Where the Love Is

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." ~ James Earl Jones

Holding back is not so much my style. What can I say? I'm an expressive gal! For me to succeed and achieve, I have to let it out. I learned that a long time ago and when push comes to shove, I stick to that and I stick to this: It's better for all of us if I just tell you what's on my mind. So, on that note...

Right now, all I can think about is LOVE. I mean, sure, I'm always basically a positive person. As a leader, as a Queen, I think it's important to demonstrate a good, clean, healthy and upbeat outlook. I mean, c'mon. Have you looked at my space lately? I'm practically a perfect cross between a glow stick, a disco ball and the remnants of a Picasso-inspired paintball tournament. Color, light, glitter and sparkle. Everywhere. But that's not what I'm talking about. Not completely. I'm talking? About love. For real.

In less than one week, Valentine's Day will be upon us, and while I know not everyone is into the hearts, stars, flowers and choco rocko, well, I still think it's sort of sweet, special and, well, neat. I think Teddy Bears are really nice people (?) and I will not, no matter how many times you'd beg, hate on a tiny, winged, chubby cherub with a bow and arrow on his arm. In fact, I think that life is a rush and a hustle and that it's really a relief to get an opportunity, a day, a weekend, maybe just a few moments, to remember to tell people that we care. And to hear that we are cared for. Why hold that back? Why suffer in silence? Why not just tell me/us/them/it? I LOVE YOU.

So, I'm starting the chain. I'm starting now. I'd like to let you know, from my own royal heart to yours: I? LOVE you. I really do. And just so you know I'm not faking, I've created a list of all the reasons why. You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but if you're so inclined, why not respond in the comment section below and tell your darling QoV what it is you love about me? And my sweet little hotspot...the aloft of fun!

The Queen of the Vibe Loves You, Because:

1. You smile a lot. We could blame it on the booze from w xyz, but then, sometimes you're just in here sipping on a latte and snacking on a muffin, so I know you mean it. You look really nice, really happy, really adorable. There you are, all snuggled up in the leather rocker with your feet kicked up on an ottoman and your laptop is blazing and I know! I know that you feel good. You cutie.
2. You're fun. You come in at "happy" hour and you bring all your super fab friends and you just charm charm charm it up! I see you perched at the bar, all sassy and silly, cracking your crazy jokes and lording over your crew. You're planning an event for your co-workers on your birthday. Because you want to be celebrated! Even by the people who share that tiny but tender cubicle with you!
3. You indulge me! You are my facebook friend and you regularly play my reindeer word games with me. You don't mind that I'm half bananas, half the time. In fact, you tell me that you think it's fine. And I believe you. I do I do I DO! You know that I know that we're all in this together and if we're going to keep this joint jumping and jamming, we've got to take it light and let it roll, from time to time. You sweetheart, you.
4. When you stay, you always play! You could come visit and be a total blob, boring and blah. But not you. No no no. You come and you do it up! You break out our Jenga set, let out your inner pool shark, sweat it out in our fab-o fitness facility and still find time to sidle up to the bar at w xyz and put a little razzle dazzle into your cocktail playlist. You're not content to go drooling around the same old shmame old spots, sticking in the same old mud, idle. You? Ramp it up. Me likey.
5. You respect our space. You're careful and you take good care of the things you love. You wouldn't roll in here, all hobo'ed out and haggard, breaking up our flow and throwing ick and mess about like glitter. Nope. You, like us, are one who loves the aesthetically sweet art of living. You live beautifully, in fact. You make it look good when you lounge. You are a gorgeous thing. I'd whistle at you right now, if I knew how (sadly, some talents have escaped your sweet Queen's skillset).

I'm so hoping that you'll come up and spread a little bit more of you with us this Valentine's weekend and this Valentine's month. I promise to adoringly dote and fuss all over you. In fact, I think I'll get my minions on it now and have posterboards, cards, fliers and neon signs flashing, upon your arrival:

I LOVE YOU!


