5 Shoes I Can't Live Without

I love shoes.  I mean I really loooove shoes.  I can try on shoes all day, and if God had not taught me to be disciplined with my money (and married me to my husband) I would buy a new pair of shoes weekly.  Daily, if I thought I could afford it.  I often say to my husband when he looks perplexed over what he sees as "another" pair of brown shoes, you can never really have all the shoes you want.  However, I do feel there are 5 essential pairs of shoes that you need.  Before you get to the list, I want to say right now, functional athletic sneakers are not going to be found on this list.  I know they are a necessity, but like flip flops, I don't really think of them as shoes in the same way I don't think of socks as clothes.  They are true necessities, so don't look for them on this list.


1. Black Heels: 

You may have heard about the LBD (little black dress) that every woman should have.  I believe in the LBH -- little black heels.  A great pair of black heels that can be worn with everything from your jeans to your favorite date night dress.  These should be heels with enough height to give you some sass, but not so high that you have to valet everywhere you go.  If you live in a part of the nation where the weather goes from hot to very cold, you may need a summer pair and a winter pair.  I live in Texas so I have one peep-toe pair that I can wear year-round.

2. Tall Boots:

I fell in love with the tall boot when I was a toddler.  My mom had these great boots she used to tuck her jeans into in the '70's that defined womanhood for me.  When I was fifteen I got my first pair of knee-high boots in black suede, and I wept. I'm not kidding.  A great pair of tall boots in black, brown, or grey (or all three) can keep you warm in a skirt, show off your legs in leggings, or class up your skinny jeans!

3. Neutral Wedge:

Now that I'm in my thirties, I find that I can't rock my painful heels with as much glee as I could in my twenties, so my appreciation for the wedge has grown tremendously.  A great wedge in a neutral tone can be the perfect shoes to take on a trip when luggage space is limited.  The right pair can go causal or dress up an outfit and will keep you from weeping as you hobble home at the end of a long work day.

4. Pop of Color:

I remember talking to one of my close friends a while back and having her tell me that all her shoes were brown, black or grey.  She didn't own a single pair of shoes in a bright color.  I realized in that moment that I had failed her as a friend.  A pop of color shoe is like a secret weapon.  Pick your favorite color be it hot pink, lipstick red, electric blue, sunny yellow, or leprechaun green ( yes I made that one up).  Don't obsess over what you have that will match them, because that is not the goal. You'll be shocked at how one pair of shoes can completely change your black dress or spice up your white button down and jeans.  I'm talking about instant style sass in a box!

5. Sparkly Heels: 

I know some of you read sparkly and cringe, but before you shut me down hear me out.  Sparkly doesn't have to be sequins and glitter.  A high sheen patent leather will do, but have at least one pair of shoes that dazzle when the light hits them.  I like to get mine in a soft color so the sparkle is what stands out.  Rock them with a great top and muted slacks or jeans.  Whip them out for your next wedding or to ring in the new year.  I like to wear them on days when I feel blue as a pick me up.  Every time I look down at my feet I smile!

There's my list.  Feel free to comment, agree, or disagree.  Then head to DSW and earn some Rewards points!

City Girl Goes to the Country

I'm a city girl.  I know this. I love concrete and sirens and hearing my neighbors through the wall.  I can find my way around the downtown area with no problem, and don't really understand why it is hard for others sometimes.  So driving to see my friend Regina at her parent's house in a small town outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma would be the opposite of my normal environment.  The GPS was actually able to get me all the way to their street.  Something I was told was special, as many people's GPS can only get them as far as the highway exit.  However, it only got me to the street and not the house, so my final instructions came from Regina via text.  You can read them in the image below.  Feel free to laugh. I definitely did. 

For the record, they were great instructions. I did find my way.  We'll see if I find my way out!

