The End of an Era

File this post under sentimental rambling...

Way back in the olden days when I was 17, my parents very generously bought me a car.  At the time, I don't think any of us would have expected me to drive it until I was 30, but these things happen.  I loved my car like only a teenager can - it was my freedom to go where I wanted when I wanted (you know, with my parent's permission).  Previously, I had to get permission and ask to borrow one of their cars, so this was a major improvement.

Summer of 2002 - the earliest Civic picture I could find

This car was by my side (or rather, surrounding me) as I finished high school, started a new adventure at a college where I didn't know anyone, moved to Indiana where I didn't know anyone, and drove back and forth across the Midwest more times than I can count.  If I'm being honest, I didn't trust other teenage drivers very much, so I always volunteered to drive everywhere, and I would never EVER let anyone else drive my car.  This means I drove my friends all over the place, too.

2006 - John took this picture about an hour before he asked me to be his girlfriend

When John and I became friends, he didn't have a car at school, so I drove us all over Lincoln to the various churches we visited, midnight IHOP runs, and many concerts within a 3 hour drive.  When we finally got our act together and started dating, he became the first friend I had ever let drive my car.  I remember some of my friends being like "Whoa, this is serious!" and yeah, it was.

2006- I took this picture of John on the way to New Mexico when we were dating

Shortly after the previous picture, John hit a tumbleweed, which became lodged in the front of my car! 

We drove to New Mexico for fall break that year, and I met his grandparents.  We drove to Indiana for Thanksgiving where he had the marriage talk with my dad.

Once I graduated and got a real job (way back in 2006), I figured I would get a new grown-up car soon.  But then I just didn't.  In 2010, John and I decided that we needed at least one nice dependable car for ourselves to drive on our many road trips.  He tried to be a gentleman and let me have the new car, but I wasn't ready to trade in the Civic, so John got the nice car, but he insisted that I drive it whenever the roads might be icy.

I always figured a day would come when I was forced to give up my beloved car.  Either I'd get into an accident where insurance would declare the car totaled, or the engine would just break beyond repair.  But it never happened.  So I just kept driving it.  Last summer, we decided it was finally time to trade-in, so we started looking at options and then a year later, still hadn't taken the plunge.  I was dragging my feet because I didn't want to let my Civic go.  This summer, we said we HAVE to get me a new car before winter, so we started seriously looking into it and I started trying to emotionally prepare.

Farewell, old friend!  

We finally did it this weekend.  And I knew I would be emotionally distraught, but it was so tough!  When the guy came back with the trade-in value I felt so defensive of my little car.  She's a great car!  She's worth way more than that!  You don't even know her!!!  (calm down, Andi - stop being crazy!).  Don't worry - I didn't actually say any of those things.  I just tried not to cry in front of the car salesmen (somewhat unsuccessfully).

The worst part (well, other than the bargaining part - why can't cars just cost what they cost?  like sweaters!) was that the new car wasn't ready, so I was all prepared to say goodbye to the Civic, and then we had to wait another day.  So I got to cry again when we signed the title over on Monday, and then I lost it again when we had to drive away and leave my trusty little red car behind in the car dealership's parking lot (she looked so lonely!).  I'm sure the car guys were rolling their eyes at me, but they don't know about all my feelings!!

One thing that made me laugh was cleaning everything out of the Civic.  I found the following items in the glove box, which I rarely opened:

• 2 garage door openers of unknown origin (maybe to my parent's house, or their previous house, or the one before that?)  
• Frequent buyer punch card from the Sno Cone stand in Wichita
• One of those free mix CDs that recording studios would hand out after concerts.  
• Phone charger of unknown origin.  It didn't look familiar.  So if you lost your phone charger in the last 10 years, I may have it.
• Ping pong ball - we used to play at the rec center on campus, but their ping pong balls were always dented or smashed or missing, so we got our own to bring each time.  I kept it on the shelf in my dorm room, and apparently it has been living in my car ever since graduation.  
• So many pens.  Where did they come from??

