Ugly Sweater Run

I did the "Ugly Sweater Run" in Philly with my co-clerk Tina and Kenny.  First we went to an "Ugly Sweater Store" to get what we needed to wear:

Yes, those are working bells. 

The Hat was provided by the race - stylish, I know. 

There's Tina, my co-clerk and fellow Californian, who loves dogs. 

It was a cold morning, but very fun and festive, it was great seeing all the sweaters that people wore, and I definitely recommend it!  Especially if have a dog; this is one of the few races that actually allows dogs, and it was so fun to have him (and his christmas sweater) along for the adventure.


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We walked some of the Philly Marathon course

And now we're tired

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Winter Wardrobe

Our first day of snow in Virginia

It's 11:21 am here, and 36 degrees out.  It "feels like" 27 degrees.

This is an education for me, which is why I'm complaining about it all over Facebook, and why I'm writing about it now.  It's also new because I can't just jump from my car to the building; I spend at least an hour outside walking every day, morning, noon and night, so weather is an issue.

So, what did I have, what did I buy?

What I had: 

- Coat(s):
I have two pea coats from before, which I think will get my through all but the coldest days of the year.  Someone in my office also gave me 3 coats, one of which is (I think) warm enough for the coldest days.

- Scarves
I have so many scarves that I've cut myself off.  Some are warmer than others, but I am confident that I will get through the year.

- Hats/Gloves
I have a few hats, and picked out one as a gift over the weekend.  I may have to get a warmer beanie, but I actually kept my hat off this morning for most of my walk, so I should be fine for all but the coldest days.  I purchased a pair of warm gloves last year that I think will do the job this year.

- Sweaters/Warm Shirts/Pants
I added a few pieces to my wardrobe for style purposes but aside from that, I'm in good shape.

What I bought: 

- BOOTS:  Due to my freakishly wide calves, I can't walk into a store and buy leather knee-high boots.  But I decided it was time, and am now the proud owner of brown and black riding boots that are both comfortable to walk around in and warm.  I also own a pair of comfy snow boots, and a pair of Wellies that don't fit great but should work okay for wet walks with Kenny.

- SOCKS:  I realized that I own few socks other than to wear with running shoes.  So I had to create a dress sock collection for my boots and other closed toe shoes for winter.  Thankfully, those are easy to find for cheap and on sale.  I would like to buy a few more pairs of long boot socks but it's a low priority.

- TOMS CLOSED TOE WEDGES:  I wanted something that was comfortable and with some height, so I bought the Toms wedges that I talked about in my last post.  They are great!  They are great to have on dry days, especially when I'm wearing pants.

- STOCKINGS/TIGHTS/LEGGINGS/ETC.  I've always been a pretty big fan of tights and stockings, but there's a difference between liking them and being a staple of my wardrobe.  I was able to catch a good sale on Gap's extra warm leggings/tights, and like them so far, as well as other things I've picked up.

- SKINNY JEANS: I don't generally like the idea of skinny jeans, but I found that Gap has skinny curvy jeans that I was able to order online, and they are really easy to wear with my boots, as opposed to trying to stuff my boot cut jeans into my shoes.  It's practical and it works.

- ANOTHER COAT: I couldn't resist and Express sale to buy a black long puffy coat, which I think looks nice :-)

- ELECTRIC BLANKET: hands down, best purchase for the winter.  I originally bought it for my office, but my house stole it for Christmas and it's not leaving my bed or futon for the duration.