OOTDs: California. 2015.

I realize I actually have a California, the Outfits, post or two, here at the blog.  I guess since I travel there so much I now have to start just naming them by years.  Of course I didn't think I would have a 2015 version, but as many of you know, my great aunt passed away on July 5, so I ended up traveling back to my birth state to say my last goodbyes.  It was a great visit, and her funeral service and interment were very beautiful, just like she was.  It was also nice to see friends and relatives, of course, and even though there was a loss bringing us together, it still brought us together, which is something my great aunt loved.  :-)

I will post the California: Photos post later, but those are still all stuck in the phone and camera for now. 

I am going from most recent to furthest in dates for these outfits, starting with the outfit I wore to fly home. 

Day: Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

Where: Flight home from CA, with three airports in between.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Any outfit is going to be uncomfortable after twelve plus hours of wearing it (barring pjs, let's be real), but considering I had this on for that long and with a very unexpected change of flight plans, with a long shuttle ride to another airport, this outfit was as easy to wear as can be without looking too sloppy.  :-)

Outfit Details:  Pants, J. Crew here; Tee, J. Crew (but I found it at Marshall's for $16--who knew they had current J. Crew stuff); Sandals, Target here; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, Gift.

Anecdote of the Day:  I discovered my phone can take selfie shots on timer when propped up just so on a tall bottle of San Pelligrino (those are the shots with the white background).

Our flight plans were originally Long Beach--Phoenix--DC (National) but then the little plane set to get us to Phoenix was unable to shut its door (not good, obviously), so that flight was canceled and we ended up going to LAX (SHUDDER) to fly nonstop to Dulles (double SHUDDER).  But, meh, once on the way it was fine.  I should complain less.

INSTAGRAM of LGB here.
INSTAGRAM of LAX here. 

This is my lovely cousin, K. Isn't she super cute?

Day: Monday, July 13, 2015.

Where: Knott's Berry Farm's Soak City.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  A swimsuit, a lightweight a-line teeshirt dress coverup, and a pair of flip-flops?  Definition of ease.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Soprano (found at Marshall's); Flip-Flops, J. Crew; Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Swimsuit (not pictured--but it's the yellow one), J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day:  Soak City was so much fun.  I usually am so absorbed with going to Disneyland every time I visit CA that I always neglect Knott's, even though as a kid, we went there quite a bit too.  Soak City is the water park for Knott's and not the amusement park, but that was more than fine by me.  I should have worn more sunscreen, though, my very pale skin burned.  Eek.

INSTAGRAM of the other outfit I wore that day here, definitely more dressy than the outfit above.

Day: Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2015.

Where: The funeral on Saturday and mass on Sunday.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Garnet Hill's tiered maxi dress is one of my favorite summer staples (I have this version and this version, too).  So unique, very presentable, exceedingly packable (doesn't wrinkle), and comfortable to the max (groan, bad pun there).  Add a pair of sparkly, fun, casual flats, and it's a winner outfit.  Can you blame me for two days of wear?  (Well that and the fact that I packed very little.)

Outfit Details:  Dress, Garnet Hill here; Sandals, Target here (they are true to size); Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, tru.che.

Anecdote of the Day:  My aunt is buried next to my uncle, and whenever I go to the cemetery, I am overjoyed that their final resting place is on such gorgeous grounds.  Nestled in the hills in between Los Angeles and Orange County, it is verdant, full of light, and in a position to see the mountains to the east. 

We stayed in Downey for the visit, and my dad, though raised in Downey, had never really taken me there as a girl.  Walking around the downtown area after mass I fell in love.  It is an absolute mecca for fun mid-century architecture.  I especially adored the Masonic Lodge.

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of my cousin and I here after mass.

Day: Friday, July 10, 2015.

