i’m southern. despite years at working to surpress my native accent – it still shows up. and not only in my speech pattern but also in my dialect, my propensity to walk around barefoot, my love of boiled peanuts and cold watermelon and a strong desire to actually live IN the water. okay maybe that just makes me quirky but never mind that for now…

so yesterday when i read that the high was only going to be in the 70’s i had a total happy dance! for me that means practically winter – which means, of course one very important thing to all southern divas:  BOOT WEATHER!

last night marcus and i had a date night planned. there is a new york landmark here, in the heart of harlem called Amy Ruth’s. it is soul food (ie: southern comfort food!) at it’s finest. i was there once, almost exactly five years ago with my sisters and mom. i returned home with thrilling tales of the city and chinatown and food. marcus was mainly interested in hearing about the food – imagine that! so every visit here since then we’ve been wanting to go to Amy Ruth’s so marc can indulge too. we never made it, until last night that is.

we were very excited and i even fixed my hair and put on ‘real’ makeup (when you walk everywhere, i’ve discovered, it doesn’t do much good to primp too much – you’re hair is bound to go flat and makeup will mysteriously vanish from your skin anyway!). so we took some time and got all spiffy.

and knowing that it was ‘cool’ outside – i eagerly slipped on some gorgeous leather knee high boots with rather tall heels, my fav jeans, and an awesome bling-ed out jacket and off we went for our date!

we took a car to the restaurant and realized it wasn’t really too far away. we went inside and giggled while ordering our fav’s off the menu, sure we’d be taking home doggie bags of food to enjoy later!

our food arrived and we realized everything we ordered was in the ‘yellow’ food group! that can’t be healthy right?? but man does it taste amazing! then we ate. and ate. and ate. totally awesome! and shockingly there wasn’t much to carry home!

when we walked outside we stopped at the corner to get a cab. there didn’t seem to be many out so i decide to go to, what looks like, a larger intersection. as we are walking we are also talking and laughing and enjoying the near perfect weather and end up several blocks the opposite direction of home. because we aren’t seeing many cabs and it is so lovely to be out i announce that it’s so pretty, why don’t we just walk till we get tired and catch a cab if we need too. so off we go.

now because we’d gone the opposite direction first, it made our trip home significantly longer – but who cares! it was great to be out enjoying ‘our’ city. we looked at the different shops – so foreign to suburbia! we are amazed at the stand offering up a broken elliptical machine and rows of ratty VHS tapes…. to who??  so fun, right!?!

about two blocks later: BAM! it hits.

what hits? well… let’s just say i had too much fun eating things that i don’t normally eat all at once and my stomach (colon??) was revolting.

“i want a cab, now!” i announce.  (there simply are not any public restrooms in the city – and none where we were by then.)

so i start looking. no empty cabs do i see. we wait. still none. we walk a few more blocks. none. oh- there’s one – nope. he caught a glimpse of garrett and decided not to stop (that’s a common nyc thing – blog to come later). so we walk. and walk. and walk. we stop at a larger intersection. and by now – it is getting warm. very warm.

i’m looking for a cab and maybe… then g dog decides he wants to use the facilities (ie: grass patch). a cab is pulling up – oh darn. we aren’t ready cause garrett is still doing his business. i tell him i’m about to join him. he doesn’t seem to mind – marc isn’t very fond of the idea tho. and it’s hot. i mean soaked in sweat kind of hot. we take off walking – it’s all uphill now.

long story short, (oops! sorry…too late!) several miles later we return home. and all is well.

i have one little blister to show for my boot obsession.

lesson learned? oh several… but one huge one! don’t wear sexy boots for long walks?? don’t pull out leather boots in august?? no, no, no – the biggest lesson: keep the number to a car service in my phone.

never, ever, sacrifice boot time!

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