Thanks for your time in advance. You're so generous! (See! Another reason to love you!)

Yours,

-QoV

Staycation Nation

I have barely traveled this year. I mean, I've been on the move, sure. Been busier than ever before, yes. Been hustling and hauling it from one point to the next, every chance I get, but yea. No. I haven't really vacationed and gone off my schedule and thrown myself off the grid. Not so much.

This has been the case with a couple of friends of mine, as well. In fact, in a conversation the other night over dinner, these friends of mine, a couple, stated that they had barely had a chance to get away and "recover," if you will. We all sat around laughing about our lackluster lot until one of us said it: "We need to plan a small getaway with no worries. You know? A Stay-cation." Dingdingding! Ringalingaling! Done. Score. Perfect. The eagle landed.

Why hadn't we thought of this before??

Last weekend, they packed up and rode out to aloft Chesapeake to staycation for the weekend. I wrote up a list of favorite local spots like restaurants, spas, breakfast joints and art galleries. I sent them to The Chesapeake Arboretum and The Northwest River Park. They spent at least five hours in total, lounging by the pool with their laptops, making new music playlists and randomly scouring the web for nothing at all. They drank martinis at w xyz bar each night and overdid it, just a little, since they'd be taking the lift home. Basically, they vegged, vibed and totally tuned out of their usual lives.

At the end of the weekend, I checked in on them and asked how it was going. They were in total blob-dom, totally chilled out and chillin':

"QoV," they gushed, "this was absolutely the best thing we could possibly have done for ourselves. We never want to leave. We feel...Chesapeake'd!"

And it hit me. This whole plan is brilliant. And why aren't more of us doing it? Really?

So, you know, I'm just saying. I'm just throwing it out there because that's basically what I do best: If you've had one of those landlocked sort of years and, let's say maybe you're starting to feel faded and it's happening faster than you can handle, well, I'd recommend you, you know...think about getting away, even if it means just swinging around the corner.

Until then, wait for their review of their little Staycation weekend in the coming week and live vicariously through their time:

www.altdaily.com

Mwah.

-QoV

Number One

"There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." -Anon

When we begin something new, when we choose a new direction, there is often that little burst of za za zoom that gets us right through those early stages of change and disorientation. That's convenient, really. That excitement is necessary. It's the bee sting to the horses behind and, I mean it: It's real. But it goes away. And then...then what?

When we make a resolution and we begin a new path, we don't know that it might be winding or wooly, covered in glass or twigs or tar. We don't know, but we set out. We? Commit.

Sure, it's a new year, and we've made some promises to ourselves to step up the game in ways that we know we're ready to do. We want to keep getting better and the truth is, now that we've learned to balance on these glorious two legs, we think it's time. To learn to run. And by run, I mean fast.

The good news in all times is that we've got a little light to lead the way: Vibe. Attitude is everything, right? And who would we be without our sassy smiles and savvy ways? We're naturally in love with our world and even if it's new amenities, new rules, new menus or just new moons, we're committed to one thing above it all: No worries.

We can assure you that we support you as you're running faster or dancing longer or jumping farther. Perhaps you're just eating more cake and making a point to keep bon bon distribution on your speed dial and we? Think that sounds fantastic. Whether your beefing up or trimming down, winding up or slowing down, we're with you. And we're with you with a smile.

If you'd like to know what we've resolved to do, in this new year (of the Tiger, no less! Meow!), we'll let you in:

We resolve to be number one. No exceptions. No worries. We're committed.

And well, yes. We'll go ahead and keep on being fabulous.

See you soon, sweethearts! We're off and we're jamming. Join us?

birds got to fly

The other day, I had six thousand things to do before 4 PM and I wondered to myself, aloud: What comes first? It made me stop for a minute and really look at that statement. In fact, I pondered, what really does come first? After all?

