My Beautiful Bag

Recently I purchased a Louis Vuitton. My first Louis Vuitton. All by myself. I've made other large purchases and financial decisions, including funding a move across the country and researching/leasing my own car, but for some reason this particular purchase felt like the first major BIG GIRL purchase I've made. So, I decided to take a second to review my new bag, and later this week to discuss how it changed my philosophy on life and shopping.

I have known for a while which bag I wanted. Every time I saw someone else walking down the street or in the mall with it on their arm I would get angry. It just wasn't fair that someone else had it and I didn't. And I'm not just saying that. I would actually get pissed. So after about eight months of this happening, in which time two of my best friends also bought Louis Vuitton bags, I decided it was time. I still wanted it. Really wanted it.

So I bought it. 

The Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM Damier Ebene. I've always been partial to the Damier Ebene color, so choosing that print was a given. I like that it's darker, and a little different in a sea of Monogram bags. I debated between the Speedy and the Neverfull, but after careful consideration decided the Neverfull fit my lifestyle the best. To this day, my favorite bag I've carried was my larger Longchamp because of it's convenience and bottomless pit-ness, and the Neverfull felt like the grown up version of that bag. The size of that bag is almost identical to to the MM, or medium version. The smaller PM was just too small (it looked kind of funny on me), and although my bag motto is usually "bigger is better" the large GM was almost suitcase-ish. 

Just look at how beautiful it looks in my office:

And how beautiful it will still be when I get the corner office (hehe):

It fits everything perfectly, and actually inspired me to organize my things into dedicated pouches.

I am completely happy with my purchase, except for one thing I've noticed. The red lining is rubbing off into the worn corners of my wallet. Even though my wallet is cream, I would expect a little more from both Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Overall though, I'm happy. And even though it's been three short weeks, I haven't caught myself peaking at another bag since...

My First (and Last) Juice Cleanse

via 

Just as a little background, I've been working very hard to improve myself this year after realizing it might be time to become an adult. I've worked to be lose some extra weight, take charge of my career, save money and overall make better decisions. Most recently, I have been trying to move toward a more generally healthy lifestyle. And after seeing how great my friend looked after becoming hooked on juice cleanses (because really, isn't that what it's all about?), I decided to give it a try.

I enlisted one of BFFs Natalia (from All The Things, Etc.) to try one with me. We both decided that the price for the famous BluePrint Cleanse was a little ridiculous, so we did a little research in our respective cities, and each found a local business offering juice cleanses. The cleanse I found contained three green "Love" juices, a spicy lemonade and a cashew milk every day for the three days.

So fast-forward to yesterday - the start of our juice cleanse. I had arranged for my juices to be delivered every morning by 6:30 a.m. so that I could grab them on the way to work. This is how it played out:

7:30 a.m. - Arrive at office. Take first sip of green Love juice, gag a little and grab a straw.

7:35 a.m. - Suck down as much of the juice as I can without thinking about how it tastes exactly like grass with a little lemon sprinkled on top. Stop drinking, get hit with the grass aftertaste, and gag a lot. Consider screaming at someone just for the hell of it. Realize I've only gotten about a fourth of the way through the drink.

7:45 a.m. - Get to about halfway through and think about how I might just stab someone if I keep doing this.

7:50 a.m. - Text Natalia that I quit, call and cancel the cleanse, and get in my car to go get a latte.

It basically just went downhill from there. What else did I end up eating yesterday?

• Another cup of coffee (after the latte)
• Probably four Diet Cokes
• A poboy for lunch
• Fajitas for dinner
• Approx. 15 Mexican coconut cookies left over from Cinco de Mayo
• A popsicle
• A glass of wine
• A block of cheese

And ALL of it was better than the green juice. 

Have you ever done a cleanse? What was your experience? If you haven't, would you consider it?