Katherine Chloé Cahoon

I love everything about the holidays…the decorations, caroling, and time spent with family and friends. A favorite holiday memory is dancing in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker. Each year while growing up, I had about forty performances filled with festive cheer and unexpected adventure. One that stands out was when it snowed so hard in Seattle that driving felt like going on a slip and slide ride. Many of the dancers, stage crew members, costumers, and makeup artists couldn’t make it, but audience members who lived nearby walked to see the ballet. No one wanted to turn them away, so our artistic directors decided that the show must go on.

I went downtown ahead of the storm, checked into a hotel close to the Opera House, walked there, and did whatever I could to help out. With the lack of makeup artists, we all did our own stage makeup. Even the little dancers got creative and smeared some on as older girls helped clean them up. When the ballet was slated to begin, a voice came over the backstage intercom asking, “Can someone lead the orchestra?” The conductor was stuck in the snow so the tuba player spontaneously took his place. Onstage, we had to double up on roles and improvise. Since there weren’t enough fighting mice, some of the soldiers had to kill themselves in the battle scene. As you visualize this, keep in mind that PNB is one of the top five ballet companies in the nation, with a renowned orchestra, and a famous Nutcracker, complete with sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak! Somehow, we all pulled it off. At the end of the performance, the tuba player joined the curtain call in his jeans and t-shirt…which was slightly small from indulging in holiday goodies…instead of the usual tux our distinguished conductor wore. He got a standing ovation!

Meanwhile, the snow continued pelting down and dancers piled into the hotel instead of risking the roads. We had so much fun playing games and everyone agreed that this performance was a memory we would always cherish. I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and creating new memories.

As I think about what I’m thankful for, all of you are high on my list. This past year I’ve received many wonderful emails, messages and comments from around the world. I especially appreciate all of your support at book signings. One that stands out was a university event in California. While I was traveling there, someone accidentally dropped a suitcase on my head! With a throbbing headache, I just wanted to bond with my bed instead of bonding with a bunch of sorority girls while delivering a speech on European hot spots and culture. But I went and was so touched by all of the girls clapping and cheering me on that my headache instantly went away! A friend commented that I had a fun job. I told her that you all were what made it so much fun.

Retail therapy gives any shopping lover a natural high, but when your credit card takes a hit and post-spree depression sets in, that’s never worth it. Like many, I love to shop. I travel a lot for work and always enjoy checking out trends in new places. For those of us prone to this indulgence, there’s no need to abstain. You can still enjoy the experience without empting your wallet. The key is to find places that are amazing merely by walking through the door. Here are three of my favorites in three countries:

Waikiki’s DFS Galleria (Oahu, Hawaii) I’ve spent most of the past six weeks living out of a suitcase. When I arrived in Oahu, I was all out of face cream so I went to the Galleria. I planned on just stopping in on the way to an evening out on the town—but the next thing I knew it was eleven PM, I was closing down the stores—and I hadn’t come close to abusing my bank account. The moment you walk inside the Galleria, you’re greeted by chic sets like the one in this picture…many of which are in motion with rotating light shows. The friendly sales experts provide complimentary giveaways, makeovers, candies and drinks while live music plays.

Harrods (Knightsbridge, London) I’ve heard people say that they can’t afford to shop at Harrods—but it’s not like there’s a cover charge, so step inside. Just looking at all of the beautifully displayed luxury merchandise feels like being inside a live special edition of a fashion magazine. I’ve treated myself to this retail eye-candy multiple times over weekends when I just wanted to relax. Harrods isn’t only about high-end clothes and accessories. Their chocolate department goes on for what seems like an eternity. The last time I was in London, I promised myself that I would only buy three individual chocolates from Harrods because they can be pricey. I had so much fun!

Shops in the Heart of Madrid (Calle de la Princesa) These shops were within walking distance of the home I lived in for two months during study abroad. They are known for having unique clothing items not just from Spain, but other European countries. They are also known for having incredible sales. I found merchandise discounted as much as 75%! But beware. Many of these are high quality items that could put a dent in your wallet if they weren’t on sale. I still wear my finds and girls often stop me asking where they can be purchased. With a name that means Princess Street, you know this shopping district is girl heaven.

