Trunk Club Subscription Review

I recently had the opportunity to test-drive Trunk Club, a new-ish fashion subscription box from Nordstrom.

Nordstrom is one of my favorite places to shop. In 2013, I took advantage of their free in-store personal stylist services at the Arcadia, CA location. This was an amazing way to shop. My stylist, Denise, culled items for me and had them waiting in a dressing room. I was so impressed, I even took pictures of the fitting room from my first visit with Denise.

Over a few visits, Denise began to understand my personal style, which brands I favored, and she knew what I already owned. I was heartbroken when Denise left Nordstrom in 2016. She left to pursing a career in medicine, which I know is the best move for her, but I miss shopping with her. She was a zero-pressure sales person and over time, it was definitely like spending the afternoon with a friend. We even got lattes at the Ebar during her breaks.

After Denise, I never requested a new personal stylist. I had a few different sales associates helping me, most notably Olivia from the Portland, OR location, but not in a stylist capacity.

With this background information, I was very excited to try Trunk Club. Trunk Club is a mix between having a personal stylist and a subscription box service. Here's how it works:

You head over to their website and sign up. If you're a Nordstrom card holder the $25.00 styling charge per trunk will be waived. If you're not a card holder, the styling fee can be applied to any item that you keep from your box. Additionally for Nordstrom card holders, if you use your card for trunk purchases, you will get your Nordstrom points. This was a huge plus for me; I love racking up those points! Also, purchased items can be taken to your local Nordstrom for alterations.

Signing up was a breeze and within minutes, I was contacted by my stylist, Alexandra, via an internal messaging system on the Trunk Club website. Alex is based in Los Angeles and I think, if I wanted to, I could schedule an appointment to meet her in person. Alex spent about thirty minutes discussing my fashion and lifestyle- likes/dislikes, body shape, needs, et...I wanted her to focus on sweaters and layers for my first trunk, with an emphasis on casual pieces that I could wear at my new office job. Alex was very personable and listened to my needs. We also discussed budget and I agreed that she could throw in a few pricier items, to see if I'd be interested. I'm always game to take a look!

Within forty-eight hours, I was given a virtual trunk to preview. At this point, I could turn down specific pieces marked for my trunk. I turned down two things and they were replaced by surprises. After that first round of approval, the trunk is set to ship. The entire process, including shipping ( I live in a mountain community), took a week from when I initially signed-up.

I was super excited to receive my first trunk and I told everyone in the post office about it. It was a little heavy, but had a handle for easy carrying.

Inside, the items were neatly packed and tied with pretty ribbons.

I had a personalized note from Alex.

I photographed all of the items, some were very wrinkled and didn't photograph well. I need to ship back the items that I'm not keeping within five days, otherwise I would have enlisted my husband to take better photos, perhaps of me wearing the items. He's away on business, so he missed out on the fun. Next time!

Opening up the box is the best part of any subscription service. Even thought I was fairly certain that many of the items would be going back, it still felt like Christmas. My expectations for this first trunk were low, only because Alex doesn't know me very well yet and I think it will take a few trunks for her to have a better idea of me and my likes.

1. Halogen/Cinch Cuff Sweatshirt/ Navy/Medium $59.00. This was enormous on me, with very long sleeves. Odd-fitting. Although it is called a sweatshirt, it wasn't sweatshirt material. The material was a heavy tee-shirt fabric.

2. Joie/Clema Top/Porcelain/Small $298.00 - I love Joie, but it's a pricy brand. I have to really love the piece and it has to fit perfectly ( or it needs to be on sale) for me to splurge on Joie. This top fit well in every area except the bust. It was cute, but not enough for the price.

3. Leith/Bell Sleeve Sweater/Brown/Medium $59.00 - Leith is one of my go-to brands, but I just can't do the bell sleeve trend. The bell sleeves just get in the way and are fussy. The color is listed as brown, but it was a pretty purple/brown.

