Day 11---Disgusting Brown "FUGGS"

So, in keeping with my disclaimer of wearing EVERY SINGLE PAIR OF SHOES that I own--not withholding any pair just because they're not cute--and also to post every day, no matter what, I am going ahead with this post. I must also say that my Black Death sickness from yesterday really escalated last night---Phil and Judy made the executive intervention, came to my apartment, picked me up and took me back to Home Base to spend the night. I took a sick day today from work and slept in until NOON and it was AMAZING! That being said...

I think I can let the pictures from today speak for themselves. I am sick. My clothes, hair, face, and yes, SHOES....are direct reflections of that fact. I chose to pull on my ugliest pair of shoes: my "FUGGS" aka "Fake-UGGS" that I bought from Payless about three years ago. I remember that my friend Brittany and I were SO ecstatic to find these boots because they were a budget friendly version of UGGS. I still think that it is INSANE to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of boots that are basically glorified slippers, but I must admit that these boots are just SO BAD. Nonetheless, I do love them, despite the fact that they are just NOT CUTE, they are the equivalent of chicken noodle soup when I am sick. Comforting, warm, make me feel snuggly...YES, soup does that for me! (and so do these shoes). I am rocking my stretchy pants and sweatshirt (as referenced in yesterday's post), I am medicined up (Nyquil, Dayquil, Zicam....not all at once, of course!) and slathered with Vick's Vapo-Rub. Ahhhhhhh.....being sick sucks. But I must say that I am pretty sure my parents loved the fact that they got to ride in like my Knights in Shining Armor to kidnap me away to the castle and take care of me. (and, for a girl who is trying really hard to be independent, I have to say that it felt pretty good to let someone else take care of me for once)

Although I am NOT going to get rid of these FUGLY FUGGS (you like that??), I AM going to try and save them for only dire emergencies. I think that being sick with The Black Death can count as said emergency. I apologize for the lack of glamour today. Let's pretend that this post never happened. :)

Day 10---Sage Green 7FAM Heels

Have you even woken up and realized that your outfit is going to be a direct reflection of how you feel on that particular day? Well, when I woke up this morning, I knew that it was going to be a "sick" kind of day---I have convinced myself that I have contracted either the Plague or the Black Death or Tuberculosis because I feel SO SICK. (I swear I almost coughed up my lung during 1st period today) It's either one of those illnesses OR I just have a NASTY cold/flu because I work with kids. (I'm thinking it's the second option, but "The Plague" just sounds so much cooler than "The Common Cold") ANYWAYS, I woke up this morning and automatically reached for stretchy pants and a sweatshirt, but then I realized that I HAVE to wear some awesome shoes. THEN, I somehow began to convince myself that if I put on some awesome shoes, that I might begin to feel better from the feet upward....

Speaking of shoes....let me tell you about these ones....I bought them at Marshalls during the summer. They are Sage Green "woven" material with a wooden platform heel and are made by Seven For All Mankind. I LOVE THESE SHOES. I remember wearing these to my good friend Randy Marshman's surprise engagement party to his fiance Megan in August. These shoes make me VERY tall, and they are not for the faint of heart. It takes some skill walking in these puppies. But ahhhhhh, there is nothing better than a pair of heels that make you feel powerful. These shoes are smart, sexy, and strong...like that personification? Bet you couldn't tell that I'm an English teacher, could you? Haha...On a side note, a co-worker came into my classroom to ask me a question and said "Wow, you're not messing around with those shoes."

Fast forward to the end of the day...I still feel sick, but I look really good while coughing and sneezing and getting dirty looks from all of my students. My outfit did not miraculously change my level of sickness, but I know that my stretchy pants and sweatshirt are waiting for me and they are going to feel THAT much more spectacular after a day of jeans and high heels and coughing and sneezing. Being sick sucks. But wearing cute shoes made it suck a little less. :)

Day 9---Hot Pink/Fuschia High Heels

Tonight was Open House. This means that I spend three days cleaning my classroom, get myself all dressed up, and then wait in my classroom for parents to come and chat with me about their child. This year was my 4th Open House, as a legit teacher, and it was spectacular as always. MY actual parents (Phil and Judy Davis) came, as they always do, to support/embarrass me in front of my peers, students, and parents of my students. And, as usual, I loved every minute of it. My lovely sister also came to visit me and arrived just in time to accompany us to our after hours dinner decompression session. There were a few highlights from Open House 2011: one of my best friends, Bianca Arceo-Farina is now a teacher at my school as well, so we got to share in the fun that IS Open House together. I went, along with about 8 other teacher amigos, out to eat and it is always encouraging to be around them because they remind me that being a teacher is SO FUN (seriously, it is!!) I also ran into my old, dear friend Bryan. It was a fun-filled-fabulous-friend night. But, the best thing happened towards the end of Open House when the father of one of my students complimented me on my.....drum roll please.....SHOES!!!!

