Girls' Night Out

Dinner with the family is fun, but sometimes it is nice to celebrate just with the girls. Rarely do I go to hip, loungey places- Gabe and I are more the neighborhood Mexican food joint kind of couple- so it it was fun to be out of my element last night at Mesa (no website- this is one of those you really have to be in the know to know this place exists kind of places).

We got there early, before anyone else really, which made it easy to get some pictures. The way this place is set up is unique because it is has an open ceiling, so you are outside, but you are inside. How clever.

Thanks, girls! I had a great time. We keep saying it, but we really DO need to make a habit out of this Girl's Night thing!

Shopping Spree

I did it. I shopped like a crazy woman. From Loehmann's to Fashion Island, I hit them all. 2 pairs of jeans, about ten tops, some other miscellaneous dresses and skirts and probably too much money later, I have a new wardrobe for the Spring and Summer. Happy Birthday to me. (OK, the Sigerson Morrison pumps may have been an unnecessary splurge, but they are soooo cute and I found them at Loehmann's for a bit of a discount!)

Just a little glimpse. Now, if I could only drop ten pounds to make these all look even better!

It's a skirt, no it's a dress

...or is it a turtleneck poncho? I received this little number for my birthday. It is fabulous beyond words. So far I have come up with 5 different ways to wear it. I believe J.Crew is selling themself short by only showing 2! Regardless, I will be quite stylish on the beaches of Costa Rica in my new dress/skirt/coverup this summer!

An orchid by any other name

Growing up a "Mimi" most certainly was not always easy. Oh how I longed to be a Karen or a Jennifer or even a Kelly. For the most part I embraced my name and learned to love it for the fact that it was unique. Other than "Mimi's Cafe", I rarely, if ever heard of anyone with the same name. These days it seems the name is a bit more common, though hardly popular. The most common reaction I get when giving my name at Starbucks or at a restaurant is, "Oh, I love that name! That's my dog's name!". Um, excuse me? Am I supposed to be in some way honored by this? Anyway, I recently decided to track the usage of my name and my blog name on the Internet and have been inundated with updates of the usage of "Mimi Palmer". Come to find out, they are not talking about me at all. Nope. Apparently there is an exotic orchid that goes by the same name. Described as "unique", "eccentric" and "temperamental", a deeper connection to a flower I could not feel. So here it is, "the" Mimi Palmer (sooo much prettier than some scruffy mutt):

image via flickr