4. Joie/Amalyn Sweater/Ash Heather Grey/Small $298.00- Great fit and pretty sweater. Not exceptional for the price. It had strange slits on either shoulder, which I don't think would be great for winter. I don't need an air-conditioned sweater!

5. Rails/Ingrid/ Jalisco Embroidery/Medium $188.00 - I saw this and immediately didn't like the design on the denim. The shirt itself fit well and the denim was super soft, but this was just not me.

6. Nordstrom/Cashmere Tie Side Pullover/Green/Medium $249.00 - Love the color (green is my favorite), great fit, and the ties on the bottom are a fun touch. The big problem is this is cashmere and it's just too itchy for me. I can do cashmere blends, but I can't do pure cashmere.

7. Caslon/ 40x80 Lace Love Wrap/Navy $45.00- This is a beautiful wrap, but I have one that is very similar, so it's a pass.

8. BLANKNYC/ Bonded Velvet Moto Jacket/Shadow Boxer (deep grey)/Medium $148.00 - I so wanted this to fit perfectly. I love the style and the fabric makes it unique. The fit was bad. First, it was simply too small, but even if the size had been larger, it still would have been boxy on top. Not flattering. I love the velvet though!

9. Vince Camuto/Dorintina Bootie/White/ 8.5/ $159.94 - I have a lot of boots, but none that are white. I liked that these were different that what is already in my wardrobe. I have a bit of a bias against Vince Camuto clothes from when I worked in retail. I noticed that the quality wasn't great. I had never tried his shoes before. I thought these were fun, but the pointed toe was narrow and pinched.

10. Leith/ Shawl Collar Cardigan/Cloudy Grey Heather/Small $79.00- This is the only item I decided to keep. The picture does not do it justice. It's a great, neutral, mid-weight, long cardigan, perfect for layering. I mainly purchased this thinking it would be great for the office. It looks polished when paired with a light shirt, skinny jeans, and boots.

I've packed up all of the items minus the Leith cardigan and I will take them back to the post office tomorrow. Everything ships in the same box and the postage is paid for the return. I just need to seal it up, stick on the prepaid label, and drop it off. Trunk Club even included sheets of super strong tape to seal up the box. If I had wanted, the would have arranged a service to pick up the box at my home. However, since I live in rural community, I didn't think this service would likely be available in my area. I don't mind making the trip to UPS.

I've left feedback for all of the items on the Trunk Club website and additionally, I have a phone call scheduled with Alex for tomorrow, so we can go over my thoughts on the first trunk. I've signed up for the monthly trunk refresh, but you can receive the boxes as frequently or infrequently as you wish. The monthly option is said to be the most popular, but if you're an infrequent shopper or would just like to use the service for a certain occasion, you can simply contact them when you want a new trunk. You can theme your trunks to an event, such as a vacation or upcoming party. You can even use Pinterest to create boards and send them to your stylist for ideas. There is so much flexibility and the stylists are very hands-on.

A huge bonus about shopping through Trunk Club is you can see how the pieces will fit into your existing wardrobe. The rush of trying things on in a fitting room is eliminated and you can carefully consider each piece.

I may have only purchased one item (on my Nordstrom card to get points!), but I would consider this first trunk a success. I like the concept of Trunk Club and I enjoyed working with Alex. I'm looking forward to seeing what she includes in my next trunk.

Check out Trunk Club for yourself!

Goodbye Portland

Life is always busy, but the last few weeks have been overwhelming.

Starting in June, we had over two months of house guests: my step-kids visited from Sweden for six weeks, and on the morning that they left, my mother-in-law arrived from England. She stayed for three weeks and a few days after she left, we had friends visit from California with their adorable pug, Jewels. All of this was happening and we had to pack up our apartment for our move back to California, which happened just a few days after our friends left.

