Friday Mishmash - All Things California!

The fun has continued all week.  This morning we will relax and energize with another yoga class (strange that it does both, but trust me, it happens), work on perfecting our outfits for the Big Sur race (would you expect anything less?), and then go watch Theresa perform a Capoeira dance with her class, followed by packing for Big Sur (we will be spending the night before the race in Monterey) and then a nice dinner out at the Crow's Nest - another jam-packed day!

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Speaking of fun, I had the pleasure of meeting Janelle and Bella on Tuesday afternoon!  She pulled up to Barbara's house in her convertible VW Bug, with Bella standing on her back legs, poking her head out the window - what a happy greeting!  We went to dog beach, where Bella had a blast running around, swimming, and surprising sunbathers with puppy kisses, while Janell and I got to talk.  It was like we've known each other for a long time - we pretty much just continued our last email conversation, only this time it was in person.  Love that about meeting blogger friends - the connection you make online really carries through in person.

Janell is such a caring mama to Bella - here she is giving her girl some water:

And here we are, back at Barbara's house, after the beach, a trip to See's Candies (yum, chocolate!), and a lovely chat sitting outdoors at Zizzo's Coffee while Bella greeted her many admirers:

Stealing Janell's caption:  Shelley, Belly and Janelly

Of course, the first attempt at a picture with Bella wasn't quite successful:

Hey, at least we got her ears in the picture!

Also, look at this face...I think Janell shows remarkable restraint in not posting a gazillion pictures of Bella:

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Speaking of the beach, Barbara and I took a walk on Wednesday morning - it was low tide, so I had the brilliant idea to go stand on some rocks and have my picture taken:

 

A lovely day at the beach

Wait for it, wait for it...

 Don't let your eyes deceive you - I was NOT attempting the "warrior" pose from yoga - this was the "stay upright" pose when a wave comes in!

We were at Capitola beach - the favorite hangout from our high school days.  One difference?  When we were walking back through the sand, I was watching where I was stepping, to avoid hurting my feet on any sharp driftwood or other debris.  Back in the day?  I would have been watching the cute surfers!  Funny how priorities change...

Barbara and I, out getting our Vitamin D the natural way!

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I'm hoping to get a Mini Cooper in the distant future.  We decided to pop into the dealership in Santa Clara (at Kiely and Steven's Creek Blvd., where I believe the old Smythe Buick dealership used to be - this really isn't of import to anyone but my parents who bought a car there long ago but I thought I'd mention it) where I hopped into a convertible for a quick picture:

Not my color, but it was fun to check it out.  I left with a "wish book" catalog - hey, a girl can dream, right?

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And now, it's time for Fashion Friday!  As usual, we've been shopping like crazy.  Theresa has been an excellent helper and picked out several items that we actually bought!  Plus she's a great runner to go get different sizes when we're in the dressing room, and she also is a handy price-checker, using the self-scanner to see what the sale prices are for us.

First up, one of her picks:

I really liked how this blouse fit me, but was hemming and hawing about buying it because it was a little more than I usually spend (read: over $10) on tops.  Theresa liked it so much on me that she offered to "kick in $5" - how sweet was that?  Of course I bought it.  And I made her give me the money.

Next up is a fun shirt that we all had to try on:

 The Three Musketeers!

Theresa and I bought the top - she paired hers with some white leggings and a white cami and looked adorable.  I wore mine with jeans and looked adorable fine.  The sides are slightly longer than the middle and I love that style, but very few tops like that work for me - they are usually too long.  This was a petite, so that must have made the difference in the length.

Another day, more dressing room fun - this was at the Ann Taylor Loft outlet (pardon the washed out look - the sun was bright in the dressing room (strange, I know)):

We were working on an opposite look - If the green sweater had been really cheap, I would have bought it for the few instances each year when that bright color would be fun...but it wasn't.  I liked the ruffled top under it (the better to camouflage my belly!) but just wasn't completely sold on it.  Barbara did buy the printed shirt under her purple sweater - she had a purple sweater at home so didn't get the one she was trying on, although the ruffled edge was super-cute!  (and while I'd like to blame the use of that phrase on hanging around a 9-year-old, I sadly have to own it)

While we were at the outlets (Gilroy Outlets, to be exact), we had a good time at the Van's store:

Theresa got the lace-ups and I got the pink, white and black plaid slip-ons, while Barbara was a party-pooper and did not get the pink, purple and black plaid shoes.  What can I say - I think I'm a teenager when I come out here! 

Another day, we shopped for swimsuits.  Barbara is going to Hawaii in June and needed some new suits, and I was hoping to find a one-piece that provided a little better coverage so I could swim my laps without having to wear a rash-guard over it.  That might not look strange normally, but my gym's pool is indoors, so wearing something to prevent a sunburn looks a little strange.  We tried on A LOT of suits.  There were no tears!  There was some laughter, and some horror, but we both found great suits.  No dressing room pictures - I'm not crazy!  But this is what I got:

I found this at a real swim store - a Speedo suit, a teal pearlescent swim cap, and some swim gloves that I wanted to try - these should give me more resistance when I swim, which I'm hoping will help strengthen my arms and propel me through the water better.

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Hope you all have a wonderful weekend - sorry I haven't been able to keep up with your blogs.  Thank you for continuing to read mine while I'm off gallivanting around in sunny California!

Source: http://www.myjourneytofit.com/2011/04/friday-mishmash-all-things-california.html

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