#treat yoself tuesday

[todayontumblr]

Tuesday, November 21.

Incredible fondness.

Read this. Go on. Just read it, d*mmit, we shan't ask thrice. Perhaps we can articulate it another way: sit down, grab a warm mug of something comforting, and give your eyes the word nourishment they so deserve. 

It is just so very lovely. So fuzzy. So scrummy. It is, to quote Barbie (2023), to feel achy but good. So treat yoself to some achy but goodness by reading this reflection on fondness. Once you're done, and you find yourself swelling with mysterious warmth, get out there and share it. Spread the word. Tell loved ones. Bestow it on beloveds. Manifest it upon moots. Get fond or die tryin'.  

Grab a moot. Tell 'em you're fond of 'em x

(@sunbloomdew)

[brendalamour1]

It's TREAT YOSELF TUESDAY,tell me what you did to treat yourself to today! (Thanks to @mightysovereign for the idea)

[9teenninety5]

this week i bought myself two pairs of forum lows, a ps5, a bunch of music and recording equipment, and a bike with accessories to add. i guess every day has been treat yoself tuesday

[hippieheart-witchysoul]

Be sure to crush this quarantine by treating yo self.

It was a Monster Energy/yoga kind of day for me. 💚

P.S. don’t forget about the full pink moon tonight. ✨

[darlingpetao3]

Thank You For Ruining My Life: An Homage to Tom Cavanagh

“You’ve ruined all my future expectations of men.”

The costume-clad woman had the courage of steel to say this to the then 53-year-old actor, Tom Cavanagh of The Flash, in front of a ballroom filled with a couple hundred people. This brave utterance was spoken during the 2016 Fan Expo Vancouver convention during a Flash question and answer period with actors Tom Cavanagh and Candice Patton. In its third season, the show was undoubtedly still hitting its stride in popularity, and the room was packed to hear these two speak.

The brave woman whose turn it was at the microphone was referring to Tom’s role as Ed Stevens on the NBC 2000 hit, Ed. I had not known of this show previously, but having now heard such a proclamation intrigued me. “You’ve ruined all my future expectations of men.” That was a tempting notion, and as I continued to listen to this disarmingly charming and wittingly funny man steal the stage, Tom intrigued me even more. I’d watched him play three different versions of Harrison Wells on The Flash since the show’s premiere date, yet I hadn’t truly noticed him in a “life-ruining” way before.

Little did I know that Tom Cavanagh would not only eventually ruin my expectations for men as well, but he would change my life in other ways, too.

After the Q&A, I had this urge to buy a S.T.A.R. Labs T-shirt from one of the vendors at the convention. In my head, I thought I would purchase something so that I could have an excuse to talk to Mr. Cavanagh at his signing booth. Again, he intrigued me, and I wanted to experience more of his incredibly likeable personality. So, I dragged my friend with me to wait for what was maybe ten minutes in a queue. Shortly, I was paying the assistant for my autograph I would soon acquire. They wrote my name on a sticky note so that Tom would know how to sign a personalized message to me. And then, it was my turn.

His eyes sparkled when he turned his attention to me. I instantly had a feeling this was just the way he was naturally. Oh yeah, and I swear to God I’d never seen eyes that blue in my entire life. It genuinely stunned me.

“Hi!” he greeted me.

“Hi!” I responded, equally as thrilled. Tom admired the T-shirt I had brought and took note of my name on the piece of paper. I remember us joking together about the extremely lax security in and around S.T.A.R. Labs on the show, which prompted his message to me on the heather-grey cotton. He wrote my name, [followed by a heart!] and a very welcoming, ‘Come on by, just walk right in!’

I had official clearance from Harrison Wells himself.

I thanked him very much, leaving with my treasure folded over my arms. My friend and I walked towards the hall’s exit, and I couldn’t shake this feeling inside me. It felt strange—I couldn’t name it for the life of me. It felt like an odd fluttering with a simultaneous yet contradictory slightness of breath. My head was confused and would continue to be so for the rest of that weekend.

As I waited at my gate in the airport on that Sunday evening to head home, all I knew was that the moments at the con featuring Tom were the highlights of the weekend for me.

And that I was going to begin watching more of the other films and television shows he’d been in. What was the show the brave cosplaying woman had said ruined her expectations of men? Oh yeah, Ed.

