Is It Possible to Vacation Without First Shopping?

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Hello, my name is Kat and I’d like to make a little confession…

I can’t seem to take a vacation (no matter how short), without first having to shop and pamper myself a bit.

The worst part, I know this about myself and typically try to stop myself from doing this and wait until the last possible minute to shop (though I have avoided the pampering part).

We’re finally getting around to scheduling a little R&R at the northern California coast before the year ends and yes, you guessed it…I’ve been shopping.

I told myself I didn’t need to shop.  We went to Ireland last winter, so I have plenty of cold-weather wear, complete with waterproof shoes and a jacket. So for the most part, I’ve managed to avoid the shopping (much like I’ve avoided actually doing any Christmas shopping thus far).

Until this weekend, that is.

This weekend I picked up a lovely cashmere sweater on clearance at J.Jill and of course, I had to pay extra to speed up the shipping.  Then on Sunday, after a solid weekend of rain, I decided that I was going to make the leap and get a pair of real Uggs (I’ve been wearing my faux-uggs to pieces since the weather changed).

Little did I know that the Ugg clogs I fell in love with were last year’s style.  Basically, I spent most of the day searching every online and local store for these babies in black and in my size.

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They’ll be perfect for the cold, wet weather I’m sure to encounter in Mendocino.  Plus, they’re not quite so casual and ugg-obvious as the typical Ugg boat so I’d be able to wear them with jeans and a nice top and not feel like a slob.

Well, it took a few hours and the advice of a good friend, but I finally ordered my new shoes through Neiman’s and just had them sent directly to the hotel (even speedy shipping couldn’t get them to me on time).  Thankfully, my expedited shipping was FREE!!

That said, I don’t think I have any desire to spend large chunks of my time searching for the “perfect” must-have item any time soon.  Let alone doing so while hoping and praying it arrives in a timely manner.  That level of obsession was just a tad too freaky for my tastes.

Do you do anything particular before heading out of town –  shopping, pampering, grooming, packing weeks in advance??

It’s Official: School is Over!

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About an hour ago I finished grading the last batch of assignments and turned in my online grades.  Man, it feels good to be done.

The best part…I’m off until late March.  The even better best part…I get to go to SXSW without having to worry about missing any classes and feeling any guilt.  Awesome!

Which of course means I’ll be able to settle back into blogging and working with clients again.  Can’t wait.

I’m really looking forward to doing some blog redesign for a couple of my blogs.  I’ve got an idea of what I hope to accomplish and will need to learn a thing or two, but I’m quite excited.

I’m also looking forward to doing some back posts about things that I never did get around to writing.  I’ve been to a couple cool events: car launches, local events, Got Milk latte parties, cupcake tours, you name it.  I can’t wait to get caught up.

But first up, a meeting tomorrow with a friend about a new business proposition and then a vacation shortly there after.  Woohoo!

And if I find some time, I might actually get around to getting my Christmas cards and gifts in the mail in a timely manner (maybe…but probably not).

So how are your holiday plans coming along? Have you decided to give up on anything?

Today is a ‘Love Actually’ Kind of Day

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Here I manage to make it all the way through NaBloPoMo and then I just disappear. Beyond lame. But what can I say, I’ve been busy getting ready for Christmas and planning a vacation. And now, my last week of teaching for the semester and I’ve managed to come down with a cold.

So today, I’m hanging inside, enjoying the rainy weather, snuggling with the boys and drinking my Throat Coat tea (best stuff ever for sore throats). I figured with Christmas right around the corner, this would be a perfect time to watch Love Actually for the umpteenth time.

I think that movie can make anything and everything better. And of course, who wouldn’t want a wedding surprise like this one…

NaBloPoMo: Mission Accomplished!!

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nablo.sat.1109.120x200Yay Me!

I will admit that during the month, I was the most exciting blog to read.  And to be honest, I was late once or twice.

But I did it.  I have completely 30 posts in 30 days. And no matter how you slice it, it’s an accomplishment.

Maybe I’ll even win a prize!! 😆

Do you do it?  Did you make it through your month?  For those of you doing NaWriPoMa, did you finish your book (or your word count)?

Soo….what’s next?

EDITED TO ADD:

Oops…don’t I feel silly. I inadvertently and quite accidentally thought today was the 30th.  Seems I still have two days to go *sigh*

Guess I’ll repost this to go live on Monday then.  Hey, at least I know Monday’s done – LOL

Now That Was a Holiday Weekend To Be Thankful For

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After having worked weeks getting those gift guides up, I can say that I honestly spent the entire 4-day weekend (well, 3-day since I was still working on Thanksgiving) doing nothing more than reading and watching TV.

And doing dishes. For some reason, every time I turned around my sink was full of dishes again.

I feel a little bad for not heading out to help set up Divine Design while I was doing nothing.  But then again, I was having too much fun doing nothing.

And sleeping.

And seeing Candye Kane at Cozy’s.

And spending time with the hubs and his family.

Come to think of it, I think I’ve officially caught up on some much missed sleep. I think I’ve easily slept 8-10 hours (plus little naps) each day.  And you gotta love that.  Of course, it might be a little challenging getting up at 6:00 again on Tuesday, but it was soooo worth it.

All the more to be grateful for this season.

So how was your weekend?

Color Me Embarassed

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I just got a little over excited and posted a live updated congratulating myself on completing NaBloPoMo.  After histing “publish” I figured I should do a quick looksee and make sure I did indeed post at least one post every day.

Then I double-checked the dates against the calendar. Yes, that was my last step, not my first or second step.

Imagine my surprise to realize that the month wasn’t quite yet over.

How embarrassing.  No really…the post went live (so it shows up on everyone’s reader) so people know I’m an idiot that can’t tell when the month is over.

Oh well, shit happens.  At least I got today’s post written because of my mistake.

Now only one more post (tomorrow) to go and I truly am finished.

What’s your most recent excuse for having been publicly humiliated and full-on embarrassed?

(don’t even ask how many red-lined spelling errors I had in that one 13-word sentence – I’m embarrassed enough here already)

Holiday Gift Guides: Just Had to Share

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I figure I spent SO much time working on these suckers these gift guides that the least I could do was share them with y’all.  You just might find something cool and exciting.

I think in a week or so, I might share my personal gift guides as well.  Or would that be a wish list…hmmm.  Could be useful, you never can tell.

Until then, I’ll be spending the next week or so working on some gratitude and manifestation exercises.  So don’t be surprised if my next couple of posts start to get a little woowoo…consider yourself warned.  😉

Free Audible Audiobook Giveaway

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Who doesn’t love free?

Who wouldn’t love a free audiobook?*  I know I sure would.

The fine folks at Audible.com are giving away one free audiobook as their way of showing thanks this season. The best part, it’s totally free. You do have to sign up, but it’s not a trial (so no credit card info).  It’s completely and totally free.

I’ve been meaning to try Audible.com, but I just wasn’t sure I was someplace where I could listen long enough to get into it. But now, I think I’m going to have to give this freebie thing a try. I mean you can’t go wrong with free, right?

Now it doesn’t cover every book in their library (they have thousands), but it does give you a good enough sample to choose from.

I remember having loved The Great Gatsby so I think that’s what I’ll go with.  Click HERE for your free audio book.

*As one would expect, there are a few limitations on this Thanksgiving freebie…offer not open to current AudibleListener members. Limit 1 audiobook per customer. Some audiobooks may not be available outside the United States and Canada. Offer expires November 26, 2009 at 11:59pm ET.