That's right, people, my hot pink suede high heels were quite the focal point of the evening. These shoes are THE power shoes. They are awesome. I actually obtained them when i did a little make-over thing after i lost all my weight, so they hold a special place in my heart. I realized that i think the reason that i love shoes so much, is because it never mattered how much i weighed, i could still wear kick-ass shoes. So, even though i may not have been able to buy all the cute, fashionable clothes, i could still be fashionable from the ankles down. And now, i still carry that love for all things pertaining to shoes, even though i can now rock the cute clothes as well. Word to the wise: accessories are what makes an outfit. An outfit is not defined solely by the actual clothes, but by how you choose to style it. Similarly (and I'm about to get kind of deep here...stick with me) a person is not solely defined by how thin they are, but instead by the character traits they choose to embrace. A bitch is a bitch, no matter what kind of clothes she is wearing. But, a cool chick, with sweet ass shoes, can be awesome no matter how big or small she is.

A little deep on this late night, but special shoes call for a special blog. A special "thank you" to all my friends who were with me on my journey through being the girl who could only wear cute shoes to being the girl who still wears the cute shoes....but now she pairs them with an awesome dress from H&M and a blazer from Target. You know who you are.

Day 8---Strappy Black Heels

The way in which I acquired these shoes is so "text book" Ali. I initially borrowed them from my sister (she wears size 8 shoes) and proceeded to wear them to, I think Prom (as a chaperone NOT as a student!), then I stretched them out with my size 9 feet and she just gave them to me. I felt bad, but I also got a new pair of shoes out the deal. That taught me not to borrow her shoes anymore! Now we instead swap clothes. When people compliment me on something cute I am wearing, a lot of times I say "Oh, it's from my sister's closet" and she does the same thing and we realized that it would be a good name for a store.....hmmmmm.....maybe the Davis Sisters are on our way to being the next Kardashian Sisters/entrepreneurs??? Stay tuned!

So, I wore these shoes with a pair of jeans that are too long to wear with flats (don't you just hate that???)....even though I DO often say that wearing flat shoes is a sign of weakness and I will always choose high high high stiletto heels over a pair of frumpy flats! I also wore my good ole' LINK Crew T-shirt (which I spent 45 minutes looking for last night and came to the shocking realization that along with my 51 pairs of shoes, I also have about 50 different school t-shirts as well...my next challenge perhaps???) That being said, I dressed up the jeans and t-shirt look with these awesome (albeit stolen) black high heels from Baker's/My Sister's Closet. It was a good combination of casual and put together.

On a sidenote, tomorrow night is Open House and I am trying to figure out what my "power shoe" will be. I'm leaning towards my Hot Pink Suede Heels.......stay tuned :)

Day 7---High Heeled Brown Boots

First things first....check out the shoes that my Mom and Dad sent to me...my BABY SHOES!!! This just confirms what I have always known---that I have been stylish since birth. Hahaha! Obviously I was not choosing my own outfits/accessories 26 years ago (good looking out, Phil and Judy), but these shoes are just SO FREAKING ADORABLE! I can hardly imagine that my feet fit into these at one point in my life! Love them! Thanks for the addition to my "collection" dear Mom and Dad. Although I can no longer wear these classy, timeless, black patent leather Mary Janes, they are quickly gaining status as my cutest shoes!

