one.  I wore it again with my white sequined flip flops and got quite a few compliments on my outfit from co-workers.

Dress #26

On Monday (7/28), I wore my pink wrap skirt with white flowers.  It's summer and time to bust out all the skirts.  I literally just ran errands all day but it was hot and I wanted to wear a skirt.  I had taken a sick day from work for my doctor's appointments.  I had my yearly check up and I had to see my other doctor for a check up on my arm.  My first appointment was at 12pm and my second at 4pm.  Joe offered to go with me and drive me to my appointments which was nice.  So even though we were mostly waiting in doctor's offices, we did spend the day together.  After my first appointment we had lunch at Baja Fresh.  I don't think it's the best food, but one of Joe's friends got us a gift card there as a wedding present so we figured we may as well use it up.

I got my wrap skirt from Cambodia.  My friend and I took a trip to Thailand with Friendly Planet that had an excursion to Angkor Wat Cambodia.  It was really hot in Thailand.  Our tour guide told us Thailand had three seasons, hot, hotter and hottest.  We were there during hot season and it was sweltering.  We had brought shorts but the problem was that we weren't allowed to enter any temples with our knees or shoulders visible.  It became excruciating after a week.  Cambodia was basically the same.  Our tour guide warned us about having to be covered to go into Angkor Wat so I had to buy a skirt.  The night before our day trip out there we went to Pub Street in Siem Reap.  Pub Street is basically the bar/shopping/party area near our hotel.  It was crowded and full of tourists, mostly South Africans and Australians.  There was a ton of clothing stands there.  Every one offered deals if you bought two of whatever it was you were buying.  My friend bought two dresses and I bought a wrap skirt and a dress.

Pub Street was really fun and we ended up going there every night.  We were only in Siem Reap for three days but it felt like a full week.  Each day we went to three temples and had lunch with the tour group, then got massages and ended the day drinking at Pub Street.  Our first night at Pub Street we got fish pedicures at a place that gave us free beer with the service.  You basically put your feet in a tank of fish that eat all the dead skin off.  It tickled and felt like a cat licking your feet.  You started in a tank with bigger fish, then moved to a tank of smaller fish.  My feet honestly did feel a lot softer after it.  We went to a bar called Angkor What? that had neon lights and a DJ.  We ate at a restaurant called Khmer House which had delicious local cuisine.  Everything was super cheap and they accept US dollars for everything so we didn't even need to convert any currency.  Even the ATMS dispense American dollars.  Beers only cost 50 cents to a dollar so we drank a lot.  It was a great place to vacation.  It had the perfect balance of touristy and relaxing things to do at an affordable price.  Seeing Angkor Wat was amazing.  I wasn't really familiar with Cambodia and didn't have any expectations for the trip but it definitely exceeded everything I thought it would be.  My friend wants to go back really badly.  I'm not sure if I'll ever return or not but it was definitely worth the trip and it's an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life.

The skirt doesn't have any tags or info at all.  It's basically a long piece of fabric that wraps around the waist with two ties to tighten or loosen it.  There's no elastic bands or anything.  I wonder if it could be used as a shawl or wrap and not just a skirt but I never tried to wear it that way.  I wore it with my purple Gap tank top. 100% cotton.  Size S.  Made in India.

Dress #25

On Sunday (7/27), Joe and I had breakfast with his brother's family at Hungry Fox.  His brother and sister-in-law want to catch up more often so we're trying to meet them for breakfast/brunch or see them once every month or so.  We hadn't seen them since the wedding and they wanted to hear about our trip to Europe.  Joe suggested Hungry Fox (our favorite breakfast place).  They hadn't been there before so we were happy to introduce them to the restaurant.  I was treating it like an Sunday after church brunch so I wanted to wear my floral skirt.  It's very Easter-esque.  After breakfast we went to Aaron Brothers to buy some frames so we could hang up our wedding pictures.  They were having a buy one get one for a penny sale which was perfect because their frames are usually pretty pricey.  We received gift cards to both Aaron Brothers and Bed Bath and Beyond for our wedding so we also went next door to BB&B and got a waffle iron I was wanting.  There's still some money left on the BB&B gift card so the next time I get a 20% off coupon in the mail I'm going to get a set of glass tupperware.

