What Lies Beneath: An Update

Soooooo following the advice given to me, I marched my little booty over to Nordstrom.

I LOVE Nordstrom. I have loved it ever since I was younger and I was taken there by one of my favorite family members who lived in Seattle. It was amazing. The customer service you receive there is unparalleled. Nothing compares. That being said I am a college student. Read: poor. Not poor in the sense that most of the world lives on a dollar a day, just good old average American poor. So I avoid Nordstrom because a: it reminds me I'm poor and b: sometimes I like to conveniently 'forget' that I am poor and I come home with a pretty silver bag and a disapproving look from JJ.

I digress. Anyway this time I budgeted and said I'd start with three new foundation pieces. I went in and the sales associate asked if I'd ever been measured. Uh....that would be a no. So she measured me and brought me back several different styles to try on. Turns out I've been wearing the right size I've just been wearing them wrong, and I've been keeping them way past their expiration date. She explained to me all the details of how the straps and cups should lay, where the shoulder straps should come to and all that. I was EDUCATED. Then it was time to purchase my new goodies. When she told me the price for THREE bras....I skipped a beat. I however have spend at least that much on a pair of shoes so I handed over the plastic and went home with my new lovelies.

JJ did not give me disapproving looks. In fact between reading threads on ar15.com he actually looked up, noticed a difference and said 'Those are nice.' (I'm one of those girls that has to try on new purchases and parade them around for someone to see. Maybe this blog will save JJ from some of that.) If the boys notice, you're doing something right.

So now that my girls are high and lifted up, I am a happy camper.

The Perfect Storm

The next seven to ten days are going to be insane. I am just trying to accept it. I have two finals for my five week summer classes this week, in addition to papers due for those same classes. We're moving. Again. I don't even want to talk about it. Boomer cries every morning at drop off. Which breaks my heart and makes me feel like the world's worst mother. Then on top of everything else I was up all Saturday and Sunday night sick. Congested beyond belief. I feel like summer colds are one of life's "Ha ha sucks to be you!" moments. Because here in Columbus today it is going to feel like 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and we all know Midwestern heat includes insane amounts of humidity, but all I want to do is lay down under a blanket while sipping hot tea.

If it seems like I'm whining, its because I am. If it were not entirely socially inappropriate I would lay down on the floor of Thompson Hall right now and have a full blown tantrum à la Boomer. I won't do that though. I'll finish typing my little internet tantrum and buckle down and get to work. I know once all this is completed, I'll be two classes closer to graduation. I will also be two weeks closer to my Bday (which is Katyville is a month long national holiday) and seeing some old friends. As JJ is always telling me "It's gonna work out babe!"

Ok....I feel better now.

What Lies Beneath....

One of the most important, yet rarely discussed, aspects of a woman's outfit is the foundation. Yes I said foundation, as in what your grandmother probably called her undergarments. I see all of these fabulous blogs and the conversations center on shoes, bags, the perfect skinny jeans, and cosmetics.

But let's get real for a minute. You can have on the most fabulous head to toe, perfectly styled, mix of high low outfit on, but if you have on the wrong bra, or wonky panty lines, or if you're just downright uncomfortable because you have an atomic wedgie then you DO NOT look your best.

Reading these blogs over the last 6-9 mos I've decided to step outside of my horrible mom/college student mix of sweatshirts, jeans, and pumas. Yesterday I put on a comfortable, yet 'done' outfit. But the bra didn't fit. It was stretched out and just kind of flopped there, which did no justice to my already itty-bitty committee girls. To add insult to injury I had on a pair of ill fitting underoos. Atomic wedgie with every five steps. Campus is a lot more than five steps at any given time. So in the end, the well applied summer makeup look, the cute trendy accessories, and the adorable color choices didn't matter because I was sooooooooooo uncomfortable all day.

So when I got home I did something I rarely do. I threw something away. (I still have the dress I wore to 8th grade graduation, but that is a whole other post.) I stood in my bathroom looking at my somewhat lumpy looking chest and said 'Forget this!!!!' , and chucked that bra in the trash. I have resolved to purchase some new foundations this Friday. I will feel better in my clothes, I will look better in my clothes, and that will make all the difference.

No means no????

Image via babble.com

From a very young age we are taught that no means no.  We are told not to ask our parents the same question over and over; to accept what our superiors tell us. Somehow along the way though some of us, myself included internalize that idea and it sticks. We accept. We settle. It becomes an attitude of defeat.

Over the past few weeks my personal notion of 'No means no' was completely transformed. Turned on its ear. All thanks to JJ and Momma Boom. A little background:

My apartment is too small and constantly smells like cigarettes....and some other weird funk. I love the complex, I just wanted a new unit. The manager said no.

I had registered for my classes and begun the first week when I was told I was ineligible for a language class I was in. I was told no.

I didn't receive enough financial aid for this quarter. I was told no.

I had accepted all these No's. Until JJ reminded me about a few aspects of my personality. "Katy, you never let me tell you no. You bug the crap out of me until I give up, or stop listening. Why is this different?" Momma Boom asked me if I had gotten into contact with various people on campus to 'bug the crap out of them'?

Which got me thinking....so I called the corporate offices of my rental company and while it is not their policy to let someone move units within a complex before their lease is up they are allowing me too. I then got in contact with the heads of each of my departments at school. I found out that I was allowed to complete the necessary classes and continue with the class I'm currently registered for. I also found out my financial aid was incorrectly assessed because they did not account for my anticipated graduation date. Yes, Yes, YES!!!!

So I'm wondering, in what area's of your life are you accepting no, when you should be pushing for a yes?