a tale of two shoes

cardigan, Old Navy $15; dress, Gianni Bini via Dillards $40, heels, Bakers $40

Of course it goes without saying that I am slightly obsessed with shoes. I don't discriminate; I obsess over all of my shoes equally. However, these caged heels hold a particularly special place in my heart (and not just because they're freakin' hott!). No, this pair is extra special because my BFF bought them for me over the weekend. Now, allow me to explain a bit more... 

Almost a year and a half ago my best friend, Joe, made a very important decision that would drastically change his life - he underwent lap band surgery. We both knew this would mean big changes in the months ahead; however, at the time I don't think that either of us could have imagined exactly how big. Now, 1 year and 4 months later he is a svelte 190 pounds lighter and much healthier (you must go read about his journey)!

So, I bet you're wondering right about now where these heels enter into this story. Well, he and I love to shop (duh!). So, somewhere along his amazing journey we decided that as a reward, every time he met a 30 pound weight loss goal we would go shoe shopping and he would buy a new pair for himself. The months passed and he quickly lost 30 pounds, then 90 pounds, then 120 pounds. And, as he approached losing a whopping 180 pounds, he looked at me one day over lunch and said that when he reached his next goal he did not want to buy shoes for himself... he wanted to buy shoes for me. 

Joe, my darling, you are amazing and it has been my privilege to be by your side throughout your wonderful transformation! I loved the old you and I love the new and improved you just as much. It is my honor to be able to call you my BFF. xo, Gracie

I'm with the band...

shades, Jessica Simpson; tee, c/o my BFF; shorts, Gap; bag, Payless sample; shoes, Payless

I totally felt like a groupie on Monday.  My BFF made these shirts for us last year (to play off of the Will & Grace theme... get it?!) and it was such a beautiful day that I decided to break out the new pair of shorts I bought on Saturday as well as my super, fabulous clog inspired Alicia + Olivia for Payless heels.  I don't normally wear shorts, but I fell in love with the little bow on the front.  In addition to being a fun outfit, it made my legs look a gazillion miles long (that's a technical term, of course).  So, after the BFF and I had lunch, we hung out at my house, listened to music and were completely fabulous.  I love three day weekends :)

  

Cruisin' Together

shades, Payless sample; scarf, New York & Co; dress, Gap; shoes, Payless sample

Welcome back!  I hope you were able to enjoy a relaxing long weekend, dear readers!  I must admit that mine did not dissapoint.  You see, for the better part of the last 4 years I have worked a string of schedules that involved working most holidays (ah, the joy of retail!).  So, the concept of having days like Memorial Day or Labor Day or sometimes even Thanksgiving Day off, still seems a bit foreign.  But, I loved every minute of this weekend.  Saturday, especially, was fantastic! My BFF and I decided to celebrate the start of the holiday weekend by doing a little cruisin' in the convertible followed by margaritas on the patio.  The warmth of the sun, a gentle breeze through my hair and laughs with a great friend equals a pretty amazing day :)

on the road again

image via Flickr

I am happy to report, dear readers, that we're hitting the open road again this weekend! The hubbie and I are going to Oklahoma City with some friends to spend Friday and Saturday night.  Our itinerary has not yet been planned, and as of right now I don't think any reservations have been made.  But, sometimes unplanned trips end up being the most fun.  I'll let you know all about our great escape next week.  

However you spend your time this weekend, enjoy every minute of it!

Timeless Style

I fell in love with this picture when I stumbled across it while perusing my daily blog list yesterday.  Each of these women have a very classic, but distinct style.  The billowing pants and those pink shoes... it makes me want to see more of their closets!  But, more than anything they look like they are having so much fun.  Nothing beats spending time with good friends - that is truly timeless.

Pictorial Year End Review

It's that time of year when we all get a little reflective about our lives. I think that is part of what makes this time of year so magical. Some people go through post-holiday depression, but I never have. I love the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. I love the feeling of looking both behind and ahead. I love being slighty reminiscent of the wonderful things that have made me smile throughout the year. I also love the anticipation of looking ahead toward the things that have yet to make me smile. I was blessed during 2009 with a lot of things to smile about. Here are some of my favs...

These pictures were taken about 6 months prior to our wedding.  I love how our happiness and the eager anticipation we felt toward our upcoming nuptials is so obvious in these.

Plus, I just adore the backdrop of our downtown area. 

Here's my little guy on the edge of our boat.  Our dogs are like our children (if you hadn't noticed) and, we love to spend time on the water.  So, being on the lake with them this summer brought us many days of joy.  Plus, I like this picture because he looks like he's smiling back at me.

The day of our wedding is a fairy tale moment in my life that I will always cherish.  We decided to see each other before the ceremony to take some pictures and just be together for a few moments.  Here, I am walking toward him with his back turned to me and we are about to see each other for the first time in our wedding attire.  Thanks to Elizabeth Taylor and her beautiful home, The Woodward, for making our day perfect.

This next string of photos is probably some of my all time favorite.  Two weeks after our wedding, my parents hosted a reception for us in my hometown.  What I didn't know is that my three best friends, and attendants in the wedding, spent the night after our wedding planning a surprise for me.  My two out-of-town friends, one in Kansas and one in Maryland, flew to North Carolina for the weekend to surprise me, and all this was made possible by the one that lived in NC.  The pictures you are about to see perfectly captured the immense joy and excitement I felt (plus, some jumping and screaming) when I realized they were there.  A huge thank you to my friend Amy Kelly for doing an amazing job capturing this moment, as well as the rest of the evening. 

Those are extremely candid shots that I will always love. I was and still am truly touched that they made the trip on such short notice and that my BFF in NC was gracious enough to open her home for them to have somewhere to stay.  I have some of the greatest friends and family that any one girl could ask for and I love them more than they know.

To sum up, I'll leave you with this shot.  I took this photo from the balcony of our room on our honeymoon cruise.  We would sit on the balcony every afternoon and watch the sunset as the ship pulled away from the port.  We were so relaxed and happy that week.  Here's to another year full of memories like these.