Maybe I’ll start there…

***

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad…

In my house, it’s never really Christmastime until Michael Bublé croons through the speakers of the wooden stereo system in the living room. It felt especially festive as it was now Christmas Eve—a month and some change since the con. It was late, possibly ten o’clock. I was lying on the floor in front of the Christmas tree with my trusty laptop, a word document open. I was writing three holiday-song short stories featuring the new muse in my life, Harrison Wells. I wanted to be able to post them the next day, so my fingers were taptaptapping away.

I had written a handful of things before 2017, most of which had been Marvel-related, under my second, ‘rebirth’ pen name online. I was a little fish among all the grand and fabulous writers on Archive of Our Own, and in many ways, I still feel like that little fish. I was only just learning and feeling out the psyche of the Wells characters. Each one is so different. In my rewatch of the previous seasons of The Flash, I’d taken diligent notes, and as I’d later learn with each following rewatch, I would know them all—what they think, how they talk and behave—like the back of my hand. It was fun to suss out these guys, and I found that I was growing to love the act of writing even more.

One month later, in January, I would post all the stories I’d written thus far on Tumblr. I’d just created an account and, who knows? Maybe I’d get a wider range of readers on here, too.

Might as well give it a shot, right?

***

Wild horses couldn’t keep me from attending Fan Expo Vancouver 2017, especially when the big news dropped. Not only would Tom Cavanagh be attending again, but so would Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, and the convention-elusive star of the show himself, Grant Gustin.

Before the moderator for the Flash cast’s Q&A panel could utter the final thanks to the actors at the end of the session, I bounded from my seat and sped down to the photo op booth where the cast would be taking “Team Up” photos with fans. ‘Sped down’ has to be the most appropriate couple of words because I indeed felt like a true Speedster dressed head to toe as the small screen’s adaptation of Jesse Quick, the angsty and brilliant daughter to Harrison Wells turned superhero.

After waiting in a queue that felt like ages, I was next to stand with Team Flash. As I took a step forward, all of the actors’ and actresses’ eyes—the people I spend time with every Tuesday evening—were on me. I heard a familiar voice approve of my costume. It was Danielle.

“Tremendous.”

Grant even joked that he thought for a second Violett Beane, the actress who plays Jesse Quick, had shown up to surprise them. “I was like, what’s Violett doing here?” he said.

I stood in the back row, happily sandwiched between Tom and Carlos. I dared to let my hands rest on their backs, and I couldn’t contain my joy. Shortly after, when I received my near-instant physical photograph of the moment, I saw Tom had pointed at me. In my mind, it felt as if in his gesture, he meant, hey, look at this cool person. Haha. I couldn’t be further from it.

I would go on to further be uncool in public as I later found myself virtually shaking and almost hyperventilating in line for a one-on-one photo op with Tom. The guy dressed as Kid Flash behind me gave me a few encouragements of the “it’ll be okay” variety. As my turn finally arrived, the lovely man of the hour greeted me with a bright smile in recognition of my Reverse Flash T-shirt (I had done a quick change before this photo op because I had worn a Flash T-shirt for a photo with Grant).

“Great shirt!”

The internet comes up with many hilarious and fitting words, but none such so than the term “Cavanarms.” One of the said Cavanarms found its way around my shoulder in such a casual way. My hand rested on his back, and I have told anyone who will listen about how soft his sweater was. What was approximately a five-second interaction will stay with me forever. And to this day, I will always regret how I’m standing beside him in the picture—there’s a distinguishable gap between us. I could have been closer—should have been!—but I like to use the fact that I felt as if I’d combust into flames if I were any closer to the man.

Maybe I’d have another chance to combust later again that day because, believe it or not, this fan hadn’t had enough of seeing Mr. Cavanagh in person. And since he was appearing at the con for this day only, there was no way I was going to squander any opportunities. Besides, there was still one final thing left on my convention docket: the autograph. In my mind, going to get his autograph was an excuse to get to talk to him and simply be in his presence for longer than five seconds. Here, take my money. I’m a sucker, and I’m proud of it. I saved all year for this kind of thing, and Fan Expo has always been my ultimate nerdy Treat Yoself Day.

Plus, this year I came equipped with a question for Tom (something for which I may have prepared a little too far in advance).

“Which of your characters would win in a lawyering battle: Ed or Miles?”

Miles was Tom’s latest character from his newly released project Darrow & Darrow, a fellow lawyer as Ed Stevens (remember, the man who ruins women’s expectations of men?), whom he portrayed almost two decades prior. What I loved about Tom when I got to ask him this was that he was silent for a moment following the question. He was genuinely putting thought into my question. As he pondered, Tom continued to autograph the photo of us together taken mere hours ago.

