Suzanne Carillo Style Files

Adventures In Zip Lining - How To Have Major Crotch Whiskers

My sister flew across the country to visit me in September and while she was here we did the normal lady-like things you'd expect...shopping, eating, drinking, shopping, repeat.

 The reason I'm not drinking my usual martini is because we were at a Thai restaurant and I needed to try one of their specialty drinks. 

The water pitcher on the table with the yellow top sings like a tropical bird when you pour water out of it. 

Yeah I'm wearing patterned jeans to hike.  It's a blogger thing.

NOT

We were out having lunch and shopping and I didn't bring other pants to change into when we got to the park. As it was we had to change in the car and there was a guy parked next to us the whole time. #bloggeroverexposed. 

We also went to see this...

It was a very wild & funny ride my friends...it goes beyond where you think they will go. Just so you know, the writers were the same people that wrote South Park. And they go ALL THE WAY and then some.

We loved it.

The wild and crazy was only just starting though...as we decided to become "Weekend Warriors" zip lining, suspension bridge tree canopy touring, rappelling and kayaking.  

I've been zip lining before in Costa Rica and loved it...so another go around this time with my sister was a blast.

And yes...I'm a tree hugger...

This was my sister saying goodbye at the 40 ft rappel. I must admit this part had me scared. You have to manoeuvre around at the edge of the platform and then dangle over. Believe it or not...I have a fear of heights.  I put on my big lady panties that day and got through it though. 

The gal in front of us made it worse because she was super scared. It took her at least 10 minutes to get the courage to go down. 

 

How do you like the outfit? Now this is how to layer ladies! I mean how many times can you wear a baseball cap and a helmet on a fashion blog? 

Zero. One

The gloves are a bit gauche though don't you think?

And the harness is doing nothing at all for my crotch whiskers. It does act as a very good external bra though. 

Yeah...that little red helmet zipping away into the unknown is me : ) 

It may not look like it, but this suspension bridge was the scariest for me. You can't tell from the photo...but you are high up...super high up. Our wonderful guide got 4 of us out there at once and proceeded to have all of us lean with all our body weight on one side of the bridge...faces down...stomach flat on the cables. We were laying down, horizontally staring at the vast valley below. 

At this point I may have screamed. 

More than once. 

The whole bridge was tipped.  It felt like it was going to flip around on us any second. 

This really got the adrenalin pumping. 

I felt a bit like Wonder Woman after that.

 

The next day we had a bit of a more tranquil setting...kayaking down Big Creek. 

The biggest deal on the kayak trip was the bathroom...which, as you may have guessed is in the same place where all the other animals in nature do it...in the bush, with one major exception...there was an actual toilet seat.  Someone took four planks of wood and stuck a toilet seat on top. There wasn't even really a hole. You still had to squat all the way down, almost to the ground, but at least you were sitting on a toilet seat! LOL It was weird.  I don't know how that makes it environmentally friendly.  Who am I to judge though...I'm no survivor woman.  One of the other gals on the trip did bring a roll of toilet paper with her...clearly her survival skills are far superior to my own. 

I had never been to Long Point and I can tell you that the beach was vast and the sand was very soft. It went as far as we could see in both directions. It reminded me of the eastern Florida coast, but it's not the ocean...it's  Lake Erie.

Finally I wanted to share one of the wonderful jazz singers from the South Coast Jazz festival. This is June Garber.  I was as impressed with her outfit/nails/lashes/hair as I was with her singing. This woman doesn't let her age dictate a thing.  

I apologize in advance if the camera is a tiny bit wobbly. I had several glasses of wine by that time.

The venue was inside the Burning Kiln winery and you can see some of the vats when I zoom out to the people dancing. 

 

I think every weekend warrior event needs to end with a few glasses of wine and some good music. 

I really like to "rough" it.  

Have you tried any adventure sports? What was the scariest/most fun? I might need to add something to my bucket list.  

Surprising Secrets About Sylvia from 40+ Style

Some of you may read Sylvia's blog from 40+Style. It's not a personal style blog, it's a professional blog designed to aide women seeking guidance and inspiration on dressing themselves after 40. 

Since her blog is more professional than personal I'd like you share a few interesting things I learned about Sylvia when I was in the Netherlands and stayed at her place. 

