When we last spoke, I was impatiently waiting for my 65th birthday and my retirement date. On January 22nd, the magical color was silver. This is what I wore:
The grey slacks are from SunMoonStars and died after this wearing. The fly is velcro and since these pants are at least 25 years old, it wore out. If I wear these again, I will be flashing people. I tossed them into the recycle bin. The blue turtleneck has lurex through it, and the Style and Co cardigan is completely silver.
On January 24th, the color was white. I wore a long-sleeved white T shirt from WalMart, with black ponte slacks from Express and this baseball jacket from Savers. My white booties and assorted costume jewelry completed the outfit.
On January 25th, the magical color was scarlet. I wore black slacks with floral embroidery down one leg, a black velour top, and a scarlet cashmere cardigan from Saks. It was really cold that day, so I wore a faux fur coat on top of all that. This is my version of Mob Wife Core.
On January 26th, the color was coral. I wore slate blue slacks from Express, with a coral T shirt from Old Navy and a slate blue/coral print cardigan from Target. My accessories echoed the blue/coral theme.
After work, I stopped by the Salvation Army for their $2 sale. It happens twice a year - end of January and Memorial Day weekend. Here is the haul:
Four Long sleeved T shirts and two pair of pants for Doc. But there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Doc lost 13 pounds. The bad news is that these new pants are too big, so I guess I will redonate them.
I got two pairs of workout leggings and one pair of shorts. One of the leggings is from Felina!
I also got three casual tops - One quilted hoodie, one waterfall cardigan, and one leopard print sweatshirt.
Then I found five tops - one black embellished sweater from Cache, one equestrian print top with no label, one ivory blouse from White House Black Market, one fuchsia silk blouse from The Gap, and one black T with zippers from INC.
January 27th was my 65th birthday. The magical color was grey, so I wore grey sharkskin slacks from SunMoonStars with the fuchsia blouse.
We went to Maggiano's for lunch. First, we had the Maggiano's salad - it looks like nothing, but it has red onions, bacon, and blue cheese. It's delicious.
Then we had stuffed mushrooms.
Then I had spaghetti with meat sauce and Doc had lobster alfredo. We also got the $6 take home deal - we both got Mama's Lasagna. It was all delicious as usual!
On January 28th, the color was amber. I wore an amber wool pullover from Effy, with the SA leggings and a waterfall cardigan from Old Navy. These leggings are the ones from Felina, and they are very soft. The sneakers are from Zelle. They are great, but they make my big feet look even bigger.
On January 30th, the color was once again scarlet. So, I wore black slacks from Mossimo and a scarlet and black printed top from Worthington. My black suede shoes with the scarlet rosette trim are from Sesto Meucci.
My last day of work was January 31st, and the magical color was brown. I wore brown slacks from Ann Taylor, a brown T shirt from Tahari, and a reptile print blouse from Equipment.
I didn't want a party. I was uncomfortable being the center of attention and I was also worried that no one would come. There was a small gathering for me, with a few nice gifts. My COO, Emily, gave me a nice assortment of branded bags and travel gear from the hospital. All were inspected and approved by Pandi.
My friend Winnie is from Kenya, so she got me a cosmetic bag and a warthog plate from Kenya.
I got a few knickknacks and a plaque with my working and retirement dates on it.
Then I got a wine tote and a really nice pineapple-coconut candle.
Emily also gave me a very generous $150 dollar gift certificate to BurkeWilliams Spa. I am not a massage fan, so I can get some nice high-end beauty products.
My friend Suellen gave me a scarf, a keychain, and two bags of jellybeans.
Pandi read all the cards that I got from all my friends at the hospital.
Now for the sad part. We were saving a couple bottles of Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon champagne Vintage 1988. Retirement was finally a good enough reason to crack one open.
Upon Googling the value of the bottle, a pristine bottle sells for $1798.99. Ours had damage to the cork which discolored the champagne, so it's not worth that amount, but still very nice, nonetheless.
So, I drank a couple glasses. Okay, maybe a little more than that. Then I was dancing around the back with Jacki. We were dancing to "Dancing in the Moonlight" when I either tripped over Jacki or my own feet. It was a celebration dance to the goddesses of retirement. Jacki and I have been rehearsing, but I guess the champagne affected us both.
