the illustrious navy boot

i've been looking for navy ankle boots for a while. i was almost desperate enough to dye a pair i already had. on a recent weekend trip to fairfield, i found these at saks off 5th at the vacaville outlets. they were 78% off so i had to have them. what a deal!

this pair is called 'whitley' in navy nappa and have quilted detail with buckles and zippers on both sides and a 3" stacked heel.

the search is finally over!

girls' glen ellen getaway

funie and i decided to go on a girls' getaway to nearby glen ellen located north next to sonoma. funie wanted to celebrate finishing her degree and i had a couple of days off in the middle of the week. what better way to use them on a quick getaway to wine country?

i made my way up to pick her up around lunch. we didn't get to glen ellen until close to 2p. we decided to go down the road and find some grub at the grist mill restaurant. i ordered a burger with fries, a salad, plus a side of mac and cheese. funie also had a couple of plates with a side of fries. we were both really hungry, apparently. our small table for two was covered with plates. a couple stopped by our table, coming or going (i can't remember), asked us if anyone else was joining us. we looked at each and said, noooo. after we finished, our waiter came by and told us he was quite impressed with our appetites. afterwards, we checked and got on our way after all of the heavy food we'd just ingested, i felt the need to walk. so we found our way up to the sugarloaf ridge state park. it was beautiful driving up through all the greenery. we even saw a small waterfall on the way up. for some reason, they charge to park so we couldn't stop until we could find a way to pay for parking.

despite having just eaten a feast consisting of very heavy foods and going to a couple of wineries, we decided to have an early dinner at the fig café. another food adventure, it was very exciting and delicious. the next day after check out, we visiting the kenwood winery. of all three wineries we visited (chateau st. jean, benziger and kenwood), the last was the best.

on our way back through napa, we stopped by the napa valley premium outlets. funie found a new professional wardrobe and i snagged these super cute orange wedges.

michael kors

i've been looking for some basic mary janes in black. i remembered that one of my lovely cousins told me about how comfortable michael kors shoes were. so obviously, i had to try a couple pairs on.

before i knew it, i was walking out with 2 pairs of shoes by michael kors. aren't they super cute?

first pair of 2013!

ever since i wore these booties to death, i've been searching for a new pair to replace them. unfortunately, i have not been able to find the right color. so, i settled with these cole haan booties that i purchased last month.

wedges galore

apologies for back dating the next several posts...

these wedges by badgley mischka were actually purchased in october. they have a 4" wedge heel and the color is rose satin. and best of all, they were 80% off.

the white wedges are burberry and were also purchased in october. i know, i blew my one pair per month limit. oh well.

it started with a kiss

how could i resist
the aroma of your perfume
you and i were in separable
it was love at first sight ♥

okay, one more... because every girl needs a nude pump

these are open toe mary janes in nude. they are 4" heels with a 1" platform.

last one, i swear! kinda...

these look familiar because i have them in charcoal. these wedge heels are 3¼" and very comfy. i found them just in time for this rain storm!

i can't stop...

these ankle strap pumps have a 5" heel with a 1½" platform so it feels like it's only 3½".

a little bit of leopard

these booties in nude leopard have a 3½" wedge heel. they were also 70% off!

all that glitters

because it's so hard to say no to anything that sparkles this much on me...

first pair of 2012

i ♥ ♥ ♥ my wedges! these are 4½" heels with a 1½" platform.

happy leap year!!

hello... lover!

meet jimmy, the python.

birthday goodies!!!

as i have in previous years, i spent my birthday with my dear sister. she took the day off to go to the city with me.

the rings above are from her. they represent us and our birthstones, in the form of diamonds. they are cognac diamonds on yellow gold (topaz for november) and blue diamonds on white gold (turquoise for december).

i picked up this pair of shoes for such a bargain! i picked up some other goodies too. we finished our day in the city with a birthday dinner at the house.

the monday i returned from my birthday week off, my office staff surprised me with these flowers. this was the first year that my staff has done something like this for me. they are too sweet.

and this was my 3rd year taking all of thanksgiving week off. i'm hoping to make it a tradition.

hello! is it me you're looking for?

i can see it in my eyes
i can see it in my smile
you're all i've ever wanted... i ♥ you

the nordies half-yearly

believe it or not, i only got two pairs at the sale. this is shoe #5 this year and the 5th black pair. they are strappy and sexy, with a 3 ¼" heel.

europe - next stop: venezia

it was my first time in venice. we had a conference on hebrew literature co-hosted with the ca' foscari university which was the first business university in venice.

lisa and i arrived at the venice marco polo airport around 4:30p. we took a bus to the piazzale roma and checked into our hotel by 5p. we missed the opening talk but thankfully, made it to the dinner reception. the reception was hosted by our very gracious italian hostess at her typical venetian home which was absolutely amazing. something from the 16th century or so. she had this great room where there were about 30+ of us, hanging out comfortably. we had good food and good drinks. it was lovely to finally meet the people i had corresponded with in the last few weeks.
the next day, we headed over to the piazza san marco (st mark's square). we were there a week after the carnevale of which there were still remnants of (confetti everywhere). we walked around for 4 hours and barely made it back for lunch. venice has so many small alley ways that all look the same. it is very easy to get lost. in fact, we got lost every time we went out. unfortunately, it rained very hard on our last day there. so much that we stayed cooped up in our hotel room. it finally eased up in the evening and we decided to set out for some shopping... to our dismay, we only had one hour. it took us quite a while to get back to the hotel but we did eventually get back. luckily, venice is super safe and a great place to get lost, even at night.i bought two pairs of shoes in italy. this pair was the one that was more fun.

last pair of the year!

these navy blue mary janes are satin with glittery wing-tip toe and chunky 3" heels. they are surprisingly comfortable and very cute.

birthday presents!!

a few weeks ago, i celebrated my birthday. and as most of my friends and family know, i generally like to celebrate all month long. in addition, i don't mind opening presents early. even if it is several months early. i got a new messenger bag from my sister in late august. she got it for me after i bought myself a matching wallet.

as usual, i bought myself new shoes, two pairs, though only one is shown here. the other pair are snow boots, not particular exciting but necessary if i should ever find myself in snow again. i'm not planning on it anytime soon but you never know, right?
these are gray wedges that are close to 5" high with platform heels. they are quite comfortable and i am super tall in them!

this year, my dear sister took me to a french bistro called chapeau! for my birthday dinner. they are known for their foie gras and highly recommended by friends and yelp. the food was quite delicious, especially the foie gras. she also gave me a turntable earlier that morning. i have 5 vinyl records but didn't have anything to play them. i've always wanted a record player, however, it didn't seem practical. there is something really special about playing vinyl. it feels nostalgic even with new music.

on black friday, i purchased a new camera. i've had this camera in my "cart" for half of the year. it is always fun to have a birthday around thanksgiving, as there are so many opportunities to shop for yourself. on cyber monday, i got myself a clarisonic mia. it is yellow and works really well. my face feels so much softer and smoother. it's great for daily use on sensitive skin. i highly recommend it!

i also received these beautiful tulips (my favorite flowers) from my dear friend ashley. she is a sweetie. all in all, it was a fabulous birthday! thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate! ♥

my boyfriend's back...

and you're gonna be in trouble...