Member123

Anita, as you know from the other thread... I've been doing quite a bit of Zumba lately... in order to prepare for my Las Vegas trip... and I woke up this morning super early because I was starving! So, the opposite of what you were going through last night....

WELL. I don't know why no one is commenting!?! Is it just that obvious that no one has anything to say? OR, are you ladies out there getting your own photo collage/analysis pictures ready so that we don't have a sample of ONE?!?

I admit that these pictures are a bit daunting, because they clearly show how important it is that we find our correct palette. I think we're only kidding ourselves if we think that we can grab a little something, something from the palette that is close to ours... at least for those clothing items that are close to our face. And, from the earlier pictodiary where I tried to "brighten" up a top that was warm, but not bright... that idea doesn't work either.

So, we have to train our eye. We have to shop til we drop. OMG. It's the color, #1. Followed by the fit, #2. I tell you.. shopping has become much more of a marathon, than a sprint. Now that I'm looking in what I would term a "picky" fashion, it's quite the time-consuming process. I don't think I ever truly understood what being a "shopper" meant... until now... and seeking, seeking, seeking the perfect items of clothing!

Because I forgot to mention it, I just want to state so that everyone knows... the pictures were all taken within moments of each other... at the exact same position in my entry hall... so the same lighting conditions... camera without flash... and no makeup. :o

Hi, ladies,

Wow, it must have been something in the air yesterday.

First of all, Donna you look so great. And happy. That's a wonderful achievement.

I had a strange weekend, last weekend. Something that we never do. We went out to a cocktail snack with friends. Well, we do that... but they mentioned that they had a rental movie and it was one that I really did want to see... The King's Speech (aside: if you haven't seen it, it is a very good movie. Anita, it's not a GS movie and that's only because I think the subject would be boring for him and there is a bit of swearing that is very germane to the plot)... so the snack was at a Mexican restaurant... then we went back to their house for the movie... more wine... and they decided to offer some dinner... this is the part that we never do... so we had even more to eat... and it was another restaurant meal (Chinese)... so when I woke up on Sunday and popped on the scale.. I was up 2.6 lbs!!

I knew it was sodium, restaurant preparation meals and wine related. But, it just made me mad. It took me 3 days to get rid of that weight "gain," and so I decided yesterday that I was going to "shock" my body.

I don't know if I could have done 2 hours in a row, Kasi! But, I did go to Zumba in the morning at 9:15am, and again early evening at 5:30pm. My HRM said that I burned 1700 calories, in these two sessions.

My ribcage is so sore. That's what I'm feeling this morning! And last night I had a terrible issue with foot cramps. I called Anita after the last class because my feet started cramping during our cool down song. Anyone else have issues like this? And, then last night... OMG... I was almost too tired to sleep well.. had the hardest time getting to sleep... and then woke with foot cramps early this morning.

Anita did some research for me (well, you ladies knew that would happen :D ) and it appears that I need to do a few things: hydration (very, very important because of the excessive sweating during Zumba sessions and we are very hot with low humidity here), massage my foot when I change out of the dance shoes into street shoes (because the cool down songs are good for stretching the larger muscles of the body, but not terrific about stretching our foot muscles which are tinier and get quite a workout themselves during Zumba), and shoes (need medial support, which is support on the inner part of the arch of the foot). So, all that being said, I need to: drink water, massage for a bit before I just head out of the gym, look into some different shoes. I've been wearing Capezio dance shoes and I can feel my foot "rolling" in them when we do side-to-side movements.

OK. I did have a minus 1.4 lbs on the scale this morning. That's a significant drop, which means that I have to pay particular attention to my diet today because my body is definitely... well.. adjusting.

I'm not completely daft. I'm going to Las Vegas in a little over a week and I know that I'll indulge there. So, I'm just getting prepared for that!....:D

Now, wasn't that the most fun?!?

Seriously, it's pretty obvious that we NEED to be in our color palette. I think that the lesson to be learned here is that we should just resist the impulse to buy something that doesn't look FABULOUS on us... no matter how "cute" it might be... as in, how cute is this? to be wearing a Venice scene and I'm going to Venice... just resist. Because that "cute" shirt just made me go completely gray; I don't know why, exactly, but it just made my skin look very, very dull.

I don't know why the ICE GREEN didn't look "horrible" on me. The ICE BLUE was extremely aging, don't you think? It just mottled my skin and made every little imperfection come out to the party. Maybe because the ICE GREEN was such a complement to the hair color, as well?

