Pink Mint

Every little girls wants a pretty pink bike. And while this girl is 27, she still knows she wants a pink bike. The search for the perfect bike took a while. Originally I had my heart set on a teal and white Huffy from Wal-mart for the nice prices of $88. I went to 3 stores. The bike was a limited edition and the floor models were constantly banged up. You can still check out the Huffy Ladies' Cranbrook on the site. Since the bikes were so beat up in the store, I decided to order one online and pick it up at the store. A representative that worked in the bike department told me even though the website said they store wouldn't assemble my bike, they would if the tech were there.

Well, I never got this far. Somewhere along the way, Wal-mart lost my bike from the warehouse to the store. I emailed them and asked what happened, but never got a reply, just suddenly had my credit card refunded. I was a little bummed because I'd gone through UPromise and earned extra money in my Upromise account for this purchase. I cursed Wal-mart and their bad customer service. What had happened if I'd never pursued the issue? But secretly wished the bike had arrived and debated upon ordering one again. The price was just too good to beat.

Instead, I decided to support local. I found a pink Mintcraft at the Hardware store down off 17th street at the Oceanfront. The bike cost me about $139, plus accessories. No beach cruiser is complete without a Krusie (get it? Cruiser + Koosie) or bell to warn pedestrians and other people prone to getting in your way.

The only thing that threw me off was the bike title and warranty. Who gets a warranty for a bike? I have jewelry worth more that I don't even insure. The Hardware store instructed me to register my bike with the police department and put a "secret message" in the seat of the bike that only I know in case it was stolen. I'm sitting here thinking, well, the crooks are filing off the registration number on the bike and popping the seat off already to see if anything's inside.
Any tips on what you would do? I've been leaving my bike inside for the time being.

Anthropologie Magazine

I want to feel at all times that I just stepped out of an Anthropologie Magazine. I want the whimsical colors and blend of urban with shabby chic to radiate out of my smile and and caress the aura of others. That's why the decision to purchase this bedspread was a carefully guided choice mixed with affordability and style.

I stalked the Anthropologie website for week to find a sale or a glimmer of hope to elevate me from the woefully expensive duvet I had fallen in love with. I lusted over the Georgina duvet for endless days, hunting the site for the slightest break in price. The duvet with all the given accessories, the shams, euro and dust ruffle, brought my cart total to well into the $700's. Even for a splurge this trumped my budget.

Dismayed I searched other sites. I scoured Urban Outfitters (Anthropologie's sister site), Elm Street, Pottery Barn and The Company Store but could find nothing that compared. Finally, one Tuesday came along where an item I'd overlooked posted. I overlooked the item because the site favored its poppy red companion over the muted nudes and whites. My new discovery had big bulls eye sized pinwheeled in white delicately stitched to a cream duvet. The euros were sold out and I nixed the dust ruffle, bringing my total down to $250 for the shams and duvet. A happy splurge price, considering my last bedspread lasted seven years.

A month in I'm still happy with my duvet choice and it puts a smile on my face every time I walk into my room. For immense satisfaction, hold out for what you want and what you can afford. It'll come along every time. I promise.

Catching Dinner

Every time I go fishing, I go in hopes that I'll catch something someone says, hey, that's too good not to fillet and have for dinner tonight. It never happens, but I really don't understand fishing for sport, rather than for dinner. Perhaps that's just me. Much to my pleasure, I was invited to celebrate a friend's birthday on his annual fishing trip. The trip left out of Dockside Marina, just a stone's throw away from my old stomping grounds in Lynnhaven Landing. The water was incredibly rocky and we kept getting jostled about on the boat. Out of the eleven in our group, three retired to the back of the boat to nurse their sea sickness. The tour cost $35 and lasts four hours.

Our efforts brought us a plethora of croakers (too small and bony to eat) and a couple toad fish. Luckily, our friend's lovely wife had planned a cookout, complete with burger sliders and pasta salad. Abby served white wine with fresh peaches and raspberries bobbing in the glasses while we played Taboo. All in all a wonderful way to spend a Saturday.