Elmwood. Elmwood. Elmwood. Where would I be without thee?

I moved to Buffalo back in 1998, lived in Williamsville close to the UB campus in those god awful apartment shoebox complexes near the North Campus for two years before I SIMPLY HAD ENOUGH.

What was I thinking? (No, not the boy at the time…the housing.) I needed the City.

My first apartment was *safe* you know in North Buffalo. Off of Elmwood Avenue in the block before Volkers. A nice 3 bedroom flat I shared with housemates Erin and Kim. (Both friends from college who moved to Buffalo.)

That lasted about a year and a half. North Buffalo (especially that area) wasn’t as walkable as I dreamed. So I picked up and moved to the other side of Elmwood Avenue in Allentown. Smack in the center of that cute colorful row of houses right past Allen and before Virginia. My housemate Kim and I shared an upper with a porch, I was in the middle of everything and in urban heaven. And at Mulligans and the Old Pink far, far too often. Perfect time in my life, I was single and loving the nightlife.

All that nightlife lead my housemate Kim into telling me she needed her own place about a year and change later. So I moved a few blocks up the street to a questionably safe apartment complex on North Street, you guessed it, right off of Elmwood Avenue. The apartment itself was adorable inside, getting inside without feeling like you were witnessing a drug deal was another thing. My cousin Brenda lived with me there for a little while and the nightlife still continued…

About another year and a half later the scene got old, the police were camping outside the building and a neighbor threw a TV out her window. Erin was living on her own (off of Elmwood near Delevan) and I was ready for something a little less gritty. So Erin and I moved in to a cute little *cottage* house on Lafayette Avenue (between Delaware and Elmwood.)

Two years later, enter Mark. And another search for an apartment…we fell in love with a 3 bedroom (2 with den) lower flat off of Richmond near Bidwell Parkway. (In the Elmwood Village.)

This morning Mark dropped me off at the opposite end of Elmwood, in Allentown for a non-meeting. An hour later, I walked over to Towne and had breakfast and continued walking blocks and blocks and blocks down the street to the Elmwood Festival of the Arts.

9th year. REALLY?

And as I was quickly browsing trying not to run into anyone I knew because I was super grumpy and had much work to do…I saw the pendants I love, once again.

Every year, for 9 years now, I’ve been attending this festival and I’ve wanted to purchase a piece of jewelry. And every year, there’s another very good reason not to that usually ALWAYS involves money. When I buy fun earrings/necklaces/bracelets I buy them on clearance racks in big box stores. The mere THOUGHT of spending $40 on ONE PENDANT is simply ridiculous.

I can buy an entire outfit with shoes on super sale for $40. One pendant? Yeah right, keep moving.

Funny thing is, this year? I grabbed a $50 before I left the house this morning, (Mark JUST went to the bank on Friday and the bills on the counter must be entered into our checking account for his share of utilities this month) bought breakfast and broke the *big bill* which the cashier at Towne said “oh, that’s not a big bill” and made me feel, well very poor…and I was left with two strategically places $20 bills floating in my pocket.

Of course, I passed by the Donna Struges tent once again as last year (see above photo) and I flipped over every pendant at least twice. I walked away. And then ran into Steve and Holly and baby girl Juliet. I told them my tale of pendant lust and woe…and Holly became my biggest advocate and led me back to the tent telling me how beautiful each color matched my skin, eyes, etc. She reminded me that I should just not eat out twice and I would cover the amount in no time. And also seeing wee Juliet reminded me that once a baby comes I will NEVER be spending ANY money on ANYTHING for myself, let alone a $40 pendant. So, I flipped over every pendant at least 3 more times and then settled on one

I’m convincing myself that…ONE I deserve it, hell it’s been 9 years. And two, it’s really 2 pendants for $20 a piece not one for $40 right? AND three, I’m supporting local artists and I’m all about that. RIGHT?

Life Lesson Learned: Life is too damn short to wait for someone else to buy you a pendant.

All would have been fine from this point on, except now I didn’t have cash for the Farmers Market so I hit up the ATM (only got a $20.)

And then? I accidentally on purpose walked over to the Annie Adams table. Where I was led to the 40% off pieces.

Oh God! (I just bought a $40 pendant.) I love it I love it I love it I love it! (I just bought a $40 pendant.) And it is on sale. (I just bought a $40 pendant.) Although sale means not $56 but 40% off of $56. (I just bought a $40 pendant.) And I don’t have any cash so I will have to come bac…oh wait, you DO accept debit cards at the art festival? (I just bought a $40 pendant but I am getting that health insurance pay out for the year next week at work…)

Um…yeah. I’ll be working tomorrow to make up for his purchase…but it felt so good.