Justine

Readers, meet Justine:


Justine is the solid pair of black wedges that I have been searching for for months. I hate it when I find a cute pair of black wedges (or sandals, actually) that has a brown sole. Really?! What if I'm wearing an all black outfit? I can't have a dash of brown in my shoes. That just looks dumb.

Thank you, Justine, (and Nine West) for solving my 100% black wedge crisis!

Found: Black Wedges. Lost: Fashion.

Y'all.

I have bad news about the shoes I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Ok, so maybe not about those shoes specifically. But I do have bad news about the black ones I was yearning to find.

Kristi and I were at The Target in Myrtle Beach a couple weekends ago, and they had the black pair in my size! It's like it was meant to be, right?!

WRONG.

Those.sandals.were.hideous.

Clearly, I won the lottery by selecting the brown ones.

I did, however, find a lovely pair of black wedges from Nine West. I can't seem to find a picture online so I'll have to post one when I get home.

Hold please...

Wedges from The Target

Y'all ladies need to drop what you're doing, run out to The Target (or visit the website), and purchase these adorable Merona Elliana Wedge sandals. I found the last pair in my Target store in tan and I am in love!


I wasn't too sure about them initially because they seemed a little too "old lady" for my liking, but that hesitation didn't last past the checkout line. I feared that maybe the wedge was too small but alas, it is perfect! (I know y'all are wondering how a 3.5" heel on a 5'9" woman is too small... but I mean, I just like to be tall!)

I believe I purchased these a week ago and I have already worn them with at least 4 outfits. They really are a great summer shoe and match every color outfit. I even dared to wear them with black!

Aside: I really do need a black pair of wedges (solid black - heel included) which The Target has in this style. I think I will purchase those as well!

Needless to say, my outfits (and shoes) are always a huge hit thanks to The Target.

"Oh, I just got back from South Africa."

I know, I know - I've been slightly MIA the past couple of months. Please, allow me to explain...

The beginning of May was infused with final exams (for FIVE classes, mind you) and the relocation of my entire office to multiple buildings. Two days after my last final, I left for a two week vacation to South Africa. Upon my return, I was sick for a week and then had to get acclimated (read: unpack) to my "new" office which is, in essence, a cubicle. (Thank God I'm only here for 2 months.)

Now that my suitcase is finally unpacked and my routine is once again somewhat normal, I can now tell you about my wonderful vacation to South Africa!

Except that I really don't know how to describe it. It is truly indescribable!

Adam, Kristi, and I hit all of the touristy hot spots:
- Lion Park outside of Johannesburg -- feeding giraffes and watching lions feed
- a 3 day all inclusive safari in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve (my personal favorite)
- a drive to/through/along The Garden Route
- riding elephants in Addo at a sanctuary through the mountains, with views of giraffes, zebra, and wildebeest
- visiting the infamous surf town of Jeffrey's Bay (J-Bay, to the locals)
- bungee jumping from Bloukrans Bridge in Tsitsikamma National Park -- Note: at 216 meters, this is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world! (Miraculously, my mother was not too concerned about me doing this.)
- stopping at the Southernmost Tip of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet
- Gansbaai for cage diving with great white sharks (Mom was, however, eager to hear about this. She was actually excited for me to do this! Maybe she was on medication that day...)
- Franschoek & Stellenbosh for a few (ok, a dozen) winery tours and tastings
- Cape Town -- Table Mountain/Lion's Head/cable car ride, Cosy Bay, Boulder's Beach, V&A Waterfront
- and a few other random and miscellaneous stops at wherever the wind blew us

This was, hands down, the vacation of a lifetime. I can't choose one vacation over another as being my favorite because I feel that each vacation I've taken has lent itself to completely different adventures. We met some wonderful people along our journey and had amazing experiences that brought us together as even closer friends than we were before.

I am just so so so thankful that I have the support and resources to take such amazing vacations!

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. (If you want to see more, check out my Facebook or email me for a link.) Enjoy!