First off, she was kind enough to let a total stranger come and stay at her wonderful newly decorated house in Haarlem...which is gorgeous BTW.

Before I went to Holland I'd connected more with Anja and Greetje through their blogs than Sylvia. Anja managed to convince Sylvia that it would be "a good idea" to have me come and stay at her house while she finished up some home renovations at hers.  Sylvia generously agreed to this arrangement.

We both promised not to slit the other's throat in the night so we figured that was a good start.  

A little story about when I first arrived at Sylvia's house...we got to know each other rather quickly due to special circumstances, the stairs up to my room were so narrow and steep that my suite case couldn't be carried up. Instead, I had to unpack everything in the living room and Sylvia helped me take it piecemeal up to my room.  You get to know someone a lightening speed after carrying their sundries and undies upstairs.

This is what I came downstairs to find on my first morning at Sylvia's place...

How is that for welcoming? 

Does this look like a woman that suffers from severe Ornithophobia?

No?

Well she does. Big time. Just so you don't need to look that up it means a fear of birds. We had to move inside while eating at an outdoor patio because there were too many pigeons scrounging around and it was stressing Sylvia.

Little quirks. Everybody's got them.

When I first saw Sylvia she was seated in her living room in front of her computer...working away on her blog.  She is a Wordpress/SEO/ blog builder genius.

I came to learn later she is also a dedicated perfectionist, overachiever, workaholic with laser sharpe business focus. She works hard and gets things done. 

Sylvia has no time for BS. Like NONE. I find this refreshing. Like so many people from the Netherlands she is blunt but I think Sylvia has perfected this skill to a level above and beyond most other Netherlanders. No messin' about with her,  you always know where you stand. 

She is highly motivated and dedicated to improving herself which challenges those around her to improve themselves and raise their own personal expectations.

She doesn't waste time. Even when she is on a road trip or in the train she will listen to podcasts to constantly upgrade her skills to enable herself to approach problems from a new perspective. I really admire this. 

She is a fast walker. She isn't that much taller than me, (I walk NYC fast) but Sylvia is twice as fast. She is like a whippet...thin and fast. I had to jog a little to keep up with her. This might be because she is a big sports enthusiast and like almost all type A personalities also intensely focused on personal achievement in physical activity and sports. She plays tennis regularly and fits in Zoomba, combat fitness, yoga or Pilate's. She is a firm believer in detox retreats and does them regularly. Don't be fooled by all of the heavy draped layers of fabric she often wears that hide her enviable figure, this woman has the great toned lithe body of a of a twenty year old. I saw it first hand when we were playing dress up.

This was one of the outfits I chose for Sylvia...I love her in it.

She has either a hollow leg or a very fast metabolism, very likely both. I saw her eat almost an entire package of her favourite Dutch cookies while we were in the car on the way into Amsterdam and not gain an ounce.  It isn't surprising that almost every photo I have of Sylvia shows her eating something...she enjoys eating just as much as me, but unlike me doesn't have to worry about it showing up on her thighs 5 minutes later.

Sylvia made it her personal mission to ensure that I tasted and understood some of the traditional foods of the Netherlands including what they eat for breakfast...which is basically candy sprinkles on buttered toast.

I also split my first Dutch Apple Pie with Sylvia.

My stomach is still thanking her for that chocolate bar she gave me last minute. I really wish I'd brought back about 50 of them. Everything they say about Dutch chocolate is true BTW...

Sylvia is up for more than you give her credit for.  This is undoubtedly the most surprising thing about her. I thought we would get huge flack from her with our wacky idea to play dress up and have everyone wear someone else's clothes and be photographed in them but Sylvia was all game. In fact a bit of her alter ego surfaced (say Aloha to Magenta Marilyn) and we had a blast.  

 

She wasn't as keen on the whole moustache idea.  If I recall correctly it went something like this...

Sylvia, "What are those for?" pointing while making a face at the fake moustaches sitting on the table...

Anja, "To wear when we get dressed up."

Sylvia, "What for? "

Anja, "Just for fun."

Sylvia, "That's a bit silly."

Anja, "That's the point." 

Despite her reservations she played along and was enthusiastic as well...I was delighted.

