Prepster Dufus

Maybe my affinity of the "preppy" sports comes from my country club upbringing, but who knows? Maybe I was always a girl destined to love golf and tennis and all that those two sports entail. Don't misunderstand, I played competitive basketball and softball growing up, in addition to competitive cheerleading (those of you who don't consider this a sport, please keep your comments to thy self). I heart me some Sooner football and the Dallas Mavs, but there is still something about those country club extra-curricular activities.

The clothes are fabulous as are the tradition and genteelness that surround these sports. But let me be clear - golf attire for the ladies was in the doldrums up until five years ago.

Nancy Lopez...hmmm, pleaty.

For example, when I was playing golf in high school our uniforms were pretty cool for the day and they consisted of khaki shorts from the GAP and over-sized Polos. Buh. The cotton did not breathe and by the time my round was finished I resembled a crumpled, sweaty, untailored disaster. And let us not forget the sad unflattering pleats of the mid to late '90s, modeled above by none other than Miss Nancy Lopez.

Tennis clothes have always been lovely. Two words: Wimbledon Whites.

Maria Sharapova...bravo.

Now the golfing ladies out there can look just as cute (while not showing quite as much skin) as their tennis counterparts. I'm loving all of the new Dri-fit material and the introduction of the golf skirt. I wear mine around town even when I'm not hitting the links. They're super cute and very comfortable. Check out these two beauties from LIJA.

Not to mention the improvement of the golf short and tops, in general. Here are a couple of examples of modern golf attire.

Outfit No. 1:Outfit 2:Shoes. Let us not forget the shoes! Walking through a PGA Store in Dallas I was speechless to see how many clothes that they had for women's golf. The styles and colors were beyond anything that I could have ever hope for in high school. The shoes above are made by Dawgs and have utilized the technology pioneered by Crocs. I don't have a pair but I would be interested in wearing them. You can also design your very own FootJoy's at GolfShoesOnly! Check out the pair that I put together this morning. Being a girl from Texas I love that you can add your monogram or even an emblem of your choosing.

Most of my time in Trinidad has been spent playing both of these sports. Who wouldn't want to run around town, the courts or a golf course in sweet rags like these?? If you like the Keri Golf bags, I'm right there with you. In fact, BF gave me one for my birthday a few years back. Love it and it always steals the show.

Here's to all of the "Prepster Dufuses" out there and the people that love them. Argyle and all.

Double Down

Living in Trinidad, West Indies one of the first things that you discover is that this country loves chicken. But more specifically, Trinidad and Tobago love KFC. That's right, the Colonel is in full effect in this southern most Caribbean nation. There is one on nearly every corner and in downtown Port of Spain the highest grossing KFC in the world mightily sits on a crowded street.

You can imagine every one's excitement when just yesterday Kentucky Fried Chicken unveiled their new "Double Down." What could be better than a chicken sandwich, sans bread? Why didn't we think of this before now? This is, after all, the 21st Century is it not?

Watch the T.V. commercial here.

But why stop there? Why shouldn't we have hamburgers made up of a patty, lettuce, pickles, what-have-you, sandwiched between two more patties? The gluten-sensitive community will sing our praises. Finally a sandwich for those tummies who can't process evil breads.

BF made the fine suggestion of a literal "grilled" cheese. One piece of cheese with the branded cross-hatching pattern normally reserved for slabs of meat or even bread. I also like the idea of a chicken fried steak sandwich. Two all-beef chicken fried patties sandwiching some thick cream gravy in the middle. Or the Meatloaf sandwich. Meat can be a loaf just as much as bread can.

Woman's Day posted an article called, "8 Sandwiches with No-Bread Buns" guess I'm not the first one to think of other sandwich options. Check it out though, some of them are pretty hilarious and awful looking.

I'm mailing this idea to the U.S. Patent Office, post haste! Who wants in? I could use some start up money for my all meat, no bread sandwich venture. We can call them "Sansi-Bread Wiches."

Lauren...Lauren...Here!

Hi kids! Sorry for the lapse in posts. I told ya'll last week that my folks were in town and then I got sick. The kind of sick where you don't even want to turn your computer on because it will be "too loud and bright."


