THE GLAMOUR OF TRAVEL? REALLY? I SAY, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: A TRILOGY

Dorothy clicked her ruby slippers to get back to Kansas, but I prefer my fluffy pink Uggs (a birthday gift from my son) and the warmth of home, complete with Charles and loyal pups Eddie and Tuey.

TRILOGY | PART ONE: 51 HOURS IN LA WITH CATHY WATERMAN, IRENE NEUWIRTH & JENNIFER MEYER

My best way to jump start the Spring Season when late January Texas weather is chill is to head West to spend time with designers and personal friends Cathy Waterman, Irene Neuwirth and Jen Meyer.

Some day (but not this trip), I will finally stop at Randy's Donuts by LAX. Happy to see that his business is still booming! My first stop was the Four Seasons, as I just had to meet my favorite new Facebook friend, Eric Buterbaugh, aka Florist to the Stars. We had a great visit and the flowers were amazing!

The mood at Cathy Waterman that Inauguration Day Monday was festive, as she (and the rest of the World) had gotten word that First Lady Michelle Obama was wearing her jewelry. Spending the afternoon at Cathy's light infused Studio visiting with her and daughter Claire over the newest creations is inspiring. Trays of twinkling rings and earrings at my fingertips made me feel like a Princess, and it was hard to make my picks. Gretchen was in the garden taking pictures, and I couldn't help but wander through the cucumbers, lemon trees, delicate lettuces and other home grown wonders to take a few shots of my own.

Monday night Jen Meyer whisked me away for a girls' dinner in Malibu where we discussed balancing marriage, children, work and fashion over amazing food . Fresh off her CFDA Fashion Fund win, her life is crazed: think 2 adorable kids, husband Tobey Maguire whose movie "The Great Gatsby" is opening in Spring, and back and forth travel to New York for fashion events, not to mention the demands of designing and producing jewelry for insatiable customers such as Moi. It was fun to run into one of Jen's best friends, Courteney Cox, who was having her own girl's night out with adorable daughter Coco.

It's great to talk about the jewelry, but my high was touching and trying on Jens' new designs on Tuesday, as well as visiting with Meegan, Caitlin and other Studio staffers who we just couldn't live without. As usual, Jen was juggling that day, arriving at the Studio having just completed a field trip hike with Ruby's class.

Irene Neuwirth hosted dinner Tuesday night in Santa Monica with Lizzie, Woju and mutual friend, clothing designer Gregory Parkinson who was getting ready for New York Fashion Week (more on this later!). The Italian food was over the top, and the warmth of friendship mixed with great wine made for a wonderful evening.

Wednesday was my day at Irene's Studio, and the amount of new work to choose from knocked me over. Thankfully, Woju had some ideas, or I never would have made it in time for my flight back to Dallas. Truthfully, it's hard to function with Teddy Neuwirth competing with the jewelry for attention. I just love this dog, Texas born and adopted during a Dallas Trunk Show.

TRILOGY | PART TWO: 110 HOURS IN PARIS

With scarcely any downtime, Charles and I jetted off to Paris for some family and friend time, as well as inspiration. Of all the cameras I usually travel with, this time the go to was my iPhone 5. Admittedly, I'm a tourist, and have taken hundreds of pictures of Paris landmarks, which I never tire of. For this posting, I offer up a list of Bests:

Best Window: Hermes Faubourg St. Honore

Best New Store: Hermes Rue de Sevres on the Left Bank, once the site of Paris' oldest swimming club, is a must see. Hermes stores designer Denis Montel has kept the original swimming pool concept with the tiles and waves of wood including huts, which form a fashion fantasy.

Best Mosaic Rotunda: Au Printemps Department Store (which also gets the honors of best new department store remodel)

Best Childhood Memory (my kids, not mine): Le Manege (Carousel) across from the Eiffel Tower, at the foot of Les Jardins du Trocadero

Best Shopping Cappucino Break: Vive le Cafe at the Bon Marche with Texas sized macarons.

Best Flea Market: The Paris Flea Market at St Ouen, the great old original.

Best People Watching: Place du Palais Royal (across from the Louvre), where you can meet our best friends Patrick, Marie and Justine who own the Best Souvenir Shop, Gregory's. Be sure and tell them we sent you in! I got lucky and met "Bubble Man" who was charming the kid in all of us.

Best Hostess Gift: Hediard

Best Camera Spots: All of it. My favorites are Les Jardins du Palais Royal (Charles' favorite spot in Paris); La Pyramide du Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and the Flame (remembering Diana). And of course any angle of the Eiffel Tower, especially during its once an hour light show at night.

TRILOGY | PART THREE: 39 HOURS IN NEW YORK WITH THE CFDA, JEN MEYER, FINN, GREGROY PARKINSON & FEATURING NEMO

Yes, as everyone was trying to escape New York, I was one of the crazies who flew into Blizzard Nemo, but Nemo be damned, I had a lot of ground to cover in a very short time. I was determined to visit Finn, surprise Gregory Parkinson during his NYFW presentation and attend Jen Meyer's CFDA presentation at Milk Studios that evening.

First stop was at Finn's Studio to meet designer Candice Pool and see the new collection. I just have to say 'Wow'. I have a love affair with the Finn aesthetic and the new designs were so beautiful, I just cannot wait to receive them! Candice and Karly were appropriately prepared for Nemo with their cute Hunter boots, and I was getting the impression I needed to buy a heavier hooded jacket to ride out the rest of my stay. I found a great Canada Goose jacket nearby (which pup Tuey is still barking at, as it has a coyote lined hood).

Following a quick surprise pop in to see daughter Alysa, who was hosting a blogger event at Jack Rogers (great new metallic Jacks collection!), I was off to Gregory Parkinson's at the hot spot Nomad Hotel. Gregory's collection was divine. Think elegant party separates in rich laces and overdyed, embellished and embroidered fabrics. The presentation was packed with press, and it was wonderful to see friend David Rees of Ten Thousand Things, who along with partner Ron Anderson, made the custom jewelry for the bohemian chic collection.

The CFDA event was over the top. Each winning designer (Elder Statesman, Jen Meyer and Tabitha Simmons) had a giant studio space to display their collections. Naturally, my date Alysa Teichman and I spent the most time at Jen's, along with Diane von Furstenberg (CFDA President and Jennifer Meyer's new mentor), Steven Kolb (CFDA CEO), Jen's husband Tobey Maguire, Leo DiCaprio, and many other friends and fashion luminaries. But the star was the jewelry and we are excited to be carrying the explosion of new designs.

Friday night Nemo blew in, but by Saturday, the great meltdown started. Alysa and I enjoyed brunch and a bit of shopping, including a hit at Trader Joe's goodies as a departing Mom to Daughter gift.

And with that, it was back to Dallas. I couldn't change into my slippers fast enough to hang out with Charles and the pups. Travel is great, but there's no place like home. Period.