Anyway, ladies... when we discuss the pictures, please, please don't "quote" and keep repeating the pictures over and over.... ESPECIALLY THE ICE BLUE ONE!!!! LOL!!! If we could just talk about the ICE GREEN, ICE BLUE, FIRE BLUE, FIRE GREEN, MUTED PRINT, FIRE PRINT... that would make me feel ever so much better.

I don't know... maybe this is so obvious there really isn't much to discuss? Except the ICE GREEN.... what does everyone see there? And what I think is the FIRE PURPLE? What are opinions there?

So, how is everyone doing? As I mentioned earlier, I was having some difficulty in shopping and had almost convinced myself that it would be OK to buy some items that were... maybe... just a bit off. I'm happy that I took the time to do these pictures, because now I'm convinced, more than ever, to just resist that impulse... except the ICE GREEN... maybe I could get away with that?!? LOL....

Please talk to me!

FIRE in Warm, MUTED, EARTH print:

FIRE in FIRE print:

Repeat of the purple top from Limited (that I thought was FIRE) where Anita asked if I had another picture in that particular top. I didn't, so I took one for us to look at and discuss.

Just as a control, here are some pictures of an ICE in ICE colors. (yes, they are the same shirts.)

ICE in ICE green: (also in a fabulous ICE environment!)

ICE in ICE blue:

Pictures for analysis. Now, keep in mind that this isn't to determine the color palette, because of course we know that I look the best in FIRE colors. It's to determine whether, if push comes to shove and we can't find our colors, if it's better for us to dress in BRIGHT, ICE colors or MUTED, EARTH colors as an alternative. CJW would probably roll over and pound the floor to even see this going on in the thread.. as in... just DON'T DO IT. But, it sure is interesting to see this comparison.

These pictures are taken in as close to the same conditions as I could make them. Of course, they were taken within minutes of each other. Lighting same, etc. Background tried to be the same. No makeup because I wanted to see what would happen with the skin tone.

The ICE blue was absolutely horrible, IMO. The ICE green wasn't as bad, maybe because of my eye color? IDK?

Discussion?

FIRE in FIRE blue

FIRE in ICE blue

FIRE in ICE green

FIRE in FIRE green

So, I have an appointment with Ryan (salon) on Wednesday and thought that I'd do some pictures for analysis!

I have a self-motivating reason to do this. Since I'm being a guinea pig, I really need everyone to help with their critical eyes and let's have a great discussion about this.

Of course! I realize that I look best in FIRE colors, bright and warm. Unbelievably, I went to the mall yesterday and I'm not "feeling" any of the colors out there right now! All the blues, greens, yellow, oranges.. even a color named turquoise.. bright.. yes!... warm?... maybe not. They just weren't doing anything for me.

I don't know if it was the lighting in the store? My method is just to hold up a large amount of the fabric close to my face at some mirror I locate on the floor of the store. When I do this, and its my color, then I can literally tell by the way that my skin reacts that this is MY color. What was happening yesterday is that none of those colors evened out my skin tone or made my eyes pop. On the contrary. So, I don't know if my "experiment" was being overwhelmed by the store lighting or if those colors were the wrong temperature? The only thing that I found that was a possibility was a color named coral reef by Ralph Lauren. A color named poppy by Micheel Kors almost broke my heart because it looked so bad on me and I thought it was definitely a warm orange/red. What happened? Did my weight loss make my skin tone change? Of course, you all know I'm kidding with that question.

But I'd really like to put to rest the question of what is the second best palette for us... because if I make a mistake in the future and I don't get to my most fabulous self, at least I can know that the color isn't fighting with me. To tell the truth, I'm tired enough already and I just don't need my color fighting me along with everything else I have to deal with!

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed this morning. I JUST bought clothes for my last cruise (as you all remember) and I have a cruise coming up in October to the Caribbean. I made sure that the clothes I bought would also work for my next cruise and that darn Zumba has wrecked those plans! Especially my capris. They are falling off... and I literally couldn't believe that I got into a 2-size difference yesterday! So now I realize that I have to wear those capris and not save them for my cruise wardrobe... and I have to go shopping again. I realize that this sounds very whiny... BUT... darn it's HARD to FIND my colors lately! What's UP?!? with THAT?!?

