Great Weekend for Blog Content

This weekend has been a great weekend for A Life Fulfilled: Atlanta. 

Today alone = two thrift/secondhand shops + lunch on BuHi (translation for non-Atlantans: Buford Highway is the Atlanta mecca for international food, mostly Asian, South and Central American). 

Here are a few teaser pics from the weekend (full posts to come):

Audience Participation Friday: Inspiration

So about this Audience Participation Friday… I did a bad job of harassing friends to send in contributions. So I’m going to give you guys until next Thursday (November 19) to send in your fierce shoes – then we’ll have a heck-of-a-good post on Friday.

In the mean time, here are some fabulous shoes to drool over (all found on the blogosphere)...

From the fabulous and local Asian Cajuns:

Booties by Newport News (the girls say they're a few years old but I'd never know!)

Thigh-highs by Jeffrey Campbell (Lar wears 'em right)

From the style blog Fab Sugar:

Shoes by L.A.M.B.

And the always fantastic Love Maegan:

Pour la Victoire platform pumps

Velvet Angels wedge bootie (I'd love to have a pair of platform, closed-toe wedges like these)

And a seriously fierce runway shoe trend collage from fashionising.com:

Yes, I know this is a spring/summer collage but I'm still in love. A girl can dream about purple leather platform sandals, right?

So, what's the fiercest pair of shoes in your closet? Send photos — and tell the story behind your shoes (why they're so fierce, where you found them, what feedback you get when you wear them, how you feel when you rock 'em out, etc.). Send your submissions in to lifefulfilledatl@gmail.com by 10pm Thursday night (November 19).

Crazy Boot Wednesday (and an Audience Participation Friday reminder)

A few weeks ago, I declared one Wednesday as "Crazy Boot Wednesday." Even though I thought my boss and HR woman may be less than amused, the day was a hit. In fact, our head of HR stopped by my desk that first Wednesday and glared at me. 

"Katy, you didn't tell ME it was 'crazy boot Wednesday," she said sternly. "I want to participate!"

And so Wednesday are henceforth declared "Crazy Boot Wednesdays" until further notice (or until we have a client in the office and have to postpone until the next week).

I told my hip and fashion savvy colleague Peggy that we should take a photo of our crazy boots. And so here we are:

Peg's iridescent snake skin kickers make my leather cowboys look lame. I'll kick it up a notch next week...

She can even pose her feet fashionably!

Check out that shimmer.

These photos are a great segue way to the next topic at hand: a reminder for Audience Participation Friday!

What's the fiercest pair of shoes in your closet? Send photos — and tell the story behind your shoes (why they're so fierce, where you found them, what feedback you get when you wear them, how you feel when you rock 'em out, etc.). Send your submissions in to lifefulfilledatl@gmail.com by 10pm tomorrow night (Thursday, November 12).

(p.s. Dawn, while you made me laugh when you told me the idea last week, I think I'll hold off on "crazy pushup bra Thursdays" for now.)

Houndstooth Belt

It had been TOO long since I wore this houndstooth belt my stepmother gifted me with last year. It's so hard to decide what to wear it with. All black? A white top and black pants? No, that's too predictable and too soccer mom. A black top, black skirt and crimson-colored platform heels? Now that feels better!

This was also the first time I've worn this flowy/slightly rugged military-style DOTS skirt in maybe two years. If you have time, I really encourage you to swing into a DOTS to see what they have. I usually find a cute (and super cheap) skirt, dress or piece of costume jewelry.

Lightweight turtleneck: $15 at Target

Skirt: $18 at DOTS

Tights: $5 at Target

Belt: gifted (I know that's kind of cheating in a <$50 outfit post but oh well)

Shoes: gifted by Mb but by Nine West (I get so many compliments on these shoes that I need to get more ASAP — and I feel like they're really flattering on the legs)

Outfit total: $38

And no, I did not intend to look like an Alabama fan.

Audience Participation Friday: Good Dates Under $25

I asked you all last week, "What's an idea for a fun date that's under $25?" Here's what you said:

From Anna:

"This date is technically $20 per person, but most of it goes to charity! Earlier this summer Alan and I ran a 5k in Alpharetta, GA. While waking up super early wasn't a lot of fun, we enjoyed the 3.1 mile run and crossing the finished line together. I think exercise dates are a lot of fun and a great way to spend more time together."

Anna and Alan enjoying their exercise date (God love them)

From co-worker Josh:

"Go to the store and pick up finger foods (cheese, crackers, veggie and dip) to load up your picnic basket.

Go to Public Park (make sure it is sunny) sit down in a nice area.

Nibble, people watch and enjoy each others’ company.

 

Maximum dollars spent is $20 (depending upon your taste in Cheese)."

