A Little Bit of Magic

Vera Bradley Outlet Sale 2012

This was my first Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.

If you don't know about the sale basically they take an arena and fill the floor with products. Some new, mostly older patterns, but lots of stuff. Some of the prices were really good, some so-so.

The sale takes place in Ft. Wayne Indiana so we road tripped our way from Detroit.

This is the back of the car. As you can see we didnt' really need to go to the outlet sale.

We went on Friday night with a ticket. This year Wed-Fri had 2.5 hour ticketed sessions, 4 a day. Saturday and Sunday were open admission. Of course the tickets cost a few dollars ($7) and I think worth it. While we were waiting in line we heard some stories about rude people. For example we were told to not set anything down because people will come up and take it from you. We didn't experience this at all. Only nice people Friday night.

It was overwhelming walking onto the sale floor and seeing all the product. I had a wish list that quickly got put away because it just asn't practical to keep looking at a piece of paper. I went with what looked good to me.

My arms were loaded down at points of my shopping because I jsut grabbed everything. A couple times I stopped and sorted through everything to see what I really needed and what I could live without.

We shopped for almost 2 hours and the time flew by.

The checkout experience was pretty easy. They had a lot of cashiers and they had a very efficient way to doing it all. Of the 3 other people I was with, I by far spent the most (but I was shopping for 2 other people). I ended up with 3 purses (one for mom), a tote bag, some journals and photo albums, an apron, a christmas ornament and other random goodies.

This is what 4 of us bought.

I would definatly do the sale again. It was fun to go with other people that are Vera fans. The prices were decent. If I go again I would see what price I could get my "must have" items online to make sure I was getting a good deal. But you do get swept up in the moment and I didn't overpay for anything. We made a weekend out of it. I wouldn't shop for anyone again. That was a stressful experience. Well I would shop for my mom but I know what she likes and don't need to refer to a list.

Overall it was an exciting, overwelming, successful adventure.

I'm Going to Disneyland

 

I’ve had the itch to go for awhile but no real reason. I have been twice, but that was before I became really obsessed.

I’m using needing miles on Delta to keep my Silver Medallion status as an excuse. The trip to the west coast should guarantee I’ll keep them for another year.

It was interesting planning this trip after planning many trips to Walt Disney World. There is a ton of information on Disney World but very little on Disneyland.

First up was the hotel. I really wanted to stay at one of the 3 Disneyland hotels but the cost was being prohibitive. I could stay across the street for half the cost. But as I am going by myself I always think, “Is it safe enough for me to be walking around at night?” Procrastinating on this task actually paid off. I had picked an off-property hotel when I saw a deal for the days I wanted to go for the Disneyland hotels. I quickly booked the Paradise Pier for about the same price I was going to pay off property.

Now I’m trying to figure out dining. I know of 2 places I will eat for sure but when I booked my package through Disney I was informed I get a free character meal. This totally confused me. I think I’ve figured out what I’m going to do, breakfast at the Storyteller’s Café at the Grand Californian. I want to have breakfast before any of the parks open.

I leave in about a month so I have a lot of homework to do. World of Color totally baffles me. But the goal of this trip, aside from enjoying being in the park Walt build, is to see how many times I can ride Toy Story Mania as I hear the lines are much shorter than at Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

Week In the Life Day 5

Week In the Life Day 4

Week In the Life Day 3

This was the hardest day for me.

 

Week In the Life Day 2

Week In the Life Day 1

I decided to start my Week in the LIfe last Friday. Here's the pictures....

Putting clothes away

Got my JT fix

JCrew

Pretty flowers

Crazy kids

NYC 2011.....Day 2

The next morning we got up and took the subway to Soho. We had shopped in Soho on a previous trip and enjoyed it. Plus it's next to Little Italy. We didn't buy a ton. We both got Ugg sandals and a couple things at Uniqulo, a wonderful store kinda like H&M.

Next up was cookies at Ferrara's. We were taken there on our first trip to NYC and must go back every time. I like the tricolor cookies and could easily eat a pound of them. Lunch was at Lombardi's for pizza. I got the recommendation from The Daily Show. Very good pizza.

Saturday night's show was The Normal Heart. This time the pull was Jim Parsons as I'm just a little obsessed with The Big Bang Theory. I knew it would be a total 180 from the previous night, a very emotional, serious show. It's about the start of the AIDS epidemic in NYC. What a story. I wish everyone could see this play. Joe Montello was brilliant in the show. I'm shocked he didn't win a Tony. Although the two actors that did win Tony's from this show definatly deserved it.

We stayed after the show to meet the actors.

On Sunday we got up way too early to fly back home. It was just enough time. For me, if it wasn't for Broadway, I would never have to go to NYC again. It's not a place I could ever live. I like wide open spaces and breathing room.

**** All photos taken with my phone becuase to me it's better to get the photos on a bad camera than not get the picture at all

NYC 2011.....Day 1

Mom and I went for a quick weekend in NYC. We don't need to do the typcial tourist stuff since we've already done it. So a trip to NYC pretty much means shopping and shows.

 

We flew in on a Friday morning and got there just in time for lunch. I suggest Shake Shack based on a recommendation of Kelly Purkey. We both got the Shack burger?, shared fries, mom had a chocolate shake and I had a peanut butter. The burger was fine, the fried were crinkle fries and the shakes were delicous. I won't be rushing back. Mom thought maybe if we went to the one they did in Something Borrowed, the ambience woudl make it better.

After lunch it was a stroll to Macy's, becuase you have to go to Macy's. Miracle on 34th Street is one of my favorite movies. The place was a madhouse and I don't like to shop in crowds so we didn't spend much time.

We did manage to stop by Crumbs for cupcakes and even found Mickey Mouse in Times Square.

We stayed at the Doubletree Times Square. I liked the hotel but not the location. Crowds everywhere we turned.

The first night we saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I wanted to see Daniel Radcliffe. The show was laugh out loud funny. I would never follow the rules in the show but it was pure entertainment. Dan was great and I only thought about Harry Potter a couple of times. John Lithgow was wonderful and definatly deserving of his Tony.

**** All photos taken with my phone becuase to me it's better to get the photos on a bad camera than not get the picture at all

Sitting in a Hotel Room

I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms in a year. This isn't a bad thing. I like to get away from home where I don't have things I should be doing. Instead I can do the things I really want to do.

Today I'm catching up on online classes I've taken recently.

I have Ali Edwards talking to me. A voice that is always inspiring to me.

I'm thinking about my word for this year. Live. I think I've done a good job with my word this year. I've learned that life is shorter than you think so you need to fill it up with good things.

I'm thinking about blog changes. I think my problem is I have too many ideas to execute that I get overwhelmed and just don't do anything. For now I think things will be random. I want to tell you about my trip to NYC. A recent trip to Disney World and my plans for a trip to Disneyland. And cupcakes. I've been given the title of Cupcake Princess.

That's all for now. Just a brain dum.