Breathtaking South Lake Tahoe

My hubby and I were due for a vacation.  We own a timeshare and we needed to do something by the end of the year or we would lose the opportunity.  We decided we would go to the Tahoe Seasons in South Lake Tahoe.

Hubby was really excited to go hiking, swim, walk around...  That all went out the door when the weather turned on us.  Who knew that there would be a freak snow storm this early in winter?  We certainly didn't.  

It turns out, it was a blessing in disguise.  It gave us the opportunity to see Tahoe in a whole different light!  It was a rare opportunity to see the fall foliage in full bloom with a fresh layer of powdery snow blanketing it.  I posted a bunch of personal pics on my Instagram account under the username, ooi0katzy0ioo.  I'm a big foodie so I love going on vacation and taking pictures of all the yummy things I eat.  You'll see a lot of those in the account.  Believe it or not, all those pictures were taken AND EDITED with my iPhone 4S!  Even this gorgeous panorama below:

I took this on the shoreline while the sun was setting.  I was worried it would be too dark but it came out better than I expected.  If you'd like to see more just watch the slideshow below or click on it and it will take you to that album on my photography website: Johanne Moore Photography.  Happy clicking!

My Fave Fall Trends 2012

Fall has to be one of my favorite seasons.  Do you know why?  The rich colors, textures and BOOTS galore!  I'll give you a run down of just a few of my fave trends.

1. If it ain't "baroque" don't fix it!  HA!  What was big on the runway for fall were baroque inspired prints on dresses, skirts, blouses, even purses...pretty much everything.  The luxurious print adds a touch of class to any outfit and makes for a bold statement, like the sweater dress I feature above. 
2. Floral!  I'm a girly girl and when I saw all the floral prints out in stores (shoes, bags, tops, bottoms) I was in heaven.  Obviously, I would have to keep the rest of my outfit simple to balance out the busy print and, just like the image above, I would also pair it with some rugged/ripped skinny jeans just to tone down the overtly girlyness of the blazer.  I would also choose some studded, spiked, moto-inspired boots or booties to complete the outfit just because I always like pairing opposites.  This blazer is a great piece to add to your work closet.  
3. Bring out your WILD side!  Snake, zebra, leopard, crocodile...  Fashion is a ZOO right now!  I love all the animal prints and animal embossed leather that is saturating the stores.  Sam Edelman, one of my fave shoe designers, came out with an on-trend spiked, snake print, leather, crossbody satchel that is to die for.  Pour la victoire came out with a color-blocked, crocodile-embossed, leather satchel (loving the pop of burgundy on the sides).  Both purses have feminine shapes but the animal embossed leather and hardware keep it young, modern, and oh so CHIC!
4. The color of amour.  Red, deep red, is the color of the season this year as you can see from the various items above.  It adds a beautiful pop of color to any outfit.  
5. Booties!  Who doesn't wear boots for fall?  Remember when over-the-knee was THE boot to wear?  Well now the fashion pendulum has swung the other way to their shorter counterpart, the bootie.   A great pair are the Sam Edelman wedge booties seen above.  They take advantage of the on-trend color, which is gorgeous, and the comfy wedge heel assures that you can walk in them.
6. Man it UP!  Yea I said it!  Men's-wear inspired shoes, like oxfords and loafers, are everywhere.  Dolce Vita, another one of my fave shoe designers, captures multiple trends in one shoe: crocodile embossed leather, cap toe, and men's wear inspired.  What more could you want?  

If you liked any of the items above, you can click on the links below and get them for yourself.  Have fun shopping for fall! :)

Torn by Ronny Kobo short sleeve sweater dress
shopbop.com

Rag bone floral print blazer
shopbop.com

Sam Edelman wedge boots
bloomingdales.com

Dolce Vita flat shoes
bloomingdales.com

Sam Edelman leather handbag
bloomingdales.com

Pour la victoire handbag
bloomingdales.com

Presidential Election Season

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/politics/debate-main/index.html

If you live in the United States and are paying attention to the news, or watching TV, or even listening to the radio, you know that we are closing in on our presidential election.

You can expect the mud slinging, the exaggerations, the political ads from politicians and various organizations championing one proposition over another.  Sometimes, I just get sick and tired of hearing, seeing and reading it all.

I always wanted to be an active participant in our government.  I even look forward to getting my jury summons and always wish I could be chosen (still haven't).  However, being a responsible voter is a lot of work!  Why?  Because I constantly have to research whether or not what I'm being told is the TRUTH!  Honesty is hard to come by within politics.

As I prepare to watch tonight's town hall debate between Governor Romney and President Obama, I can't help but remember their last debate on Oct. 4th.  I know I'll probably get a lot of flack for this, and I did at work, but both candidates LIED.  OMG, you'd think I cussed out the President according to one of my co-workers.  She was so offended and couldn't believe I would say something like that about our President.  I kept telling her that I said both candidates but apparently I could say whatever I wanted about Governor Romney.  She asked me to send her proof so I did.  To me, exaggerations and inaccurate numbers are lies especially since I have no doubt that they, with all the resources they have access to, are aware of the exact numbers.  It's all about spin.  She's being naive and sensitive because she is for a particular candidate (Obama) and refuses to hear anything negative about her favored candidate.

I'm very grateful to have access to the following website: FactCheck.Org.  They are a non-biased, non-partisan, NON-PROFIT group that research all the statistics and claims that politicians throw around.  They then publish their research, with sources cited, on their webpage.  This is how I figure out whether or not someone is telling the truth or not.  It will be the same website I check after I watch the second Presidential Debate.  I just hope that people, including my co-worker, realize that politicians lie. It's what they do.  I've accepted it and work around it by doing my own research.