Big Banding and Swinging the Night Away

I just got back from yet another trip. This one was pure fun.  My favorite hotel, the Grove Park Inn, was having it's Annual Big Band Weekend.  We had never gone but we got a great rate and we love Asheville and it was a chance to dress up, so heck yeah.

Being January, it was great to snuggle in front of the Great Hall fireplace for a while.

This even was so much fun.  It's a formal event and the Saturday night dance has the Glenn Miller orchestra playing.  So amazing music in a beautiful setting. It is tied in with the USO which really added to the feeling of stepping back in time a bit.

And, there were some serious outfits and some seriously good dancers.  Of course, the age range skewed mostly older but these people know what they are doing on a dance floor.  (Fun Fact: I grew up traveling on cruise ships and have done a fair amount of dancing to Big Band over my life).

The fashion was formal but was interpreted all along the Big Band/Swing timeline.  I saw some great 40s fashion, beautiful ball gowns and some slinky backless numbers.  I went a bit more 1920s inspired in a beaded Vivinne Tam dress, while the husband wore his tux, red plaid bow tie and vintage owl cufflinks that I found for him.

I wore my Oh, Deer! Jamocha art deco-y t-straps along with black fishnets.

Here are some better shots of the shoes and dress details.

I definetly want to go back next year, but I think we need to take a few dance lessons first.  I did not get to dance nearly as much as I would have liked to.  I also think I want to go for more of a long swirly dress next time.  They played a number of waltzes and I think the music and a long 30s "Thin Man" era dress would be great.

And while our trip was brief, we did manage to eat at two of our favorite places in Asheville.  For lunch on Saturday we ate at Chai Pani, which is this casual India street food (or chaat) restaurant.  It is a savory paradise.  We got samosas, an uttapam with masala potatoes, okra fries and bhel puri (a snack mix with puffed rice, cilantro, onions, tamarind and more).

Then for dinner we went to Plant, our new favorite restaurant in the world.  I'm totally serious.  It's amazing and so good we were back there 15 hours later for brunch. Between the pumpkin seed crusted seitan, the amazing soup (always get the soup), the best cinnamon roll I've ever had and a cannoli, I'm stuffed. 

Oh.  In addition to getting a huge scramble and home fries (SL got the biscuits with homemade sausage and gravy) I got a big bowl of cheese grits. And did I mention that all of this is vegan.  Yeah.  It's amazing.

So now it's time to unpack and meals we have to make ourselves.

A Visit to the Lowcountry

As I mentioned before, my grandmother (who was just about to turn 91) passed away last week.  She lived in an area of South Carolina near Hilton Head.  This is where my Dad's whole side of the family lives and where we went often for family trips when I was growing up.

Known as the Lowcountry, coastal South Carolina is so different from where I grew up in Miami and even other parts of the state.  And even though just a few hundred miles away from where we are in NC, it has a totally different personality.

The city she lived in used to be so small and sleepy but, due to it's beauty and history, has really grown over the last 20 years.  Tons of films have been shot here and the population has shot up, as has the number of businesses and traffic.

My Dad, though, lives on one of the many islands that makes up the area and when you are there, right on the water, it's very peaceful.  We spent much of our quick visit hanging around the house, playing with the cats and enjoying the view.  Here's a few quick pics -

The front of the house...

The Kitchen...

The lovely porch...

Lowcountry sunset...

Sweet Tea the kitty!

We got up on Sunday to enjoy the crisp air and the sunrise off of the dock.

And said hello to some of the regular visitors...

I think we are going to head back in a few months.  I want to do yoga on the dock at sunrise and maybe jump in a kayak to have a closer chat with the dolphins!

And We're Off

I'm off for a quick trip to NYC!

I'm trying to pack light, just my purse and my vintage American Tourister Tiara suitcase. 

I should clarify that this still isn't light.  My purse is filled with stuff and my little case isn't that little, especially when I'll need to carry it rather than roll it.  While I have a bunch of luggage, I don't have the perfect small carry on.  Either it's too big, and I don't want to check this trip, or it's too small or it's too nice!

Darn overhead restrictions!

It's been a crazy week with work and I'm not looking forward to all the rain this trip.  I've finished packing and charging all my electronics up, now all I need to do is my nails and get some sleep!

See you in the City...

Poochie

Jimmy Choo for Hunter

I'm very very excited! On Friday night we booked a trip to Ireland in December. I'm so excited in fact that, realizing I ONLY HAVE FOUR MONTHS to plan I immediately started to think about what shoes I'm was going to need to pack.

It doesn't help that I already know that I need new black boots - flat ones and heeled ones. But then I thought, welllllll...... it will probably be raining some of while we're there.

I must get new wellies!

And there just happened to be a pair that I was smitten with a few months ago but had no really valid reason (excuse?) to get....

Ummm, hello Jimmy Choo for Hunter.



If you are not familiar, Hunter wellies are THE wellies. We're talking iconic. Classic. Royal Warrants for providing footwear to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

But why just settle for standard Hunter wellies (although I like them too) when I can get a fancier limited edition pair (those words are like crack to me, I KNOW!)



Fancy, huh?

