Gifts: Obligation or Thoughtful Gesture?

A couple of weeks ago, I got an invitation in the mail to a wedding. The bride was a good friend of mine back in college (many years ago now), but we gradually lost touch over the years. Our contact has whittled down to a yearly Christmas card. As I'm not on Facebook, there are probably a lot of people I could be in touch with. But the way I look at it, even without FB, I manage to keep in touch with the people I want to stay in touch with. This couple chose to put their info on a website, so I logged onto it. I decided to click on the "gifts" tab and immediately saw the phrase "monetary gifts preferred". OK, I get it. This couple is in their 30s and each person owned a home prior to the engagement. They have a lot of stuff and don't need more, so money is more practical, so that they can use it toward paying for the honeymoon or other expenses. I've seen this phrase on almost every wedding invitation I've received, but I still shudder at reading it. I've never had a wedding, but I imagine that if I ever do, I wouldn't expect any gifts. If I invite someone, it'll be because I want him/her there. I wouldn't care if a gift was given by the someone, but I'd be grateful if he/she did give one, no matter what it was. Gifts should be freely given, I believe, so there should be no condition placed upon the giving of it.

I'm currently debating attending or not. I would have to drive 2 hours alone to a venue in which I'd have to sit with people I probably don't know. That would be after I shell out at least a hundred dollars on a gift. Is it worth it? I logged onto tpf to read up on the discussion regarding this issue, and I couldn't believe the number of people who posted that AT LEAST $100/guest should be given to the bride/groom, even if they are just casual acquaintances. The idea is for each guest to cover the cost of his/her meal, so the guest would essentially be reimbursing the bride/groom for his/her share. I get the idea. Weddings are expensive, and in this day and age, many people getting married don't need stuff but need money. Money's more practical, so why not just save the hassle of buying an item when you can fork over the cash? If that's what someone chooses to give, fine, but why ask for it? Even in cultures where it's tradition to give money as a wedding gift, I don't think a request for it is written on the invitation. The guests should be close enough to the couple to know that's what they need that the written requests aren't necessary, I think.

Then I got an invitation to a friend's daughter's birthday celebration. This isn't such a bad situation. This friend actually reached out to me over the years, and I've known her as long as I'v known the friend getting married. This friend actually knows my current situation and offered to serve as a personal reference for job searches. I walked through Beverly Hills today, debating whether or not to get the little girl a "real" gift or to just pick up a gift card or write a check. What if the little girl has clothes and toys, so would money be the best thing? Then I decided to pop into Baby Gap, where I found a cute little dress, and I knew it was the right gift for the darling girl. I pictured her in it, and the style was just so like her mom's. Then I had a thought: gifts aren't an obligation. Gifts are things you freely give, so put a little thought into it, and you'll have your answer. Of course, I got a gift receipt, in case the dress doesn't fit

I was exhausted thinking of all this, so I walked down the street and straight into Sprinkles Cupcakes. And for the first time ever--I didn't see a line outside! Ahh...cupcakes...my thrill during my shopping ban (the only exception being my birthday present!). I meant to take a pic of all 4 cupcakes, but forgot about it until after I ate the raspberry one (oops!), so that's why there are only 3 in the pic lol

Saying Goodbye to a Member of the (Handbag) Family

Nothing lasts forever, and things are just things. When it comes down to it, you can't hold onto things if they're getting in the way (and we'll all end up leaving the material world without being able to take those things with us, anyway). I have a major goal in mind, and I'm getting closer to achieving it. In order to do that, well...I need more money. When this great offer came, I had to take it, no hesitation allowed. What did I end up saying goodbye to?

The rouge garrance Birkin bag I've had for the last 4 1/2 years. Here is the last photo I took of her. I still remember the day I bought her. I was in Hermes with my friend M., who actually was there to help me purchase it. It was crazy how it happened, but it did, thanks to M. I did carry my red baby a number of times, and she's joined me in various delicious lunches and has overhead some pretty juicy conversations. But it was time to let her go to a new family. It was hard to let her go. Rouge garrance is the perfect shade of lipstick red, and it's no longer being made by Hermes (not in bag form, anyway). Also considering the price of a 35 cm Birkin has gone up considerably since 2008, it was even harder to let her go...but I did. She ended up going to a lucky mother, courtesy of her very grateful daughter. I wish them the best.

