And then, I blinked.

It’s a rather momentous week in La Vida Aldrich.

To begin with, a set of much loved friends just welcomed their first daughter into this world. Oddly, they are about the same age I was when my daughters entered the universe. So on one level, it was lovely to watch their joy at the whole process. On another level, from where I sit today, I struggled to remember the heady days of tiny children and diapers. It all seems so far removed from my current “life in mid”.

By the same token, this is also the week my youngest daughter graduates from college. Four years seemingly gone in a flash. Wasn’t she just moving into her dorm?

So, on one hand I see small newborns, while on the other I see grown women: a generational gap unlike any other.

From Arielle’s birth through this week sits an astounding 26 years. Can anybody tell me where they went? For, you see, while seeming far away, my own infant daughters seem so very recent. So very, very recent. While I can’t recall crying babies and changing diapers, I can recall houses of laughter and 7 year old sing alongs. While I suffer trying to remember how our strollers worked, I remember in vivid detail a series of holiday dresses. To this very day, there are songs that drift through department stores that transport me back to something so mundane as a car ride to school. Hal says that is the way it’s supposed to be. I tell him he’s full of sh*t.

The only explanation I have to where everything went is that, quite simply, I blinked. In that blink 26 years of happiness, a few tragedies, and a mountain of memories occurred. So maybe, as blinking is a natural act, Hal is right.

I should just like to blink slower, if I may.

“Foo That”

If, by chance, you have been keeping track of me on Facebook or Instagram, you would most likely have noticed my current obsession with Foo Dogs. Now, this isn’t such a new thing. For as long as I can remember I have been coveting a home where I might be able to set a pair of these iconic beasts.

“Statues of guardian lions have traditionally stood in front of Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy, from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits”

Well, to make a long story short; Hal and I recently picked up a piece of furniture that had quite a heady space for for something tall. After staring at said space for a tad, I turned to Hal and said “Foo Dogs”. Now, as he is a gem of a human, his technical response was “Whatever”…. which in my head sounded like “You know, you are totally right. You should run out and find the perfect Foo Dogs.”

Of course, this is what I did.

Now, the tricky part of it all is after looking high and low back East, the perfect foos showed up in Southern California while stopping in at Ann Dennis Designs in Costa Mesa. I had originally fallen in love with a different pair Ann had procured, but upon turning a corner and seeing these incredible 21″ tall vintage guys, I knew they had to be mine. My previous experience had shown me that modern versions tended toward the the smaller, less artistic variety. Not really what I was looking for by any means! The sheer fact of their size meant I also found myself shipping them clear across the country one day:

“Now, you’re sure there is enough packing in them right? You put enough ‘fragile’ stickers on them? Right?”

Now, as alls well that ends well, the (recently dubbed) “Frick” and “Frack” are now ensconced in their new home guarding an illustrious library of large, heavy art books.

Mission; Accomplished.

One Day in New Orleans.

So, here’s the deal: YES, I went to New Orleans! (Remember this?).

However, with all the commitments I had for my role as the VicePresident of Programs with the Manhattan NKBA, my time was fairly well subscribed. (I know, right?).  That having been said, I did manage to break away for one whole day of meandering around the Big Easy.

One. Whole. Day.

While I would have loved to have ventured farther, my schedule simply didn’t allow for touring more than outside my hotel’s front door. As such, I was rather limited to poking around the famed French Quarter.

As I was a tad worn at this point, I opted to spend some time in a mule carriage learning the history of the area. Cheesy as it may seem, a mule drawn carriage can provide a great tool to see the city. It was also a great way to meet my new friend Gus. (Fact: they use mules down in NoLa rather than horses as they are better geared toward manual labor).

“Laissez le bon temps rouler!!”

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In Real Life: “Stuff I Like” is “Stuff I wear”.

So here’s the deal: Sometimes I do like the “stuff I like” and actually run out and make it mine. (Sadly, Hal will inform you this happens more often than not.).

Which is why when I wrote about my recent love of tan suits, I was actually researching them. See how that works…

Which is how I ended up dressed like this recently in New Orleans:

For the record, the winning suit is from Bonobos, and the clever bag is my most recent addition from Apolis Global. Also for the record, they were both purchased on-line. Oddly, shopping in my new world of Connecticut has become a tad… not so simple. That, however, is an entirely different posting!

Big & Easy.

Speaking of  ”work/life balance”…

This week brings about two “well, that’s been awhile” events here in La Vida Aldrich:

To begin with, I am going to attend a trade show for the first time in, well, who knows how long. I shall be packing my bags and heading to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in “The Big Easy”, a.k.a New Orleans. Back in the heady high tech days of the 1990s, my life was a circle of trade shows. From Boston to Las Vegas, there was a circuit we were all very much on. This show also marks the first I have been to a large scale show as an attendee and not as an exhibitor. (There really is a marked difference, don’t ya know!) I’m quite interested to see these things from the other side of the aisle.

Better yet, as I’m going to be attending as an officer of the Manhattan Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, rest assured there is some serious wardrobe going on! I mean, it is ME after all!

This year’s KBIS also marks the first time I have been down NoLo way in quite a bit. Truth be told, the last time I was in New Orleans was just before the city was subject to the will of Hurricane Katrina. As I was leaving the city after that trip, I was really quite in love with the thick air and Southern Style of it all. At that time, I had plans of coming back, shopping for Regency antiques and drinking on river boats. Needless to say, we all know how that turned out. I’m looking forward to catching up with it all. Or not. I guess that remains to be seen (reference above statements re: trade show).

In any case, here’s to New Orleans and what may lay in store for both of us!

| Photos by me… “The last time…” |