The Last Day of 2010

For most people in the world, it's already 2011. For those of us on the West Coast of the US, though, it's still 2010 and will be for another hour and 13 minutes. With that thought, I now will take a quick look back on this past year. True to my blog title, there was quite a bit of drama. Some good, some bad. Some of it has been blogged about in previous entries. Here's a rundown, in no particular order:
1) I went on a Catholic pilgrimage with my mother, taking us to Spain, France, and Portugal. During this trip, I bathed in the holy water bath in Lourdes, France. I discovered that after doing this (and ingesting some of the water, too), my cold symptoms I experienced before the bath got reduced dramatically.
2) I saw a Jason Derulo concert for my 32nd birthday. I got to treat my true friends and discovered that there were some that weren't true, distinguished by their behavior at this event.
3) I didn't find a husband, but I decided that I'd rather not have one than settle for one who treats me like anything less than a "pr1nc355" ;)
4) I lost and gained a couple of friends: my angel T. moved to France, I. and I haven't spoken in a while, and R. returned!
5) Unexpected weight loss that enabled me to fit into my PDC ripper jeans, which I haven't worn in years!

What 2011 will bring me hopefully, again in no particular order (no resolutions, just a couple of non-specific goals; besides, resolutions never work):
1) more weight loss, which will allow me to wear even more of my old clothes
2) reinforced friendships with the people I really can trust
3) more payoff of my student loan debt

OK, as I'm typing this sentence, it's now T-31 minutes to 2011 here on the West Coast. I'm probably not gonna be awake during the moment the clock strikes midnight, so I'm going to now wish everyone reading this a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a wonderful 2011!

Christmas Day 2010

I opened my presents early this morning. Then, it was a pretty relaxing day with my family. We went to church, then out to brunch (really good food, including prime rib and smoked salmon), then watched the Lakers lose to the Miami heat (on TV, of course, and I'm now soooo glad I didn't spring for the inflated cost of tickets to this game--oh, well, the Lakers are NOT out of the running for a 3rd straight championship--I have confidence my boys will get the job done!). I got some really good presents, including jewelry from my parents and homemade goodies from my coworkers. My little sister, who couldn't afford to buy gifts for several years, due to being in dental school and working on paying her debts, gave me a generous check and more jewelry. I was pleasantly surprised.

Christmas: a time for angels, and I'm so lucky to have one who understands my shoe fetish and feeds into it (thank you soooo much!). Now onto the very special present pictured in my last post. These traveled several thousand miles to get to me and are a really rare treat. They were sold only in the platform 150 mm version here in the USA, and those sold quickly. I was bummed I missed out on them. Because I'm trying to be more financially conservative (not easy for a Christian Louboutin fan!), I just couldn't justify the $1195 plus tax price tag for them. Then my shoe angel stepped in at just the right time. Here they are, my Christian Louboutin Clou Noeud spiked slingback in nude kid leather, with a 120 mm heel:

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, and for those of you in the US, enjoy what's left of your Christmas Day!

"Soon It Will Be Christmas Day"

This line from the classic Christmas carol, "Silver Bells" has been going through my mind since about 4:30 this afternoon, driving after my 2nd trip to a Target store in 1 day (little nephews in town, I think parents reading this would understand). It's true, though. Christmas Day is coming in less than 1 hour!


I got an early Christmas present. It came much sooner than expected. In a few hours, I will unwrap this package and we will see what's inside. Those of you who follow my posts on tpf already know what it is. So do I, but I treat every single one of these like a special gift, and since it's Christmas, I may as well contribute to the occasion.


Until then...

12/11/10: A Memorable Date...

...for various reasons.

1) The date itself. How often do 3 consecutive numbers appear in accurate reverse order? Of course, I realize that if I lived in Europe, the date would be 11/12/10. This historical date would have occurred on November 12, 2010, last month. Well, come to think of it, I was in Europe on November 12, 2010 (in Spain, traveling from Zaragoza to Madrid). So I'm celebrating this special date for the 2nd time!

2) On this date last year, I was in the hospital. My father had an operation that had the potential to save his life. One year later, he's still alive, feisty as always. My mother had an operation, too, 3 days after my father did. My sisters and I were literally in the hospital with both our parents checked in (Mom was getting her operation, a lumpectomy, and Dad was recovering from his). Seriously, that was a pretty scary time. Dad's alive today, so the operation likely worked. And Mom is free of cancer. Whew!

3) Back to #1...here are the pictures from my dream trip. Finally! From top to bottom, here are the descriptions: the Tower of Belem (Lisbon, Portugal); the Christian Louboutin boutique (Madrid, Spain); the square in front of the Basilica (Fatima, Portugal); a sign on a bus (Zaragoza, Spain), which roughly translates to "Eat rabbit meat. It's safe."; a sign near the border between Spain and Portugal; a bull-fighting arena (Lisbon, Portugal); a castle once owned by a Duke, now a museum (Lourdes, France); a cork tree (Fatima, Portugal)-Portugal is the leading exporter of cork in the world, a material found in some Christian Louboutin collections-LOL; my souvenir, nude Bianca pumps, purchased from the Christian Louboutin boutique in Madrid