The summer was fun, exciting, but also mega-stressful, which is why I had to take a break from blogging. Not only have I not been writing, but I've also not been reading very much either. I'm back with both and feeling like life is finally returning to its normal state of affairs.

Our year of living in Portland was a wild ride. When we moved to Portland, it wasn't a temporary situation. We didn't know that we would have the opportunity to return to California, although we kept our home in Big Bear Lake. Our move to Portland was somewhat sudden and we had to pick an apartment sight-unseen. After reading tons of Yelp reviews, we went with a modern apartment tower in the Cultural District. Our apartment was located right across the street from the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Historical Society. The apartment entrance was right on the South Park Blocks and we were a block away from the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Quickly, we found our local bar to be Higgins, which makes the best Irish Coffees.

Portland living was a difficult transition. Within a week of moving in, ground broke on a major hotel project right across the street. Our view became a construction pit and a large crane. The noise was a nuisance at first; I even called the police department twice, but soon it just became part of the ambiance. Portland is undergoing many changes right now and a major housing crisis is fueling construction projects all over the city. If you don't have a crane near you, you don't live in Portland!

Speaking of noise and the housing crisis, the park near our apartment is where many homeless people camped. Even though we lived on the eighteenth floor, we could often hear yelling and fights. Many of the people openly used drugs and left needles in the park, which was also near a day care center. It was eye-opening and frightening. Even though we lived in a fabulous, over-priced apartment, our direct neighborhood was quite dangerous. I felt sad and depressed every time I walked out of our apartment. It was a mix of feeling grateful for all that I have and feeling helpless towards all of the misfortune around me. It was overwhelming. I felt both scared and uncertain towards many of the people camping in our neighborhood, which in turn made me feel guilty for those feelings. I think the rampant drug problem was at the heart of my nervousness. More than once, I saw people injecting and twice I saw toddlers being removed by the police from parents who had passed out. I was also chased down our block by a woman babbling nonsense in a threatening manner.

Our neighborhood was the directly affected by the Portland protests. The police with their riot gear used our street as a staging area. All of the vandalism and fires were in our area. Our building even went on lock down more than once. I firmly support the right to protest and express your opinion, but I also support the police in keeping our community safe. It was scary to be living in the middle of all of this.

I thought living in the cultural district would be an amazing opportunity to see live events, perhaps even get a season theater subscription. I was shocked to discover how expensive it is to go to live events in Portland. It was easily double the price of similar events in Los Angeles. Even though we lived in such close proximity to the theaters, we didn't see much. We did join the Oregon Zoo and The Portland Art Museum. I also loved the local Regal movie theater, which was just a few blocks from our apartment and ran mostly artsy/foreign films. Of course, I can't discount Powell's Books, where I went to a few signings to meet some of my favorite authors. We also had the Wordstock Literary Festival take place in the blocks around our apartment. This was an amazing literary festival and tickets were dirt cheap. If you're a book lover, it's worth the trip to Portland.

Fall/Winter/Early Spring were rainy and bleak, but summer was indeed, as promised, glorious. I will miss summer in Portland and going to places like The Oaks Park, a smallish family run theme park with an awesome roller rink. I will miss my movie theater and I will miss grocery shopping at Fred Meyer. There are a few restaurants that I will miss, including the best six- dollar burrito cart and Ruby Jewel ice cream. I will miss our city views and our crane. Mostly though, I'll miss the friends that we made. Anywhere you live or visit, it's always about the people you meet. Always.

Here are some pictures of our apartment from our final morning.

We sold most of our furniture, but still had enough stuff to completely fill a trailer and the bed of our truck.

The biggest moving stress was the cats. Like many cats, ours do not travel well. Last year, we drove them from Big Bear Lake to Portland without stopping. This time, we had the trailer and we were getting a late start because a moving company was packing our trailer for us. With these slow-downs factored in, we decided it would be prudent to break our trip in half.