“Ed. He would wipe the floor with that other guy. Like, Miles is great, but Ed has a rapier-sharp mind, you know?”

I wholeheartedly agreed with his answer and felt relieved inside for some reason. We thanked each other (as politely as two Canadians can) before I left him to pay attention to the next lucky soul in line. I made the mistake of casting my eyes downward at the signed photo.

Tom had signed two little hearts over the I’s in my name. He really needed to stop adding hearts to my things, or I was just going to melt to the floor. In fact, I started to make these strange noises as I tried not to completely maul everyone in front of me while exiting. My friend ushered me as fast as physically possible on our way out of the main hall. One man took one look at me and asked, “Are you okay?”

No.

“Yep!”

The second I made it out of the herd, I broke out into open space. First came the minor hyperventilating. Then came the squealing followed by laughter. Top it off with various fangirlish comments of, “He’s so beautiful!”, “His eyes are so blue!” and “I love him!” and I was probably quite the sight to see (but at a convention, that’s considered normal!). My friend smiled on as she let me express everything that I had to keep inside until I had the right time to expel my emotions. I was on cloud nine. Ten, if at all possible.

The next day would be the con’s final day, which I would attend alone. My friend needed to catch the ferry in order to prepare for her courses the day after. I did a scan of the convention hall one final time in case there was something I missed purchasing. Afterwards, I sat on the cold hard flooring of the convention centre hallway for a bit of a break. I was wiped out. With my phone in hand, I smiled at the messages from this one Tumblr blogger who had been following my posted adventures at the con. I had seen and replied to many of her comments on my stories I’d written thus far, and I enjoyed her matching enthusiasm for Tom and The Flash in general. I felt her to be a kindred spirit. I had no idea then that I was chatting with one of my future best friends, L.

***

I spotted her.

She was wearing an identical shirt to the one I had on—a light grey T-shirt with a sequinned Spider-Man mask in the corner, which around it read, We met on the Web. A giddy me couldn’t wait for the short escalator ride to end. Her back was to me and facing the baggage claim, so here was my chance to surprise her instead.

I towered over my friend, E, and donned a low, authoritative voice.

“Excuse me, Miss, can you come with me?”

She squealed a greeting to me and I returned it as we hugged for the very first time after two and a half years of online friendship. We would still have about two hours to kill until our mutual Tumblr best friend, L, touched down at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport from across the Pond.

Something I noticed was that E and I carried on talking during our wait like it was second nature, that we hung out like this all the time. Whereas when I met L in person for the first time the year previously, our first meeting was that of quiet, delighted shock, unknowing how to react to one another’s physical presence. It almost felt like a fantasy. The closest thing we’d ever gotten to this was visiting over video chats! I’m not sure what each of these different reactions in these separate meetings meant, but what I do know is that I’ve never had such strong female friendships such as these—so full of uplifting support and love for one another. They are the greatest ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

And as a searching L eventually turned the corner to meet us in the Arrivals terminal, I caught sight of her Tom & Grant bandana tied around the handle to her carry-on bag. It was an item she had received in return for helping fund the short film produced in 2018 (I’d bought the ringtone). Seeing the accessory jolted me to remember that the former of the titular short was the reason for this long-awaited get-together holiday in the Windy City in the first place. Tom Cavanagh, unbeknownst to him, had just officially united three online friends, each from a different country, to spend six full days of in-person bonding and a whole lot of fun.

***

I should have been shelving books.

I should have been doing a lot of library-related tasks, but my head was elsewhere. Anywhere other than the small-town public library where I work. Instead, I sat on the carpeted floor of the Junior/Young Adult section with my phone in hand and a dreadful article title staring back at me.

“The Flash: Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh to Exit after 7 Seasons.”

My world felt like it was falling apart.

Tom was leaving? There had been rumours and wonderings spreading around the fandom regarding whether he was leaving the show. With a storyline ending with a monumental sacrifice and a time-travelling man saying his farewells, it all seemed to point to the fact. I should have known… I could have rivalled Supergirl as being the Paragon of Hope after all the optimism I doled out to my followers and friends who would come to me worried Tom would exit the show. I would always give reasons to deny such a thing could happen, claiming that I’d believe when I saw it.

Well, there it was, and I definitely saw it.