Anyway (longest post ever), while I'm very sad to say goodbye to my beloved old Civic, it was time.  And I'm very excited about my fancy new car (with things like a giant sunroof that actually opens and a CD player that might work all the time!).  Plus it will be way safer in the snow, which arrived approximately 8 hours after I took possession of my new vehicle.  And in 20 years when I have to trade this one in, I'll probably cry.

**Disclaimer: yes, I know being sad about a car is not a real problem.    



    

#14 - Navy Week - Throwback Navy

In the last few years, navy has become one of my favorite neutrals.  I used to wear a lot of black, but navy seems like the less goth/emo cousin, and still goes with everything.  So I've been drawn to it more and more. Prior to about 2012, I don't think I had anything navy in my wardrobe, except maybe a Cardinals t-shirt (this one).  

I blame my previous aversion to navy on my private school uniform.  I had to wear a navy jumper every day from 2nd-5th grade.  And then in middle school and high school, my options were either a khaki skirt or a navy skirt.  The high school navy option was plaid.  (and no, it wasn't a cute Catholic school uniform.  It was very unflattering, midi-length before midi-length was a thing).  But anyway, I dug through my photo albums and found this fantastic Throwback Thursday picture.

I would guess this is the first day of 4th grade.  I obviously hadn't gotten the hang of smiling like a normal person (am I trying to wink?  I don't even know what is happening).  I cropped my brother out, because I don't want him to hate me (not saying he looks bad - I don't think he had an awkward phase).  And I'm not sharing the first day of 5th grade picture that I found, because it's really really bad.  I'm not really sure why I had any friends that year, because I looked ridiculous.  I must have had a great personality or something.  Or I was very blessed with non-shallow classmates.

Judy Greer talks about this in her book.  When you go through a phase where you are super awkward looking, and then you think you are pretty much gorgeous once you start to look normal.  I mean, I might be average looking now, but I've improved exponentially since I was 10!

Anyway, what are we even talking about anymore?  Navy!  I used to have to wear navy, so I didn't like that.  Then after about 10 years of not having to wear navy, I started liking it again.  Great story, Andi!

Do you wear navy?  Link up with us below!!

Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Tee: J.Crew Factory (exact)
Skirt: J.Crew (exact)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

Throwback Thursday - Blue Camouflage

When I first started blogging, I had visions of alliterative awesomeness and thought I'd do Throwback Thursday* posts every week.  I pretty quickly ran out of old pictures that I thought were interesting enough to share.

Anyway, I'm bringing Throwback Thursday back to the blog with a little twist.  Instead of just sharing an old picture, I'm going to share an old picture with a current outfit that is similar or inspired by the old picture.  Kind of like this or this.  And I have no idea how frequently I'll do it, but I'm hoping to do at least one every month.  I'm going to raid my parents' photo albums this weekend to get some good pics.      

So without any further ado....

2004 vs 2014

Apparently blue camouflage is just one of those timeless prints!  The old picture is from the summer of 2004 when I went to visit my brother's family in Kentucky.  Because I didn't used to take pictures of myself every day, my throwback pictures will usually be from a trip or event of some kind. 

When looking at this old picture, I mostly realize that I was super skinny back then.  I didn't think I was skinny, but I mean, look how flat my stomach is!  So, I want to look like that again!  Oh, to be 19 again!  Wait, no - that sounds terrible.  Oh, to look 19 again!  That's better.     

Also, if you are wondering about the little person cropped out, it's my nephew.  He's becoming a teenager in a few weeks, which is completely not allowed.  But look how cute he was! 

Anyway, when I saw the camo/stripe shirt at the Gap, I had a wave of nostalgia and had to buy it.  Plus my sister has the green camo version (seen here), so we can be twinsies!

2014 info: 
Top: Gap (vaguely similar)
Jeans: Limited (exact)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

2004 info: 
Top: Karen Kane
Belt: Express
Jeans: Probably Gap

* Just a note - this was before I had even heard of Instagram, so #tbt wasn't really a thing in my social circles.  I'm not deluded enough to think I came up with the idea on my own.  I mean, I'm sure I heard it somewhere and my subconscious saved it for a rainy day, but at the time, I thought I was being pretty creative.