Jacqueline Parker, founder of Drinks at Six, a site empowering single and independent women, interviewed me and wrote, “The other week, I poured a glass of wine and gave Katherine a call. I wanted to know how to meet a hot, European man. Katherine who? Don’t be silly. Katherine Chloé Cahoon is the author of The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men – a one stop guide packed with road-tested tips on finding love… or lust abroad. I love the book – it’s chock full of candid, true stories of girls’ experiences meeting European men abroad. Like any other girl, I love to hear what really happened to other girls…not just the hits but the misses. There’s a whole lot of ‘in between’ too as you’ll find out when you read the book. It’s pretty easy to chat with Katherine – she’s a firecracker even on the phone. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how she meets men inEurope, or in the grocery store and probably even in the ER ward. She’s magnetic and I can see loving/hating traveling with her. She would steal the show for sure. So better to find out the secrets behind enemy lines than be left in their dust, right? I pour a second glass and launched into my list of questions.”

Chatting with Jacqueline felt like a girls’ night out! Even though we only just met and were miles apart, it seemed like we had been friends forever.

The inspiration for the But I Do storyline came from my several experiences at hosting university events as an author and Love and Romance expert for publications like Seventeen and Cosmopolitan and talk shows like those on RT TV. At each event, girls confided that they wanted to attract guys, but felt like they had to look and act a certain way to do that. This troubled me since every girl has worth and appealing traits. I believe that what is most important in building genuine relationships is that she has confidence and is true to herself. This is the message of But I Do.

Tomorrow I’m posting my music video!!! Thanks so much for all of your encouraging comments and messages. They mean a lot to me.

…when I can’t sing, did a kissing scene on a piano with a stranger, and got help from Ben and Jerry.

I realize that I wrote a book filled with girls’ success stories about meeting appealing men, but sometimes what a girl really needs is a girls’ night out!  

The U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team! According to The Wall Street Journal, during their first-place competition, our girls shared 55 individual hugs with teammates and coaches and five group hugs—more than any other team. They also freely hugged competitors who were feeling crestfallen after their performances, and those who had done well. Most of us can’t even walk on a balance beam without wobbling, much less doing acrobatics, but we can all show each other that kind of support. I especially enjoyed watching the Olympics this year since I’ve spend so much time living in London. It was a terrific host city. If any girls are still there and want to know where to go to have a high time, just ask. There’s something for everyone.

We only have one scene left to film for my music video. It’s romantic, with just Rob and me. Only problem…Rob has to go out of town. His brother, who looks incredibly like him, is willing to stand in, but we’ll wait for the real McCoy to return:)

I’ve been so grateful to have fantastic cast and crew members who have donated their time and been willing to film whenever we could around everyone’s busy schedules, and when venues would slip us in…over weekends, during lunch breaks, and even in the middle of the night. Someone brought chocolate chip cookies at 4 a.m. so that made up for it!

We’ve shot in six different locations with MANY breaks in between when one of us was called out of town—so we’re really excited to see the final product coming together. We all hope you like it!

Now I can say I have, thanks to my music video!

I greatly appreciate all of you who donated your time to be extras and dance in it. Everyone looked fantastic! And huge thanks to Mr. Sun for letting us use his ballroom at China Harbor to film this scene.

In this video, I show you my favorite fall trends before they even hit most stores!

It seems like something funny always happens when we’re filming. We came straight from other obligations to this venue. Katie works in finance. She didn’t think it would be appropriate to wear her performance makeup to the office that day, so on the way to the filming, she pulled over on a side street to do her makeup in the rearview mirror. Since she didn’t have much time, she didn’t pay attention to what establishment she had parked in front of. When she noticed people stopping and staring at her, she looked up and saw that it was a strip club! Everyone thought she was getting ready for “work.” It was just another day in the making of a music video:)

Girls have been sending me their dating stories, ranging from the charming to the hilarious, and asking questions. Here’s one… I love reading them!

I just filmed my first one about Pillow Talk. For girls, it has a fun dating story and tips. For guys, it has my cute girlfriends. I’ll edit it tomorrow and post it soon.