Congrats, Allyson Felix!

Today, I drove by Heritage Christian School in North Hills, CA, alma mater of Allyson Felix, winner of 3 track-and-field gold medals at the 2012 Olympics. At the time Allyson was a student, the school was called Los Angeles Baptist.

They should be proud of her. If she wasn't already a star, she is one now. And not only is she talented and beautiful, she is one of the few who actually looks really good running really fast lol. I hope to see her in Rio in 2016!

Image of Allyson is from thegrio.com.

Congrats, Kerri Walsh Jennings & Misty May-Treanor!

Maybe it's cuz I'm a California girl, but beach volleyball was the sport I was most excited to see during the Olympics. KWJ and MMT got their 3rd gold medal in their 3rd straight Olympics games together. I'm so proud of them. It's Misty's final Olympics game, and she went out with a bang.

California girls rule (cue Katy Perry lol)!

(image is from USA Today sports)

Happy 28th Birthday, Ryan!

How hot is Ryan Lochte?! Those eyes! Those arms! Those abs! Those pecs! I don't care that he hasn't won as many medals as Michael Phelps (although congrats to him). He's just hot hot hot! I look forward to seeing more of him during the Olympics. How proud I am to be an American lol...Ah, a perfect use of my 100th blog post...sigh...

ETA: I just watched the local news here, and the local NBC reporter presented his interview with Ryan, who revealed that he'll be moving to LA after the Olympics (Valley Girl scream)!

Image is from espn.go.com

DvF: My 1st Wrap Dress

It's not exactly my 1st. I bought one about 5-6 years ago, from the now-closed Belle Gray Calabasas boutique (owned by Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin). The dress was turquoise, sleeveless, and had brown lip prints on it. I paid almost $400 for it, and I wore it only once, to a friend's wedding. The reason I wore it once was actually a good one. It was because, not long after I bought it, I became 3 sizes too small for it. I wanted another one, but the quality of Diane von Furstenberg clothing appears to have gone down since I bought my 1st one, so I didn't feel it was worth paying $400 for another. Fast-forward to today: I was at Saks in Beverly Hills after my haircut. I combed through the DvF racks about 3 times and didn't find anything, so I ate in the cafe, ready to leave with nothing but my leftovers and the Clinique All About Eyes Rich cream I picked up from the cosmetics counter (I highly recommend it-I felt it work instantly!). Newly energized after my meal, I decided to hit the general women's contemporary section sale racks. There I spotted this: my 1st DvF wrap dress (I'll consider it my 1st, since I'd sold the real 1st one). The style is called "Julian 2" and the print is called "African tulip". I found a really nice sales associate to let me into the fitting room. I tried it on, and when I came out, I asked the SA for the price. She scanned it: $164.25! Down from $365. I wasn't 100% sure of it, but decided it was time to go home and bought it anyway. After going to dinner, I tried it on at home and took pics of myself in it for the moment of truth. I love its feminine fit, but the material is clingy and not very forgiving. Shapewear is recommended, but as someone who hates shapewear (too restrictive for me), I found acceptable middle ground (a regular slip over perfectly-fitting cotton underwear), which I'm wearing in the pics. I also recommend buying these dresses in a size up. I think I could've fit into the size 2, but I found that the size 4 fit just fine, due to the clinginess of the material. Also, I tried this dress on after eating buffalo wings and pizza and drinking a Coke, so I have an idea what it looks like on a bloated stomach (very useful to do, as many special events revolve around a meal).

What do you think, readers? Keep? Or return (I think I have 30 days)?

I Found My Birthday Present!

Every year, I allow myself a guilt-free expensive luxury purchase for my birthday. For my birthday, I allow myself to break a certain price barrier I would never otherwise break. The challenge is picking something that happens to be available for purchase at that time (October) that I really, truly want, not just something I have to get just because it's that time of year. Last year, I ended up buying a couple of things I liked, but didn't love that much (although they were practical, like the Christian Louboutin wallet, which I use every day now). This year, though, I told myself it won't be that way...and it won't. I found something that will be available to purchase in October--perfect timing. So what is this thing that will arrive in October? Here's a hint (image from bloggers.com):