Where: Marshall's (where I got the tee and dress above from), In and Out, and one of my many visits to the hotel's Happy Hour.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The day after traveling I always feel ugh, so I wasn't surprised to wake up and feel a bit bloated and under, so no matter what I wore, it wasn't go to be awesome, but I figured a brisk walk (our mode of transport to get to Marshall's) would help.  I wanted to show some pride in the gorgeous palm trees of CA, so I decided to wear this Madewell linen tank with one of my favorite pairs of shorts.  The outfit was comfy enough, and got comfier as the day wore on.

Outfit Details:  Tank, Madewell; Shorts, Bandolino Blu (THEY ARE SO OLD); Sandals, Target here; Sanibel Reversible Pendant Necklace, Stella and Dot here.

Anecdote of the Day: I cannot believe how much my family enjoyed happy hour.  Embassy Suites has free drinks from 5:30-7:30 nightly, and the drinks kept coming.  The first day I was jetlagged (you'll see evidence of my fun while jetlagged in the next ootd), but by the second I was more clear, so I enjoyed it more.  By that point, all the relatives had come to town, including my once super bratty boy cousin, D.  He's not bratty anymore, more like an enabler.  I have to massively detox this week to make up for my CA sins at the bar.  :-/

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with boy cousin here.

Day: Thursday, July 9, 2015.

Where: Flight to CA from VA, El Torito for lunch, Happy Hour, and thankfully bed thereafter.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made that tee you see the day before and dang, it's super comfy.  Granted it is two rectangles sewn together and made out of stretchy rayon knit, but it was so comfy, I made it work as pjs later that weekend.  And leggings, I mean, really.  It barely counts as an outfit.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Tee, handmade; Leggings, J. Crew here; Sandals, Target here; Necklace, Madewell here; Sunglasses, Costco.

Anecdote of the Day: This day was fine, but remind me never to start the weekend of drinks before my family gets to me.  If I had known what they were capable of, I would have waited (I had a glass of wine on the plane and a beverage of choice at El Torito).  I fell asleep easier than I have ever fallen asleep before.  AND--I slept better than I have in a long time, so there's that.  :-)

INSTAGRAM of the no makeup Dina here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with girl cousin here.

Okay, that's all for now.  Armchair travelers, some more atmospheric photos to come.  (And for those of you interested in more shenanigans, those are coming, too.)

OOTDs/Family Fun Time: Cleveland!

Every year, Mr. Dina wants to go somewhere out there in the big ole U. S. of A. to go see his beloved Saints play ball.  Last year he made it to both NYC and to Philadelphia to see them play, this year, Cleveland.  I personally think our annual trek to New Orleans to see family for the holidays should be enough for him, but, eh, I am not a football fan, so I clearly have no right to speak my mind.  ;-)

That said, it was a very lovely time this weekend in Cleveland, and even though I had a ginormous sewing project on my plate (just done today--more on that later--and YES, I did bring the sewing machine with me on our trip), I knew that I would have a good time.  'Cause really any excuse to go somewhere is fine by me.  Even if it is for football.  LOL.

Day: Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Where: The drive to Cleveland.  And any stops along the way, of course.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Very easy outfit to wear on a long drive.  The leggings I made to precisely fit my body, so of course they felt great.  The winner, though, is the Zara sweatshirt, so comfy and cozy.  It was actually kind of cold in parts of the mountains (we drove over them to get to Ohio from VA), so the sweatshirt was welcome warmth.

Cool Factor: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Zara is cool.  I think this looks really cool, but not especially over-accessorized. 

Day: Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Where: Corky and Lenny's, an apparent Cleveland institution.  I can see why.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This outfit would have scored a 4.5 except I was feeling really drained (it has been a pretty crazy couple of weeks 'round here), so everything felt off.  But at least the fun yellow flowers (photo floral sweatshirt by J. Crew) and silver Nikes perked me up a bit.  Well, that and the yummy deli food, of course.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  It's a cute outfit, bit plain barring the bright flowers, though.

Mr. Dina loved his gigantic corned beef sandwich, and so did Angus and his sneaky little fingers.

Day: Sunday, September 14, 2014.