Jean Jacket Envy

Take One, Pass It On Item:  denim jacket from last Monday.  Also, I'm being such a copycat lately.  I hope you all don't mind!)

The first clothing-related memory I have is of wanting a jean jacket.  I remember another girl at preschool had a really awesome jean jacket and I thought I should have one too.  The funny thing is that I don't actually remember getting the much-desired jean jacket.  But here I am, 4 years old, sporting a jean jacket that was probably a hand-me-down from my brother.  

My next clothing related memory involves me lying to my mother.  We were looking for school shoes before Kindergarten or First Grade, and there was this really awesome pair of hot pink Converse high-tops that I really, REALLY wanted.  I tried them on and they were just a little bit tight, but the Salesperson already mentioned that they didn't have the next size up.  I was like "yep, they fit perfectly!  Plenty of room in the toe!" and we bought them.  A few days later, we returned them, and I got stuck with some lame LA Gear tennis shoes with lace laces.  So embarrassing, but I guess I deserved it for lying.  

What's your first shopping or clothing related memory?  

Sweater: Gap
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Izod
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime

What Happens at Bowling

Happy Saturday!  After 2 weeks of feeling pretty terrible, I am excited for a weekend of getting caught up on things around the house, and hopefully fitting in some fun.  One of the fun things is that I am linking up with Sarah and Natalie for their new Saturday link-up.  The theme this week is your most embarrassing moment, and I tend to do embarrassing things all the time, but I have to share my "official most embarrassing moment" from way back in the day.

13-yr old me

 When I was 13, I was about as awkward as most middle school kids, only I was about a foot taller than most of the girls in my class.  This was not as awesome as you might think.  My brother was on the high school varsity basketball team, and my oldest sister was living in Chicago, but wanted to see him play, only most games were on Fridays.  One weekend, there was a tournament with Saturday games, so my sister (Carolyn) and 2 of her friends (Chris and Dave) drove down for the games.  After the game on Saturday night, my sisters and the guys decided to go bowling.  I'm not sure how or why, but I tagged along, and felt really cool because I was hanging out with 20-somethings.

Here's a picture of Carolyn and me a few months earlier.  We are at the Hancock Building in Chicago, pretending to wash windows.  You will notice that I am already taller than her.  I was 13, and she was 22.

I hope I don't get in trouble for this picture!

As the evening progressed, I started to feel suspicious that my sisters were talking about me.  I kept asking them what was up, but they wouldn't tell me.  So I was just bowling in my blissful ignorance.  Eventually, they were sort of arguing, and I was like "Seriously, what is going on?"  One of them very sweetly said "Andi, put your hand on your butt" and when I did, I should have felt denim, but I just felt skin instead.  My jeans had ripped all the way across, right underneath the pocket.  Here's a diagram, in which the red circle shows where the rip was located:

Needless to say, I was horrified.  In true 90s fashion (see previous photo), Carolyn was wearing a button down shirt as a jacket, so I tied it around my waist for the rest of the evening.  Chris said he didn't notice, and Dave said he just thought it was my style.  Apparently he didn't think very highly of me (or like, that my parents would let me out of the house with a full butt cheek on display!)

At least I wouldn't probably have to see these guys ever again, right?  Not so, my friends.  My sister married Chris the following summer.  I was a bridesmaid and was paired with Dave. As we were walking down the aisle, he said "Have you been bowling lately?"  and my face turned bright red.  So embarrassing.

So, what's your most embarrassing moment?  Share in the comments, or go link up with Snuggle Saturday!

Birthday Girl

It is my 28th birthday!  Whoo-hoo!  I thought I would use this very exciting day as an excuse to post random pictures from my various birthdays over the years and write self-deprecating commentary about my outfits.  Lucky for you, I was the fourth child in an age before digital cameras, so there aren't 28 pictures!  