One could feel the ripple effect over the internet of the shards of broken and riled-up hearts around the world.

Tom’s exit was on his terms, having not felt challenged by his character’s plotlines, as mentioned in a recent Entertainment Weekly article. As a viewer—and I am a viewer (Mike and Tom Eat Snacks, anyone?), it has been increasingly difficult to look past the missed shots made by story editors and showrunner, so understandably, the actor would want to seek something more exciting and meatier. That said, Tom has always shone on-screen and taken what he’s been given in stride. He turns unearthed material into diamonds and indeed shines on screen. Steals it, even! Tom easily makes the episodes he’s in better, and when he’s missing, you feel the loss. The few episodes of Season 7 without him only give us a tiny hint at how the show will be without him going forward. It much resembles when you might bring out your favourite jigsaw puzzle, only to find that the one piece you need to complete it isn’t there.

***

On a personal note, as I write this, I am roughly 20 followers away from reaching a milestone of 2,000. I have written well over 200 stories for The Flash alone (whether they be short or long, one-shots or chaptered), and goodness knows how many words I’ve generated altogether over the course of these many years with inspiration from the show and my favourite character. I’ve written and co-written novel-length stories, one monumental Wellsian story of which was done alongside L and E (almost solely done through alternating text messaging in the app, Line) that reached over 108,000 words and consisted of 42 chapters. And when I’m not writing for my blog, I’m also working on trying to accomplish my dream of becoming a published author. Just as I thought before I launched my Tumblr blog, I think again now: Might as well give it a shot, right?

***

I have watched virtually everything Tom has been in that I could get my hands on, both physically and electronically. Sure, a few titles are out of my reach and probably lost to the very early 90's forever, but from what I've seen through Tom's filmography is enough to know that he can do anything. He can play the romantic leading man that will make you fall head over heels for him or a deranged killer that will have you genuinely scared of him. That is talent. Tom always brings something new to the table from each role to the next, and (when he's not playing those psycho killers) you can't help but admire his craft.

Not only is his acting stellar, but from what we as fans have gathered on the man, Tom has got to be one of the kindest men in the business. His humour and sheer ridiculousness could get anyone through a tough time (we’ve seen plenty of bloopers and behind-the-scenes videos to prove this!). He has clearly bottled and stored an endless supply of Fountain of Youth™ and each year continues to wow us with his handsomeness. Tom is charming, dedicated, and yes, arguably holds the world record for Bluest Eyes.

In my eyes, Tom Cavanagh gave me the two best friends I could have ever asked for, as well as plenty more lovely friends I’ve continued to make online. (One day, I hope to meet him again so that I can tell him in person how because of him, I’ve met such very important people in my life). Through Tom, I have truly found my passion for writing, and in doing so, segued me to dare to dream of becoming a published novelist. I wholeheartedly believe all of this would not have happened if it weren’t for those first series of events that led me to meet Tom and love and admire him immensely. He is indisputable proof that there are indeed men like him out there. Indeed, he did ruin all of my future expectations of men. He ruined my life in the absolute best way and I am eternally grateful.

I am very much looking forward to what Tom will do next. I think it’s rather needless to say that I will follow him in his career, as he has gained a devoted fan for life. He represents so much to me and so much of it I have gained since meeting him that fateful day, when I thought to myself, Maybe I should buy this T-shirt and get this guy to sign it. Wherever Tom goes in life, I’ll be here to cheer him on.

I have a pretty good feeling plenty of others will, too.

[falconprincess]

Okay so angel bby Jeffrey is doing shows around Florida this weekend. I live about 3.5 hours from the Miami one tomorrow night and about 2 hours away from the Sarasota one Sunday afternoon.

I'm super tempted to go to both of them. I'd drive down to Miami after work tomorrow, get a hotel, go to the show, then just drive to Sarasota straight from there on Sunday (about 3 hours 15 minutes).

This would be a "treat yoself" weekend for me bc I'm getting a hella good tax return and the tickets aren't expensive at all, but I'm so hesitant about doing all that driving and spending all that money in gas when Wrestlemania tickets go up for sale on Tuesday 😬 😬

Help?

[theflashland]

I am so mad that Season 6 Episode 16 got cancelled for two weeks!!! I don’t know what to do at 7 on tuesday anymore cuz everyone knows not to expect plans cuz i’m watching The Flash!! 😂

I’m sorry to hear that. Well, you can rewatch older episodes or read a book or make yourself a dinner or a nice bath, idk, treat yoself!