Where: Sewing in the hotel room, a walk to the local Whole Foods, followed by an evening visit to B Spot.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  CW insisted I bring my giraffe shirt so we could match on our girls day (well plus Angus) while Rex and Mr. Dina were at the game (the Saints lost--I still am hearing about that, btw).  We wore this momma/daughter combo years ago.  LOL.

Anyhow, for as old as the tee is, and the pants (from Pure Collection--my very favorite traveling pants, btw), and the cardigan (Boden, here is a similar version this year), the outfit is SO COMFORTABLE.  Needed it, so yeah, very glad I brought these pieces.

CW did not wear her Elsa shoes out, though (the tooth fairy "visited" us at the hotel room and brought her those).

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not especially cool, but CW loved it, so it counts as cool in her world.

That there is a very strong drink from B Spot.  It is made with an amazing bourbon.  Yum.

This was Mr. Dina's burger.  I am hungry right now, probably not the best time to be writing this blog post.

The next day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We have done this before, but in Paris.  ;-)  Wasn't wearing a RUSH shirt then, though.

RUSH!  Very deserving of their 2013 induction...

They had the ENTIRE catalog of RUSH music outside the wall of signatures hallway.  Amazing.  If Mr. Dina would have been more patient, I could have listened to more (and so could the kids).  Sigh.  Impatient men.

Rush is not my only "dinagideon is a teenage boy" infatuation.  I also have every Pink Floyd album, and like a ridiculous pimpled 14-year old, I know the lyrics to every Wall song.  *Yeah*. 

I think Rex may be the next candidate to listen to every Pink Floyd album based on this pose.

Mr. Dina loves Johnny Cash.

And as if eating amazing deli food, great tasting burgers and rum weren't enough, we also stopped at Melt on the way out of town.  Why they don't have Melt here is beyond comprehension and needs to be rectified immediately. 

And here it is, finally done...my entry for the Fashion Challenge #2 for Fabric Mart.  I have made this pattern before, but never in a non-printed, non-stretch material.  This took me forever.  I am such a slow sewer.  But it is a dark green wool gabardine that is fully lined, so it will be just perfect for this winter...

I will write up a blog post on this one tomorrow afternoon at some point, hand on heart.

Okay, that's all for today.  Have a lovely Tuesday night!

OOTE: Jade, Gold, and a Sprinkle of Coral.

Gotta love a wonky picture on a wall.

Day: Saturday, June 22, 2013.

Where:  75th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Mass.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Yummy and easy fitting, I would be hard-pressed to find an evening wear piece more comfortable than this lovely silk dress from Anthropologie (Flickering Slip Dress).  I had purchased this while pregnant in 2011 and never did find an occasion to wear it until I realized I needed something summer appropriate and dressy.

Because I had to go to mass before the gala, I knew that I needed a cover of some sort, and this gold jacket from J. Crew was exactly the right shade and structure to complement the dress.  I had found this dress on ebay years ago for a song, if I am remembering correctly this jacket was fairly expensive when it was first rolled out by the Crew back in Holiday 2007.  I couldn't find the info on it in my *very quick* internet search, but I did find this photo.  If I have a moment later, I will look at the catalog and update this post.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The outfit is pretty cool, even if it was worn for a Catholic Church's anniversary, which in some circles of cool would be the uncoolest event ever.  Don't care since I think the fact that the church is that old is pretty darn awesome.  ;-)

Didn't think about it while dressing, but the colors of the church are represented in my outfit.  For the 50th anniversary (which occurred while I was in school there--same one my kids go to, btw), they repainted and redecorated the interior of the church in jade, gold, and burgundy.  You can see photos of the interior here at this post.  I think I must have subconsciously worn the color combo to honor the church.

Anecdote from the day:  The table we sat at for the dinner had other fans of the drink at it, and one of the men had even snuck in a bottle of Scotch whisky.  OMG, that's a good man there.  He had little wee drams with him, one for each of us, and proceeded to pour shots from the bottle for all of us.  I usually don't love whisky, in fact I only drink it to join in toasts, etc., but this time the whisky was delicious, tasted a bit of the peat bog the distillery is located near, and since the smell of peat burning in the Scottish countryside is one of my favorite scents ever (no, I am not kidding), I was immediately in love with the drink.  This man was my best friend for the evening.

