The First Bag I Ever Loved

I don't tend to like things like handbags. I pretty much have two or three that I switch between every few months, and they're all pretty neutral and boring. But functional. As I was doing my fall wardrobe cleanout, I found the old white purse that I bought at Sam Moon (the one and ONLY time I will ever go there) and saw how dirty it was. I tried to wipe it off with plain water which did not work, then I remembered a trick I learned when my mom and I were cleaning up some of my old dolls: hairspray. It cleans vinyl like nobody's business. So, I got out an old bottle of hairspray and starting cleaning it. It worked great, but as I was wiping away, I realized, "I hate this purse. I want a purse that I don't have to clean with hairspray." So, I went online expecting to find some passable purse that could replace my super cheap and ugly old one.

As I was browsing the Anthropologie sale page, I found the most beautiful bag I've ever seen. It's called the "Alabaster Crackle Bag." Alabaster. I like the sound of it. It was on sale for way more than I felt was wise to spend - just like everything always is at that store - so I put it in my shopping cart and decided to sleep on it. If I woke up still wanting it, I would talk to Jon about buying it.

Well, I woke up and still wanted it. I logged on to the website only to discover that they had sold out of it overnight. What? Seriously? Yes. I was pretty disappointed, but thought maybe I could wait a while then buy one on ebay if it was available. Skip to the next day when I went shopping with my mom. We walked into Anthropologie and lo and behold, they had the bag! I got to see it in person, hold it, feel it, examine the lining, and it just made me want it even more. I have never been so attached to a handbag before. I was still waffling on the price, however. I decided to leave it again. If I woke up and still wanted it, I would drive back to the store and if it was still there, I would take it as a sign that God wanted me to have the purse, and I would buy it. Good theology, I know.

I woke up the next morning, still thinking about the purse, so I called Northpark. The bag had been sold! Noooooo! So, I called Highland Park Village. No bag there. Then I called The Shops at Willow Bend. They had it! One left! I asked the saleslady to hold it and drove over there to pick it up as soon as they opened.

Today is its inaugural day. It's beautiful. I love it. I don't want anything to happen to it. I dread spilling my coffee on it or some such thing. The first bag I ever loved.

Anal Retentive

So, I am contemplating revamping my fashion ensemble pictures into Work and School categories so that I can remember who has seen me in which outfits. I already do that to some degree with them now, but I really only mark special occasions. The project I'm talking about here will be way more detailed and kind of makes me feel like I'm crazy. But as cluttered as my apartment may be, I get an immense sense of satisfaction from organizing things.

I bought a huge handbag yesterday. Big enough to hold a spare set of clothes plus all toiletries. It's kind of like carrying a small suitcase on my shoulder. I hate enormous purses or "totes" as other people like to call them. What a stupid word. Let's just call it what it is - an obscenely large purse. Anyway, I have joined the ranks of the women carrying their lives on their shoulders. It's kind of disappointing. But practical, so I'm giving it a try. If I feel ridiculous every single time I wear it, one of my girlfriends just might receive a slightly-used-but-still-lovely gigantic burgundy purse for Christmas.

New Clothes

So, I went on my bi-annual shopping trip yesterday and today. The goal: to buy new school clothes. After bumming around SMU in my casual outfits, I will now actually have a job that requires appropriate attire. And since it is a Baptist university, I am assuming they don't want me to wear things like sleeveless shirts and open-toed shoes. Unfortunately, everything in every store is either still very summer-y or it's incredibly ugly. I only ended up buying two pairs of pants, a fantastic dress, flats, and a new handbag. I must have tried on 15 different knee-length black skirts, none of which flattered my body. This disaster means I have to go shopping again in, like, October when there are actually conservative fall clothes in the stores. I will just have to muddle through until then. Bummer!