According to the writing on the back, I am actually 3 days old in this picture, but it will have to do!  You can tell I was already a fashion trailblazer - wearing all white after Labor Day.

I don't have a picture from when I turned 2, but I found notes in my baby book about the gifts I received.  Someone gave me pantyhose.  For my 2nd birthday. I don't even know why that would happen.  

In third grade, I got to have a party with my friends from school.  I made sure to dress my very best in pink floral short-alls.  The worst part is that they were a fairly recent hand-me-down from my sister who was 16 at the time.  You only get a glimpse of their awesomeness in this photo,  If you aren't too distracted by my bright blue scrunchy.  I'm also 90% sure that present was a book version of Disney's Aladdin.

1993

Action shot from my 14th birthday.  Let's ignore my giant bangs and focus on the fact that I had this shirt in 2 colors.  Mock neck shirts must have been really awesome.

Sweet 16 coming up!  This year was really fancy.  I got a cookie cake AND a chocolate cake shaped like a boot.  You might remember this shirt from when I was in middle school.  I was still wearing it 4 years later.  I believe this was the birthday when my parents took me to see "Remember the Titans."  

For my 18th birthday, I had a big party with one of my best friends.  We even had balloons!  I mean, it was pretty crazy.  I remember telling my friend that my dad was running to pick up the cake, and she thought I said "keg", and was very confused for a second.  To be clear, it was not a keg party.  The only 6-packs were of Orange Crush.

This is my birthday when John and I were dating.  We look so young!  And isn't Leanne Rimes kind of creepy in the background??  

And finally, a picture from my 25th, when my parents came to visit!  Special thanks to them for putting up with me all these years.

EBEW - Back to School Polka Dots

EBEW's September theme is "Back to School," so I figured I would do a little throwback inspiration from an old "first day of school" picture of myself.  I went to private school from 2nd grade through high school, so most of my first day of school outfit decisions were whether to wear a khaki or plaid skirt.  I had to go all the way back to Kindergarten to find a good one!

posing in front of a brick wall like a real fashion blogger!

I guess 6-year-old Andi knew I would want an excuse to wear my polka dot cardigan again. Of course, I had to wear double polka dots to channel my inspiration photo!  

Cardigan: Old Navy
Shirt: Gap
Belt: Limited
Skirt: Express
Shoes: Jellypop

My Sister's Wedding

I'm a little late on this post, but it's my sister's fault for getting married on the exact same day as my parents.  So, these pictures are from June 3, 2000.  

We originally ordered our bridesmaids' dresses from David's Bridal.  Then we found out they were back-ordered, so we had to find a new plan.  We ended up getting a similar dress from the Chadwick's catalog.

Here's a random and funny story about the dress.  When John and I were first married, his parents were over at our apartment, and I had the above picture on a bookshelf in our living room.  His mom asked me about the dress, and we realized that she wore the exact same dress the exact same summer for her sister's wedding.  How weird is that?!


And here's a picture of all 4 siblings.  Can you tell we are related?  We kind of look alike!

Throwback Thursday - Prom! (and homecoming)

I haven't done a Throwback Thursday in awhile, but I though it would be fun to post some old pictures from my high school formals.  Last Saturday, my high school had prom, but crazy weather made things interesting.  The kids spent most of prom night huddled in a tornado shelter.

It sounds like they made the most of it, and hopefully still had a fun night.

Anyway, I thought it was a fun excuse to dig up my old formal pictures.  Faces have been changed to protect my dates.  I'm not sure everyone is cool with having their high school formal pictures posted on the internet.  I should also explain that homecoming at my high school was in February, for basketball, because we didn't have football then.  And we all dressed up way more than most other schools did for Homecoming.  The girls were just as formal for homecoming as prom.  The boys just wore suits mostly for HC, and then got tuxes for Prom.  Here it goes..

