my inner fashionista has been unleashed!

about 30 minutes from my hotel in jacksonville is jacksonville beach. these pictures were taken yesterday, a beautiful, sunny, 65 degree day. no swimming for me, but others were going for it. i enjoyed a nice walk and relaxed with my book. it was great.

today was a little different . . .

most people who know me would not think of me as some sort of fashion forward or trendy sort of girl. and for the most part they would be right. my 'style' has been a slow evolution from a hippy dip sort of genre which i so proudly expressed in highschool and through college. i had the occasional vear toward trendy depending on the moment and often the boyfriend. but, i always made my way back to the crunchy, eclectic, hippy kind of style. or something sorta like that. truth, i am not too fussy about clothes, shoes, bags, or any of those sorts of things. but, another truth. . . i would be if it made more sense for me to be. what i mean is, for instance, if i was a much smaller size, i would be all too pleased to be a true shopper and wear the newest and cutest on the rackes. if i had the money to spare, i would likely spare it on ridiculous new shoes and other accessories. this is a truth i'm not exactly proud of, but it is still a truth. i do my fair share of shopping, but it is almost always on the super sale racks of any store i may be in . . . even in the thrift stores. i love a bargain. . . or what feels like a bargain at the moment. who doesn't right? i also do a whole lot of donating back to the thrift stores when i tire of what i've got. gosh i hope this drivel isn't quite as sickening as it seems to be as i write it. i must sound so spoiled! i suppose i am though. i guess when you get to my age and still have no partner or kids, your money has a little more freedom for indulgence. what my money should be freely doing is paying off the recent debt that i accrued working on my house the past many months. for the most part it is doing that, but today, my money and my inner fashionista had a mind of their own!

i drove about an hour away today to go see st. augustine, florida's oldest city. i had heard it was a cool, quaint, historic little town with a beautiful beach and fun shops to browse. an exit before the one to this sweet little place, which it certainly was, i was lured off the freeway by a billboard advertising a coach outlet store. coach, as in the super cute, super well-made purses, wallets, bags, etc. i've looked at coach purses on and off over the years as i make the occasional pass through a high end department store when i happen to be at the mall for something. but, at a price tag of $200 to $500 a purse, i have just never been able to justify it. but, today, after following the billboard right off the freeway, i had a little tinge of excitement that maybe, just maybe, it would be cheap enough that i could justify a purchase. outlet prices are often not all that great though. sometimes its only 5 or 10% less than retail. well, not today. in addition to the usual discount, the store was on some sort of super blow out sale and everything was marked down 60 to 80% off. it was insane. i must admit, i did become a little crazed as i walked around the store and at one point i think i had something like 7 purses on my arms and 3 wallets in my hand. most were for me, but i also had gifts. but, slowly, i widdled it down and ended with just, get ready, 4, yes 4 purses! oh my gosh. i never thought i would even own one coach purse, and i just walked out with 4. are you kidding me? i was and still am simply giddy. definitely not an understatement to say i was 'like a kid in a candy store'. and the greatest thing about purses are that you do actually need them and it doesn't matter what size you are. . . we can all find a purse we love that looks great on your shoulder.

while there i picked out gifts for my sister-in-law and my other brother's girlfriend. but, before buying, i made quick phone calls to my brothers to check and see whether they thought a purse was a good idea. . . both, unfortunately shot me down. they were nice about it, but both admitted that their other half was not all that interested in purses. what! reluctantly, i put them back. i had four other items for other women i know, but after hearing from my brothers i realized that maybe my taste isn't for everyone. so, everything went back to the shelves. except for my choices of course.

i did spend a lot of money, but for what i got, well, it was definitely worth it. i ended up getting 4 purses for less than what 1, relatively cheap selection, would have cost me at nordy's. so exciting! at least for me. the last time i spent money and felt this excited was several months ago when i stumbled on a very cool antique store in anchorage. again, i spent too much, but what i got was just so great and i've loved it in my home ever since.

believe it or not, after all that, i can still say that i do try to limit my consumerism. i do try to be aware of what i really need and what i don't and i can honestly say the majority of the time i just don't spend for the sake of spending. (today i just took a little break . . . and it sure was fun!)

so, keep scrolling and check out my super chic and awesome new purses!!! i know its ridiculous, but i love 'em and can't wait to have a reason to use 'em. yay.

oh and i will also quickly mention. . . the beach was great, the town was cool, and even though the afternoon brought grey skies, the indulgence of the earlier afternoon kept me feelin' good.