Winter White

This week I did one of the most impractical things I have done for a really, really long time. To preface, I had a very LONG week. Filled with a ton of meetings at work, my boss coming to town, more meetings, and the president of the company coming to town. Wednesday was the day filled with the most meetings and was the longest of several long days. I knew that I would need to wear a suit. I also knew that my only pair of decent looking black dress pants (much to cold for a skirt) were linen (speaking of much too cold)! Not to mention that the only pair of heels I own that are 16 hours heals are olive green (also a very impulsive and impractical purchase from several years ago). Note: For those of you unfamiliar with the process...all the shoes in my closet are rated based on the # of hours I can wear them without having to change. Now, based on the fact that the heels I wanted to wear were olive green meant that I had to wear my black suit...otherwise, they REALLY wouldn't match. So in the interest of looking professional for my all day meeting schedule Wednesday and not having to limp home in my heels, I went shopping Tuesday night.

This is where the impracticallity comes into play. As I was shopping, I found a perfectly acceptable pair of lined black dress pants. The only problem being that they were about an inch too long (all my dress pants are hemmed to go with heels approximatly 2 1/2" tall). Because in a perfect world I would be 5'7 1/2 " tall instead of my actual height. In order for these pants to work, I would have to wear the 3 1/2" black heels which I KNEW are not 16 hours shoes from past miserable experiences involving running thru an airport. And I also knew that there was no way I was going to take them (the pants not the shoes) home and hem them. So I pressed onward.

The next store I went too had several options for purchasing black pants. As I gathered them all up for a trip to the dressing rooms, I walked past a rack in the back of the store that had "winter white" dress pants...on sale no less. On impulse I grabbed a pair and continued into the dressing room. I'm sure most of you have figured out what happened next...I fell in love. Of course, I went home WITHOUT the practical black dress pants that would have matched 8 of the 10 suit jackets I have in my closet. And of course, I went home WITH the "winter white" pants that match 1 of the suit jackets in my closet...red wool.

This brings us to Wednesday morning. Where I wake up, get dressed for the day (including 1 pair of red heels on my feet and another in my hands because both of them are 6-7 hours shoes and I figured if it really went 16 hours I had some red flats in the car). I opened my front door and what do I find but a brand new snow storm. So now the dilema is how to get to the car without ruining the brand new "winter white" pants. Next to the door is a pair of rubber boots in a lovely cheetah print. Incidentally, another rather impractical purchase which makes me want to "roar" every time I wear them. Now I am walking out the front door wearing the cheetah boots, roaring under my breath, packing 2 pairs of red heels and did I mention that the only way to save the cuffs of the "winter white" pants was to tuck them into the cheetah boots? In order to keep a really acurate visual, remember that I am wearing a suit at this point.

You may think that was the end of the story, but really those of you who know me well will understand that could not possibly be the end. After a long day of meetings, I am now in a hurry to leave the office and get downtown to another meeting. The Board of Directors I work with has been in the office most of the day at the meeting and we are all rushing downtown. I thought all the board members were on their way and I was the only one left to leave the office. So I once again put on the cheetah boots (ROAR!) and tucked in the pant legs, grabbed the red heels in my hands (pair #2 having been left in the car) and headed outside....where I ran into the President of the Board coming back into the building for something he had forgotten.

At least I wasn't "roaring" out loud.