My Hudson Love Affair

Hudson jeans are by far my most favoritest jeans ever.  If you don't own a pair, you really need to do yourself a favor and buy one.  (Be careful, though - you'll get hooked!)  Their fit is just fantastic, and I love their look.  The first pair I bought was at full price, since I didn't know any better, but since then I've wised up!  I knew I wouldn't be able to grow my collection if I kept spending $200 each time, so I found ways to get them at a discount.  Occasionally you can grab a cute pair at Nordstrom Rack for $99, but the selection is usually limited.  The best place I've found to buy Hudson Jeans at an affordable price is when Rue La La features them.  They did that recently and I picked up two pairs for $79 each.  That's a heck of a deal considering their normal MSRP.  Seriously, these jeans are worth it. 

Riley Weight Loss - Update 3

Meezy recently took Riley to the vet for his weigh-in and to buy him some more diet food.  I can't tell you how excited I was when I heard the results!  His current weight is 44.5 lbs.  That's 5 pounds less than it was in September, and more than 15 pounds less than he was at his heaviest!  We're so proud!  We felt horrible knowing that his weight gain was entirely our fault, so we're happy now to be responsible for his weight loss.  Now that I'm getting mobility back, 3 months after my kneecap fracture, I'm excited about taking him for more outdoor activities.  We'll continue regulating his diet and definitely increase his exercise in the coming months.  I am confident we can get him back to a healthy weight before the year is over.  The vet said that when he reaches 40 lbs, they will examine him again and decide on a target weight.  Then, when he reaches that, we'll just work on weight maintenance.  Yay for getting this guy healthy again!!

 

Never Thought I'd Buy This

If you know me personally, then you know that I'm not much of a cook.  I enjoy hosting parties and get-togethers at my house, but you won't find me cooking up dinner feasts every day of the week (really, any day of the week).  About the only times I cook are in preparation of family gatherings, Supper Club, or when friends are coming over.  I don't like getting fully ready before I start the cooking, because then I run the risk of getting schmutz on my clothes.  I also don't like waiting until all the cooking is done before I get ready, because chances are something will take longer than expected, and I'll be rushing to change while guests are arriving.  When we hosted game night at our house a couple of weeks ago, I really wished I had an apron.  I was working on fajitas, queso, 7-layer dip, bean and corn salsa, etc, and it started to get pretty messy.  I have never bought an apron before, because I just really didn't think I'd use it enough to justify its purchase.  After that night, though, I made the decision that one would definitely be purchased, and even a single future use would make it worthwhile.  Anthropologie has some of the cutest aprons I've ever seen, so I knew that's where I needed to go.  I picked up the 3-D Toile Full Apron in Sky.  It's adorable!

  3-D Toile in Sky

Now I won't mind having to worry with the food right up until the last minute because my outfit will be safe underneath, and I'll even be cute enough to open the door for guests while still wearing this!

Oh, the memories!

When Meezy and I traveled to Europe last year, I tried to save as many souvenirs and mementos as I could, to help us document and remember our trip.  Up until this past weekend, those items had just sat in folders on the desk in my office.  I finally decided I needed to do something with them, and set aside a few hours yesterday for that purpose.  I've done scrapbooks in the past, and they tend to be TONS of work, with very few people ever seeing them.  They also usually get stuffed in a drawer or under the coffee table, and quickly get forgotten.  I figured I would do something differently with these special items, though.  I'd organize them in such a way that they would be seen more often, and by more people.  Here's the finished product:

I used a 30" x 24" frame (with glass), and just attached my items to the cardboard that came with it.  I'm so proud of it!  It includes postcards, receipts, tickets, business cards, hotel keys, newspaper clippings, maps, pamphlets, and coins.  It's hanging in my living room now, so every time I walk by it I can remember how much fun we had.  It was really awesome just to put it together because I got to relive the amazing memories we made.

My favorite items on the "memory poster" are:

1) The Wimbledon ticket stub from the Ladies Final (near top center)
2) The Musee Oceanographique ticket stub (near middle center)
3) The Nurburgring access card (near bottom center)
4) The newspaper clipping with the aerial shot of the 200,000 Dutch fans (including us!) cheering on Holland during the World Cup Final (bottom right) 

Haverty's - They're Doing it Right!

