What To Wear, What To Wear

I find myself faced with many difficult decisions lately. First, it was the dress to wear to my son’s wedding. I made that decision, waited to try it on, and found I was less than pleased. The dress fit perfectly, but I didn’t feel the style was flattering enough.

After that I had to figure out a new style to order instead. There was the style with the ruffle on the same website, or other possibilities on the same website, but I decided that I needed something that was not all one color, to create a visual vertical division of my width, perhaps resulting in more flattery. I returned to a website I had visited before, and eventually found something that I think will work.

I ordered a jacket to be made to wear with the dress, but it is a more tailored style than the jacket pictured, and the color and fabric will be similar to the swatch pictured, only without the embroidery. I ordered the ensemble from Peggy Lutz. I once commented that some of the styles on that site were a bit matronly, but I have since come to appreciate that there is a very large selection on that site, and not all possibilities are pictured. When I ordered the dress, Peggy Lutz herself called me to discuss the order, and then helped me to select a jacket style and fabric that we both agreed would be a good choice.

The previous dress I ordered was from Astarte Woman, and I also spoke personally with the designer of the fashions there, Jennifer Davis. As I said, the dress fit perfectly, but I just decided I would prefer a different style.

The policy at Astarte is that they will exchange the dress for credit. (Astarte also will make clothing to your measurements, even if you are larger than the largest size they offer!) Jennifer spoke with me at length about which other styles might work for me, and which fabrics she had to work with. She sent me a generous fabric swatch with photos of two styles made from the fabric, but I decided to order some flexible separates from Astarte instead of another dress. My wardrobe is in desperate need of a boost! Jennifer is going to send me some swatches of the prints that she has to coordinate with the available solid colors. I guess I like to add interest to solid fabrics with a coordinating print, but I have to be careful not to make my short frame look even shorter and broader!

Last week I mentioned getting in touch with a friend that I have not seen for a while. I spoke with her on the phone this week, and found out that she actually makes jewelry for weddings. I knew she liked beading, but I didn’t know she had taken it to that level. So, maybe she can help me out with my jewelry!

Dating Decisions, Good Humor

I have spoken about my recent good fortunes in becoming acquainted with “a few good men” (love that movie!). So, the hard part is having to make choices when it comes to finding a good match.

I have come to realize that one important element for me is humor. I have seen many profiles on dating sites that say the man wants a woman with a good sense of humor, but I never really thought about how important that is to me in a man. I think we all love to laugh. Normally, I rely on good comedy on television and in movies to help me get a good laugh. Now that I am comparing men, though, I realize that some men enjoy telling jokes, while others are more like me, and just get their laughs by enjoying the humor of others.

I think I can be too serious sometimes. I’m not the stereotypical “jolly fat person,” but I do love it when something or someone makes me laugh. My best male friend is pretty good at making me laugh, sometimes because he just can’t stop making puns, and sometimes because he is dramatic in a way that can be very humorous. My father loved to tell jokes, so maybe there is an element of being reminded of my father when I meet a man who enjoys telling jokes. Harville Hendrix has that theory about us being attracted to familiar traits, you know? I’m not looking for a father figure, but there is certainly something comforting about the familiar.

Career Decisions

Last but not least, I have to do some serious thinking about how I’m going to earn a living for the rest of my life. I am not exactly the kind of dietitian that most employers are looking for when they advertise an opening for a dietitian, or even a nutrition teacher. I think I have mentioned that students tend to expect their nutrition teacher to be a good bit leaner than I am.

So, do I keep trying to fit myself into the mold of expectations, or do I branch out into my own specialty, with no employer to make the decision as to whether I fit their idea of what is needed?

As I write this, the answer begins to seem more clear. But there is that fear of stepping out into the unknown – that realm where there are no salaries, no benefits, and no job descriptions already written. Family members tend to encourage seeking the security and stability of a job, any job. Sometimes, though, job security appears to be an illusion that no longer exists.

Exercise Non-Decisions

Sigh. I am still having a hard time giving physical movement the priority it merits. I am going to commit, right here and now, to two thirty minute “movement sessions” between now and the next blog I write! If I don’t mention it next week, ask me why, please!

My interest in nutrition developed from the weight issues I had in my youth. My sister and I always tended to be heavier than other kids, and we were teased about it, so naturally I wanted to "fix" myself by dieting. That worked pretty well in my teenage years, but adulthood was much more challenging. I started out as a dietitian who advocated dieting, but due to my own experience with my weight and dieting, as well as my extensive study of the subject of weight management, I have become an advocate of Health at Every Size. The first fellow professional who influenced my "conversion" was Ellyn Satter, who is also a dietitian. I got my Bachelor's Degree in Dietetics in 1975, (LSU) followed by a Master's in 1981(Univ of TN), and a PhD in 1997 (Univ of TN). I have worked in longterm care, public health, and one hospital. For the last 8 years, I have been teaching at the college level. I am the proud mother of a 24 year old son, and have been single since my divorce in 1993. That is when I moved to Atlanta from Cookeville, Tennessee. I moved around a lot in my childhood due to my father's job, but my parents grew up in Texas, and that is where my roots are. I lived in Brazil for 3 years as a teenager, and one of my sisters still lives there.