And I'm wondering if I'm messed up and I'm not seeing the colors correctly? Because, seriously, aren't there any warm, bright colors out this Spring? Have any of you been shopping, even window shopping, in the last few days?

Thanks for the heads up. You shouldn't be offended if I don't take advice. I always take it into consideration, I just may not think it works with me.

 

Thanks for the advice.

Brooke,

See, the point is that I just don't want to offend YOU. And I'm glad that the post I made brought out all the posters who actually know about the WW point system... as well as Gathina who is in the medical field and knows so much about nutrition.. which is why I wanted to say something.

Like I said, I'm by no means an expert in WW or in nutrition.. I'm just a researcher and a talker. OMG! I will talk to anybody. So I wanted to pass along a comment... which is all that happened... a comment... to see if it had any validity.

I'm glad that we had this ensuing conversation. You are so sincere in your weight loss efforts and I think that your progress would be so much more significant if you just tweaked some things. I'm not saying that I know what YOU should tweak, but you are putting out an effort that should show some rewards. I just wanted to tell you something that ultimately worked for me.

All of our bodies are different, and things happen that defy science... Like, for me, my doctor has told me that it's physically "impossible" to gain 3 lbs overnight. My scale can say different! Based upon a huge intake of salt, restaurant eating, alcohol... I have physically gone up 3 lbs one day to the next... it usually takes me about 3 to 4 days to get my body system back to its normal (before extreme indulgence) state and start over again.

It will be interesting for you to track calories from SparkPeople and to use the WW point system, as well. Maybe if you have the time to do that for a week or so, you could see a pattern that would give you the information you need to make the WW point system work for you. I know that counting calories, nutritional information, etc. on your own is a LOT of work and that the WW system has taken some of that work off your shoulders. So it would be nice if you could just use the point system... as you've already explained.

Your idea to eat more vegetables sounds great. Vegetables are your friends! Do you like vegetables? So many people have childhood memories of eating those horrible, mushy, salty canned vegetables so they steer away from eating the fresh, wonderful, crunchy vegetables in the produce section. Do you need any good vegetable recipes? What are your favorite vegetables, if you have any?

Morning,

 

Soooo............okay I went back to WW. It was a MUST. I think I have the exercise down. Exercise doesn't bother me. But my food intake is out of control. I don't think its so much eating bad foods as it is eating too much of food. WW for some reason seems to help me control that, at least for a time. I signed up this morning after the scale said:

 

330lbs.

 

10lbs gained back since I lost the 32lbs. I'd probably be fine if I wasn't losing, but gaining back is not an option. I'm praying this will work. If fact I did pray about it last night and when I saw the scale I knew it was a sign. The WW system has changed, but I think I like it. From what I know about nutrition and the way they explain it.....they don't actually count calories into their formula. What they are doing is giving you lower points for foods that are higher in protein and fiber, lower in fat and non complex carbs. So, they are essentially encouraging you to eat filling foods with better nutrients. Of course all fruits are 0 points now and "most" vegetables. The point values have changed too.......they have increased things a bit, but I guess its b/c they changed the formula. Its a 3 month online membership. I want to know what I can do in 3 months and if I can do well, then I'll go for another 3 months...........then I'll take a break for about 3 months......and probably go back. I think I just have to keep re-starting my motivation and system.

 

My aunt really motivated me. She told us this weekend how her dr. is all over her to change and even suggesting surgery, but I still saw her fill her 72oz cup up with diet soda. I mean I stuffed my mouth this past weekend, but I KNEW I was doing it. She was talking to me about it and had we not been interrupted every time I tried to talk to her I might have helped her. But that's what happens when you are caring for a bed ridden mother and a house full of people :D. Anyway, her complaint was they wanted her to give up so much stuff at one time. She just didn't have the mind or willpower to think about all the stuff she had to give up. Sugar, soda, low calorie, low fat, add in exercise (she works two jobs and her husband is no help at home though he is disabled (ms)) , lower salt........etc.

 

I know how she feels being overwhelmed with so many aspects of nutrition. I think this is why so many people turn to diet programs. Diet programs give you a structure to follow and take away a lot of the "thinking" part of it. Just like I said........WW is basically giving me a healthy diet plan without me having to think......okay......I need high protein, high fiber, low fat, low carb and low calories.............they do that thinking for me by saying: "This has lower points........

 

I'm hoping they will send me one of those cards "for a friend." I will send it to my aunt and try not to offend her by doing so.