How I Do Sick

The dreaded summer cold has taken over my body.  It seems impossible, since I'm currently taking more vitamins and eating healthier than I ever have in my life, but it is true. A summer cold calls for a slight alteration to my normal "sick routine".  Were this my typical January cold, I'd have the space heater out or the fire lit if we actually remembered to have firewood.  I would be strategically tucked under my red Cozy Cuffs blanket (a fancy brand Snuggie) while wearing  thick socks with my flannel pjs;  however, it is June and the temp is in the 90s, so I had to substitute the flannel pjs for an extra large, super old t-shirt and cotton sleep shorts.  The fire/heater has been replaced with a non-stop ceiling fan.  My big red blanket is in storage where it belongs so I'm snuggled under a thin chenille throw.  I have my tea, but I'm letting it cool down to lukewarm before I drink it, and I'm getting most of my fluids from water with fresh mint.  Of course, my trusty box(es) of Kleenex are good for all seasons (and, yes, I did mean the name brand Kleenex, like Beyonce, it is irreplaceable).  The MacBook and the muted iPhone are close at all times so I can stay tuned into the outside world via Facebook and Twitter, play games, and read everything from the Bible to recipes to books to blogs!  Throw in a couple of old movies I've saved on the TIVO (I recommend recording your favorite classic films for just such an occasion), and I'm ready to spend most of the day sound asleep in a Nyquil induced coma surrounded by a bunch of stuff I will barely look at.  I promise to post something more meaningful later this week once I stop sneezing and the Nyquil wears off!

5 Musts When My Mom Visits

I've lived in Dallas for the last ten years, and every year I take a couple of days off and  my mom comes to town for a fun visit.  We get to catch up, have girl time, and do something fun.  I'm blessed to have such an amazing relationship with my mom, and I really love getting to spend time with her! There are some "musts" for me when my mom visits that I thought I'd share with you all today!

• Pamper Mom: When my mom comes, I love to give her the royal treatment.  The way I see it, she has taken amazing care of us without giving it a second thought, so when she is here, I get to flip the script.  She doesn't cook, wash a dish, or anything.  I like her to wake up to her cup of coffee and let her lounge as I cook and clean up for us.  It really is a small thing to get to do for a woman that spent years cooking for and cleaning up behind me!

• Lunch at a New Place: I try to take mom out for a delicious lunch at a place we've never been before.  This visit, I took her to Two Sisters for a delicious, eclectic lunch! Technically, she's tasted their food before as they catered my wedding, but their cafe was a new experience for her!

• Go Somewhere Fun: I try to take mom to something fun when she comes. Now, we have been known to spend the whole visit talking and never make it to our fun destination, but this visit we did manage to stop talking long enough to get in the car and head over to the Dallas World Aquarium.  We had a great time seeing all the fish, birds, and animals from sharks to penguins to jaguars!  It didn't hurt that the place is pretty much all indoors so we got to enjoy it all in the A/C on a 104 degree day!

• Talk, Talk, and More Talk: Whatever else we may do on a visit, our main goal is to talk! A few days before my mom comes, we will text each other reminders of things we want to tell or ask each other once we're together.  We have even sometimes made lists of topics so we don't forget anything.   Just to be clear we don't gossip. My mom does not gossip at all, and I'm a recovering gossip, so our stories are things that have happened in our lives, people we've run into, and lots of self-deprecating tales that are just funny.  I love talking to my mom and sharing things with her.  After all these years, I still get to learn new things about her, and I get to benefit from her wisdom and experience.  

• Prayer: Before my mom hits the road again, she always prays for me. There is no greater gift from my mother than to have her pray for me.  Her relationship with Christ has been a model for me my entire life (even when I wasn't paying attention), so her prayers for me are extra special.

I have always known I have a great mom, but the more women I talk to, the more I realize our relationship is special and not necessarily common, so I feel extra blessed!  

Bonus Blessings

There are times in life that a blessing comes from God that I don't expect, didn't see coming, and is perfectly timed to bring an extra does of over the top joy into my life.  I call them bonus blessings.  As believers, we are blessed everyday.  Salvation, the mere fact that Christ gave His life on the cross for us all is a blessing that can not be topped and goes above and beyond anything we could deserve.  The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, daily, counseling and teaching us is a phenomenal blessing on top of that.  The will of God laying out a plan for our lives that is filled with purpose and hope is a blessing and reassurance for our future.  These spiritual blessings that come automatically when we make that decision for Christ, and never leave us are blessings that can not be counted or ever appreciated enough. 