Yes, the photo of my brother and me above shows that we may have enjoyed ourselves a bit.  Some of the other guests enjoyed themselves even more.  Hee.  ;-)

Okay, that's it for now...Boden should have their new line up and ready to go sometime later today, I think.  My affiliate site has no coupons, etc., available right now, which makes me think that there will be something on offer soon enough.  Will definitely keep you all updated. 

OOTDs: Sally Wrong Socks.

Day: Monday, April 1, 2013.

Where: Bowling/Packing for Ireland.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)   So easy to wear, especially the Lands' End Knit Pants (link takes you to a similar pair). 

The here and there fox tee from Anthro is so adorable, and is made from the softest cotton.  I felt very lucky that I found it over the Christmas season at a sale price and with an additional % off.  I think this tee sold fast and then was completely out of stock.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  If I had bothered to wear socks that didn't look redonk against the red lulu bow flats, I could totally have upped this outfit to a 3.5, but "Sally Wrong Socks" didn't realize how stupid the socks looked until she got home and uploaded the photos on the computer.  Never. Again.

Anecdote from the day:  I had to pre-bowl because I was going to miss the bowling that week, but I kept putting it off so I had to bowl the morning of the day our family was going to be flying off to Ireland.  I guess the pressure worked since I bowled pretty darn well.  (Yay!)

The packing was no biggie, since I started packing a whole month early.  I always do that, I pack like a organizational fool.  I wish I could say unpacking was as fun for me, but I *HATE* unpacking.  Mr. Dina is constantly making fun of me because of my allergy to unpacking.

Day: Sunday, March 31, 2013.

Where: Easter Sunday.

Ease of Wear: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love the perfect pencil skirt and think it gives a nice, sleek line, but oh, man, it is fitted.  I find that I can only wear them for a few hours before I am all, "get this thing off of me."  Ugh.  I still have those darn extra two inches on my high hip (won't lose them until Angus weans completely) and all of my fitted pants and skirts feel off.  The fit, just not the way I want them too.  (Or they could fit exactly as they used to but because I am getting older, I have way less tolerance for the idiocy of my clothes not feeling good on my body.)

The rest of the outfit felt wonderful, especially the darling wedge heels from Boden (last summer's version; similar here).

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The day before "Sally Wrong Socks" wore black socks with red shoes, "Tania Sad Tights" wore a pair of grey tights that exactly matched her grey shoes.  In my defense, it was really cold that day, and even though it was Easter and I was desperate to wear bare legs, I just couldn't.  Plus the control top of the tights helped suck that baby fat right in.  LOL.

Even if I had worn bare legs, the outfit would have been a 3, tops.  The tresco floral Liberty print is awesome, but it is a whole lot of look, especially paired with the purple skirt.

CW was definitely the coolest girl around, though.  ;)  (I wrote about sewing her dress here at this post.)

Anecdote from the day:  We decided not to cook Easter lunch, so we did what any hungry family of eight (my dad, bro, and step-mom came to) would do on Easter Sunday, go out for Ethiopian food.  Mmm, injera!  :)

Okay, that's it for tonight.  I hope everyone is having a fabulous night (or morning if you are seeing this on Thursday morning)!

P.S. Do any of you watch Style Network's Resale Royalty?  I have it on in the background while typing up this post and it is freaking me out how many times they have said the name "Dena."  One of their employees is named Dena and it seems every other sentence mentions her name.  Thank goodness I don't have a drinking game where every time I hear my name I have to take a drink.  I wouldn't just be drunk after watching this show, I would have to go to the hospital.  (Note--I don't actually play drinking games, but Mr. Dina and I really like making up drinking games.)

OOTDs: Casual Dressy. Or Just Dressy. Part Two of Two.

 Day: Sunday, February 24, 2013.