 

BK-2 oz of dried oatmeal with 1/2 cup of 1% milk

 

Extra-Sugar free stride gum

 

Snack-Banana (E-Eaten), apple, orange

 

L-4 oz slice of ham, 1/2 cup of green beans, 1 cup of corn

 

D-Mom said we had to filter out all the food we prepared over the weekend. Hmmmmm.

 

The gym was closed yesterday....well it didn't open til 7pm. That's a little late for me to be waiting. I went home. Today it should be open b/c students are back for a week of exams, so I'll go in today. Zumba is tomr. and then I'll do Thursday too.

 

Good choices.

Morning,

 

Okay, I'm frustrated. This is so silly. I'm not losing weight at all. I stayed the same this week. I did over indulge, I exercised.....I should be seeing results. I've got these thoughts:

 

1. I'm seriously messing up WW and don't know it

 

2. WW's new program doesn't work for me

 

3. I'm not exercising enough

 

4. I don't think so, but maybe this Zija is having a adverse effect on my diet

 

I don't know. I just don't know. I know people will say, "stop eating fast food." That makes me so mad. I'm eating within the points system of WW and the whole thing is that if I do that I SHOULD lose weight. Just like that lady who went on the McDonalds diet to counter Super Size Me and lost weight. It was about calorie intake. She chose salads, fruit, smaller portions and lost weight. I don't understand why I'm following the protocol and I'm not losing. I have one more month on WW and if I'm not seeing results I'm quitting. I'm not paying for something that is NOT working. I will just go back to Sparkpeople and try to count calories again.

 

This is sooooooooooo silly and I thought my stress was over for the week b/c I got the proposal done (at the last min.), but this is NOT helping.

 

Good Choices

Brooke,

I know that, in the past, people have come onto your thread and tried to talk with you... and you rejected their input and/or advice...

I've been reading your posts, on occasion, and I just feel like "popping in" and talking with you a little bit. I'm not an expert on nutrition... and I'm not an expert on WW... but I do quite a bit of research and I know that I've done some things in my past that have worked for me.

One of the things that I did was to really watch my sugar intake. I'm not talking about the "white" stuff or the "brown" stuff that you can sprinkle over your oatmeal in the morning. I'm talking about the sugar in gms that are put into a lot of things that we're unaware of... ketchup, YOGURT (a big sugar hit), MILK (huge sugar hit), mustard... just things that you don't normally associate with sugar. When I did this, it became easier for me to lose weight.

I was surprised when I saw your sentence that WW lets you have all the fruit that you want, because fruit is loaded with sugar. It might be "natural" sugar... but it's one of the sugars that you really need to watch in order to lose weight.

I was talking to someone in my Zumba class this morning. She said that she was on WW. I said that I was surprised that the new WW point system let you have all the fruit that you wanted. She said that I was misinformed.... fruit is a huge point hit... it's vegetables that are almost "free" because they are only 1 point.

So, based upon her comment, maybe you should take a look at the instructions again, Brooke, and see whether fruit is, in fact, the 0 points that you think it is. Because you seem to really enjoy eating quite a bit of fruit, and that might be one of the issues that is holding you back from the weight loss that you want and deserve.

I'm not trying to be a butt-insky. I'm really just trying to give some information to you that was provided to me. I hope this might help you.

I think Kasi and I are feeling the same thing, and for the same reason.

You know that being on a cruise ship is so, so easy! And you have such an abundance of choices.. in whatever you are doing. If you're hungry, you have such a plethora of dining venues and they're GOOD. You can eat healthy on a cruise ship, with no difficulties doing that at all. I've seen pictures of people's food choices from the buffet, and those pictures make me giggle. It's like all barriers to eating whatever you want just go away and here it comes... a plate of... a slice of pizza, macaroni & cheese, french fries... sitting next to a plate of 4 different desserts! Too funny. You could also choose a vegetable of the day (broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, swiss chard) and a portion of grilled fish.. which I've done many times! But I digress...

My point was going to be that it's so easy... you're hungry; you fix it by going somewhere and deciding on exactly what you want! No shopping! No cooking! No cleaning up! As soon as you eat, you're off again doing something fun, fun, fun.

And, if you're wanting to exercise, again... you have so many choices! Do I go to the gym? Take a class? Go to a venue where there's music and dance? Walk around the Promenade deck? What do you have to do to get there? On some of the choices, maybe you have to go to your stateroom, change clothes, and then head off. On many of the choices, all you have to do is get your bum up off a chair and start dancing. Finished? No problem. Back to your stateroom to shower and change. What happens with the towel you use? Oh, yes, your stateroom attendant will be by in a flash to freshen up your bathroom!