I used to wear this outfit to work pretty often and I took it to my first trip to Hawaii back in 2007.  In Hawaii, I wore it to Germaine's Luau.  It was the first luau I ever went to and the first time I ever tried Poi.  I only like Poi when it's used in breads.  When it's plain as a pudding-like substance, it isn't very good.  The luau was a great experience.  There were several different kinds of dances and of course it ended with a fire dance.  I don't really think the skirt is very Hawaiian, but I like wearing it on a summer day.

I got it at Ross for $10 back in 2007.  I always wear it with my white cami with gold/tan/silver beading.  The skirt is made by Requirements.  100% polyester.  Size 10.  Made in China.  It has a white inner lining so it's not see through.  The outer shell has a floral design in layers so it looks more flowing.  I really like it but it often has a lot of static cling.  I absolutely love the top.  It's actually my favorite shirt.  I got it many years ago (probably in 2006) from walmart.com.  It cost $6, not including shipping and I love it.  I have to hand wash it because of the beading and it's starting to look a little worn being so old, but I wear it often.  It pretty much goes with anything.  It's made by Metro 7.  95% rayon, 5% spandex.  Size M.  Made in Guatemala.

Dress #23 Part 2

On Friday (7/25) I wore my tan ruffled skirt to work.  That Sunday I had to go to the ER.  I woke up with my arm hurting pretty badly and I couldn't move it.  I had a pretty intensive static trapeze class the day before so I figured it had to do with that, though I felt totally fine after class on Saturday.  At the hospital they originally thought it was dislocated but after taking an x-ray they told me it was only sprained.  It really sucks because I have to wear a sling for three weeks and then wait another three weeks after that before I can go back to aerial/pole.  The doctor warned me to wait out the full six weeks to avoid permanent damage.  She said a lot of athletes don't listen.  They feel fine after three weeks and then try to go back to doing sports only to end up right back in the emergency room.  It's going to be torture to be off for so long.

I was actually in a lot of pain.  I had to wait two hours in the hospital before someone would give me anything for the pain and another hour for an x-ray and another hour before a doctor would come see me.  At first they gave me a shot for muscle pain but it didn't do anything so they had to give me a Vicodin.  That worked.  They prescribed me Ibuprofan and Vicodin in case that didn't work.  I really don't like taking medication for anything but I needed it since it was hurting pretty badly.  I took the Ibuprofan on Monday but it didn't really work so I took one Vicodin.  After that I only took the Ibuprofan on Tuesday but I started to get chest pain and stomach cramps that night so I didn't want to take it anymore.  On Wednesday I didn't take anything.  On Thursday I started having really bad stomach cramps that lasted all day.  It felt kind of like a menstrual cramp but wouldn't go away.  I left work early to try and see the doctor.  They couldn't see me that day so I went to Urgent Care but they said they didn't have any x-ray machines to check it out and just told me to go back to the ER.  I didn't want to go and wait another 4-5 hours to see a doctor so I just went home and laid down.  The next day my stomach felt better but I didn't want to wear jeans or anything that would press down on my stomach so I decided to wear a skirt to work so it would be more comfortable.  After that the cramps went away.  I'm convinced it was the medicine.  I had a check up with my regular doctor after that and he said my arm was healing fine and that Ibuprofan is really strong and needs to be taken on a full stomach.  Either way, I'm glad it's over.

Dress #24

On 7/13, Joe and I went out for breakfast at Hungry Fox.  Joe and I often go there breakfast because it's so delicious.  It's a small Thai run restaurant right up the street from our apartment.  They're only open until 3pm and serve breakfast and lunch.  We've never actually had lunch there because we always end up ordering breakfast.  Joe loves their chicken and waffles and I really love their corn beef hash, eggs and hash browns combo.  The food always tastes homemade and fresh.  They really do have the best chicken and waffles I've ever eaten.  There's almost always a wait and sometimes a line out the door but it's totally worth it.  It's really my favorite breakfast place.  They actually shot a scene from The Office there but it's since been painted.  In the episode where Roy attacks Jim, it's where Roy and Pam meet later to finally end their relationship for good and Roy tells her she should go out with Jim.  I guess Paul Lieberstein likes to eat there.  They have a picture of him on the wall with their collage of people who eat there but I haven't seen him on any of our many visits there.

After breakfast we went to Williams Sonoma at the mall.  I've been wanting a stand mixer with pasta attachment set for forever but it's super pricey.  It's $350 for the stand mixer and $200 for the pasta roller attachment set.  When people asked if we had a gift registry for the wedding, I told them we were accepting gift cards to Williams Sonoma.  I didn't expect anyone to buy the stand mixer but figured if I got enough gift cards I'd be able to get it.  We ended up with enough to cover most of it.  With all the gift cards, it would only have cost us $100 for both.  To our surprise, there was a 20% off sale going on when we got there so we ended up saving $100 and were able to cover the full cost with all the gift cards.  Now I finally have a stand mixer and can make homemade pasta.  Dreams do come true.