Monday is always the weirdest day of the week. I never know what to wear, should I be super dressy (Monday tends to be my most "put-together" day, and then things just go downhill from there!) OR should I be more casual and be an extension of the weekend? (ie. Jeans, School Shirt, Sneakers???) Today I went with the slightly dressier look. I also put on my favorite accesory, which is my Curly Hair. :) I get no compliments on my hair when I wear it straight, but when I wear it curly, I might as well have found a solution for World Peace...people are THAT intrigued by it. No, it's not a perm. No, I did not dye it (the gray hairs are lurking...). Yes, it IS fabulous :) Hahaha

Today I chose to pair my curly hair with my Mid-Calf High Heeled Brown "leather" boots. These boots are "style&co." brand....this means that I actually have NO RECOLLECTION of where they are from! I remember when my sister traveled to and lived in Spain for a semester in college and when she came back, she was wearing her boots over all her jeans. I thought that this was the most absurd/ugly fashion trend EVER and swore to NEVER do it. Fast forward 6 years...the only jeans I own are skinny ones for the sole purpose of being able to wear every pair of boots I own OVER them. HAHAHA....eating my words never looked so cute. These boots look cute with pretty much anything (I have come to realize that most of my shoes fit into this category) and I especially love wearing them with a cute dress or skirt. And, despite being fabulous in the Winter, they also kick some serious stylish butt during the Summer with a cute sundress.

In the words of the famous Nancy Sinatra---"These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you." :)

Day 6---Gray T-Strap Heels

Ahhhh....it is Spring Time and for a Perpetual Bridesmaid/Girl Who Has A Lot Of Pregnant Friends, this means that some portion of every weekend is dedicated to either a Bridal or Baby shower....sometimes both! Today was no exception. One of my very best best best forever friends, Mrs. Brittany Rose Gutierrez is having a baby (we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of Little Miss Scarlet Rose....Auntie Ali is VERY excited!) and her Baby Shower was this afternoon. I decided to wear my FAVE Gray, Snakeskin, T-Strap heels from OLD NAVY....I have had these shoes for THREE years now, and they are just as fabulous as the day I purchased them. They were totally a spontaneous purchase, and have ended up to be among my Top 5 favorite pairs of shoes.

I love these shoes because I truly believe that gray is the new black (weird, I know) but totally true! I wore them with a cute blue sundress, gray tights, and a gray sweater....super cute, but not over the top...because after all, today was Scarlet's day....NOT crazy Auntie Ali's day! (although there is nothing quite as wonderful/obnoxious as that one crazy aunt that we all know we have lurking among the branches of our family trees, right???)

These shoes were perfect for a perfect day set aside to celebrate Britt and Isaac and their Precious Little LadyBug. (can you tell I'm excited and proud???)

P.S. A special shout out to my weekend photographer, Dr. Joanne Azer and her handy-dandy iPhone with all it's fantastic photographic capabilities! Thanks for helping me out :) Love you Jo!

Day 5---Chucks/Converse

You know that feeling you get when you spend time with an old friend? The feeling of comfort, familiarity, warm gushiness??? Well, I am lucky to have a LOT of really good "old" friends....not like OLD OLD (like 87 years old old), but long-time amigos. People I've known since elementary school, middle school (also known as the "Horrible Hair-Style-Braces Years"), and high school. My soul always feels right at home when I am with them.

Now, the length of time that I have had these particular shoes is similar to the amount of time that I have had some of my best friends...these shoes saw me through some of the best and worst times of my adult life. I got these shoes for Christmas my FRESHMAN YEAR (that's right, "Ring, Ring, Ring... 2002 is calling, they want their shoes back") of College. I wore these shoes like it was my job for a good 6 months. Then, the frequency with which I wore them tapered off slightly, but I have never really forgotten them. I throw them on with jeans on a cold and casual day, with a tank top and shorts during the summer, OR with my "I'm going to Saturday School to hang out with the Juvenile Delinquents" outfit like I did today. Today was the kind of day that is unpredictable. For example, last Saturday a teacher got punched in the face because a kid got all irate over something ridiculous. What I am trying to say is that I didn't know if I was going to have to chase down some kids trying to escape their detention, or relax in my desk chair and catch up on grading for a few hours. These Converse Allstars are my "Ready For Anything" shoes. I feel like I can kick ass and take names when I am wearing these. Oh the stories they could tell if they could talk....they've gone to college parties, post-college parties (ugh), have walked on the soil of different states and countries, and they are still Awesome. These shoes are good for my soul. I keep it real in these shoes.

Side Note: No one got punched today. And I have to admit that I kind of look like a clown when I wear these, because I am pretty sure that they are about 2 sizes too big! :)