It's enough to make you cry when you come home to your regular routine.

You know what I'm saying? Shipboard is so easy for that week. And so much fun in other ways as well. Away from your regular routine. And fun. And easy. And fun.

Well, that's why it takes a little while to get back into the swing of things when you return. The remedy, of course, is to book another cruise! And Kasi has done that! She's OK; she just needs some time to get her head wrapped around her regular routine. That's my opinion, anyway.

OH! And those Zumba cargo pants aren't a bad idea, either! :D

Donna! That's dropped TWO sizes! Wonderful. Hard work, paying off.

OMG. You should feel absolutely thrilled with your results. It's not bragging to state facts. And don't confuse your good feelings by putting a negative adjective on them. Pride, happiness, just being thrilled with your ability to shop... all good.

Here's how I feel about Donna's post: :D

No, wait:

:D:D:D:D

It's so :D to hear fabulous news! Thank you for sharing!

:mad:

That's about how I feel reading Anita's post. No, wait...

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Yeah, I was feeling more :mad: than I thought...

Yep, I'm learning that as well.

 

I asked the question a while back about whether, for FIRES, it was better to "cheat" with EARTH colors, since they are warm or ICE colors, since they are clear and bright.

 

Anita was the only person who ventured a comment and she thought it MAY be better for us to go ICE (with the clear and bright colors).

 

Pam, or anyone else, do you have an opinion on that? I sway back and forth when I look at myself in either EARTH or ICE colors, thus showing that I have no super confident answer :D

Kim! I just had a brilliant idea. I know that I have some warm, muted colors. My DH is definitely ICE so I have some of those colors.. a blue and a green, solid black, optic white.

I was thinking that I could post some "analysis" pictures, similar to the original CJW pictures that we had to endure. Oh, I just remembered that we had to do that with our hair pulled back and no makeup. Ewww.

Well, since we already now what season I am and the discussion would be along the lines of which way to err is more favorable... maybe I don't have to pull my hair back. I agree with the no makeup thing, because basically what we would be looking for is skin tone issues.

What do you think?

Maybe if a few of us would consider doing this, then we could get a real handle on this question of whether it would be more favorable to err on muted or err on temperature. I know I already have my opinion, but I'll keep it to myself until we go through this exercise.

Anybody else willing to step up? Or able to? I can do this because of my DH's closet... not everybody is in the same situation...

Debbie (aoknkentucky), thank you!

Pictodiaries certainly bring everyone out of the closet, in a manner of speaking, don't they? Those itty-bitty keyboards are a huge pain when typing a message... but don't let having a differing opinion stop you! That's one of the best ways to actually "train" your eye, which is what we're all trying to do.

Well, eye training and also impulse training... which I'm referring to my thought pattern regarding the warm and bright factors of our palette. I thought that as long as the color was warm that I could do "something" to brighten it up enough to make it acceptable. When I see how some outfits are fabulous... well, then "acceptable" just isn't enough anymore.

I'm having fun with my next vacation planning because the destination is Caribbean! Fun, bright, tropical colors! Yeah!

Who is out there right now composing the next pictodiary?!? Where are you?!?

Kasi, welcome back! Are you already back to your regular routine?

I'm NOT. Something is going on with me. First of all, I'm bored out of my mind. And to echo an Anita earlier post, I have no INITIATIVE to do anything! My house is a mess. I still have some items from unpacking that need to be put away. I can't be bothered to go to the grocery store so we're eating odds-and-ends and bits-and-pieces that make no sense! What's wrong with me?!? Some people give a diagnosis of PCD... post cruise depression. If that's it... it has hit me HARD.

I have wonderful plans in the upcoming weeks. Friends are visiting and we're going to Las Vegas. ANITA IS VISITING and we have way too much to do in that short amount of time. Then, a cyber friend from another thread is visiting and I'll be able to meet her and her family, which is a bright spot on my calendar.

But none of those things is helping me right now.

I did go back to Zumba last week, for 3x. And I'm going this week. No problems getting back into Zumba. Some problem getting started with strength training...

