Stuff Mom Doesn't Need To Know About

So I came to New York for a long weekend of stressful grad school meetings and the wedding of one of my best friends. While it would seem obvious that the meetings would be much more stressful than the wedding, but there was just one problem with me attending an October wedding in the northeast; I have been living in Texas with all my Texas, i.e. hot weather clothes, and all my fall and winter, and let's face it, spring wear is currently living in Spokane, with Matt. I can't even remember what that stuff looks like. So I had two days of stressful meetings, which actually went very very well, so I'm thinking certain individuals who shall remain nameless have recently upped their meds, and leaving very little time to find anything to wear to this wedding.

Jody and I were able to very successfully and efficiently deal with this problem in a single hour in only the 2nd store we went into. Clearly the stars were aligning in our favor and this dress was the result.
I was feeling a bit cocky, I admit. Later in the evening, after the final stressful grad school meeting and a nice tea break with an old friend, I was beginning to regret my cockiness. It was clearly a case of me tempting the fates as I remembered that I still had to buy shoes. Ooops. All shoe stores were closing in 90 minutes and after spending 45 in one and finding nothing despite its large size, I was feeling a bit uneasy. I went to another store hoping against hope, and again nothing. And by nothing I mean very little I could or would want to put on my sore marathon training feet, and even that very little was not available in my size.

This was where the Fates decided to not hold my cockiness against me because, after all, it was for my friend Jesus' wedding, and it would not have been fair to him to taint his wedding with my bad shoes. At least this is my only explanation for the very nice salesman who descended upon me and became almost immediately determined to find me good black danceable shoes for my fabulous dress. It took another 45 minutes, but I emerged from that shoe store with two pairs of fabulous shoes and my heart much lighter.

The wedding was a success and it had nothing to do, obviously, with my dress or my shoes, but I was able to enjoy myself so much more because I had them, and Jesus does love a well turned out friend.

Today was a different day of shoe/soul searching. I needed new shoes to finish my marathon training. More about that later, but again a very nice and knowledgeable salesman came to the rescue and now I am returning home with shoes a plenty, and all of them a blessing for my sad sore feet.

My mother, however, had warned me to only allow myself a taste of shopping while on my trip as a major part of the point of staying in Texas this past year has been to pay off debt and save, will be saddened by resigned to my spree. She will also silently, and without malice, blame Jody a bit for her bad influence. This is not fair as I am just as bad a shopping influence on Jody, but my mother will only see my shoes.