Memorial Day Weekend, 2010

Hi, everyone! I know that there are quite a few of you who read my blog to find out how I'm doing, so I thought I'd use this entry to update you.

Just like almost every other Memorial Day weekend in the past, I stayed home. I don't do the Vegas trip, like most Angelenos do. If I ever do get away for these 3-day weekends, it's to visit my nephews in the Bay Area (San Franciso, San Jose, etc.).

Even though the weekend technically started (for me) last Friday (5/28/10) at 4:30 pm, I actually "partied" the day before. A co-worker invited some of us to Copa d'Oro, a bar in Santa Monica: http://www.copadoro.com/gallery.php, in celebration of her birthday. I nearly decided not to go, as those of you who know me already know that I'm very shy. I am NOT fond of the bar scene, and I don't hang out in big groups. I like to go to events where I'm pretty anonymous (hence the boutique cocktail parties and the Lakers games) or to intimate dinners (with 1-4 people). I thought, Why not step out of my comfort zone and hang out with a big group of people...in a bar?! I'm glad I went, as I found that I have some pretty cool co-workers, but I ended up leaving after about 30 min. (I was also 2 hours late!), as I started to feel uncomfortable, and about half the group was leaving, anyway. Oh, well, I did step out of my comfort zone!

Friday the 28th was forgettable, just another workday.

Saturday the 29th was an UGH morning. I got another ticket, this time for running a stop sign. Great...I am OK with paying the fine, but since this is my 2nd one in 1 year (I got the last one exactly 1 year before...to the date...I swear I need to NOT drive on May 29 every year), I may not be eligible for traffic school, and my insurance rates will probably go up. Yikes...Well, Sat. night was much better. I had dinner with my oldest and younger sisters, tacos and red velvet cupcakes! Then we saw Sex and the City 2 at LA Live. I loved the fashion, but the storyline could've been better. And...the Lakers won! They're the NBA Western Conference champions once again!

Sunday the 30th was also forgettable.

I had Monday the 31st off, the actual Memorial Day holiday. I actually did something exciting, for me anyway. I cooked! I'm trying to be healthy, and buying and preparing your own food is the only way. Wow! Me, finally being domestic...who'da thought?!

my Memorial Day dinner: salad with Catalina dressing, steak, asparagus sauteed in olive oil and butter, roasted red potatoes (yum!)

Party at Hermes, 5/19/10

Last Wednesday, May 19, I went with my friends T. and G. to a party at the Hermes boutique in Beverly Hills. In addition to being a promotion to special customers of Hermes, it was also a fundraiser for the charity Save the Beaches (who provided the awesome gift bags). A specially-designed towel was for sale at this event, and an art auction was also part of the festivities. One piece of art sold for $40K! Wowee! They served champagne and delicious snacks, including tiny cones with butter pecan ice cream and macarons. It turned out that I was one of the very few women NOT wearing black (lol).

Of course, T., G., and I drooled over the bags that were in the glass display cases. We saw a blue jean shoulder Birkin with palladium hardware. I'm soooo glad I already have a blue jean Birkin, as I would've been tempted to purchase the shoulder version that night if I didn't. We also got to meet the new boutique craftsman. He had an adorable French accent and is so handsome! I look forward to the day I have to bring a bag in for cleaning =)

As far as celebrity spotting goes, it's inevitable at these things. Rob Lowe was hosting, but he had left before we got there. Brent Bolthouse was the DJ (he made a few appearances on the MTV reality show, "The Hills"), and Shenae Grimes from the new version of the TV show "Beverly Hills 90210" was also there. She looked fabulous in a fur wrap and black heels. I was able to get a not-so-great pic of her chatting with Brent (on the left) and another one with her male friend (unclear if he was her boyfriend or not), but that pic was even worse.

my outfit for the party: a floral Kate Spade dress (originally bought to wear to the ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia last year, but it rained that night, and I didn't feel like wearing it) with my red lizard Christian Louboutin Simple pumps (autographed by him on 4/28/10!)

the gift bag from the party, provided by Save the Beaches with the famous trademark orange Hermes shopping bag: a Save the Beaches T-shirt (love the graphics!), a white bracelet, and a pencil

Fantasy Shoe Purchase: Christian Louboutin Nude Satin Youplis

The girls on The Purse Forum call their most coveted shoe or bag their Ultimate Holy Grail (or UHG, for short). I'm hesitant to use this term because, being a proud Catholic, I don't feel comfortable using "holy" in reference to a non-religious object. It's not that I think less of anyone who does this, it's just that I personally don't want to. Instead of calling my most coveted shoe/bag my UHG, I'll call it my fantasy purchase.

I made my fantasy bag purchase back in August 2007, a 30 cm Hermes Birkin bag in blue jean togo leather with gold hardware. It was specially made for me as a podium order (not a special order; there's a difference), and I waited 6 months for it (a very short wait time, relatively speaking, believe it or not). I'd go into more detail, but I feel as if it deserves its own blog entry.

I made my fantasy shoe purchase today! It's the Christian Louboutin nude satin Youpli shoe. This style was originally created for special-order only, but the boutiques decided to sell them to customers. Only 49 pairs of each color (only 3 in the US) were made for purchase. I got nude pair #6! This purchase was a long time coming. I originally tried the fuchsia, but it wasn't meant to be mine at the time. I was sad that I didn't get those, but I came across these a couple of weeks ago at the West Hollywood boutique. I nearly leapt at the chance to buy them at that time, but being the good girl I want to be (since I'm saving for a house), I wanted to pay for them with cash and only after I'd put aside some money in my savings and paid all my bills. I waited for another paycheck and sold my Maggie pumps (for almost as much as I paid for them) and came into some newfound cash, so that wiped away the guilt.

Today, I woke up around 10 am, immediately got dressed, bought some coffee, ran a few errands, then headed south to Hollywood. I had some second thoughts about these prior to today, thinking that their pale color and satin material would make them worry-inducing. However, after I tried them on again and strutted around the boutique in them, the exhilarating feeling I got confirmed they'd be coming home with me...and they did!

Here's also a video on how they're made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wfHreuIRpI&feature=player_embedded This video (almost totally) convinces me the hefty price tag is justified. This, and the rarity of the style (and now I have it! Yay!).