Where: Clyde's for lunch with my girl.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I am taking a couple of points off because the dress's skirt kept hitching up on my tights.  It wasn't anything unbearable, but I did notice it.  I wish I could be less OCD about things like this, but I *know* other women have the same hangup.

If it had been a touch warmer, I could have gotten away with wearing the fitted ponte dress (review here, btw) sans tights, but since it was only forecast to be in the mid-50s, I knew it was tights all the way. (As much as I adore the velvet Bella jacket, it isn't super warm.)

The effortless suede boots, once again, proved why they will always be a fixture in my wardrobe.  I love how they can give a little lift (literally and figuratively) to most of my outfits, yet are so very comfortable. 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think it looks pretty good, but it may be a bit too much "look" for some of you since I decided that a knee length dress and tights and ankle booties worked.  From what style 101 dictates, that combo is tremendously awful on the leg line, creating stumps instead of stems (remember this scene in Clueless?).  I am fairly tall, and most of my height is in my legs, so I am okay with the *stumping,* but I get it if this is not your thang.

Anecdote from the day:  So I was approached by a friend at bowling yesterday who asked if CW and I had been at Clyde's a couple of Sundays ago.  Obviously we had been, but I was very amused that someone had seen us walking to Clyde's that day.  She said she had tried to find us, but because of how many rooms this particular Clyde's has, she had to give up after the first five or six.  LOL.  She supposedly stopped right before she got to the room we were in.

CW loves Clyde's, which if you know this restaurant, is slightly amusing, since she is 4.  Anyhow, I got her the kids' meal with a hamburger, asked for well done, and out comes a very pink center patty.  Guess who didn't care?  Yeah, that's my girl, giving Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern a run for their money.  However, she won't touch mashed potatoes. 

Day: Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

Where: School Run and Jo Ann Fabrics, but no preschool run that day.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I had to get over the way the bodice fit (since it runs large through there on me--the review is here, btw), but once I did, and sort of *wore in* the dress, I was very comfortable.  It just took a while to get used to the way the casual pintuck dress felt.

It was very cold, windy, and rainy, though, and I was very happy with my choice of the thick stadium cloth coat (rightly called the Elements coat), thick wool knee socks, and leather boots.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Since I normally am "Miss Pattern Explosion," this very sedate and monotone outfit is out of my proverbial comfort zone.  It is also the first time I tried the whole "knee socks and boots" look that everyone else does so effortlessly.  I really liked the way it came together, but the outfit isn't super special, so 3.5 it is...

Anecdote from the day:  I decided to go to Jo Ann's before picking up Rex from school.  I went ahead and purchased a rotary cutter and self-healing cutting mat (they were 40% off, too!) since I despise cutting fabrics with scissors.  I try to be so careful with the scissors, but I end up making mistakes, and if you sew, you know what a pain in the a$$ it can be to sew on fabric that doesn't follow the pattern properly.  The rotary cutter has taken some getting used to, but I will say that being more careful with that leads to really precise cuts, and can also take curves better, which my scissors cannot. 

CW fell in love with a Japanese girl print flannel cotton and I found a skull print flannel cotton for Rex, so I guess there will be more pajamas in our future.

Day: Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Where: Body Wrap and Whole Foods Winesday.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I am in a "soft as a baby's bottom" jersey dress, a pair of knee socks (hey, no need for full tights!), and small heels.  It is hard to imagine a more comfortable outfit.  It would be a 5, but the Pointed Mary Janes (review here) are not ballet flats, so a tiny bit more of a challenge to walk in. 

I love this dress, and am very glad that it still fits me well, despite having been purchased specifically as a maternity dress (seen here and here on me while pregnant).

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not cool, pretty, but not cool.  The knee socks, now that I have admitted to it, bring the score down a whole point, too.  :)

Anecdote from the day:  I love that my hubby is willing to let me take an afternoon off once a month to get a massage/body wrap/facial.  I never realize how bad my back/shoulders/neck feels until after Miss Michelle gives me her very intense (read: kind of painful) massage.  I usually walk out of there feeling like I am walking on a cloud of marshmallows. 

