It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Violet

I am feeling the Christmas spirit this year. Christmas isn’t necessarily my favorite holiday, some people, like Orange who used to grace these pages, spend all year looking forward to it and will play carols in July. Me, personally, my favorite holidays are the Fourth of July, Halloween and, of course, Thanksgiving.

But this year, I’m feeling the joy. I’m singing carols, baking and shopping all with a spring in my step. Maybe it’s because I helped Save Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s because JP and I are hosting Christmas at our place in Seattle this year. Whatever the case, I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head and I don’t even know what those are. 

Building on the festive feeling, JP and I hosted a holiday get-together. As friends from all parts of our lives arrived to eat, drink and be merry, I was struck by a familiar feeling. It was a feeling of thanksgiving. I was once again reminded at how good life can be. That in the darkest time of the year so many other things can shine bright.  

Here are just a sample of the wonderfully hilarious photos from the photobooth JP set up at the party.  

I hope that you and yours are enjoying the season as much as I am. 

Violet in Steve Madden Traisie black pumps 

Yeah, it's about Bras by violet

I had some trouble writing this post. Talking about your underwear in public (even with a small group of people) is pretty intimate, especially when some in the crowd are male, relatives and coworkers. But the story I want to tell you has me feeling empowered, so this is a post about bras, but not the sexy hot kind. This is about the logistics and tactics, not style and execution. If thought of hearing about my bra makes you uncomfortable then go ahead and skip this one.  I won’t be mad at you.  

JP had found a deal for a fitting and a store credit on Gilt Group for Bellefluer Lingerie in Fremont.  Truth be told, I didn’t think very much about my bra size.  I’ve been wearing the same size since high school. While I wasn’t ever dazzled by the effects it didn’t feel like a huge issue. Sure it felt like no matter which t-shirt bra or full-coverage style I tried you could still see the line of the top of the cup through my shirt.  And I used to get frustrated at movies where the heroine would take off her white oxford shirt to reveal a black lace bra that never seemed to show through. I just thought these were problems all women had. 

Now, I had been “fit” a few years ago at the dominate lingerie chain store but really they just told me to keep wearing the size I had been wearing. I’ve had friends who have worked on get fit campaigns. I watched Oprah. But it just didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about.   

Then the gal at Bellefluer had me try on a completely different size (in case you are curious it was a larger cup, smaller band). Something just clicked over in my head and I was like, oh yeah, that’s what this is supposed to feel like. I’ve learned that the vast majority of the support should come from the band and not your straps. Ladies if you are living in strap-support land, get out now. I’m telling you.  

Since taking advantage of the store credit it’s been like a whole new world. I can wear almost any of the new bras under almost anything without them showing through the top. I’m learning about how to care for my fancy new goods, all with a whole new appreciation for what goes under my clothes.  Thank you Bellefluer.  

Violet in Born Waverly Sauor Full Grain

5 Years by Violet

It’s a little hard to believe but JP and I have been together for five years. 

Since this is going to be our last dating anniversary that we will celebrate before we get married in June, we thought we’d do it up a little bit. So we made reservations at a fancy restaurant, booked a hotel room downtown and decided to make a day out of it.

That morning we woke up early and headed up to Fremont where we tried a coffee shop recommended by a coworker of JP’s and then did a little bit of shopping. Since we finished up around 11:45 we thought we’d see what Paseo looked like. As we did a drive by there were only a couple people in line so JP threw me out of the car with some cash and yelled, order me a Midnight Cuban. The deal is the line at Paseo can get out of control, so when you see it with only a few people you can’t even wait to find a parking spot. It’s a good thing that JP acted fast because right after me, the line started to snake down the street.

Now, I’ve heard a lot about this mythical sandwich place and when you hear as much about a place, it becomes a challenge to meet those expectations. But Paseo is one of those places that live up to the hype. Seriously one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.

After lunch we went over to Crate & Barrel to try and fill out our registry and actually made some really good progress.

We then checked into Hotel 1000 and of course enjoyed the complementary glass of champagne during check in. Our hotel room was pretty sweet - felt like a high roller.  

Since it was a special occasion I thought I would really do it up and get my hair and makeup done for the evening as well. So I braved the rainy weather for my appointment at Swink. I was really pleased with the results. I do a little beauty pageant in the photos but my hair fell a little bit over the night. I also liked the shade of red lipstick so much I ended up buying it.

We were in a little bit of a pickle since Oregon was playing Stanford in a matchup of the PAC 12 titans that night. JP being the understanding future husband that he is understood my desire to watch at least the vast majority of the game. So we watched the first half in our room while we got ready. Then took advantage of the free drink from the hotel in the bar while watching the 3rd quarter. Luckily my beloved Ducks had the game firmly in hand by the time we left for our 8:30 dinner reservations.

Dinner at RN74 including many highlights.  But I think the best part was the beignets with salted caramel butterscotch.  It’s a great place for a romantic dinner with your significant other. 

Now here’s where I get sappy. JP, it’s been an amazing five years filled with all kinds of adventure.  I can’t wait to marry you.