From Maria:

"This is a FREE date to any of the following:

The High Museum of Art

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Fernbank

ZOO Atlanta

Millennium Gate

 

Well free if you are a Bank of America customer and don’t mind a little pre-planning. My husband and I stumbled upon this little gem when we tried to pay for admission to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my BOA checkcard a few weeks ago. The woman at the ticket counter told me that since I had a BOA debit card I could actually get in free as we happened to there on the monthly BOA promotion day.  My husband also had his BOA debit card on hand and got in free as well.  Score!!  (and to think I almost opted to pay cash!)

 

Apparently, BOA has a promotion that gives BOA customers free admittance to cultural centers in cities across the country. The best part is that this does not consist of obscure days and times that you would never be able to go (like 2-4pm on Tuesdays). For example, the hours for the High Museum are Saturdays 10am-5pm. To see the full details for museums in your area check out:

 

http://museums.bankofamerica.com/

 

This could also be worth checking out if you are traveling as you could score a free pass to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, or The Phillips Collection in DC.   

 

Even if you grabbed coffee, lunch or a glass of wine, you could still keep this date under $25."    

Update from Maria: Re-reading my submission I think there is one important thing I did not make clear. The BOA free museum days are the FIRST FULL WEEKEND OF EVERY MONTH. The hours tend to be SAT and SUN from 10-5. (This is what I was referring to when I mentioned "pre-planning")

And from Mb:

"One of the best dates or activities for under $25 is going paddle boating in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. My friends and I planned an out of town day trip to B'more. Gas fair split four ways, and another few dollars each to cover the cost of the paddle boat, made for the perfect cheap day trip. Throw in a stop to one of the many ice cream places along Inner Harbor and you easily have a date that runs you less than $25. Now if you stop at some of the fancy clothing stores or restaurants.....that's another story :)"

Mb's friends Bunting and C enjoy the paddle boats in Baltimore.

Mb and Kat also enjoy the adventure.

One of MY favorite dates is taking Roxxi to the dog park (preferably Piedmont Park) then driving around and looking at real estate. This is best enjoyed when you sleep in a little bit, swing by the Belly Store or Dunkin Donuts to grab coffee and a light breakfast. Roxxi enjoys playing with the other dogs — and we enjoy seeing what kinds of other breeds show up at the park (and watching their quirky owners). She's usually expired after an hour or less — and we may spend a few minutes walking jogging track with Roxxi on her leash (as she smiles, slobbers and walks slower by the moment). After dropping Roxxi off, it's fun to drive around both realistic and dream neighborhoods, eyeing what could end up being our home one day. We judge the exterior, trade words about what it would be like to live in each location and guess the price before pulling the flyer from the yard. This also gives us an opportunity to talk about where we see ourselves in a year or five years or longer. :)

Cute house we drove by in Downtown Decatur (just a few blocks from the square — and across the street from beautiful Agnes Scott College)

Tons of fun quality time, and maybe $10 or $15 including breakfast/coffee. 

Next week's Audience Participation Friday: what's the fiercest pair of shoes in your closet? Send photos!

What's your favorite date for under $25? (Audience Participation Friday)

Reminder time! Remember to send in your comments for this Friday's Audience Participation Friday.

What's your idea of a fun date night (or daytime activity) that costs less than $25? (Yes, I realize that photos may be tougher for this one — but try away!).

Send your submissions to lifefulfilledatl@gmail.com by Thursday, November 4 at 10pm.

A NIght at the Symphony

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (image from here).

While this is more on the splurge side of things, I still feel compelled to write about it on el blog because it was such a neat occasion (and a local one). 

The hubs bought tickets for us to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as his anniversary gift to me. This past Thursday night was the big night. We donned our business attire best (I thought cocktail attire would be a little overkill for a weeknight) and sat right up on the third row (note: the occupied row for this performance). Tickets were $43.00 a piece, which I thought was fair considering our seats and the caliber of the performance.

The music: Brahm's German Requiem. Dan picked this performance out from the bunch because it featured vocalists. And vocalists it featured! Two classical singers (one baritone, one soprano) plus a 100-plus person chorus accompanied the 1868 symphony. The German Requiem is somber in tone but not lacking in energy.  Wow. I won't pretend I can write at length about music but I will say that the performance was incredibly moving. There were moments when I got chills as the orchestra built in intensity along with the choral voices. For more information on the symphony and its history, go here. 

I highly recommend anyone see a symphony at least once (such a nice date night). A word of warning though: The music is so relaxing that you may find yourself wanting to close your eyes and nod off a bit. I would recommend a little latte or the like before you listen. Plus we should be proud of — and support — our hometown Atlanta talent (the symphony has a great reputation). Did you know that the ASO plays 200 shows a year?