A little bit of Tradition

Because I am from the South, I grew up pouring over my mom's Southern Living Magazines...
I would spend hours picking out my house, my Kitchen... I sat thumbing through them mesmerized by the recipes and the simple traditions of the South.

I love them. I love Tradition.
This picture is compliments of Southern Living... Time to start decorating!

Oh, So Pretty

Tousled hair, Red nails, and a creamy knit Sweater. Love it.

Picture from Garance Dore- Monday, July 28, 2008

Holiday Time

During the Holidays we seem to be all about indulging... The shopping, the food, the Parties... and let's face it, even though I feel like it should still be October, December is here and I am ready to welcome it with open Arms and a big kiss from my red Lips!

I remember when I was about 5 years old and excited to go to church on Christmas Eve just so I could put on that new dress with my black patent shoes and I will tell you.. nothing about me has really changed...
I love being able to wear Holiday make-up, Holiday clothes... From the furs, to the sweaters, to the Dresses, the holidays usually mean excess... and although it is best to avoid looking like your Christmas tree, have fun with it.

Even if you aren't into all the glitz, you can at least bring out the earrings that you never wear or for some of us we can actually put on make-up and do our hair...

Rollers, Curling Irons and All- Bring it on and with a little bit of Champagne, please!

(Photo by Garance Dore)

Tis' The Season!

I really wish I had the willpower to detox.

I tried the Master Cleanse last year and lasted a total of six hours before I convinced myself that my blood sugar was low and instead of the cayenne pepper, lemon juice, maple syrup diet I should just go ahead and eat a cookie because just thinking about a cleanse is excruciating and painful enough.

This year however... I am determined to at least some how resist eating all the sugar in the house.
I am a runner, or at least I like to think I am. I run anywhere from 4 to 10 miles a day and because of this I know that now more than ever an all liquid diet just will not sustain.

But a few days on fruits, veggies (raw and steamed), rice, and a shake (see recipe from Cooking Light below) might just have some benefits...

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Ingredients
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup pomegranate cherry juice (such as pom)
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 banana, peeled and sliced crosswise
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a blender; puree until smooth.
Compliments of: Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, JULY 2006

Another thing... I try to add protein to the shake...

Manolos to Asolos

People have been asking me about the name of my blog... "Manolos to Asolos." How did I come up with it? And what are Manolos and Asolos anyway?

Well to answer, Manolos are my black strappy Manolo Blahniks that took me through years of rushing down the sidewalks of New York and as for the Asolos... they are my hiking boots that carried me through the Himalayas.

A little bit about me...
Before I started my freshman year of college I started spending summers in New York interning at various magazines. This continued through college and though I never particularly liked living in New York, I moved there after college anyway. That is what I was supposed to do, right?
After trying to fall in love with New York, it just wasn't working. It was like being in one of those relationships... the ones in which you try to convince yourself to like the person, because you know you should... they like you... they might look good on paper, but for some reason no matter what you do you just can't whichever way you spin it fall in love with them... it was like that. Frustrating.

Something wasn't right. Something didn't fit. I am from the South... perhaps that was part of it. I went to school in Colorado... I was used to things being a bit slower and having a little bit more space. I missed having space.

In February of this year, 2009... I woke up one day and signed up for a backpacking trip. My whole life- all 23 years I had listened to my dad talk about his time on NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in Africa. He always said it was the best thing he had ever done. I knew I wanted to do something like NOLS I just wasn't sure when or where since at the time I thought it was more valuable to run around in New York like a chicken with my head cut off than do a trip like NOLS. Finally though I was ready. After 5 summers and half a year I was sick of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I was done. And in Mid-May I found myself deep in the Western Himalayas with 2 sports bras, 2 pairs of underwear, my Asolo hiking boots and 14 strangers who I would swear I had met before.

I didn't do this trip for anything else- for anyone else.
I took 5 1/2 weeks...
5 1/2 weeks- Me and the Mountains.

Some people say NOLS changes their life... I wouldn't say NOLS changed mine, it just allowed me to become more of myself. It opened me up a little bit more... and that is exactly what I needed...

I kept waiting for my moment on the mountain when I was suddenly changed or different in some way, but it actually just made me more of who I already am.

I realized that who you love is what matters and to appreciate the people who love you. I realized that one bar of soap- Dr. Bronners to be specific is a lifesaver. And that yes... You can live without your cell phone and many other things quite well when it comes down to it.

I missed my family, the people I love, beer, cheese burgers and a few other things... everything else faded away and what seemed so unimportant then, have remained unimportant now... (that is exactly what my dad said would happen)

And never again will I take for granted a warm shower... I think warm showers, toilet paper, and clean water are probably some of the best luxuries in life.

