On Saturday...

...I donned my freshly polished boots, and suited up for the parade...




Which also included a little tiered rayon skirt and a red and white gingham checked top...I felt a little Daisy Duke-ish, but without the really short shorts...cause they don't go with the boots (that and no one wants to see those parts of my body hanging out of clothing)




Rich and I met at my house, to walk down to the parade, which goes through most of the downtown, leaving no parking and quite large crowds...but, as you know, I live quite close...and it's easy to walk down...

The parade is usually scads of horses and cars...and has of late, become a way to advertise the heck out of one's business...It also reminds me of long ago, when there used to be so many people from town IN the parade, there was not many people left to watch it...

After standing around and um, melting...I was feeling a little reminiscent of the times in town when we used to have water fights. Oh yes, we would all cruise up and down Gurley St. and shoot water guns and throw water balloons at people. And, I would like to go down as saying my group of girlies in high school were the first to ever fill up the back of a pick-up truck with water...and then use buckets to soak everyone!

Oh, good times!

The city or county, or whomever decided a few years back to not let us do this anymore however...As I said to Rich, "who are they, and why don't they want us to have any fun?" Of course there were the isolated incidences of people who got hit with water balloons with rocks in them or ones filled with gasoline, maybe the more appropriate question would be..."who are they, and why do they want to ruin it for the rest of us?"

That evening I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of a new art gallery owned by my good friend Ian Russell...So, I polished myself up and went on over (my mother owns a few of his originals that are on the fantasy part of the page of his site) I have known Ian since high school...and the opening was quite fun, as I was able to sit and visit with a lot of my friends from that time period (leaving me to wonder if I stayed all night, would I even have to go to my high school reunion next year, or would everyone just eventually have shown up?) Usually after seeing this group of friends, I am left wondering exactly why we never get together on a more regular basis...

I was really amazed, as I always am, that most people I've known a lot of years of my life walk by me at first, leaving me to reach out and try to catch their eye, as they turn and exclaim, "oh my gosh Sadira...amazing! I didn't recognize you!" And, at first that kind of reaction to the apparent huge change that I've made in my life was really flattering, now I feel a little awkward and invisible.

I'm an Aries. I don't take kindly to feeling invisible.
(but, it's making me want to post some before and after pics of myself)

It also left me incredibly sad about some of the things in my life that I perceive as unfinished...or maybe reminders of things that I've always wanted and don't have...and when I compare myself to everyone around me...I inevitably find myself lacking...and teary eyed.

(Maybe this is why we all don't hang out more, no one wants to see me cry?)

Don't get me wrong though...I did have a bit of fun. I also got to dress up

I love to dress up

I don't go out much anymore, and I am wanting to remedy that as well. I have the most fun wardrobe items that beg me to wear them (do you know how hard it is to look in the closet and hear all that whining day after day? And, I won't even get started on the make-up) I really like to hike around in the beautiful world we have here in AZ, and be oh so simple...but there is also this part of me that loves to primp, pluck and polish myself into beauty, or at least the supposed illusion of allure. I do feel girlie either way, it's just a little different experience in Chaco's and a water bottle compared to Gucci and Tiffany's.

Women can be so wonderfully complicated.
(wink)

So...out came the black ruffled silk dress from Urban Outfitters (from the trip to Phoenix) and the new metallic Juicy Couture bag I picked up for a steal ($3 at a thrift) I suddenly realized as I was putting on the classic strappy black heels, that there is a pair of Gucci heels hiding in my closet, and they match the bag perfectly...

Perfectly indeed...
From cowgirl to couture...

Yee-Haw!

(and you can get a teeny sneak peak at what I did after the art opening here)