General

Just a minor update. Vlad and I are in part of the path of Tropical Storm Fay. We do not expect a direct hit and should be just fine, but we may lose power. So if you do not hear from us, we are just sitting in our house playing Jenga by lantern light while eating canned soup and chips. Hopefully the power will not go out though and all will be good!

My background is not fashion, nor is Vlad’s, nor is my sister’s. In fact, some days in our office I can smell the faint remnants of chlorine seeping out through our skin. The chlorine came from 5 hours a day in the water, two practices a day, dryland, weights, stairs, running. You name it, we did it. And we did it at obscene hours. College was always fun, as my sister, Vlad, and l went to The Ohio State University to swim. A notorious party school, we would be bundled up walking to morning practice at 5 am and would see the ‘normal college students’ just on their way in from the night before. It was a different path, but competitive swimming was a major part of our life for years. Now we are all phased out of the sport, but many of our friends are still competing. And these Olympic games have been beyond exhilarating for us to watch, as we all know and have been rooting for many athletes competing.

We wanted to take this time to say great job and good luck to all of our friends competing in the Summer 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing!

Read on...

For those of you who pay close attention to Purse Blog, you will see that we have had two posts by Shannon this week. Yes, an unfamiliar name that has not been introduced. But we want to take the time to introduce our newest member of the Purse Blog and Purse Forum team, Shannon Mahoney. I take a special liking to her, since she is my older sister! And yes, I am Meaghan (shortened to Megs) and she is Shannon, we could not have more Irish names if we tried.

Shannon has moved down from Washington DC and left her job in the corporate world to help our company and websites grow. Her previous job focused on statistical analysis – let’s face it, handbags are so much more fun!

You will see Shannon posting on Purse Blog some, but she will be working behind the scenes mostly.

Welcome Shannon! We are happy to have you on our team!

The resonating theme of the Strategic Airline Event Vlad and I attended in the beginning on June was “It is the only way to fly“. The ‘it’ being referred to is private air charter. And I am not going to sit here and pretend I have flown privately for eons, because I have not. In fact, I have never. But the perks of flying privately really are worth the price. In fact, if you are traveling with a larger group, flying privately can be as cost effective as flying via a commercial airliner, minus the long wait, early check in, and delays.

Vlad and I attended an event held by Strategic Air, who specializes in worldwide private air charter, on June 11th in a private hangar at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails were served as the guests mingled and boarded the aircraft and a luxury motor home that Strategic Air provides. The guests chatted and as we made our way around I realized that flying with the Deltas and US Airways is not comparable to flying privately. When you fly privately you are treated like royalty, especially by Strategic Air. From arriving to the airport to arriving at your destination the company pampers you as, offering car service, catering, hotels, and personal protection. I really would only need the catering, as the rest I can handle, but the company covers everything so that you do not have to. An array of airplanes are offered, and again, if I had it my way I would travel in one of their Heavy Jets, which can hold between 12-15 passengers. Read the full article...

We left without saying goodbye! Vlad and I will be in Key West through next Monday celebrating the 4th of July with our family and most importantly celebrating my grandmother’s 82nd birthday. It has become a tradition that my family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) come to Key West each summer for my grandmother’s birthday. This is the 3rd year, as we have been doing it since her 80th. Posting will be really slow, if at all, seeing that we are on island time and the internet only works at the Starbucks down the street (very slowly might I add). I can’t even check emails, as the connection is too slow to bring in all my messages. So this is what I call a true vacation! We will try to be on some, but if not, have a great 4th of July and see you all on Monday!

How many times have you heard that patience is a virtue? I attempt to be patient in all walks of life, but when it comes to waiting for the mail man to bring me a much anticipated package I can not control myself. Typically I do not even go down the route of ordering a bag online; shocker, right? I prefer going to the store, picking the item, and leaving with a big shopping bag and a big smile. But last week I began to yearn for a new little treat and the treat that I settled on is being shipped to me now. It is funny because the item is not something I thought I would get anytime soon, rather it is a holy grail of sorts. But when I heard that it *may* be available and then found out that indeed it was not sold, but waiting for me, I had to say yes. There was no way I could decline an item like this. It is not a large purse, rather a clutch/wallet. The material is beyond divine and the color is iconic. But I will not share the exact details until this divine design arrives to me (middle of this week).

So what do you do to pass the time when waiting for a coveted purchase? Do you order many bags to have them sent to you? Do you have anything fabulous waiting to arrive (or are on a wait list for)?

This Sunday is Father’s Day (if you forgot you still have time). For some reason Mother’s Day is always marketed for months before, making sure that every child and husband in the world will not forget about the special day. But what about the dad’s, the ones that also do so much for us? Well even if they are neglected from a marketing standpoint, we do not need to neglect them. I did my father’s day shopping today. And while I can’t share my secret, because my dad will undoubtedly read this and see, but I know it is a gift he will enjoy. Hope all of you and your dad’s have a fabulous Father’s Day!!

So what did you get your father and/or husband for Father’s Day?

Just a mini update, from the internet-less world. We are in what I would imagine my mother’s childhood to be like. Only worse. There are no friends outside to go play with and my peanut butter and jelly sandwich would taste so much better next to the internet filled computer. Somehow, Comcast did not believe that our new address existed. Which meant they would not come out and hook it up. Which means no internet. Which means sitting in the far corner of our place huddled by the window attempting to mooch off our neighbors un-password protected ‘default’ network. This is like pulling teeth. And of course my lap top does not want to connect to the shoddy offering, so I am on Vlad’s lap top, and it feels so alien. So this is why there have not been any additional posts nor have Vlad or I been on the forum much. We have been like a thorn in the side of Comcast, so it appears that if all goes according to plan we will be up and running again on Wednesday. Until then we have to drop by Starbucks or go on our iPhones, which are both slow and frustrating. Thanks for being patient! We will be back in business shortly.

Charity: Water

While many of us are thinking about what additional materialistic good to get for our mother (or self) for Mother’s Day, there are mothers and children around the world worrying about having some clean water this coming Sunday. Many women and children walk up to three miles a day carrying 40 lbs of contaminated water to their families. Each day 4500 children will die from water-related illnesses. Saks is pairing up with Charity: Water to help bring clean water to those who need it most. Charity: Water is non-profit bringing clean and safe drinking water into impoverished communities. In less than 2 years, we have funded more than 600 projects in 11 nations that will provide 250,000 people with clean water. Through Saks you can purchase a bracelet for $5, send an E-card to your mom for $20, or sponsor a fresh water well for $5000. There are options to do as much as your budget allows and this will show your mom that you care this Mother’s Day; not only about her but about other mothers and children around the world. Read more at Saks and through Charity: Water.

Just wanted to give you all a heads up that we are currently in the airport again. I know, I should change my address to 1 Airport Way because really, when is the last time I was in one place for more than two weeks. We are heading to NYC again to attend an exciting event on behalf of Glam Network. We will bring you exclusive photos from the event and tell you more about it this week!

Posting may be a little slow today, but we will pick it back up for the week from NYC. And Happy Earth Day!