She isn't too focused on being an adult all the time to let go and have some fun which surprised me because she can come across as rather serious.

She is adventurous, even more-so than the other two gals which was another big surprise for me. She embraces opportunities even if they are out of her traditional comfort zone just for the experience. This is probably because she has lived in so many different countries.

She was willing to try my martini (which BTW I had to explain to the bartender how to make) and even agreed it was quite tasty. She was game to try a few other things with me as well, however I agreed that what happens in Holland stays in Holland... and my lips are sealed. 

She contributed openly to conversations that I thought would make her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable and was hilarious when doing so. I felt that she was always willing to "rise to the occasion" so-to-speak. 

She has a very specific sense of style, prefers quality over quantity and a very powerful sense of self and self worth.  

She is aware of her weaknesses and chooses to focus on her strengths.  She is intense, strong, funny and engaging. 

She can walk through a store in 10 seconds flat and know if anything interests her or not. 

She comes across as confident, fearless and determined. 

She has a good generous heart, a wonderful laugh and a warm personality, all of which are not self evident until you are able to break down some of her professional barriers. 

Sylvia taught me not to judge a book blog by its cover. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to have met her in person. But don't take my word for it...visit her blog. She has begun to open up more about her life and her loves and you can start to see some of the adventurous person I met while in the Netherlands.

Thanks again for letting me stay at your place Sylvia! I owe you one : ) 

 

PS:  if you want to learn some crazy things I learned during my visit check out 10 Things I Learned While In Holland That Have Nothing To Do With Cheese, Windmills or Clogs. 

If you want to get to know the other ladies I visited check out Anja the artist from The Curly Traveller here: Spilling The Beans On The Ladies Of The Netherlands - Part One or the film I made of the art installation that she calls home.

Read about Greetje, the lady that lives to laugh from No Fear of Fashion here: Everything You Wanted to Know ABout Greetje & More

Really GREAT Easy Halloween Costume Ideas For Adults

I've found the perfect costume for my husband for Halloween...an extremely well dressed werewolf.

Seriously???

How freakin' cool is that?

Meanwhile...I could go as his latest victim attacked while coming from the opera wearing a fabulous shredded gown drenched in blood.

Or someone like this...

Or if we want to play it more relaxed this is this great Bonnie and Clyde couples costume...

I love to dress up for Halloween.

We stopped giving out candy years ago. I would often be home alone and there would be "kids" that were 20 years old coming to my door asking for candy. 

Plus every year we would always have left-over candy that I would be forced to eat. 

Now if we are home we turn out the porch lights and just pretend we're not home. The scrooges of Halloween. 

If I can scout out a good party to go to all dressed up though I'm there. 

 

What about you? Do you have plans for Halloween? Will you be dressing up? Does your partner like to dress up?

Age Appropriate Dressing - Yea or Nay?

I'm sure you can guess what my reaction to that was...but just in case you can't there is a video taken by Sylvia at 40+Style when I was over in the Netherlands visiting. 

 

Thinking back on it now and in defense of my Mom she did and still does own jeans, it was my Grandmothers that would never be caught dead in a pair of jeans. When I'm fueled with champagne I get on my soap box and all facts go out the window ; ) 

What is your take on Age Appropriate Dressing?

Adventures in Glamping - Flesh Eating, Life Sucking Monster Moths Part 1

When you think of me you probably think, outdoorsy, sporty type. 

I told you I don't paint my finger nails nor do I wear makeup daily.

How much more outdoorsy can I  get?

When my sister came to visit recently we decided to devote a few days to being "Weekend Warriors". That meant glamping, zip lining, wine tasting, live jazz, star gazing, hiking in the treetops, suspension bridges, canopy tours and a long beautiful trip kayaking. 

This was our "tent".

Inside the tent...

No sleeping bags for us.

No squatting in the bush either.  That opening on the left goes to the little bathroom with hot running water and a proper toilet.

And this guy...

Poised and ready to jump on the first person brave enough to sit down on that toilet.

We had to go and get the manager to come and do a spider sweep of our tent. I kid you not.  

The other door you see leads to the private outdoor shower...

The shower was fantastic!  I loved looking up to the blue sky. Never mind those couple of mosquitos. 

