It has 7 pairs of shoes on it (including these that you know I ain’t leaving home without).

And 8 pairs of pants in varying forms.

And a whole pile of other stuff I probably won’t need while I’m at Blissdom.

I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement.

I’m worried to death that one of the boys will get sick.

Blissdom is finally here and I’m beside myself excited. I leave in just a bit to drive up and I can’t wait. Borrowed clothes borrowed shoes, borrowed computer (because as much as he says he can live without it, 5 days without a computer will not do for Hunter), borrowed car.

My niece is loaning me her netbook which should be hilarious. But I really won’t need it for much. It appears I’ll be too busy having fun and learning and meeting people.

We all decided taking my dad’s car was probably a better idea than my nearly 12-year-old car with 200K+ miles on it.  :) It calms worries for my dad who is not liking my driving all the way alone. Never mind I drive from one end of the state to the other all the time for work? He loves me.

I’m wishing I had another webcam so I could see my boys. But phones will have to do.

Ready or not, Nashville, here I come!

For years, I’ve been lusting after these shoes right here:

I know some of you are thinking…really? Well, you can just sit on the fence with Hunter then because he says they are the ugliest shoes in the world. But I have loved them forever! They have simply been out of my price range since the first day I saw them.

These shoes are called Wallabees and they are made by Clarks.  The average cost is around $125 a pair which I realize is ridiculously high.  And that’s the full reason I’ve never owned a pair.  I’ve scoured thrift stores for them. Nothing.

At Thanksgiving, my aunt asked me what size shoe I wore.  ”An 8 or around there. Why?” Oh, I have this pair of shoes like Jena [my cousin] wears and I hate them. I’m going to donate them. Do you know anyone who wears a 9?” “What kind of shoes?,” I asked.

“Wallabees.”

STOP THE WORLD.

Me (eyes about to pop): “You’re going to donate a pair of WALLABEES?”

Now, I did the right thing.  I asked my friends.  Even my bestest online friend.  No one wore a 9.

Then my cousin said it:  ”What if you just wore some of those thick socks you’re always wearing?”

Stop the world.

I walked across the street to her house the next day and tried them on with my favorite wool socks.

Ya’ll. They fit like a dream.  I think the angels smiled.  Seriously.

Tied up snugly, they hug my foot.  I love them.  I always tell my friends that they’re like walking around on little clouds because the soles are so cushiony and soft. My feet never hurt, even after a full day.  I forget to take them off, they’re that comfortable; this is from the girl who prefers barefoot to anything.

And best of all?  They were FREE.  Possibly my best score yet.

I promise you, I wear them at least 4 days a week and all weekend.  I’ve figured out how to incorporate them into my work wardrobe.  I wear them out and about.  I wear them to church. Don’t believe me?

Here they are this morning:

craptastic photo courtesy of my Blackberry

I do like them Sam I am.

Y’all know I’m as frugal as they come.  I hate wasting money and I am often amazed at what people spend on clothes.   But I am telling you, Clark’s Wallabees are completely worth it.  I am now a customer for life.  I will gladly hand over the money for my next pair (possibly in the right size) of Wallabees.

And I have found these Wallabee Chics now that I am lusting after:

Adorable aren't they?!? Hint, Hunter...HINT!

But for now, I will wear my size 9 shoes with a smile on my face and a skip in my step.

What’s your favorite shoes?

(Clarks has no idea who I am but if they’re looking for shoe testers, I will gladly sign up! )

If you’re seeing this and you were reading Blue Ridge Mountain Mama, don’t worry!  You’re in the right place!

Blue Ridge Mountain Mama has changed to Life Imperfectly!  I’m so excited about this change. There’s a lot of reasons behind my changing my blog (you can read my thoughts here) but mostly, I changed to WordPress and changed my name all at the same time.  It’s been a nail biter, let me tell you!

And there’s a lot of things wrong I’m sure but we’re here.  Whew! We’ll brush the dust off the place as we go.  It may look a little wonky here and there, but I’ll figure it all out (or save up the money to hire someone who knows what they’re doing!)

Welcome to Life Imperfectly!

My fantastically awesome husband is being nothing but supportive of my going to this conference that I’ve been wishing to attend for 3 years now.

I am beyond excited and nervous.  It’s more than a little out of my comfort zone to go to an event like this without knowing someone.  I mean, I do it for work sometimes but that’s different.  I have to go.  This is for me.  Because I want to.  Because I want to learn more about social media and how to harness its power for personal and professional reasons, and how to be a better blogger.  And, because I want to meet other people who love their online lives as much as I do mine.

Other than online, I don’t “know” anyone that’s going but honestly, I don’t care.  I know I’m going to have a blast and I know I am going to meet some absolutely awesome people.

The nerves are there.  The feelings of inadequacy when it comes to blogging are there because let’s face it, I’m not a very good blogger.  My blog isn’t a whole lot to talk about and the design is several years old. It’s all those little things…my old computer, the no tablet, the lack of an iPhone…all those things that I don’t have.  The clothes…gah. The worry that my roommate (who I know online but not in “real life”) will hate me. I could go on and on and on.  I’m really, really  good at anxiety.  (And who’s going to care what computer or cell phone I have or what clothes I wear?  Really?)

But, its going to be fine.  Fine. FINE.  I’m going to get there (without getting too awful lost). My roommie and I are going to like each other (we do online! lol). I’m going to meet people that I’ve been waiting months and months to meet.  I’m going to meet new people. I don’t need to worry about sitting alone in sessions. I don’t need to worry about my clothes quite so much. It’s going to be fine.  FINE. (I’m yelling at myself here).