AND...

a huge problem with diet. DH bought me a bag of potato chips; I think Europeans call them crisps. They are my diet weakness. I ate the whole bag in a few days. I've gained 2 lbs. I'm positive that the lbs are a result of sodium loading and, also, my very poor nutritional diet over the last week.

How important is diet? VERY. According to my hrm, I burned 905 calories in my Zumba class on Saturday morning. That's a pretty high number, don't you think? And I still made the scale increase.

I'm not actually worried about the weight gain because I know that it's a "false positive," in the sense that I know my body is reacting to the sodium, dehydration aspects of my diet. And I know that my logical mind will get into gear... at some point... and I'll go to the grocery store for a real shopping rather than the 3 or 4 items that I've been picking up.. like ice cream, hamburger meat, hamburger buns.. bananas...:eek:... whcih got me through 2 days of eating. OMG.

Diet is so important. Exercise is important. But I think diet trumps exercise when you're discussing weight loss. I really do.

I have a friend who has been running 5 miles a day, 6x a week. She has made the statement that she "runs to eat," in other words, she believes that she can eat anything because of her exercise. That's simply not true. She's kind of amazed that she hasn't been able to lose weight, and she thinkis it's because of menopause. Nope; it's her diet, which she doesn't even stop to analyze because of her belief system. Never let a fact get in the way of a good opinion, right?

Diet is important.

And, I need to get back into the swing of things.... everything is such a mess right now! You should see my desk! And I'm on the computer!

:eek::eek::eek:

OMG!

I'm so excited. I contacted a Zumba instructor on the island of St. Thomas. I found her using the zumba.com website. There weren't any classes during the day that we were in port that I could attend. So I wrote a private message to an instructor who leads classes at a fitness facility there. I asked her how far the facility was from the cruise port and if she would be willing to put together a private class for ladies/guys from the cruise ship.

She said, "Yes!" She would love to. She just needs the time that I was thinking. She quoted a very nominal fee for the class. Now I just have to get to the Roll Call and see if there's any interest from the people who are cruising with me. OH! I so hope so!

Can you imagine doing Zumba in the Caribbean, mon?!? Woot. Woot.

I hope there're a few people who want to do this. Let's hope so!

Zumba instructors Rock!

I'm in for the wine ;)

 

Pam, you are brave! It takes a bit of intestinal fortitude to post these pictures. I don't know if you felt this way but, I felt kind of conceited posting pictures of just me. It is also hard to know that there are so many lurkers who don't post and, do you wonder what they are thinking and why they look in but, don't say anything?

 

I'm up for conversation and discussion. I've given some of my opinions.

 

Oh, another cruise in the future, what fun! another pictodiary, I hope?

Kim, I know! Exactly! It felt like I was hogging the conversation and taking over the party. Well, since you had said that to me before when you posted your last cruise pictures... and I enjoyed seeing those so much... I just kept on because I felt like, embarassing as it felt, that I was just showing my outfits to my friends. It was like a small little private fashion show.

What's so terrible is that when I look at the pictures I can get super critical. It was so hard to try to take good pictures! My DH said that he's never had me be so willing to take pictures before! :p usually I hate to have my picture taken.

Now, I'm liking the way that the camera lets you evaluate things. I swear; I think I'd be better off taking a camera with me into the dressing room at stores. It's very interesting how the camera highlights "hits" and "misses," isn't it? But, it also highlights.... <ahem> well... posture, for one thing.... uh.. ill-fitting clothes for another... and... hair that went through some humidity and wind on a HOHO bus!... good grief.

Story: When I had a perennial flower bed in California that was an ongoing, tremendous project, I used to see everything that needed to be done... dead heading spent flowers... dividing overgrown perennials... weeding... filling in bare spots. I saw all the negative spaces. I had a ladies' luncheon and a woman told me that the perennial bed was beautiful. I told her that it needed some maintenance. What she saw? Beautiful flowers... spectacular color combinations... buds ready to burst.. scent... beauty...

Sometimes it's hard to see the beauty when you're working with the details. KWIM?

indiana, Bon Voyage! Your thread is a lot of fun and I will wait patiently for your pictures.

Because I have Fire "sisters," I ended up posting a lot of pictures on the Fire Wardrobe thread. FYI. Come over there and talk with us!

I will wait patiently for your Fashionista report when you return.

Do we need some cocktails or a glass of chilled white wine? I think I do.

Now, I was mighty brave posting these, don't you think?

I invite conversation and discussions about my choices, accessories, shoes, colors, etc. Sunglasses, earrings, hair... whatever we want to talk about.