And yet, our God in His generosity and love, pours out even more for us. He blesses us with friends and family, laughter and fun, adventures and excitement so that we can have moments of happiness in our daily lives while we still walk in this world.  One of those blessings in my life is, Brynna, or BG as I began to call her in utero. She's the niece of my heart,  as she is the daughter of the sister of my heart, Regina.  She is precious, adorable, stubborn, strong-willed, brilliant, and more than a handful.  She can make you laugh and get herself in timeout all in the same sentence.  When she was born I thought she would grow up down the street from me, and for the first 18 months of her life that plan was happening. I saw her all the time and she was working herself into my mall companion rotation already, but then she and her family moved to a new city thousands of miles away, so phones and Skype became our way of connecting. If you've every tried to talk to a two year old on the phone or on Skype you know how challenging that can be.  So, I began to worry that she wouldn't know me the way I wanted her to know me.  I wouldn't be the Nay Nay in her life that I planned on being.  Somehow though, the love that I have had for her since before she actually was born had crossed the miles over these last 18 months that she has lived away.    A couple of visits  last year, and lots of technology assisted contact, along with pics and more, have somehow held my place in her heart, so that yesterday, when the car pulled up to the airport and I opened her door, she opened her arms and my heart melted a little more.  

Bonus blessings in my life are getting to laugh hysterically with my best friends or cuddle up on the couch with my husband, or watch March Madness with my family.  My bonus blessing this weekend is  getting a big smile and a big hug from my sweet BG.  Thank you, God for the bonuses!

Happy Texas Independence Day

When you're born and raised in the Lone Star State, Texas pride is imprinted on your genetic code and reinforced in the drinking water.  At least that is what I have come to believe now that I'm married to a non-Texan. My sweet husband was born and raised in the beautiful state of South Carolina, and while I now have him firmly entrenched deep in the heart of Texas, he is constantly amazed at my awareness of Texas history and the over the top pride Texans have in their state.  Over the top?  Maybe.  In a state where everything is bigger, we don't really see it that way.  If anything, we don't understand why everyone doesn't have the same love for their home state (maybe because those states aren't Texas?).  I have lived other places, and I know there are lots of great places to live in the USA.  I also can admit there are parts of Texas I would not want to spend the night in, never mind live in, but I'm guilty and unashamed of being in love with my state.


I love living in a place where football is not just a sport, it's a way of life ("Friday Night Lights" you got it right).  I love living in a state where people who are into high fashion might be at a table next to people who can rope a calf and breed bulls.  I love living in a state where having the title Miss Texas is considered something to be respected and every little girl once dreamed of being a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader.  I love living in a state where young men say yes ma'am and mean it.  I love living in a state where you'll see cars pulled over on the freeway so parents can plop their kids down in the midst of some bluebonnets and take the annual spring pics.   I love living in a state that once was its own country, that's right the rumor is true.   And speaking of rumors, let's clear up a few things I've heard from non-Texans.  We don't all ride horses, although I do own some cute cowboy boots.  We don't all have an oil-well in our backyard although we probably know someone that works in the oil industry(shout out to my Daddy).  We are proud to be Americans, we just like to point out that we're Texans too.  We do eat a lot of Mexican & Tex-Mex food because it is GOOD (Chuy's anyone?).  And most important, if you're watching a movie that allegedly is set in Texas, the accent they're using is not accurate at all! ("Varsity Blues" you got it wrong!).


So today, it is with a great deal of Texan pride that I want to say Happy Independence Day to Texas. And for all of you non-Texans who don't know: on March 2, 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico and a month later at the Battle of San Jacinto 800 Texans under the leadership of General Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna's army of 1600, and only nine Texans died.  Yeah, that's right!