It is always followed up by Winesday, which makes it even more lovely. 

Day: Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Where: Church and then the school auction.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  For a party frock, this is really comfortable.  The sequinned dress (review here) is a stretch jersey with a lining, so it feels wonderful on, with none of that "ugh, what in the world is pinning/scratching me" feeling that sometimes happens with party dresses. 

The least comfortable part of my outfit was the glitter Mona pumps, but even so, I wasn't dying or anything, and managed to stand up in them for at least an hour and a half of the evening.

I wouldn't have minded keeping the pretty metallic trim ballet flats on, though (bottom photo).  I only brought them, though, so I could wear something far less "in your face" to church right beforehand. 

(Yes, I just said I went to mass in the sequinned dress and ballet flats.)

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This is such a cool outfit.  It is really hard to mess up cocktail attire, though.  LOL.

The clutch is from Arbonne (comet cosmetics collection), and was one of their offerings over Christmas time.  Basically, you ordered the clutch and it came with four eyeshadows and a bright red lipstick.  I fell for the clutch first (since it is reminiscent of Alexander McQueen), but appreciated the extra goodies, of course.  Only issue with the clutch is that the chain sticks to my hair, but since I don't plan on wearing it that way (as a handbag), it doesn't even affect me.

Anecdote from the day:  AI went to church before because the auction was in the church's basement.  Since I like to kill as many birds with one stone as I can, I decided that I could wear a sequin, spangled dress to church so long as I wore the coat over it the entire time and wore the flats (I brought the pumps and changed into them after).

Once at the auction, it was A BLAST.  My friend (and Rex's girlfriend's mom) and I hung out and drank vodka-spiked lemonades.  Yum.  Mr. Dina bid on two things, a basket of Chik-fil-A free meal coupons, tees, and mugs, and an after-school class for Rex.  He won both.  (Mmm...chicken!)

My friend told me that the live auction was crazy.  The Robert Griffin, III. jersey went for 1000 dollars, which we totally expected, but the handpainted bookcase that Rex and his classmates made (that was from the day I spent entirely at Rex's school--also Rex and RG3's birthday) went for 900 dollars.  You read that right...a very basic, very diy-looking bookshelf went for almost as much as a jersey from a Redskins' quarterback.  Guess it was good we put all that effort into making it!  Yeep.

Day: Sunday, March 3, 2013.

Where: Bethesda run, which means one thing--LOUISIANA KITCHEN (and their amazing cajun martinis).

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Love how comfortable this outfit is, even though it looks like it should be more uncomfortable.  It isn't fully comfortable since the tights aren't control top and I had to hitch them up every hour or so.

Monica H., my good friend from CA (seen here with me in this post at Winesday), gave me this skirt a few months ago since her wee little hips couldn't fit into them anymore.  I was more than happy to accept her gift, and am glad we are now getting to a point (read: warmer days) where I can wear this, finally.  :)  So thank you again, Monica!

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Some of you J. Crew ladies are gonna love this outfit, since many of you love this skirt.  Others of you will be all, "yeah, not so much."  Let split the difference and give it a 3.

Anecdote from the day:  Mr. Dina is a terrible parallel parker.  He will give up and drive really far away to find an easier spot to park in, which is no big deal when it is warm and sunny, but on days when it is blustery and cold, it is nice to be closer to where we need to be.  It wasn't that cold that day, but with three kids, and the *perfect* spot nice and wide open, I told him to just let me park the darn car.  If you grow up around here, learning to parallel park is absolutely a necessity (unlike in Mississippi, home of wide parking spaces EVERYWHERE!), so I can get into the tightest spaces imaginable.  Mr. Dina always seems amazed that I have no problems doing so, and to further mess with him, I usually take a bow afterwards.  LOL. 

Anyway, after my (only known) feat of strength, I was more than happy to imbibe the Cajun martini.

Okay, that's it!  You all have a great Friday!  :)