Ah...the fun of online shopping!

To say that I shop online frequently is an understatement.  I detest physically going into stores to shop...I also hate trying on clothes in stores.  I get hot, clothes get stuck, the sales people are pushy.  This is all quite ironic considering how much I have worked in retail during my high school and college years.  Let's see...Abercrombie & Fitch (where they hired me on the spot...I think my cool surfer girl dress and image helped), Gap, Old Navy, Ann Taylor Loft, a sunglass store...  I think that covers it? 

Anyway, when it comes to clothing staples, I try to order everything online.  Now, I don't mind going to boutiques and what not for clothes you won't find at Ann Taylor or The Limited.  All of this online shopping (let's not exclude the house decorating stores either, like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel) has led to my memorizing my credit card information.  I told a friend of mine about this a few years ago and we joked that I should give up shopping online for lent one year.  That was a painful few weeks. 

The other day when I was doing some much needed shopping, Mark was next to me on the couch and when he saw me enter the credit card information from memory he was flabbergasted.  I think his exact words were, "that is pretty scary!"  ha!  I try to tell Mark that I don't have nearly as much clothes as the average girl.  Men will never understand.  He will also never understand why I have about 10 pairs of flip flops...come on, that's nothing! 

Online shopping has even made progress in my parents' household.  For Christmas, I told my mom that I wanted a certain perfume (Envy Me by Gucci - it's lovely!).  I told her to go to Sephora's web site and order it since she could get free shipping.  Being a novice, she had to employ the help of my sister (poor thing puts up with everything, but that's what you get when you live at home!). 

After Christmas my mom told me, "the box came from [insert town]...that's right near my school!  I could have picked it up on my way home from work one day."  Uhhh mom, that's the distribution center and I don't think they let the public in there to go shopping because I would have been there every weekend if that was the case.  It's awesome we have the distribution center so close to where we live because I get orders about a day or two after placing them!  Yay Sephora!  Now can you just build an actual store nearby?  Thanks!

My dad also recently dipped his toes in the online shopping world.  This is not good because he is an impulsive buyer.  He is the perfect target for paid advertisements on tv.  He has bought my mom about 4 vacuums in the past year...none of which have cost less than $300.  He's obsessive and an easy target.  The other day he was telling us how he was on Amazon.  He wasn't sure if he could trust Amazon.  Mark and I explained that yes, Amazon is one of the most-trusted places out there...it's safe.  My dad's response, "well if Chrissy says it's okay, then I believe her because she does a lot of shopping online!"  Needless to say, my dad is very excited about this whole online thing where he can buy obscure hunting and fishing supplies.  My poor mom. 

Aruba - Sneak Peek!

Here is a sneak peek of photos from our recent trip to Aruba!  Now I just need to find the time to write about our trip and post even more photos :)

This photo explains the whole trip...pure bliss and relaxation! 

California Lighthouse...we passed this during our "Jeep Safari". 

This may not be what you expect...but Aruba is not tropical...it's a desert. 

This photo was also taking during our Jeep/Land Rover adventure. We have several photos like this (trying to hold the camera out at arm's length), but I love this photo because of the lighting.  Beautiful!

Stay tuned for more photos and some reviews of our trip!

No Hot Water :(

Once again, several weeks have passed without a blog post from me.  I apologize, but work has been intense and we've had some busy weekends!  Oh...and add in a trip to Aruba! 

Mark and I were looking forward to the weekend since we had dinner plans with friends, a charity event, and an Orioles game.

I started the weekend off with motivation - to hit the gym.  After a long and arduous workout, I came home hoping for a hot bath.  It was rainy and freezing out - perfect weather for a hot bath! 

At this point, I'll point out that we lost power earlier that morning (5 AM) and it was out for a few hours.  Hmmm where is this going?  Mark used almost all of the hot water for his shower and the dishes.  When I started my bath, there was hot water, but as I let it run, it changed over to cold.  This resulted in a lukewarm bath - not good.  What did I resort to?  Boiling pots of water.  Desperate?  Perhaps, but I had to get clean somehow after my workout and I had to get ready for our night out.

Six pots of hot water and an hour later, I was set.  Sometimes one takes for granted the basic necessities...things like electricity and functioning hot water heaters.  Apparently, when the power goes out, it takes forever for the hot water heater to re-heat all of the water in the tank.  Lesson learned.

Tucker and Oreo Photos

Sorry Tully, you didn't make the cut this time around!

 

"Well it is Teen Jeopardy."

Mark got home early last night (before 7 - wahoo!).  He sat down and watched Jeopardy while I got ready to head to the gym...I never watch Jeopardy because I'm rarely home when it's on.  I watched it last night for a few minutes and got several answers right.  I was so proud of myself and exclaimed, "wow, this is easy!" 

Mark struggled to keep a straight face before he finally said, "well it is Teen Jeopardy."  ummm ohhh, now it all makes sense!