[romireads]

One of the plussides of having a job is earning money to buy books with (who needs food anyway?), and so this is already my third book haul of the month September! There’s still another book on its way, but because I ordered it via the Book Depository I think it’ll take a while before it’s here! Nevertheless, here are my four latest additions to my shelves and also another bookish thing, that every booknerd needs in their life!

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbour told you that she didn’t want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn’t stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You’ll have the baby monitor and you’ll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She’s gone.

You’ve never had to call the police before. But now they’re in your home, and who knows what they’ll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit? (Goodreads)

As you could see in Tuesday’s post, this was the book I’ll be enjoying a (blind) date with! I got this one from The Book Matchmaker and I really can’t wait to sit down with it. I might just make room for it in my October TBR!

A Little Life by Tanya Yanagihara

When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever. (Goodreads)

I have to admit that I have never read the full blurb of this book, but I have heard a lot of emotional things about it. Angry, heartbroken, you name it! Since I love books that make me feel heavy emotions, I think this book is perfect for me!

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

The house looked right, felt right to Dr Louis Creed.

Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago.

Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat.

But behind the house and far away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully cleared path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial.

A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding. (Goodreads)

I already talked about this book in my post on 10 creepy books to read in October and this will definitely be on my October TBR. Jo is holding a read along on this book over on her instagram, so if you’re still looking for a good October read, you should definitely head over to her page! I have heard people saying that this was the most creepy King book they’ve read so I’m definitely looking forward to reading this (I think!).

11.22.63 by Stephen King

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away…but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke… Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten…and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful. (Goodreads)

This is a Kingbook that doesn’t sound creepy at all (that is in my humble opinion), but just like Pet Sematary, this one’s high on some Constant Reader’s top five/ten lists! And I love myself a story where someone goes back in time to make the future better (or worse!)

The perfect gift for book lovers (or just for yourself, because TREAT YOSELF!)

Now the … thing that every booknerd needs in their life! This cute little bookmark light by IF! Pieter always has troubles getting to sleep when I’m still engrossed in my book at night, so we came up with the idea of purchasing a booklight. At Waanders in the Broeren (the prettiest bookstore I’ve ever seen so far) they had a couple of different ones, but this one was definitely the cutest! As you can see in the pictures above, you can either place it on your desk with the weighted foot, or clip it on the back of your book! Perfect right?!

September book haul #3 One of the plussides of having a job is earning money to buy books with (who needs food anyway?), and so this is already my third book haul of the month September!

[x-c-v-b-blog]

Treat yoself Tuesday. Up to 60% off storewide. www.xcvb.co.uk . . . . . #xcvb #sweater #sweatshirt #crewneck #screenprint #illustration #graphicdesign #graphicprint #streetwear #streetstyle #streetfashion #streetwearstyle #streetwearclothing #streetwearfashion #ukstreetwear #independentstreetwear #independentclothing #unisexstreetwear #unisexclothing #urbanwear #urbanfashion #urbanstyle #urbanclothing #skateclothing #skatewear #skatefashion #skatestyle #simplefits #minimalstyle #minimalfashion — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2BCpOLG

[mywildloves]

That happened yesterday, btw. I dont want to give you the impression that this happened today. I dont have *that* kinda money.

What it is is a treat. Tuesdays, Fridays, and *sometimes* Jared will stop and get me one during the weekend. But thats not every weekend. Gotta treat yoself, but there is such a thing as too much treat. Then its not a treat, its routine.

[blogmasterdutch]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dutch™ (@rickdutchcousin)

Instead of tacos, I decided to do this......y’all know what it is!!! 😌 Treat yoself👌🏽 #BrazilianBowl #FreshRoastedGranolaBars #FastEddy #SunLifeOrganics #WhereEverybodyKnowsYourName #AllRoadsLead2DaBu 🌊 #Malibu #CrossCreek #MalibuCountryMart #InstaGood #InstaDaily #InstaLike #InstaPic #InstaFood #Instagram #Love #Family #Friends #TheDutchFactory #TDF #TTMU #RickDutchCousin #Dutch #Music #Producer #Songwriter #SonyATV #SESAC #BMI #ARDICY 🎼🎥👙 Tuesday ~ October 8, 2019 (at SunLife Organics - Malibu East) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3YZFi5BFMg/?igshid=1109kgysl6ywy