Freshman Homecoming, I went by myself.  After the dinner (yes, we had dinner at the event, not before like most schools), one of my friends who had also gone solo asked me to be his date for the rest of the night.  Very tricky, he didn't have to pay for my ticket or buy me a corsage!  My dress was from the clearance rack at Dillard's, and my mom sewed black satin under the arms, because it had a lattice thing, and it wouldn't have been allowed if my skin was showing through.  I also don't know why I thought it was cool to wear elbow length velvet gloves, but I was convinced it was awesome.  

Sophomore Homecoming, I also went alone, and didn't even get a date at the event.  This dress was like $20 at the Dillard's Outlet that used to be near Kansas City.  You can't really tell, but I am wearing giant hoop earrings. I also had silver elbow length gloves that I was going to wear, but I changed my mind at the last minute. 

Junior year, I actually got asked to homecoming BEFORE the event.  My grandpa died that week, so I missed a few days of school for the funeral.  I got a call from my date on Saturday afternoon wondering if we were still going.  I probably should have let him know I would be there, even though I had missed school.  This dress was from a random bridal shop in Wichita.  I can't even remember why my mom and I were there, but I fell in love with the red velvet dress and just had to have it.  I still really love it, but I'm sure my classmates thought I was kind of a weirdo. I mean, velvet dresses weren't really a thing.  But then again, neither were velvet elbow gloves...

For Junior Prom, one of my best girl friends and I hadn't been asked yet, so we asked one of our guy friends from another school, and we went all 3 together.  We didn't get a formal picture, because that would have been a little awkward.  I had borrowed this dress from a friend, who wore it to Homecoming the previous year.  It had been strapless (not allowed!), so she sewed ribbons on it and wore it as a halter.  I decided to mix it up and tie the bow in front, which I think was pretty cool of me.  I also straightened my hair instead of getting a standard up-do.  Several people had no idea who I was, because I looked so different.  Of course, it was a super rainy night, so by the end of everything, my hair was not so straight anymore, but it was fun to do something different. 

Senior Year, I actually got dates to both Homecoming and Prom!  For Homecoming, I found this really simple black and white dress.  You can't really tell in the picture, but there was a white ribbon bow around the waist.  I also loved the tulle peeking out at the bottom.  I think I had to beg my mom to let me go without tights.  Or maybe she said I had to, and then I took them off once I got to the dance?  It's hard to say for sure...

 

For Senior Prom, my mom and I were at another bridal shop.  We must have just gone there looking for dresses.  Anyway, I found this red strapless dress, which was like $300 dollars.  It was amazing!  The bodice was beaded, and then it had this huge tulle skirt.  Wearing that dress was the most princess-y I have felt other than my wedding.  We almost bought it, but I couldn't justify spending that much.  Plus, I wasn't sure the skirt would have fit through a doorway, much less into my date's car.  I ended up getting a simpler dress, which was way more appropriate for prom.  You can kind of tell that my eye shadow and toenail polish match my dress exactly.  

 

Formal posed photos are so awkward.  

Anyway, thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me! 

Throwback Thursday - Minnie Mouse

This picture is from my preschool Halloween party.  My family had gone to Disneyland that previous summer, so my mouse ears were the inspiration for my costume.  I think this was just a dress I had, so all we had to do was paint my nose black.  Super easy costume. I'm pretty sure the blue bow on the front is actually a pen mark, so we would know which kid I was in the picture. 

Why am I posting this today, you may ask?  Well, I'm doing the Winter Challenge with Freckles in April, and today's prompt is to Channel Someone.  Why not Minnie Mouse?

I'll post my current Minnie Inspired outfit later today.  I'm sure the suspense is killing you.  

Throwback Thursday - Platform Sneakers

Someone should buy this for me

I think I've mentioned before that I had to wear uniforms to school from 2nd grade through high school.  I may have also mentioned that I really hated being the same as anyone else.  Probably some side effect of being the youngest child.   Anyway, shoes and jewelry were the main ways I could express my style.