Finding a hotel that accepts cats is not easy. I found a few hotels that would allow one cat per room, but since we only needed one room, we kept looking. La Quinta Inn turned out to be a good fit. Cat ladies of the world take note - La Quinta Inn allows cats and doesn't list a limit. I don't think I'd rush to stay at a La Quinta Inn if we didn't have the cats, but for one night, the accommodations perfectly suited our needs. Plus, with the cat restrictions, we couldn't afford to be picky.

We still had these amazing pink pills that a vet in Big Bear had given us the previous year. Just a quarter of a tiny pill and the cats were knocked out for about ten hours. The meowing was minimal and they didn't seem too stressed. Giving them the pills was a battle. They both were very sneaky about acting like they had swallowed the pill and then spitting it out when they didn't think I was looking. However, the telling sign that the drug had hit their system is that their eyes look funny and they wouldn't be able to pass a field sobriety test.

Here are the cats pre-drugs, grumpy that their furniture has been sold. A comfy couch used to be in this spot.

And here is Slinky, five minutes after being drugged.

The drive was over a thousand miles and took nineteen hours. We saw beautiful countryside, Mount Shasta, the Rogue River, a Swedish town in CA, part of Route 66, Desert...

And one very disgusting gas station toilet with odd holes in the walls and instructions to step on floor buttons that were nonexistent.

Here's the record of our drive.

When we arrived home in Big Bear Lake, we were greeted by a surprise left at our door from our friends Valerie and Bryan. It was so unexpected and wonderful. Thank you Val and Bryan for the warm welcome home!

Turning Forty

Tomorrow, I turn forty. It boggles my mind that another decade has rushed by and that I'm now solidly middle-aged. (gulp). Luckily, most of my friends are going through the same thing, so I'm in good company!

I've been thinking a lot about my mom. She was diagnosed with cancer shortly after I turned thirty and passed six months after my birthday. Her death kicked off my thirties and dramatically changed my life. I was left shattered. I still miss and think of her every single day. As I approach this milestone birthday, I've been missing her even more.

She always claimed that her forties were the best decade of her life. I've been trying to wrap my mind around this, because if you look at some of the crap that she went through, it just seems like an impossible statement. My mom had me a few months before she turned thirty-eight and by the time she was forty-two, my father was asking her for a divorce. They had been married for almost twenty-five years and he was cheating on her. He was also an alcoholic and was planning on taking his half of the house they mutually purchased, leaving her in a financial bind. By all accounts, she was devastated and didn't want a divorce. It turns out, the divorce never happened, because my father killed himself in a scandalous (front page headline news)- murder/suicide with his new girlfriend. So my mom was in her early forties and now a widow/single mom with a toddler. This is all heavy enough, but a few years later my mom was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer came right as she was promoted at work and she had to step-down from her new role. All of this crap happened, so how could she think her forties were so great?

I never had the chance to ask her, so this is just me giving my best guess. I think her forties were extremely difficult, but I think she chose to reframe it. She chose to look to the positive. With my father, she had a husband that she loved very much and married when she was eighteen, but it was also a drama-filled, stressful relationship. He was a mess. With him gone, her life got lighter. She could raise me the way that she wanted, without having to worry about his input or shared custody. She was able to keep her house. For the first time in her adult life, she could do things her way. With the cancer, she beat it. And with her job, other opportunities came along. Although the decade started out rough, I think ultimately her forties were a time where she felt strong and empowered.

I'm not sure what my forties will hold for me, but if my twenties and thirties are any indication, I'm ready to expect the unexpected. Life is amazing and unpredictable. It's a wild ride.

Here is the rollercoaster that were my thirties....

This picture was taken at our family brunch in Pasadena on my thirtieth birthday (August 12, 2007). I'm wedged between my aunt and uncle, who both died in 2013. My mom is in the brown top in the lower-right. She was definitely sick in this picture, massive weight-loss, but had not been diagnosed. My ex-husband, who I divorced a few months after my mom died, is in the lower-left. The woman in the grey-top is a close-family friend, who I'm still in touch with. It's so strange to think a decade later, four of the people in this family picture are gone from my life.