[kayla-abroad]

Week Three

Work

     Week three of work was much less eventful than week two...no workplace injuries.  On Tuesday we met a new intern named McKayla from North Carolina.  Tuesday was also the wholesale manager Lydia’s birthday.  The majority of the day I continued my research on various influencers to use, but around 3 o’clock pm was sent out on a mission with Helena.  Helena is the another intern at Halfpenny and is an ANGEL.  She is from the south of France and possibly is the kindest person I have ever met.  Cherish and I adore her.  So, Grace, the workshop’s manager, set us on a mission to get Lydia a birthday gift, card, and a M&S “caterpillar cake”.  Lydia has a UK size 3 foot, which is actually a child’s foot size.  We took the tube to Oxford Circus and went to Selfridge’s & Co in search of a specific pair of Reebok’s, Adidas, or Nike sneakers...or should I say trainers.  Although we didn’t find Lydia’s shoes there, a pair of Nike trainers caught my eye and I actually went back for them today.  Anyway back to Lydia, no size threes anywhere.  Then we went to the Adidas store...no size three in the style she wanted.  Onto NikeTown, where we eventually found a good pair and thankfully in the size 3.  Although we successfully found a pair of trainers, Grace sent us to Liberty just to double check and see if they carried a pair of VEJA shoes in Lydia’s size.  Of course, no luck.  Grace didn’t mind and said the Nikes were perfect anyway.  We then went to Oliver Bonas for wrapping paper and a specific card that read: “Happy Twenty Something Birthday!”...out of stock.  After going back and forth with Grace back at headquarters, we ended up with one that said something about tequila making a great birthday.  I honestly don’t remember, all I remember is picking it out because Lydia had mentioned having plans of going to a tequila bar Mexican food place with friends later that night.  Lastly, we went to Marks & Spencer for the famous caterpillar cake.  Thankfully, we found it in a snap and went back to Halfpenny.  We helped Grace and Gill set up the surprise in the boutique shop’s office downstairs.  Throughout that entire excursion Helena taught me a couple new French phrases, which was fun because I love trying to learn new things.  I now know how to say “Where is the bathroom?”and “Sorry” in French.  Yes, only two phrases, but baby steps.  Helena taught me some phrases and in return I taught her one of the most amazing American sayings of all time…”Treat yoself.”  When we were in Selfridge’s, Helena kept on how she wished to buy herself something and it how it would be a pleasure.  She asked me if what she was saying made sense, and I said yeah sounds about right.  Usually when you buy yourself something it’ll give you pleasure and make you feel pretty happy in the moment.  So, this then lead to me teaching her the infamous slang phrase which is “treat yoself.”  Lydia’s surprise ended up being really cute and she loved the trainer’s.  The caterpillar cake was amazing and I now understand all the hype.  On Wednesday, generally there wasn’t much going on in the office.  During my lunch break, I tried Nando’s for the first time with Cherish and loved it.  I researched a bit more, but that was the extent of that.  Thursday was a sad because it was Helena’s last day.  She is so funny, she goes as we say our farewells “Goodbye my American friends!”  We both promised each other to stay in touch and that if she’s in New York she’ll let us know and vice versa if we’re ever in France.  It was so nice getting to know her the past three weeks, and I am proud to say I have an international friend!

[hot-dona]

happy treat yoself tuesday (at Pitchfork Music Festival)

[grindethos]

#tuesdaytip treat yoself 💐🍩☕️ I like to put cinnamon in my cwoaffee, what do you do to make Tuesdays fancy? #canoli #coffee #grindethos (at GrindEthos Artist Services)

[meghannbwright]

#tuesdaytip treat yoself 💐🍩☕️ I like to put cinnamon in my cwoaffee, what do you do to make Tuesdays fancy? (at GrindEthos Artist Services)

[x-c-v-b-blog]

Treat yoself Tuesday. 30-60% off storewide this week in our end of season sale. www.xcvb.co.uk . . . . . #xcvb #whatsgoodinthehood #typeography #typeface #fontdesign #lettering #tshirtdesign #tshirt #clothing #screenprint #streetwear #streetstyle #streetfashion #streetwearstyle #streetwearclothing #streetwearshop #streetwearfashion #independentclothing #independentstreetwear #shopindependent #simplefits #minimalstyle #minimalfashion #bestofstreetwear #unisexstreetwear #unisexclothing #urbanclothing #skateclothing — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2LUO5l7