  Duchess III Chaise

I love it when I come across a company that provides awesome customer service.  I don't just mean "customer service" in the sense of handling a complaint; I mean it in the sense of really serving their customer's needs.  I bought a chaise lounge from Haverty's this week, and it was scheduled to be delivered today during a 2-hour window of time.  If you've ever dealt with deliveries or repairmen, you know that there are often large discrepancies between when they say they'll arrive, and when they actually do.  I recently dealt with a company that gave me a 5-hour window, and that was pretty atrocious.  If you work full-time, outside your home, you dread having to set up any appointments like this.  You're pretty much at their mercy, and can't risk trying to venture a guess at when they'll show up. 

When I logged into my account on Haverty's website to review my order, I was given the option to "Follow the Truck."  This. Is. Awesome.  I was able to see the schedule of all the deliveries for the day, their general location, the truck's progress, and where I stood in line.  This way, I would know if they were running behind, or in my case, if they'd be early.  Here's what it looked like halfway through the morning:

  
How great is that? I kept tracking it as the day went on, and then I even received a call from Haverty's at noon to let me know they'd be a little early.  I already knew that, though, based on the truck's progress!  They ended up arriving around 12:50, and took all of 2 minutes to unload and set up the chaise.  They even put felt on the legs before bringing it in so it wouldn't scratch my hardwood.  I can't tell you how impressed I was with this experience with Haverty's.  I'm definitely going to consider them for our future furniture needs, and recommend them to anyone who asks.  This is how customer service should be!   

The Content of One's Character

I could write a long paragraph about this video, but I'll let it speak for itself.  My only comments are this:  I wholeheartedly agree with this young man.  Very well said, Zach Wahls.

Make 2011 a Charitable Year

In the past, I've selected various charities to support, either monthly or quarterly, and blogged about them in hopes of attracting more support for them.  I tried to pick new ones as often as possible, to make myself research different causes and broaden my pursuits.  In 2010, my goal of being diversified changed because there were various happenings that made me focus my donations on a few specific organizations.  I decided to alter my approach and funnel more money to fewer places because of their personal significance.  I didn't make a good point of sharing them with you, though, and I wanted to do that now, in case you were in a charitable mood!  Here's where the majority of my donations went, and why:

1) Be The Match Foundation - Being chosen to donate bone marrow to a 10 year old boy with leukemia was one of the proudest moments of my life.  I was honored to have the opportunity to make a difference in this boy's life, and humbled at the possibility that I could save it.  I am so thankful that this organization is around, to help facilitate finding bone marrow donors and to perform research that could one day save lives.  I proudly donate to Be the Match, in honor of all the people who are eternally grateful for that stranger who signed up, and in memory of those who weren't so lucky.  If you are friends with me on facebook, you know that I plug BTM a lot!  Sign up to join the registry at www.marrow.org.

2) Susan G. Komen for the Cure - I can't say enough about the work that this organization does. Early detection and regular screenings are the best defense against dying of breast cancer, and the attention that Komen has brought to this disease has made a huge difference.  The number of breast cancer survivors continues to rise thanks to their efforts.  I've been a long-time supporter, but my level of participation increased after the mothers of two of my great friends were diagnosed.  While they were successful in battling the disease, another family friend, Dianne, was not.  Ever since her struggle began, I've become a fervent advocate of the cause and made my support of Komen a priority.  I vow to support Dianne's family every year that they undertake the 3-day race in her memory.  If you can spare a few dollars, their team could use your help as well (click the link)!

3) Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - Last year, a couple of friends suffered the loss of one of their good friends from Lymphoma.  I didn't know their friend, but these girls mean a lot to me, so their fight is my fight.  They support LLS in hopes that one day no one has to suffer the loss of a loved one from these cancers, especially at the tender age of 29.  I donate to LLS for that same reason, and because I never got to meet my uncle, who died from leukemia before I was born.

I promise to continue to make charity an important part of my life.  Whether it is through my money, my time, or my voice, I will lend a hand to important causes, especially the ones outlined above.  I remind myself that charity can also be practiced daily, though, in small ways - through a smile, with a kind word, through forgiveness, etc.  These acts are quite important as well.            

"Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows." - Moliere


"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Churchill