Franish: happy heart happy life

It was such a good weekend! Like I said on Friday, Chris and I have spent the last three months apart so deciding to do a last minute trip half way between us was exactly what we needed. It was Chris's birthday on Friday, and I'm so glad we got to celebrate at least the last hour of it together (in the middle of Indiana).

We did a bunch of annoying couple things, but also went out into the real world to buy his birthday present. He wanted a second G-Shock watch because they apparently are what all the surgeons he works with wear, so we went and bought him this one. Boy fashion, mmkay. While he was busy deciding which watch he wanted, I spent a good amount of time staring down all the rose-gold watches. I've wanted one for so long (years!) but I'm really picky about watches (I hate little fake diamonds and little fake hands). I have a little bit of extra money coming in in about a month, so I'm thinking about taking a portion to buy a watch (outside of my budget - such a rebel). I really like the look of this one, and possibly something a little bit more masculine like this (which is actually a guys watch). Any recommendations or experiences with Michael Kors or Stuhrling watches? I'm not looking to buy one immediately, but would like to narrow down the choices.

On the way around the mall, we somehow found ourselves in Forever 21. I've been wearing my cream open cardigan almost every day (it's a great cardigan to study in), so when I was heading towards the check out line to buy this sweater (it's super soft and long enough on me!) and saw that it came in maroon too, I was torn. I rarely buy duplicates of items, but I like the cream version so much, and I knew that I would actually wear it all the time (and actually do that, not just say it), so I bought it as well. I used to really hate open cardigans, but I've completely changed my mind on them, especially the thicker sweater kind. It's like wearing a snuggie, but a socially acceptable one. I'm always a little bit torn on shopping at Forever 21 though. While filled with heaps of super trendy items a la the lip sweater seen all over the blogosphere, they also have some great "staple" pieces that I wear over and over again. The quality is totally hit or miss, but I've had pretty good luck with their knits, even though I'm always a bit sheepish to admit where they're from. I know that they've also had some issues with copying of smaller designers, so it's a constant internal battle of inexpensive clothing versus being a better consumer.

We went into Gap looking for a winter jacket for Chris, but of course made a quick trip to the women's section. I've been admiring Whitney and Dotty's black and white geometric shoes, so when I saw this awesome herringbone pair, I marched them straight to the cash register. Chris says they look like carpet (may be true) but I think they are awesome, and I don't own any printed shoes (does leopard count?) so I'm really excited about them. Like most Gap shoes, they'll require some breaking in, but that's nothing a little buffer stick can't take care of. I also spotted this sweater dress, which is a total dupe of the Madewell version, so if you've had your eye on the more expensive version (as seen on Dotty, Erika, all the cool kids), this may be a great alternative for winter as it's fleece lined. I wish the sleeves were not so capped sleeved (never my friend) or else I would totally have tried it on.

Of course there was more than just shopping, including delicious Mexican food, arcade game playing, and late night pizzas for watching Miley on SNL. Driving away from each other was a lot easier this time than it was when I first left because I knew I was returning to good people, and because I know that I'll get to see him in 6.2 weeks (at Thanksgiving. No I don't have a countdown. Okay, yes I do.)