I wore my light jean skirt. This is the third hand me down skirt from my friend.  I don't really wear it very often because it's a bit tighter than my other jean skirts.  It's a size 8 but the material doesn't really stretch that well.  It's a 1969 Gap Jeans skirt.  It's very light, almost a white color.  100% cotton.  Made in Bahrain.  I wore it with my green Gap tank top.  100% cotton.  Size S.  Made in India.  I really love the cotton tanks from the Gap.  I bought three of them years ago and still wear them all the time.

Dress #1 Part 2

On Saturday night (7/12), Joe and I went with one of Joe's friends to see my friend's art show.  It was called Other Worlds in Highland Park.  I hadn't been to Highland Park before but it seemed farther out to me.  By the title and the preview that my friend showed me of her work I thought that the exhibit would be alien/sci fi themed.  However, the Other Worlds aspect was very open to interpretation and the art was all over the place.  Mostly abstract looking stuff.  My friend was the only one who did futuristic space/science fiction art pieces.  There was one other artist that was kind of in the realm but not really.  It was kind of disappointing actually.  The crowd was mostly a bunch of stoned hippies who were definitely not interested in buying any art.  Some of them smelled like they hadn't bathed in months.  There was an upstairs room in the gallery that looked like one of them was squatting in.  In the gallery, there was only one art piece that I really liked.  It was a planet landscape with a green/blue sky and a space ship.  Upon closer examination I realized it was one of my friend's pieces. She was a bit disappointed with the crowd.  Since nobody bought anything, it was a loss to even do the show for her.  Secretly, Joe and I bought her planet landscape piece.  It was my favorite piece at the show, it wasn't that expensive and I wanted to help her out.  We didn't tell her we bought it.  I hoped that finding out later that one of her pieces sold would be a pleasant surprise for her.

After leaving the gallery we walked down the street to a bar called The Greyhound where we had drinks and played shuffleboard.  I was on a team with Joe's friend against my artist friend.  I'd never played before but once I got the hang of it I got pretty good at it.  Joe's friend was pretty good too.  We won all the games we played except for the last round.  It was a pretty fun night.

Dress #23

On Saturday (7/12), Joe and I went to see Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Staples Center.  The show was called Legends.  The last time we saw the circus was in 2012, also at Staples Center. That show was called Dragons then.  They were similar but this one had some new acts.  There were elephants, a lion/tiger tamer, motorcyclists in the cage, a motorcyclist on a high wire, horse riders, a trapeze act and a singing ringmaster.  The newer additions for the Legends show included Chinese acrobats that did Chinese pole and flipping through high rotating hoops.  I like seeing the circus.  It's interesting to see all the creative and talented people doing their tricks.  I have a feeling that the circus won't be around anymore by the time I have children.  Barnum & Bailey is probably the most famous circus in the world and it feels like practically the only one.  Joe and I had seem a smaller family circus called Circus Vargas before but it didn't really compare and the seats were mostly empty for that one.  It really looked like it wasn't going to be around much longer.  Plus, there are always protesters outside against using animals in shows.  It's actually really annoying that they alway stand there trying to make children feel guilty about wanting to see the circus.  I view it like the animals are pets.  Similar to zoos, I think it's important for kids to see those animals and be mesmerized and amazed by them.  I like that children can be excited and in wonderment at the performances and beauty of the animals.  Live entertainment needs to be valued and preserved.

When we went to the circus in 2012 we made a day of it.  The Staples Center is in Downtown LA at LA Live which is a very happening place with all kinds of food and entertainment venues.  We saw the circus, had lunch at The Original Pantry (established in 1924), saw The Amazing Spider-Man movie at the Regal Cinemas and had a few drinks at The Yard House.  The Pantry had a lot of hype, I thought it would be like Philippe's Original French Dip, but I was not impressed.  I ordered meatloaf and mashed potatoes but it came smothered in gravy and looked very unappetizing.  It didn't taste all that good either and the mashed potatoes were from a powder.  It was kind of gross actually.  The Regal Cinemas was a really nice theater and I enjoyed the movie.  The Yard House is a bar that's known for having an extensive selection of beers on draft.  They claim to have the world's largest selection.  I'm not a huge beer drinker but I love the atmosphere and the beer menu.  You can see all the different kegs lined up inside.

