Fashionable Memories

I took stock of what I was wearing… running shoes, overall and a blue t-shirt. Nothing special you might think but this outfit starting bringing back all kinds of memories. I used to think clothes were just a way to keep from being naked and making my figure look its best but this recent moment of clarity changed my opinion. Clothes can be a fun external statement of who you are and what is important to you. They can also be reminders of friends and fun times just as this basic overalls outfit was for me.

The overalls were from a group mountain bike vacation in Oregon. I bought them in a vintage (that means used) shop with a biker girl friend of mine. I remember wearing them during the whole trip whenever we weren’t biking. The girl on the trip recently passed away from a motorcycle accident so the overalls reminded me of her and all the good times we shared.

The running shoes I bought while shopping with my best friend from college. The employees judge what type of shoes you need based on how you walk and then make suggestions. I found out I pronate badly and apparently that meant I could only wear ugly shoes. So while my girl friend was shown all these cute shoes to try on, I was given shoes that only a 80 year old Jewish woman with bad bunions could love. I would have been hurt and upset if I wasn’t laughing so hard at all the ugly shoes. Finally the last pair looked almost normal and were very comfy so I bought them.

The blue t-shirt was from a recent vacation out west with my boyfriend. We mountain biked all day using a ski lift to get up and gravity to get back down. I’ve wanted to do this for years since it’s all the fun and none of the work. It was a good day of riding with perfect weather and the simple t-shirt reminds me of this great day every time I wear it.

So next time you go shopping make sure you bring a good friend so you can create your own fashionable memories. Also, next time you get dressed pay some attention to the good memories associated with your clothes and smile.

Cat “Fashion Diva” Cathy

Is Fay There?

So I called up my parents and asked “is Fay there”. My dad thought I had dialed the wrong number until I explained it’s my little way of checking on them and making sure they were ok with Tropical Storm Fay approaching. The media must have been bored since they made a really big deal out of this tropical storm. Any given summer afternoon in Central Florida can produce as much rain and wind as the menacing TS Fay. But I did what a good prepared Floridian should do and I “hunkered down” for the storm. My boyfriend and I grilled out and watched movies. It was a nice chill evening and I didn’t feel like I was missing out since it was too rainy to do much else. Toward the end of the night when I got antsy I went out in the storm and did my best weather woman impersonation. You know how they stand out in the storm and show how windy and rainy it is for all to see. Well that is what I did and it was fun. It would have been even more fun if people were actually watching me from their hunkered down locations. I think I picked the wrong career!

The night did bring back fond memories of the hurricanes of 2004 when Central Florida was hit by 3 hurricanes in a matter of a few short months. The worst one was Charlie, which made driving a car like navigating a maze since almost all streets were blocked by downed trees. Even in that hurricane I was able to drive to a Publix in a new neighborhood that didn’t have any trees and had underground power lines. It was like nothing had happened there and I was living in a totally devastated war zone just one mile away.

I hope everyone was safe and had a good TS day even if we didn’t get the day off from work. Feel free to share your hurricane and tropical storm stories!

Cat “All this wind is messing up my hair” Cathy