Don't worry, I'm working on a few great posts (at least I think they're great) for this week. Stay tuned there is more to come.

For now enjoy this blast from the Ren & Stimpy past, Muddy Mudskipper.

Muddy Mudskipper & Friends

This week my adorable parents are visiting BF and I in Port of Spain. We have had some fun already playing golf in the hills, lounging by the pool, amazing meals and taking boat rides through the swamp to see birds and wildlife. Have you ever heard of a Four-Eyed Fish?? B-Zarr.

The four-eyed fish is what you would think of as a Mudskipper, called this because they are the only fish that can actually walk. And yes, they do have four eyes. Super weird looking little bubble eyes that float at the surface of the water while they swim.

We saw these bug-eyed freaks of nature at the Caroni (pronounced Care-un-ee) Natural Bird and Wildlife Preserve, just south of Port of Spain. The preserve takes up 40 square Km and is like no swamp I have ever seen. No bugs, crazy Black, Red and White Mango trees, snakes and some amazing birds. Not just any birds though, the National bird of Trinidad, the Scarlet Ibis.

We hopped on a guided boat at 4:00 p.m. and by 5:30 we were watching an entire colony of Scarlet Ibis come into roost for the evening.

They are electric red and nearly glow they're color is so saturated. They are similar to Flamingos in the fact that they get their color from their diet. Kind of like people who eat a ton of carrots and end up being tinted a faint orange.

No carrot people here.

Ten points to the first person who can tell me what Muddy the Mudskipper comes from.

Too Sexy Swimwear??

This new life of wearing a swimsuit every day definitely gets a girl jonesing for a new under water ensemble. I'm a big fan of little laceys - everything from underoos to p.j.s, but what about swimwear?

Agent Provocateur has just launched a new line of swimsuits. Enter at your own risk because they are racy to the max. Would you wear something like this to the beach?




Yes...these are all intended to be swimwear. Maybe just stick to your own backyard for the corset inspired one, m'kay. With a nearly $800 price tag I suppose you would want someone else to see it besides your Golden Retriever.




Now this one is cool. These little numbers are called Amylee and Candy and I would definitely wear either of them to the pool, if they weren't $280 (!!!) EACH. For real?



Photos courtesy of http://www.agentprovocateur.com/

Take a Seat

Sitting on the porch overlooking the water my mind wandered to sofas this morning. What? You don't think about sofas? I bet my friends over at Young House Love and UrbanGrace know what I'm talking about. Furniture is art and I love and appreciate it as so.

Here are some of my favorite obsessions as of late:

These two lovelies are from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. BF and I stalked Liam for years before finally moving away from the neighborhood where the store was located. Sorry for the picture quality, it doesn't give the plush navy velvet with nail head trim justice. It was even more comfortable than it looks. I could die a happy woman on this couch.

The next two beauties are the same Tailor Sofa from Crate&Barrel. The new furniture designs that they came out with after the new year are really fabulous. I can't decide which upholstery I enjoy more the classic white linen that really shows of the lines and nail head or the masculine stripe. I love pieces that look like a man's suit.This piece is amazing. I have no idea where I found it originally, it has been sitting in my furniture file for so long that its origin escapes me. But look how pretty! Loving the masculine, distressed leather paired with the feminine white washed framing.

While in the Caribbean I have been pondering what I want to be when I grow up. Based on the place that my mind wanders to every spare moment of the day it should be obvious. I was born to sit on sofas.

No Photo?

Trinidad is amazing and many of you have been asking for photos and updates and I have a billion posts written (in my head) but nothing to post. Why??

This may sound lame but I left my camera at a friend's house and she is in the States until mid April. There are cool pics on that wee little camera on house arrest on the Northern Ridge.

The folks are coming down today and we will be having many more adventures and I will be sure to capture them on my back up camera. Stay tuned!

For now, enjoy a bit of locally loved Trini food. It's called Doubles and it is the messiest most delicious thing ever. You buy it off the street from a (sanitation inspected) street cart. It is some sort of crepe like bread with a mixture of chickpeas, spices and other "stuff" folded inside. You have to eat it right there on the street or else risk losing it to the floor of your car or it bonding with the wax paper it's wrapped in. It looks a bit like vomit but I'm pretty certain it isn't.