To quote:

The legendary Hunter silhouette with natural rubber construction has been embossed with signature Jimmy Choo crocodile print and branded top bind. Gold buckle hardware, metal rivets and an extra long eyelet strap add attention to detail. A leopard print lining provides a contrast against the black glossy rubber of the boot. Presented in the original black Hunter box and lined with leopard print, the boots have a unique identification plate, uniting the logos of these two iconic British brands.

The boots will be sold exclusively in Jimmy Choo stores in the United Kingdom and the United States and online at www.jimmychoo.com. A waiting list will be available for the boots from 1st May on www.jimmychoo.com.

"I was inspired by images from the festivals of the hip Brit girls in their wellies. This led to our collaboration with Hunter to produce a sleek interpretation of the British classic". Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo President and Founder.

Peter Mullen, Hunter Chairman, comments: "We are delighted to work with Jimmy Choo to create a superbly sophisticated incarnation of our original Wellington Boot. Both brands have a strong visual identity which works well combined - the resulting Boot has a unique DNA of luxurious practicality."




Luxurious Practicality. I likey.

Anywho... waiting list, smating list. So what if they're either on back order or gone or amazingly overpriced on ebay.

SHOE HUNT!



By the way... I love love love the buckle element.

Okay, this is going to be a bit mean. I apologize in advance.

I found a pair. In my (small) size left in a store. Nabbed 'em. Quite possibly they were on sale too. I'm trying not to chuckle evilly.

Kind of.



Now, what else do I need for this trip??? I need to start planning what I'm going to pack too!

Happy Spring

I've been away so long because I just had the most wonderful visit from one of my favorite people in the whole world... the darling girl below.



She's the only person I know who can make us all as happy as this!



We drove all over and had fun spending time together and even had time to make some Spring whoopie pies!



I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and holiday.

Luv
Poochie

24 Hours in Savannah

I feel like I've been totally inaccessible for ages and totally slack in the posting department. I had to go on a trip (well, at this writing, I'm in the middle of it, typing from my hotel room at at 12:45 a.m.) with my clients on a super-secret, hush-hush mission to Savannah.

Sadly we were driving which means I was totally wiped out due to car sickness, which I get terribly (along with on planes and boats, etc. Blech!) so I'm terribly behind in writing and reading all the many Tweets flying around today.

In spite of it being little more than a 24 hour trip there and back with little more than half the time in the car and the other half in meetings, I stocked up on provisions. I actually brought more food and drinks than clothes and shoes, if you can believe that. But as I was going to the land of BBQ, meat and butter, I figured pickings might be slim for vegan me. I went to Whole Foods the night before and stocked up on Lara bars, apples, chocolate, crackers, macadamia nuts, and some bottles of flavored green tea.



I'm glad I did because we got on the road really early and the team started the trip by grabbing breakfast at Chick-fil-a.

I munched on a clementine and a Lara bar.

Then for lunch we pulled off the highway into a McDonald's. I really never eat fast food and think McDonald's is the worst but I thought at least I could get a salad, right?

Wrong!

Highway McDs are limited in their options, so I got a small fries, apple juice box and the apple-walnut salad, which was crap!

But I did get a sweet My Little Pony from some one's Happy Meal! It is the purple Pegasus one in the back with the long pink hair.



We were a little early for our meeting, so after dropping our bags off at the hotel, we poked around a few stores including the lovely The Paris Market. I wish I had more to spend because I saw a ton of things I was immediately in love with. Luckily my parents live close by so I can come back when I visit them next time.



I did get one thing, though. This big "P" encrusted with pearls. P for Pink! P for Poochie! Now I need to find a new home for it.



After our meetings, we ended up going to the Lady & Sons restaurant for dinner. It was sort of for research so no choice there. All I can say folks is take your Lipitor. There are no "lite" or real veg-friendly options here, unless you search and modify a bit. I ended up having a fried green tomato and the server helped me out by modifying a salad to be vegan. I added a baked potato topped with their roasted red pepper sauce, so in the end I was more than okay.

It is interesting the Paula Deen story and how in love folks are with her. When we got there a huge tour bus of over 50 folks were just leaving!

After that we went to the Mansion on Forsyth Park which is an AMAZING hotel. I think I need to make a special trip just to stay here. The decor and art just blew me away with its decadence and over the top glamour.

We hung out in the Casmir Lounge and had a few drinks. I had just a single Kir Royale but the rest of my team got a bit... shall we say... "tipsy." And I'm being kind. I had to drive us all home. The lushes! ; )

After a long day it was good to get back, read through 40 pages of Tweets (!!!) and take a hot hot shower. The Marriott we're staying at is in the historic district and they had great in-room toiletries by Davies Gate, which I'd never heard of.

I used the Quinoa shampoo and Amaranth conditioner. I really liked them. I'm going to have to check them out when I get home.

So, now I'm beat. I have a bunch more I could write, but I'm putting my phones on the charger and I've got my outfit all laid out for tomorrow (argyle sweater from Target, khaki pencil skirt, Chanel mary janes, ShoeMissy rosette and JCrew acorn bracelet).

It's going to be an early morning and another long day tomorrow, so I better get to sleep. Maybe I'll have time to do more if I get up on time!