I sustained several wounds - forehead, chin, Elbow and knee. It bruised a lot. It also hurt a lot.
I ended up with a black eye and a big bruise on my chin.
Here's Jacki after her champagne! Just kidding. Jacki acts like this even without champagne.
On February 2nd, the color was white. I wore black leggings, a black and white striped turtleneck and an embellished white cardigan on one of my first days of freedom.
On February 3rd, I had a very sad funeral to attend. Luckily, the color of the day was black. My dear friend Cindy died after a nine yearlong battle with breast cancer. She was one of the sweetest people ever, and many of us will miss her. I wore an all-black outfit, with my new INC sweater as the focal point.
On February 4th, the color was gold. I wore a gold lurex mesh sweater from Cache with green and gold leggings from Nordstrom. The iridescent anorak that I wore on top came from the garment district in LA, and I bought it for my birthday in 1999.
Pandi was very tired that day!
On Wednesday the 7th, I had a meeting with my fiduciary to plan how to invest my retirement accounts. The magical color was yellow, so I wore a vintage top that was yellow lurex, along with black slacks and a yellow tweed blazer.
On Thursday the 8th, the color was green. I wore a green turtleneck from INC with the Felina leggings and a tan waterfall cardigan from Style and Co.
Jacki spent the day lounging around the pool and paddling her big, webbed feet.
I got my February Ipsy bag. In it, from top to bottom:
1) Dr Brandt Skincare Eye Cream
2) Luna Magic Booked and Busy Eyeshadow Brush
3) K Voss NYC Fairy Dust Pressed Highlighter in Starkissed
4) Ace Beaute Hydrating Face Primer
5) Memoire Archives Wild Flower Field Lotion
On Saturday, February 10th, we went down to the HB Pier for a walk. Last week was very rainy - we got around 5 inches of rain here at the beach. This view is looking north towards Sunset Beach.
There was a surfing or kayaking class going on - they were all wearing yellow shirts - I guess that makes it easy for the instructors to see them.
This is Catalina Island - it's 26 miles away. The skinny part in the middle is the isthmus.
This is looking south towards Newport Beach. There are three big hotels - the Waterfront Hilton, the Pasea Hotel and Spa and the Kimpton Shorebreak. Saddleback Mountain is in the background.
The view ends at the Corona Del Mar peninsula.
Lots of people were fishing, as usual. The land in the distance is Palos Verdes peninsula.
Look at the snow on the San Gabriel Mountains! It's so amazing that I can be standing on the beach, looking at the snowcapped mountains!
There are usually lots of vendors selling stuff down by the pier. Lots of artwork and handmade jewelry.
I haven't been using my She Shed since Jacki Brown came on the scene. With all the stuff I brought home from my office, I gave it a good cleaning and hung all the artwork. It wasn't as bad as I expected.
I will be starting these seeds soon - we will be out of town next week, so I will start them when I get back.
This is the art wall.
This is the diploma corner.
This corner has all the awards that I have gotten from my jobs throughout the years.
And the fun plaques with sayings by the front door.
This is my certificate for my Board Certification in Epidemiology and Infection Control. The stuffed toys are microorganisms - E coli, N gonnorhea, herpesvirus, and C diff.
Here are my award statues. I was Manager of the Year at Kindred in 2006.
This was on my door at work. It applies at home as well.
Yesterday, the magic color was silver again. I wore a waterfall cardigan from White House Black Market with the black Cache sweater from the SA sale and black slacks.
Today, I got my Birchbox for February. Inside, from top to bottom:
1) Laritzy Lipgloss in Verdict
2) Skinfix Skin Barrier Restoring Gel Cream
3) Lord and Berry Eyeliner pencil in Black
4) Daily Concepts Daily Exfoliating Mitt
5) Balance Me AHA Glow Mask
So that's about all for now! We are expecting another big storm this weekend, and then we will be driving up the coast a bit to go to Carpinteria - it's just south of Santa Barbara. So, stay tuned for all the fun and excitement that our little trip will bring!