My mom died on February 4, 2008 and had been a volunteer for the senior patrol with the Glendale Police Department. The police department insisted on organizing her funeral, which was pretty incredible with hundreds of people in attendance, including the police chief and K-9 unit. My mom was active in raising money for the dogs! The police department planted a tree in her honor at a local park. Here is a picture of the tree celebration that my aunt and I attended on the Arbor Day in 2008. We are with one of the police officers and my mom's senior patrol partner.

My thirty-first birthday was a big deal, as it was the first birthday without my mom. I had a few celebrations. My aunt and uncle took me to our favorite restaurant: Niuport 17. I also had a party with two of my childhood best-friends, Julie and Fanny. I felt and continue to feel, very loved.

Speaking of feeling loved, many of my friends had their first babies around the time my mom died and I feel honored to have been included as part of their lives. I come from a very small family (I'm the only person left in my family), but I've always felt included as an extra family member in the lives of my friends. I absolutely love being "Auntie" to their kids.

The summer after my thirty-first birthday, my ex-husband officially moved out of the state and we are not in contact. Thankfully, our divorce was amicable and he even stayed to help me renovate my childhood home and waited until it was ready to move into. Although the divorce was absolutely necessary, I'm grateful that he didn't make it harder than it had to be.

By the end of summer, I was living alone for the first time, back in my childhood home.

It was a very difficult transition for me. I'm not someone who easily embraces change and I felt lonely. Luckily I was surrounded by friends and neighbors who refused to leave me alone. No wallowing allowed! It helped that I had a few roommates.

My elderly cat, Spotless. Spotless lived until 2009, having to be put down the week after my birthday. I also got into a car accident the same week, hitting a parked police motorcycle. Of course, I knew the Glendale police officer involved and it was a mortifying experience. He thought it was hilarious and no one was hurt. This picture was taken when Spotless was a kitten. I hope it's needless to say, but just in case...I didn't keep a single piece of my mom's furniture!

I had Nicolette, who is still alive and is now an elderly cat. Here's a picture from when she was still young.

On Easter Sunday in 2009, I found a blue parakeet sitting on the grass in my aunt and uncle's backyard. We couldn't find its owners, so I named him/her Cadbury and bought a green mate, named Jellybean. I had them until 2012, when Jellybean died and I gave Cadbury to my aunt's housekeeper.

Slinky came into my life in the spring of 2010. He was a rescue from a bad situation and I adore him.

Holidays were hard. My mom always made the same turkey meal with the same sides for both Christmas and Thanksgiving. We decided that we needed to change that tradition. We went out to dinner at a restaurant for Thanksgiving and my aunt made prime rib for Christmas. My mom always went nuts with decorating for the holiday, but I kept it simple with a miniature tree. Here are a few pictures from our first Christmas without mom. The dog is my aunt and uncle's pup, Molly. It was not my idea to put clothes on her!

In my early thirties, I was still working for Universal Studios Hollywood, where I spent fifteen years. I loved my job, mostly because of the friends that I made working there. In 2011, I had to leave Universal because of nerve damage. I couldn't type as much as I needed for the office work that I was doing. I was offered an alternative position, but declined, because at that point, I was taking care of my aunt and uncle. They both were declining in health and increasingly needed my help. I even moved my cats to their house, with the intention of moving there permanently.

Here is a picture of me at Universal. My office was in the Simpson's attraction!

My early-thirties were fun: traveling, concerts, plays, theme parks, et... My social life was busy with friends and boyfriends. I'm grateful to say that although none of the relationships ultimately worked out, I dated good men, whom I respect. No jerks! I'm also close friends with nearly everyone that I was friends with when I started my thirties and I've picked up a few new ones.