The year is ending and a new year is beginning and I'm adjusting the order on the priority chain, once again. The problems that once got to stand up and shuffle to the front of the class are now long gone and faded, only here in memory. And the new problems? Well, even they feel different, not quite as imminent and crucial as those old nags used to be. Our universe has become a stable fortress of fun and festivity and while we have our little snippets of sensationalism and drama, from time to time, we've really hit a stride that is both well-earned and deserved. But what's next? What to take with me into this new year? And what do I leave behind? Do I bring with me my eggs, by the dozen? Or do I grab three grown chickens and strike out into the brand new unknown?

I look at the evolution of our space over this past year, look at our choices and I can see a few patterns in the sky that look like direction, a sign, a light, a guide. We took our doe-eyed selves out onto the ice and slipped a bit. We lost a few things we loved along the way and we wished it were more obvious, easy or different, getting up all by ourselves. Just when we thought we'd learned to rise and stand, the sun came out, melted the ice and suddenly? It was sink or swim. Of course we found our fins, we found the ocean floor and came back up to meet the light. We're evolving ever further now: Tomorrow, we might be cro-magnon, destined for another upright life.

The friends we made and the ones we lost were all apart of our becoming something we believe in and something that we finally know. Once confused about ourselves, our direction and who we thought we hoped we'd be, we only know we may have been an egg and we're definitely not chicken. But we're so much more...

Instead of trying to figure out exactly what to do, as this year comes to it's eager end, I think I'll just finish by reminding us of who we are. I think I'll let you in on a few of our secrets, just so you know you won't have to worry. What you see, now? Is exactly what you get. Who are we?

We are aloft Chesapeake:

Resilient

Bright

Alive

Sassy

Bold

Vivacious

Sophisticated

Fresh

Transformative

Innovative

Light

Savvy

Deep

Authentic

Real

Right

Spacious

Gorgeous

Glamorous

Good

Glorious

Grand

Small

Silly

Quirky

Quaint

Charming

Sensitive

Kind

Artistic

Musical

Dynamic

Driven

Loving

Dy.No.Mite!

If you have more you'd like to add, go on and add it in the comments section. We hope to take praise, love and the liveliest life with us into our new year. We figure we'll need it. Next? We suspect it's time to learn to fly.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, Sweet Darlings,

Your Very Own Queen of the Vibe

re:bash

It's not easy to move forward when it looks like there's nothing underneath us. The floor that was the floor is gone. In its place is something, it's not nothing, but it's no floor we've ever known. It's no ground, no rock, no earth we'd choose to stand up on.

When we're born, we have no choice. We are just, suddenly, alive. We don't know how to accept the air we need, but we do. We take a breath and then we cry. It was hard not knowing! The lights shine too brightly and the people are large, looming and dry. Everything around us has gravity attached to it, and it wants to get us down on that floor and get us going. We've got to learn to crawl. And then? We've got to learn to walk.

A year ago, aloft Chesapeake was born. Aloft landed here in Chesapeake, VA with it's eyes opened wide and wondering. The town seemed a strange fit. Any reminder of the womb we'd come from seemed a million miles away, some rubix cubed reminder that we once really did know how to shift, spin and roll. We didn't want to, but we took a breath. And occasionally, we even cried out! What. Is. Happening!

But, like all the things that grow and crow and go, we began to crawl. And then? We found our legs.

The floor wasn't the floor we thought it'd be, but it held us, all the same. It continues to change and shift but we do what we were meant to do, we go with the flow, ride the wave of the vibe and keep bringing new, beautiful things to life. The people around us? Somehow, they just look more like us. And anyway, I'm fairly certain we were never meant to stay all snuggled up inside someone else's bubble, just some other person's creation.

The floor, you see, is not just a floor. Sometimes, it's only a door and all we've got to do is slide through, take a breath and accept the life we've been given.

We hardly walk anymore, anyway. Not since we learned to dance. And dance? We've got to do...

Please join us as we celebrate one life on one gorgeous night because we're alive and-that's right-we love it! It's our One Year Birthday bash: re:bash, and we're pumped, primed, ready and revved up to remember.

check the deets on our re:bash, one year birthday celebration:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=162547571364#wall_posts

Thanks to all of our supporters. We feel, well, basically fabulous. And you're partly to blame.