Because the most important thing is….I’m going.  To Blissdom!  I’m giddy.  If I could squeal like a little girl right now, I would. And I’m not that kind of girl!

I leave in 13 days.  (((NERVES))))

Is anyone else going?   

This year, I decided not to do resolutions or goals.  I think I need a break from it all.  We’ve had a lot go on the past few years and honestly, its kind of depressing to look back and see everything I didn’t get done.  I still have a few things in my head that I want to accomplish but I’m not calling them goals.  They’re just “things I want to get done.”  I’m not sure there’s a difference but psychologically, there is to me!

One of the things I’m working to fit in is exercise in the form of walking and yoga classes.  Yes, like the rest of the world, I need to lose weight.  But, I am not setting a “I want to lose X pounds this year” goal.  What I really need is to simply incorporate exercise into my life.  For my heath, for my family and for me.  I would like to walk 30-45 minutes, 3 times a week and then attend yoga class at least once a week.I can fit it in with some effort.  EFFORT.

I have a few obstacles but I have a plan of sorts to dump the excuses and get busy.That’s always the hard part.  I get off work most days at 3 so I believe I can walk 2-3 days a week.  I’d really like to set myself up a schedule of Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays because I work from home those weekdays and then we’re almost always home on Sunday afternoon.  It’s a start.Classes are another story.  It’s easy for me to not go because I don’t want to go alone but I’m getting over it.  I just have to fit it into my schedule each week and that’s the tricky part.

The Tools 
It had been at least 3 years since I bought shoes and the last time I bought them I bought cute, trendy, flat soled New Balances.  Umm yeah.  Not so good for exercise.  My parents gave me some money for Christmas so I found a good deal on a pair of shoes a few weeks ago and bought a pair. I took care of exercise and yoga pants during the summer…all on sale.  I need 1 long tank so I don’t show the rest of a yoga class my very….ahem…slightly not firm tummy! I also go really lucky with an offer I couldn’t refuse that one of you is going to benefit from too!

About YMX
YMX is an extension of YellowMan, a high-end tattoo clothing brand created on the premise that skin color should never be a barrier for anyone.  Peter Mui, the owner, spent years pursing the artwork of renowned tattoo artists for this clothing.  YMX offers a variety of athletic apparel that is based on Mui’s extensive collection of tattoo artwork. Their exercise clothing is nothing if not interesting to look at!    When YMX offered to send me the Winter Flower Tri-Pocket Jersey to review, I jumped at the chance. I was thinking about buying an Under Armour shirt to wear so YMX contacted me at the perfect time! I was quite surprised when it came in the mail and was very…vivid!

My Experience with the YMX Winter Flower Shirt
The Winter Flower artwork is absolutely amazing, very detailed and beautiful (go to their site for better images… my camera is being a tool right now. I’ll update pictures if I can later but I really wanted to get this giveaway up here). I’ll admit that, initially, the pattern was a little over the top for me (there are several offerings online of slightly calmer patterns), but the shirt’s fabric and design won me over.  The shirt is silky smooth and the length is right to keep the shirt from riding up all the time (don’t you hate that?) The bottom hem is slightly smaller so it grips your hips better to further reduce the ride-up issue.  The collar has a zipper so I could adjust it depending on the weather.  There are also a couple of pockets on the back to store items while you’re exercising like your MP3 player, your phone, keys, etc.  The fabric is also UPF 50+….an added bonus.I gave my shirt several tests.  I tried it exercising (both walking and using the evil Jillian Michaels DVD). It held up great! I tried it as an insulating layer and was really happy with it.  I didn’t feel as hot and sweaty as I normally do in my sweatshirts or tees.  I also wore it working the yard several times under a t-shirt.  The length is perfect for me and so far, I’ve had no snags, no problems with the zipper and it hasn’t faded or drawn up in the wash.

Cons
Well, the price is a big con.  I don’t think you’d spend $120 on a shirt if you’re just starting exercising again. But, if you’re hard core, you probably spend a lot on your workout or competition clothes.  Price is always a limiting factor for me.Second, I would love to see a few softer patterns.  I have grown to like my shirt a lot but I do wish the sleeves were solid like Winter Sun-Yellow shirt.  If I could have chosen a shirt to review, it would have been this one.Third, I do wish that the bottom hem perhaps had some more grip to it to hold it down better when you’re bending down a lot…maybe some kind of thin rubber band material around the bottom.Last, I felt like the arms (and wrist hems), were a little bit tight but it wasn’t so much of an issue that I wouldn’t wear it again and again (as I have).

Now…A Giveaway for You!
Overall, I really do like my YMX shirt and am so glad I was given the opportunity to review the product.  I know that I’ll be using mine all winter long! After a few delays, camera issues, computer issues and being sick, I’m finally getting around to the best part of this….a Giveaway! YMX has graciously offered to give one of you a YMX Winter Flower shirt of your very own!  If you’d like to be entered, simply leave a comment below and you’re entered! If you want to hang around, please click the Follow button). You can also get additional entries by following me on Twitter (@ThatCarrie) and tweeting about the giveaway (I just entered a YMX giveaway at http://tinyurl.com/6mohaxt  #wearymx #giveaway). Also, be sure to follow YMX (@wearymx) on Twitter as well I’ll close this giveaway on Friday, February 3, 2012 and announce the winner shortly after!  Your shirt will be mailed directly from YMX once I contact you for your shipping information. I am not responsible for the shipping of your prize.

Carrie

Please note that this giveaway is sponsored by Yellowman YMX and that I was compensated for this review with a free shirt to try and one to give away  . However, my opinions and my reviews are my own and are never for sale.  These are my true thoughts on the Winter Flower shirt after several weeks of trying it out.