Taking after my Mom

My mom has walked around in Sorel boots for years. She has always loved her Sorel boots...Always.
When I saw them in the JCrew catalogue it made me laugh a little because Sorel boots, fashionable? But they are!

I love to wear them with skinny jeans and chunky sweaters... plaid lumber jack shirts...

They are comfy and not to mention they keep your feet dry and keep you from falling on your ass if it's icy outside.



Find:
Sorel® Caribou® boots
$110.00
Available at: jcrew.com & JCrew Stores

Ball gowns & Fairy tales

I went and saw the Cinderella play a few days ago and nothing makes me think of a beautiful gown more than Cinderella.

There is something about ball gowns- there is something about the perfect dress, a perfect gown, that is a fairy tale in itself. The anticipation of what will happen while you are wearing the gown is perhaps the best part.

Gowns seem to make fairy tales come alive and to me, no one makes a more beautiful gown than Monique Lhullier.

I love the gowns from her Fall 2008 Collection.

Breakfast with Buddha is what I am currently reading and I can't seem to put it down. Upon it's given name I figured this might account from someone's journey with a guru who ultimately changes the man's life etc...
Not so true. It is a story of a guy who in no way is looking to change his life or really even feels as if his life is missing something. He spends half the time questioning his road trip companion and the other half wondering what to eat next.

This book is not some story of amazing Self-Discovery, but more or less a story about looking at life and yourself in a different way.

This is one of my favorite paragraphs:

"If a person could really see it," Rinpoche said to me in a quiet voice, "really see the thing that we just saw as it is truly, without putting a name between his mind and the fact of what you call, in your language, the moon, then that person would have no cup over his good. Do you understand? No armor. That person would not be afraid. That person could love and that person could let another person give him love, and he could feel the ground he walks on like love, and the air he breathes like love."

I said, "I feel the ground I walk on like dirt. So I guess I'm not there yet." Breakfast with Buddha, Roland Merullo

I love, love, love Meredith Melling Burke

From her grace to her style she is beautiful.
If I could choose to be anyone- It would be her! She is the marketing editor at Vogue and I saw her once after work... with her little girl, who if you could picture has the cutest, blonde curly hair.
No I am not a stalker, but maybe a bit in awe...

Photos: style.com

Love Dresses, Ruffles, Flowing Lines & Movement

Spring RTW2010: Stella McCartney- Beauty Natalia Vodianova and Natasha Poly
Photo: Compliments of Style.com
Photographer: Greg Kessler

LOVE STYLE.COM!

Comfy, Cozy, Sweetness

I love this Perfume. Every time I smell it I think of fall, winter, chunky sweaters, cozy socks, boots, mountains, studying abroad...
Scents can take us places, remind us of things, and change our mood!

One of my new Favorite things: Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

This Burt's Bees cleansing cream is Amazing. I use it everyday- from taking off makeup to calming my skin in the middle of a breakout or even when it just seems to be out of whack, this stuff is great. It also leaves a slight tingly feeling after you wash it off, which I love.

Probably one of the best finds of the year. I highly recommend that everyone try it. Chamomile has proved to be a calming relief inside and out.

Climbing for a Cause

Every Month I have a magazine day. I take a day to sit and pour over all the new issues of every magazine that I love.

Since I am somewhat of a "health nut" I love Runner's World, Women's Health, Yoga Journal... All are not without wonderful advice for staying healthy (mind, body and soul)... I picked up Natural Health and stumbled upon an article which I found to be particularly interesting and inspiring. Georgina Miranda as I have learned is a woman from Portland, Oregon who is taking on the climb of Seven Summits to help women in Africa. She is climbing the highest mountain on each continent to raise money for International Medical Corps, an organization that helps women and children worldwide.

Upon reading about "Climbing for a Cause" all I could think was Where do I sign up!
This is an amazing fete for an amazing cause. If you want more info Follow Georgina Miranda on her Blog: georginamiranda.blogspot.com and climbtakeaction.com.

If you would like more information on International Medical Corps (IMC) visit their website http://www.imcworldwide.org/Page.aspx?pid=183

Perhaps it is just me, but women need to stick up for each other, help each other and sometimes just remind each other that they are not alone. Bad things happen, but good things happen too.

Georgina Miranda you are doing a great thing!

There is something about the mountains... and climbing them

I can't believe I am actually a blogger...

This blog is dedicated to mountains, India, New York. To shoes that take us places, to clothes that inspire us, to Music, to books, to authors, but most of all to things that Break us down, tear us apart and put us back together. To all the things that Make you say Holy Shit, WTF, What am I doing? To all the things that make you think, make you jump and make you take some take risks...