What Should I Wear. . . to A Conference?

Well, considering I saw people in everything from suits to jeans, apparently anything. I felt under-dressed at the conference I attended this Summer in Montgomery, AL. Yes, I felt under-dressed in Alabama. Get over it. We have stuff like dentists and universities, honest we do. Actually, I think it's because my mom was there and this time I was alone, but we are so not going off into that. It's also entirely possible that I'm much more confident in how to dress myself now. So we'll just go with that.

Yes, the ADHD conference was totally worth sitting still for 3 days. And yes, I still think Dr. Barkley really "gets" ADHD like so many experts do not. Well, I did wander a little around the conference center but the schedule was so jam-packed I'm going to have to visit Tuscaloosa again to really get reacquainted with my old home town. After graduate school in '91, I left and haven't really been back.

Smells right to me . . .
In case you wondered if the whole smell as the key to memory thing is true . . . I have proof. Taco Casa smells just like it did the last time I set foot in one about 20 yrs ago. No, it is NOT a generic Mexican restaurant smell; it's a Taco Casa smell, trust me. And the fact that there was a Galaga video game in the corner did not help my sense of reality. For a second I thought it was 1986. The fact that I could look out the window and, thanks to the tornado, there was nothing between me and DCH Medical Center was something of a reality check. But this is a style blog, not a Catherine goes down memory lane blog. So . . .

Comfy pants, comfy shoes, comfy, comfy, comfy. Did I mention comfy? That is the key for sitting on your butt for hours on end. The most fascinating speaker can't compete with pinchy shoes, tight collar or a tag rubbing your neck. I believe I mentioned I have clothing sensitivity issues? Well, all this probably applies to all conference goers, not just weirdos like me. I was experiencing serious butt fatigue here and two days to go.

This Blog Needs a Warning Label!

I say if medicine can have terrifying sounding side effects, then blogs can have side effects too. Objects in mirror may be more awesome than you thought! Surprising side effect to starting a blog where I subject myself to daily photos? Increased confidence! I've always been something of a wallflower in large groups. Close friends and my hubby know my irreverent humor and absolute willingness to act totally goofy, but generally in public I'm reserved. That translated into choosing clothing to fade into the background for most of my life. But no more!

For some reason we women tend to come into our own in our 40's. I don't pretend to understand it. Maybe we're tired of cramming ourselves into everyone else's idea of who we should be. Or maybe it's life experiences teaching us that no matter what we do, somebody's not going to be happy, so why strain yourself? All I know is that I wouldn't go back to a younger age if you paid me. When I was younger, for some reason 40 was the age I picked in my head as the time when the bloom of youth would be faded and I would be dried up and frumpy. Instead I turned out to be quite the late bloomer!

Surprisingly, this blog has been fun and educational for me so far. I really expected all of my insecurities about my face and body to increase and possibly cause me to drop the blog after a few days. But an amazing thing happened. Sometimes I see those imperfections, but more often I see myself and think, "Wow, that's me?"

M is for My Stylish Mom Monday

Here's Mom at my cousin's wedding. She and my grandmother always look put together but somehow I didn't inherit that gene. Until recently I would leave the house looking any old way--wrinkled clothes, sweats, etc. Just watch the before segments of What Not to Wear and you get the idea. Mom always looks like she dressed with care but without trying too hard.

She ended up with a tomboy daughter who rejected any frills as a kid and didn't get much better as a teen. Sorry Mom. All the sudden I developed an interest in clothing when it's too late for you to dress me.

Here's Mom in her fall beach attire--the best dressed woman on the beach. I can't help wondering if she knows red pants are a current trend right now. Probably. In contrast, I notice trends when they're on the way out. Oh well, just call me a late bloomer. I have a pretty big shoe closet to fill with a very stylish Mom and Grandma. Fortunately, I did inherit their shoe fetish. 

And of course grandmother is always stylish. This is casual for her and dressed up for me. I'm just saying.