And then... there were our other eight legged greeters...most of them on the outside of the tent. Just you know, hangin' out...welcoming us to their hood.

Do you think that white stuff is millions of baby spiders waiting to hatch in the middle of the night? Or just white fluffy cotton candy?

 

Our first order of business after checking into our tent was to getting to Burning Kiln for a winery tour and some serious outdoorsy wine tasting.  I told you I was intent on becoming one with nature.

I had to take off my sweater, the wine was warming me up too much. 

After that my sister threw another couple of logs on the fire and managed to cook up a little somethin' somethin' for supper...

With her campfire cooking skills I think she should be on SurvivorWoman. 

She even had a waitress serve it. You don't see that often ever on SurvivorMan. 

After we headed out for a night of star gazing. 

That is a powerful telescope perched at the very top of those stairs. We were able to view the rings around Saturn and several other galaxies millions of light years away.

My sister said it was very surreal standing in the dark with a bunch of strangers looking up at the sky and talking about the end of the world.  

I sighed and said,

"Ah, just another Friday night for me."

With that we went out to the big campfire and gobbled up a few chocolate-less s'mores.  Don't even ask...they had run out of chocolate. Really they should have been called s'less. 

When you are camping in the wild you make these kind of sacrifices people.  

No room service and no choloate in the s'mores.

Then we headed back to our tent where our first real "adventure" of the trip took place.

We came into the tent to find a number of creepy crawlies inside, high up on the ceiling and no one around to ask for help. Normally I don't do well with insects, but it turns out my sister hates them even more than me.  After we turned out the lights she freaked, insisting that a large moth had flown onto her face in the darkness. I thought it was weird that out of all the spots in the tent to land it chose her face...but who was I to argue?  Maybe it was in fact a smothering moth and was trying to land on her mouth & nose to silently suck the air from her lungs.  Or maybe it was a flesh eating moth that would leave a big gaping red mushy hole in her face.

Remind me not to watch anymore Walking Dead.

We were tired, in an isolated tent, late at night, in the middle of nowhere, with just romantic spooky insect sounds that keep getting louder and louder like the sacred frenzied chanting heard just prior to a human sacrifice. 

All that wine I'd tasted before was making my mind run in strange directions.

 

I needed to keep calm. 

And get that damn moth.

Trying to balance as best as possible on the bed with a large plastic bag as my weapon with all of my well trained outdoor-gal skills...

amongst a few shrieks, an "almost face plant", and lots of nervous laughter I managed to capture that flesh eating, life sucking monster moth and throw him outside!

 

Wohoo! 

Suzanne - 1

Mother Nature - 0

 

to be con't... 

 

 

What Makes A Good Fashion Blogger?

Want to hear my man voice?  

This was a fun video Sylvia made while I was over in The Netherlands with Greetje and Anja where she asked the three of us what it takes to make a good fashion blogger. 

I blame the fact that I talk too much on the champagne ; ) 

So what do you think makes a good fashion blogger? 

Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing

Well...that's what Chris said last night. 

But really it was a good good thing. 

I am a huge Chris Isaak fan and we saw him doing his "thang" last night. 

His thang still got plenty of game baby.

Let me tell you...it was tough listening to him croon on looking so hot. 

He must be dipping more than just his big toe in the fountain of youth because he hasn't seemed to have aged at all over the years.

I was so mad, it is one of the very rare times that we got tickets in the balcony instead of on the floor and wouldn't you know it, Chris took all his sexiness out onto the floor singing and even gave one lady a lap dance! Later in the show three lucky gals were invited onto the stage to dance with him and his band. 

Lucky bums.

The one time we don't get floor seat tickets!!! 

Grrrrr!

One more song...just for the road...

 

I really enjoyed his show.

I don't go to as many concerts as I used to. 

What was the last concert you saw?

 

Related articles

The Best Date Of My Life - Bachelor Style

Guys Have This...Why Don't We?

Fans of Breaking Bad This Will Crack You Up

 

This Put A Smile On My Face - Older Ladies

 

The 5 Steps To Making A Big Decision - A Perfect Floral Skirt For Fridge Shopping

Our fridge is dying a slow painful death. Coughing and sputtering...barely holding on.