My first Throwback post was about my first pair of heels.  Those weren't exactly normal for 6th grade.  When it was time to buy new school shoes for 7th grade, I knew exactly what I wanted.  I actually had torn an advertisement for these shoes out of some magazine (probably a seventeen or something equally terrible) and had it taped to my closet door, next to other fashion inspiration.  And, if I'm being honest, way too many pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio.  Embarrassing, but at least I didn't have a crush on any of the Hanson brothers.  I am way off topic here - back to my shoes!

I absolutely loved these shoes, and they were SO comfortable.  I mean, they were tennis shoes!  And the platform made them mostly flat.  GENIUS!

The last day of 7th grade, I had a party for everyone to celebrate the beginning of summer.  Here's my awesome outfit from the party, platform sneakers included:



If you are thinking I don't look that much different, it is because I haven't gotten any taller since middle school.  Good thing I was a giant back then.

This was one of my favorite shirts, too.  It was from Vanity - polyester with snap buttons.

These jean shorts are actually Guess, from the local Country/Western store.  It was very difficult to find shorts that were "fingertip length" for non-uniform days, especially since I was a giant.

Ankle socks hadn't been invented yet, either.

I don't currently have any high heeled sneakers, but I'd probably buy some if I saw them.  My freshman year of college, I was out shopping with 2 of my new friends, and my friend picked up some high heeled converse tennis shoes as a joke, but then it was awkward when I really liked them and didn't know she was joking.  They still give me a hard time about it, and will sometimes send me links of stiletto hiking boots.

Throwback Thursday - The Purple Skirt

This picture is from my high school's National Honor Society induction ceremony.  I've never worn a whole lot of purple (wouldn't want to risk being mistaken as a Kansas State fan), but this skirt was a favorite of mine.  I actually had the same skirt in a dusty pink color.  My sister had it in black and olive green.  This is what happens when Old Navy has a skirt on sale for like $8.  Buy it in every color!  I wish I still had one or both of these skirts, but at some point, I decided pencil skirts were out and flowy skirts were in and I got rid of them both.  Wisdom has come with age, and I now understand that both pencil and flowy skirts are great!  In college, I bought an a-line purple skirt that I wore all the time.  At some point, I got rid of that too.  What is wrong with me!?  Anyway, I bought a new purple skirt over Christmas, and I will probably get rid of it in the future and regret it later.

When I got to college, I learned that NHS is kind of a joke at most schools.  I was pretty shocked to learn this.  Now, maybe my memory is fuzzy, but I remember NHS being pretty intense.  In addition to keeping a pretty high GPA, we had to do a bunch of community service, and we had super early meetings every few weeks.  They would literally lock the door and not let you in if you were one minute late.  Have we established that I am always late to everything?  Anyway, I was late to a couple meetings, locked out, and had to sit in the hallway wishing I had just slept in (and no cell phone to play games on!).  They finally threatened to kick me out, which made me cry quite a bit, so they let me have a second chance and I was able to be punctual for the rest of the year.  I don't know why I cared so much.  It would have been easier to drop out.   

Anyway, I liked this outfit then and still like it now.  I don't have any of these pieces, but maybe I'll try something similar with my new purple skirt sometime.  I'm still terribly un-punctual, too.  I also make up words.

Throwback Thursday - 15 year old me

I think this picture pretty well sums up my sense of style my freshman year of high school.  This was on a ski trip with the youth group.  I didn't even think about skiing, because I'm about the least coordinated person in the world.  My brother's girlfriend (now wife) was on the trip, and she and a few of her friends decided to dye their hair one day.  I'm still not sure how the sponsors let this happen!  Anyway, I got in on it.  You can't tell in this picture, but we put pretty bright red streaks in my hair.  Then we straightened it, and it actually looked good for a few days, in the low humidity of Colorado!  My mom wasn't thrilled when I came home with red streaks in my hair. 

The rest of this outfit is composed of a few of my favorite things from that point in my life:

Shirt:  Calvin Klein Jeans - my sister had the exact same shirt and we both wore it all the time (sometimes on the same day!).  I think this shirt is still hanging in my closet at my parent's house, because I just can't quite let it go.