Who's up next?

My next cruise is to the Caribbean. That should be fun! Different. I already know some things that I will definitely do; some things that I will get rid of (Venice scene top!). I need to do some shopping to supplement: shoes, for sure. I need some beach coverups and sundresses. Sorry, but I just don't have the :eek: courage to post a picture of my swimsuit (well, with me in it). I need a new formal dress because (even though it's a Joseph Ribkoff... in case I didn't mention that..) I think that I can make a better choice and feel better that evening. I could tell by the pictures that I was taking that evening that I didn't really feel fabulous in that black, sequins notwithstanding.

And, it's interesting. The gold hoop earrings and snakeskin dangle earrings that I wore made so much more of an impact than the dainty, expensive jewel earrings that I wore. I was surprised at that. Maybe it's a function of the camera and the pictures and IRL they make a statement. IDK.

So I'm planning for the next cruise, a few months from now... late October. Any help you can give me to improve my "eye" would be so appreciated. Any advice tht you could give me as well...

I now want to see someone else's pictodiary of their vacation. It's WORK, Kim! But, it's worth it because the camera really tells a story, doesn't it?

By now, you ladies have seen just about everything in my suitcase for this trip. I have one more embarkation outfit to show you... because... it incorporates the debated white capris. I'll show you one shore excursion outfit that also used the debated white capris.

On the balcony of Voyager of the Seas:

And on the island of Messina (Sicily), Italy:

Lunch in Florence.

OK. Is everybody else past this? I bought this top because... because of the scene!... of all things. It's a scene of Venice. You can't really tell in the picture, but it's a Venice canal with a gondolier. It's warm colors. It's muted. I knew that when I bought it, which was an impulsive buy and just because I thought it was "cute." You know... going to Venice... wearing a Venice scene. OK; I'm over it. This is the last time that I do something like this. The gold necklace did NOT make up for the muted nature of this top; not at all. I thought MAYBE it would?? Camera is telling me the truth. Anita might not even want this one.... because I don't think it's going to go with her new Jeweled Jacket!...

We are on the last days of the cruise, and I'm feeling pretty tired. The ship has wonderful activities; the shore excursions are fabulous. The main problem that I have is that Europe is so much warmer than we thought it was going to be, and the heat is making me feel really tired (which is surprising since I live in Arizona and I'm used to the heat).

If I remember right, tonight was an early night... catch up on sleep. This top is from Cache; the label only says "blue." Anita looked at this for me and gave me a thumbs-up. I had some trouble deciding whether this was Fire or Ice; I trust Anita.

Shore excursion in Cadiz (Seville), Spain!

A Tommy Bahamas green tank, Chico's Glow Stick no-iron shirt, Chico's Platinum Leg Reg Jean Soft Sand Wash. I HAD to wear the shirt over the tank because of the cathedral in Cadiz that I really wanted to see. It was HOT. Let me tell you: before I go back to Europe, I have got to find some short of light cotton shrug that you can wear to cover your shoulders/bare arms. I really don't get the big "deal" about having bare shoulders; I don't want to be disrespectful, but I sure don't understand why that is such a big, big deal. But, don't let anyone tell you differently: it's a big deal. I saw ladies being asked to not enter the cathedral because of their sleeveless attire, even though they were dressed conservatively otherwise.

Another problem that I had was footwear: I really wanted to wear my capris, but :eek: those shoes just wouldn't have gone with capris, IMO. I need to find some shoes that will be able to be cobblestone-friendly, walk-friendly, supportive, comfortable, great looking with shorter length bottoms. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and affordable, and not weigh too much or take up too much luggage room. Please?

Oh, Donna, lucky girl!

I especially liked the phrase "contagious choreography." Doesn't that sum it up perfectly?

Now we've got to pound on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to do this as well. I've been on the Ruby Princess so I know what they're talking about when they talk about the areas where they hold the Zumba classes. How perfect! They're talking about the dance venue in the disco area, which is very big as you can imagine. And they're talking about a great area around the pool when they talk about outside where they have the Movies Under the Stars (MUTS). Can you imagine doing Zumba outside on a pool deck with Caribbean breezes? Fun, fun, fun. Oh, I guess you'll be doing Zumba with Mediterranean breezes? Are they as warm and refreshing?!?