C'mon!

Juggling

I know a guy named Joel who is a mean juggler. I've seen him juggle a variety of different objects and it's always the same. Balls, plates and the random block-shaped object all go whirling around in space and Joel? He never flinches. He keeps his gaze fixated. Dead center, straight ahead. I don't even know if he sees those balls, at all, anyway.

The days, the activities and the onslaught of new obstacles, they keep coming and they keep going. A few days ago, I had a schedule packed full and fit for any dynamo of a Queen, and I set out, determined. I got about 1/6th of the way through my day when the universe conspired against my mobility and stopped me in my tracks. I made a jerky movement, jacked up my foot, sliced it open and bam. Woman down. Literally. I had a moment, paralyzed in motion, some juggled ball, hung up in the air and I thought: What do I do now? Then, I remembered I'm a juggler. I keep looking forward.

At aloft, there are any number of things happening at any given moment. We're happy hour-ing while a book club is holding their monthly meeting in our conference room. A family reunion descends upon us early, the rooms aren't ready and we've scheduled live music on the patio, but it's raining. Suddenly, the power goes out and the chihuaua in room 504, deathly afraid of thunder, begins to bark. Without pause. The balls are spinning, sure, but who knows? It's not easy to see that center, that centrifugal force.

Then, I remember Joel the Juggler.

Right smack in the middle of all of that "happening," there is a truth. Beauty and order can be found in letting go. When we accept chaos, we find control. It just doesn't look like what we thought. The peace, the order and the ease we need aren't always found by holding tightly to the balls we've got. We have to put them out there and let them fly, trusting the flow, trusting the sky. Actually, this life? Is fun.

It only gets crazier, kittens. It only gets woolier. We only have to fly higher and get further and further from the ground. We're jugglers, we can handle it. We keep our eyes on the center, on the truth, on that ever-glowing prize.

Ramp it up and channel Joel, this week. Remember, you're still alive.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes...

This morning, we turned on the fireplace. I took count, and we've had no less than three different conversations about putting up outdoor heatlamps, this week, alone. Just the other day, it was sweltering and I was melting in the backyard, jamming out to our 'Fridays are Live' concert series. Suddenly, the only thing I'm sweating is the end of September and the onslaught of the obligatory holiday season. Deck the halls? Didn't I just finish celebrating my day of Independence? Ack!

Time's a winged creature, I tell ya. It flies. I have to say it: Everything seems so...temporary.

I think it's important to make note of a few of the things I can count on, I can bank on and I can use to help me fall asleep on these upcoming, changing Autumn nights. I'm reminding myself of the few things I can control, in a world I've begun to call "The Variation Nation." Or something.

1. My attitude. I'm staying positive. No sourpuss sandwiches for me. No no no! I will not allow Negative Nelly or Debbie Downer to infiltrate my vibe bubble. I am the Queen and I say: Let us keep on eating this flippin cake!


2. My posse. Our crew is solid like a rock. We don't just smear our names and our signatures on anything. When we put our hands on something, you can believe we're working with our best version of the midas touch. We're counting on each other to keep on showing up and looking sassy. That's just how we roll. And that ain't changin'!


3. Our motto: Life is beautiful. That's why we're all glittering and sparkly, colorful, funky, fun and free flowing. Because we're gorgeous, we like to strut and we're proud of ourselves. Thank you Beyonce, because you recently reminded me: We know that we can back it up. We've got a big ego.

So, the economy is an unknown variable, kids grow up too quickly, jobs are lost and found, babies are born, lives get cut short, songs are written, recorded and never heard again, but us? We will will still be here, chanting, stomping and clapping, with our hearts beating wildly in the name of sticking to what it is that we know best: Life was meant to be lived and loved and fun.

And that, my friends, is no temporary state of mind.

Livealoft!!