Jeans:  I think these are from Aeropostale, which was fairly new in town.  Or maybe these were Express...  Either way, jeans were the best thing ever for a girl who had to wear a very unfortunate pleated skirt everyday.  I'll have to post a uniform picture one of these days. 

Shoes:  I found these Skechers at a Nordstrom Rack when I was visiting my sister in Chicago.  I don't know when I got rid of these, but I'm thinking I need some new red tennis shoes. 

Watch:  Anne Klein - I think this was a gift from my mom for something, and I loved it! 

Earrings:  most of my earrings at this point were from The Limited for 2 reasons:   1) they sold earrings for sensitive skin, which I needed.    2)  they sent me $15 off coupons all the time. 

I wonder why Limited doesn't send me coupons anymore...  I should really look into that!

Throwback Thursday - Engage-iversary

Five years ago today, the love of my life asked me to marry him.  Of course, I said yes! 

We were supposed to go out to dinner on Dec 9th, but when John picked up my ring on the 8th, he didn't want to wait a day.  I had been hoping to buy a new dress on Saturday, but had to work with what I had in my closet.  

I bought this dress at Next at a 5am sale when I studied abroad at Oxford in 2005.  It was £7.49 (about $15).  Totally worth it.  I had just recently bought these Unlisted shoes for my friend's wedding in February 2007.  Being December in Nebraska, it was pretty much freezing outside, so I added tights, a cardigan, wool coat, scarf, hat, and gloves.  This picture was taken in the hallway of my apartment before John came to get me.  I have no idea why I look so nervous.  

We went out for dinner, and then were walking back to my dorm.  When he was about to propose, one of my friends jogged by and yelled "HI ANDI!" which kind of ruined the whole romantic moment.  After we were officially engaged, we went to a coffee shop nearby to warm up and call our parents to share the news. 

This is the face of a very happy girl:

And here's one of us together.  Happy Engage-iversary!!*

*No, Engage-iversary isn't really a word.  Yes, I make up words for events that I want to celebrate.  

Throwback Thursday - Seatbelts and Cows

Does anyone remember when Kansas City did the Cow Parade?  I think some of the sculptures are still around in various malls and museums.  My dad and I had been in Chicago for the weekend to see the Cardinals play the Cubs, and flew back through Kansas City.  We went to the Plaza to check out the cows, and buy some new school shoes for me.  It was a great day!

This is not an impressive outfit.  I think my jeans and t-shirt were both Express, and I'm rocking Skechers tennis shoes.  No, not that exciting, but what is exciting is my purse.  Seatbelt purses hadn't really caught on in 2001, but I had seen one in a little boutique and I loved it.  It was about $75, safely out of the high school girl price range.  I decided I was going to make one.  Can't be that hard, right??

• Step 1 was the hardest:  Find seatbelt material.  Now in 2011, that's pretty easy.  Just google "seatbelt material" and you get a bunch of websites with various colors.  10 years ago, that wasn't happening.  I finally convinced my dad to go on an adventure to the junkyard.  The guys there thought I was crazy.  I found a little Geo Metro, and had to pry the doors apart to get to the wound up seat-belts.  Blue wouldn't have been my first choice for color, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

• Step 2 involved a lot of Dawn soap and a toothbrush to get the dirt and grease out. 

• Steps 3-6 was the sewing process, which was mostly done by hand, as I broke a few sewing needles on the thick material: 

•  First, I cut strips and sewed loops together
• Then I cut strips and wove up between the strips, and sewed around the top.
• The strap was a long piece, and I wove down both sides, and through the bottom, so it would be really strong. 
• Then I made some lining with lime green satin, and sewed that in, using another strip of seatbelt for the binding around the top.  

I was pretty proud of myself for this project.  After this, a friend told me about an airplane supply store  downtown that had a whole aisle of different colors of seat-belts.  I got red and black and made myself and my sister each a purse, in a different style.  I'd like to make some more someday.  Maybe I will check out those websites that Google found for me to buy the supplies...