I told Anita that I think my last Zumba class had about 120, packed, packed people. We are having more and more men show up! Large, bulky, weight lifters! OMG! OK, maybe they don't wiggle their hips in quite the "Kelly" way, but they are in there big time doing the moves with attitude. Big time 'tude. They're fun to have in the class. I've noticed that Teddy alters his moves when the class is packed. We are such mimics, as students, that he helps us out by keeping his moves closer to his body.. otherwise we'd be smacking the person next to us. Big time. What's bad is that the people in front tend to start moving back, just a little bit at a time, because they want to be able to see him better and they start off being slightly in front of him... by the end of the class, the back row is squished.

I'm amazed in my area that these classes are still packed! Usually after Memorial Day, our second-home visitors go back to wherever they live the rest of the year... leaving us to our warmer temperatures and making the area feel so much calmer. We'll see if these classes will decrease some in the next few weeks. I actually hope so! I never want to wish that anyone would stop exercising... but, you can't believe how packed these classes I attend are!

There are several ladies in each class that I truly love to see when I go. I know that they live here year round, as do I, so (of course) I'm not hoping that they stop going! I'm being selective... all those people that I haven't met, yet. LOL.

Donna, I haven't added any strength training yet. I really want to do something more with my arms to give them more definition. Anita has some arm definition happening! She attributes it to Pilates.

Back to original topic. I'm so happy for you that Zumba will be part of your sailing. And I'm really hoping that it is looked at closely by my favorite cruise lines, as well.

High Five....

Starting off the day in Lisbon, the morning was cool enough that I thought this outfit would be OK. I was mistaken. As the day warmed up, wow, I got so uncomfortable. I needed to take a coverup so I could go into the cathedrals. By the end of the day, I didn't care if I was able to go into the cathedrals. Off came the jacket, but the mistake that I made was that I didn't also take off the long necklace. The necklace really needs the jacket to look good; otherwise, it just looks too heavy and not that stylish, IMO, on me. Maybe the earrings and the necklace were just too much. idk. I just know it didn't work.

Another Chico's outfit. Yes, I shop at Chico's a LOT for my travel wardrobe. The jacket is called Cord Carella Bouquet in Camel. The tank top is shimmery gold; denim jeggings. The earrings and necklace are from Cache. Siren Sport shoes by Merrell.

The first picture is the beginning of the day...

Am I right? Is the necklace/earrings combination just too, too much? The other thing that is wrong with this picture? I am way, way, way too far away from my purse! Don't do that! :eek:

There was a story circulating on the Voyager (next ship) about a woman who had one of those necklace purses yanked over her head while she was riding the bus in Barcelona. In it was her passport, credit cards, Euros. The worst thing she lost was her passport because she couldn't board the ship without it. She ended up spending the day at the American Embassy, police station, travel agency trying to get to the next port of call for the Voyager. What a sad beginning to a vacation! And, here I was, being very, very stupid...

Ladies, I love this outfit. I just love wearing it; the top that is. I love this top dressed up or dressed down. I've worn it under a denim shirt with jeggings and I love that look. And I've worn it slightly dressier, like now, with my Chico's Travelers drawstring pants. I admit that I could/should have worn it with the chocolate chip crop pants, but I had to do the whole rotate in/out and wear my pieces only so many times, which is the reason for choosing the drawstring pants instead. The shoes are another Helle Comfort. What can I say? When I find a comfortable shoe, I just go for it. I think you've seen them all by now. The top is from Chico's, Travelers Sparkle Sequin Tank in Chocolate.

Speaking of Chico's, there is a NEW color in Travelers fabric. It's called Lime or, in some pieces, Soft Lime. Anita, look at it! I'm not sure. It doesn't look good up to your Dad (horrible), but I'm not sure it looks that great on me, either! So I don't know what this color is. Also, there is a color Cyan, that needs to be evaluated and discussed!

ok.

I'm being brave. I know this is bad. But it's a Joseph Ribkoff! What's the big deal? It's a Joseph Ribkoff! OK. I bought this a long time ago; and I used to love it. I admit that every single time that I wear it... I get lots and lots of compliments... on the DRESS... as in... that's a beautiful DRESS... and I think it is too! I know that it's not the best on me. And I know, especially since the camera is telling me very distinctly, that it really doesn't do me any favors in the skin coloring arena; it makes my chest look all splotchy... well, like I've had too much sun. Funny how the outfit from the day before didn't do that to me... and this one does. Did I mention that it's a Joseph Ribkoff! Oh well....