We always take the subway down to Downtown LA but this time we ran out of time and had to drive down.  Parking is usually a pain in the ass and expensive but since it was the middle of the day we found a spot for pretty reasonable.  We didn't have time to hang out because we were supposed to go to my friend's art show in Highland Park that night.  One of Joe's friend's was going to meet us at our place and we were all going to drive over together so we just went home after the circus this time.

I wore my tan ruffled skirt with matching tan top and my Old Navy flip flops.  I got the skirt back in 2007 from Ross for $10 when I was looking for summer skirts to pack on my first trip to Hawaii.  I coincidentally found the top that matched perfectly at Target around the same time and always wear them together.  Plus, my favorite Old Navy flip flops match exactly for a perfect outfit.  I actually used to wear this outfit to work all the time in the summer.  The skirt is by Speechless.  100% cotton.  Size M.  Made in China.  It has an elastic waistband that's comfortable and form fitting.  I got the top at Target just because I liked it and coincidentally it matched perfectly.  I can't remember the exact cost of the top but it was in the $10-$15 range.  It's made by Mossimo.  100% cotton.  Size M.  Made in Guatemala.  It's tan with different shades of brown in a swirls design.  It's really comfortable and pretty.  There's elastic around the bust and I could probably have gone a size smaller but I think it looks good.

Dress #22

On Saturday (7/5), Joe and I went to the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball with one of my friends.  We had gone last year with one of my other friends and I wanted to go back this year.  The first time we went I thought it was a Masquerade Ball, as the name implies.  However, it's really a free for all as far as costumes are concerned.  They say masks are required but people literally dress up as anything.  It's kind of like Comicon.  Some people wear ball gowns but most people dress up as all kinds of characters.  There's elves, mystical creatures, steam punks, witches and wizards, fantasy movie characters, etc.  Some people get really elaborate with their costumes.  This year we saw a woman dressed up as a snow globe.  It's hard to describe but she had a huge dress and the lower part of it looked like a scene from a snow globe that lit up.  We've also seen costumes that had moving parts.  One woman had wings that moved and another man was riding on a dragon that moved and blinked its eyes.  We also saw a woman dressed up as a dragon with a light up tail and wings.  You can pretty much play a spot the characters game every year.  There's always a David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly from the movie Labyrinth, a Belle and a Phantom of the Opera.

The ball was at the Park Plaza Hotel in downtown LA both years.  It's a pretty big venue.  It has 3 ballrooms plus an outdoor area and a large lobby with a big staircase.  One of the upstairs ballrooms has a large stage and it's where the live performances and bands play.  Both years they had some kind of elfish dance and warriors fighting performances.  The other ballroom upstairs was a more classical ballroom.  People were waltzing in there.  The downstairs ballroom is just a DJ playing music so it's more of a dancefloor.  The outside area is just a place to mingle.  There's seating if you're lucky enough to get it.  And they have colored lights and smoke for the atmosphere.  The first year they had silk and lyra performers inside of this little box but we didn't see any this year.

I got my dress last year specifically for the Masquerade Ball.  I love the Phantom of the Opera play/movie and my favorite scene was always the masquerade ball.  I always wanted to go to a party like that and I figured this was the opportunity.  I basically thought it would be like that.  Though it was different than I expected the first year, I had a really good time and enjoyed dressing up for it. I got my dress from Amazon.com for $90.  It's called FairOnly M37 Strapless Prom Dress.  Made by FairOnly.  I got the Burgundy but they also carry it in Navy Blue, Purple and Lilac/White.  It's a dark red color with silver floral embroidery on the top and skirt and silver and black beading at the top.  The top is made of taffeta with a ruched part that goes over one side and a flower with belt that hangs down plus a corset in the back.  The main skirt is organza.  I got the size 10 based on their sizing chart, but it's at least a size too big (probably 2 sizes too big).  Because it's so loose, I had to tie the corset really tight which doesn't show it off very well but it is a really beautiful gown.  It doesn't have a materials tag but it ships from China.  I had to buy a hoop skirt to puff it out underneath, otherwise it would have looked flat and awkward.  I also got my mask off Amazon.com for $16.50.  It's a Vintage Venetian Black Swan Laser Cut Masquerade Mask Decorated With Gem Crystals, made by Apex.

2014

2013