Karen R.
Big Plans at Christmas
Aug 22, 2013
I know the school year hasn't even really started yet, but I'm already looking towards Christmas. Given that I need to fly over 15 hours to get home and there are a lot of expats in the same boat (meaning that airline tickets get snapped up early), it pays to plan ahead. I'll be booking my ticket home this weekend.
Because I'm already thinking about travel, I've also begun thinking about Christmas presents. I'm not married, nor do I have any children of my own. My sister has two daughters, who are 14 and 17. I adore them and only get to see them 2-3 times a year. So I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to gift giving. I'm lucky that at this stage in my life in that I have some disposable income (trust me--that wasn't always the case!) and if you can't dispose of it on the people you love, then what good is it?
Last year, the younger niece got 34th row center seats for New Direction (and she cried all over me when she opened the present--it was awesome!). This year, I'd like to do something special for the 17 year old. She's a senior this year and trying to navigate that tricky time between being a girl and a young woman. She's a jock with a love of fashion (she's obsessed by Pinterest), who admires looks she sees in fashion magazines but is always moaning about how she could never figure out how to do something like that herself.
If all goes right, I should be pretty darned close to goal weight at Christmas. I'm in a size 12 now, but already my new jeans (bought just a couple of weeks ago) are becoming loose. I'm hoping to be a size 6 or 4 by mid-December. So I've contacted a personal shopper/stylist in Chicago and asked what she would charge to take my niece and I shopping, and show us what looks work for us. I've never done anything like this before, but I think it could be big fun. I'd love to get some professional advice about what to wear (I love the show What Not to Wear, and this feels as if it would be a real life version of the show). Even now, when I choose clothes I tend to think with the same mentality I always have--go with something loose up top, make sure it's long enough to cover your hips, etc. I don't know if I'll need to think that same way in four months or if I'll be brave enough to wear something more form-fitting--at least not with a helpful push in the right direction.
The stylist has written me back, seems really nice and has availability on December 20th. That's close enough to Christmas as far as I'm concerned. I get in to the country on the 18th. I'm pretty sure my niece has school on the 20th, so I want to make sure my sis is okay with her missing a day. The stylist has even said my sis can go along with us, shopping, which I think she'd really enjoy. It should be a whole lot of fun, if a little pricey. I'm planning to not only pop for the cost of the session, but to buy my niece an outfit at the end of it. I figure if I publicize this amongst my family members beforehand, enough people will be willing to contribute to my niece's "clothes fund" to enable her to buy more than one outfit. Plus, she'll have the knowledge moving forward about what's most flattering on her. The stylist will also consult on makeup and hair.
As for me, this is yet another goal to shoot for. If I'm going to hire a stylist, I want to be as close to where I want to be as possible. So I have even more incentive to stick to my food and exercise plans.
I'm looking forward to a really good day. 