When we pulled it out of its custom fit spot there were no dust bunnies...there were full grown monster hares. These things had teeth, enormous feet as big as a kangaroo and resembled the Were Rabbit.

 

Bunnies that big aren't so cute anymore. Although I like anything Wallace and Gromit.

Shopping for a new fridge isn't fun and exciting like clothes or shoe shopping. 

Shopping for a fridge is frustrating,

boring

and stressful. 

Look... Zoe is so bored with the whole idea that she went and dug up smelly stuff in the garden.

Also since it is a custom fitted fridge it is like searching for the holy grail. Did you know that fridges aren't standard sizes? 

Oh no.

That'd be too easy!

They are all different sizes. 

1/2" less here

1/4" more there

Basically you can be assured that if you like the fridge...it will not be the correct size to fit in the hole in your kitchen without having to do some major renovations.

And the sales assistants? 

Let's just say that shopping online has never been more appealing. 

 

I decided this outfit is the proper attire for fridge shopping. 

 

Simple, comfortable and pain free.

I can buy a pair of boots or a dress in 1 second flat.  No worries, no afterthoughts.  Stuff like this though...it takes more let's say...

strategy. 

The Five Stages Of Buying Something Major Or Making A Big Decision

1.  Denial & Procrastination.

We convince ourselves it's not really that bad or important, so we can ignore the problem longer. I must admit my husband is much better at this than I am.

2.  Resentful defeat.

We realize we can no longer ignore the issue. The problem isn't going to magically fix itself.   Despite our best efforts we are forced to take action.

3.  Overcompensating research.

We need all the facts to make the best decision. I am tasked with looking at all research online, in store, family members or simply strangers that want to add their two cents.

4.  Frustration.

All the research backfires. Instead of making me feel like I'm making a well informed decision I am now overwhelmed and confused. Bombarded with conflicting views and more choices.  Should I trust the opinion of "Jackofnotrades" or "Punkrockersdoitbest"?  I thought I'd narrowed it down to just 3 models but after visiting another 2 stores discovered 4 more models to choose from. What about that salesperson that said they were giving me, "The best deal of your life!" Was I a crazy limp-minded fool for walking away from the best deal of my life?  

5.  Snap decision.

I am totally exhausted and frustrated. All that research is whizzing around in my brain and I feel like I'm on that ride at from the Fair that I loved/hated as a kid. The one where you go round and round in circles backwards until you are delirious and just want to hurl your guts out. 

I still can't believe I paid money to go on that ride!

I want off the decision making ride.

I want the decision made.

 

NOW.

 

I was at step five yesterday when we went to Home Depot...for the fourth time in as many days. This is how it went down...

 

This stupid fridge is making my life and bowels miserable. Literally. I haven't had fresh fruit or veg in a week. I think I might be anemic. Maybe I have scurvy. I can't go on.

Wait!

Oh hel-lo!

What is this I see? A brand new, dare-I-say-it... sexy fridge?

Sleek and smooth.

All that fresh veg storage is making me kinda hot!

What about the pull out freezer shelves? Swoon! 

That digital temperature control is making my knees tremble. 

I need this fridge. I deserve this fridge.  

The George Clooney of all fridges.

It must be mine. 

It shall be mine.

I don't care if it doesn't really fit.

I will

make.

it.

fit.

Decorative custom cupboard detailing be damned. Just how hard is it to "unglue" wood anyhow? (Don't tell me. I may cry.)  

In the end our my decision had very little to do with the extensive research I did, and much more to do with my gut. Literally. My stomach was crying out in pain saying it needed food that didn't come out of a can or box.  

This is what we bought... 

LG 
30 Inch, 22 Cubic Feet Bottom Freezer Drawer Refrigerator with Smart Cooling, Stainless -

Looking at this photo it just looks like...well...a rather boring fridge. But I can assure you it is not. This fridge is going to

change.

my.

life. 

I am going to be so damn healthy, satisfied and organized because I bought George Clooney the fridge.

Just wait and see. 

 

 

Do you have a strategy for making big decisions?

 

 

 

Related articles

Floral Jeans - I Admit I Was Wrong About You

Girls Day - Anthropologie Floral Skirt Embellished Cardigan

Floral Blazer Try #2