In early 2012, I met a dashing Brit named Dan. It was a whirlwind. An overwhelming, all-consuming, passionate courtship! Despite both being divorced, we didn't hesitate to move in together after the third date. Crazy right? This meant that I didn't permenantly move to my aunt and uncle's house, but I still spent 3-4 days a week in their home.

Since care-taking was my first responsibility, I worked a few odd-jobs. I had a short stint at my favorite department store: Nordstrom. They were a good company to work for, but I'd rather just shop there. I also worked as a dog walker. It's hard to beat getting paid to play with puppies!

I went on my first trip to Europe in the winter of 2013 to visit Dan's family in England. It was amazing and exceeded my expectations. I've been back six times. In my thirties, I also traveled to = Spain, France, Gibraltar, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Wales, Scotland, Canada (both coasts), Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. I've visited several states for the first time : Alaska, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Rhode Island. In my thirties, I saw Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park. I rode in a hot air balloon and a seaplane. I went white water rafting and swam with sting rays.

A few weeks after we returned from my first trip to England, my uncle passed away from heart and liver failure. Although not unexpected, it was a devastating loss. I had a really special bond with my uncle.

Dan proposed to me in the summer of 2013 at Highclere Castle in England, which is where they filmed Downton Abbey! We eloped at the Aria in Las Vegas on November 2, 2013.

A month after our wedding, my aunt had a major back surgery. Although the surgery seemed to go well, a week later, her kidneys began to fail. She passed away a few days before Christmas in 2013. It was shocking and so unexpected. Aside for distant relatives that I've never met, my aunt was my last blood relative. I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to take care of my aunt and uncle before they passed away. It gave me the opportunity to get to know them and to develop a very close relationship, that might not have happened if we hadn't had such a small family. I also got to witness how their friends really loved and helped them. It made me treasure my own friends (extended-family) even more!

Luckily, when I married Dan, I also inherited a large family! I never thought that I'd have kids, but I now have a wonderful stepdaughter and stepson who live in Sweden. They make me laugh, drive me crazy, and surprise me with the most unexpected moments. Truly, they enrich my life in ways I never expected. I have nieces, nephews, sister and brother in-laws, who live in England; a huge extended family whom I love to visit. My mother-in-law has a fabulous sense of humor and loves books as much as I do. I was also very close to my father-in-law, Dave, who passed away in 2016. Early in my relationship with Dan, Dave visited from England and I took him to Disneyland. If you want a crash-corse in getting to know someone, spend an entire day at a busy theme park with them. We had a blast!

Here's a picture of a 2015 mediterranean cruise that we went on with my in-laws and kids.

In 2014, we sold my aunt and uncle's house, which had been their home for my whole life. We used part of the money to buy a fixer-upper second home in Big Bear Lake.

The house is mostly finished now, but we took it down to the studs and spent several years on the renovation project. I also used money from my relatives to go back to school. I completed a three-year fiction writing certificate course through UCLA Extension. I'm proud to say that I finished in two years with taking more classes than required and I finished with honors. I also had my work-in-progress manuscript nominated for the Kirkwood Prize. I'm still working on my manuscript, but I know it will get done in my forties!

Last summer, Dan got offered an amazing job opportunity in Portland, OR. We've spent the last year living in downtown Portland in a high-rise apartment. It has been a huge adjustment and a big adventure. I've spent most of the year working on my manuscript and staying out of the rain.

We had to sell my childhood home when we moved to Oregon. This was really tough for me. Luckily, one of my closest friends was our agent. She helped ease the transition. It also helped that we got a ton of offers that were well-above our asking price and I had a good feeling about the couple we sold to. They even had a cat named Penny!

We are celebrating my birthday in Big Bear Lake with my mother-in-law. At the end of August, we are moving back to Big Bear, as Dan's company is allowing him to try working from home. I don't think Big Bear is likely going to be our home for long, but it will be nice to actually use the home that we spent so much time and energy having renovated. I look forward to starting the next decade of my life back in California!