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!!

do it up!

I'm throwing myself a party in honor of...myself! I have cause to celebrate. I'm me! You know?

When I decided to organize and host the "I think I'm fabulous" party, I started, first, by determining venue. Do I host it at my apartment? I could ask everyone to bring a dish, show off my fabulous new wine fridge and get complimented, endlessly, on my way with interior design.

But then, I thought: Uh uh. Don't be ridiculous. Cleanup is no fun for Queens and, since I'm the host and the star, I'll have waaaay too much in the way of managing where to stay, what to bring, directions, etc. Location quickchange.

Duh! I'm having it at aloft!

So, I've been making my little list and considering the details. Now, as the QoV in our Chesapeake hot spot, I'd like to think I have some creative licensing to, well, put a few special touches onto the shebang, but the best news is: the vibe, the style and the design are already there. Pre-existing conditions, so to speak. I don't, practically, have to do anything! Well, except show up. And be adored. My favorite!

See, I'm not hustling and wondering: Where will I put everyone up? Where will they sleep? What will we eat? How can I accomodate all my high maintenance family requests? How will I get us together, to and from the event venue, etc? No no. Not even a little bit. My family, three bff's from college, myself and four of my local bff's, two of their dogs and my fish, are all going to make it a weekend. Room block? Hallelujah. Put me down for two!

I know, because I know, but anyway, I know: aloft is like a biodome. Once you step inside, you don't have to leave. So, since I'm hosting a party and gathering my gaggle for to fiesta ourselves fabulous,then I'm going big. And I'm not going home!

I'm here to tell you: All of the fantastic slumber parties you used to attend as a preteen are a reality for you as an adult, but better. There's alcohol involved. And, quite often, live music, a dj or just a handsome and charming bartender who will mix your cranberry spritzer with a smile and a special wink. Sigh. Rob.

Really though, I can't believe I haven't thought of it before!

This year has been too bananas, too intense and too rife with bad news bears. I'm ready to spread the word. It's not all dark clouds and Gargamel's castle over here, in the land of the QoV. In fact, life is short and fleeting. Who's really taken enough time to round up their finest and most loving circle and really put a smackdown on a weekend of full on, unadulterated cheer and uninhibited joy? When was the last time you sequestered yourself with just your sweetest and most sensational crew members?

I'll certainly keep you in on the deets for "I think I'm Fabulous Bash 2009," so stay tuned. Until then, consider planning a little party for your own hard working, hip, hot and happening, most gloriously undercelebrated self.

I'm the Queen, and what I say goes. I rule. So, do you. Now, do it up, daaaling.

Vibe Queen Believers

Inevitably, the question always gets asked, at least once, twice and three times, maybe, in a day.

"How did you get to be the Queen of the Vibe?"

Now, I don't always know if my asker is seeking a brief biographical depiction of my combined personal, professional and educational experience and expertise, or if they're asking how I chose the royal title and why I think I get to rock it, so brazenly.

I'm absolutely not going to take you through the spider's web of my past 10 years in professionalism and big pimpin, but I will tell you why they call me Queen and why I, absolutely, feel capable of owning that and backing it up.

It's.About.Believing.

I stepped into my first aloft at a time in my life when I felt less like a Queen and more like a waiting lady. But something happened, in here, that day, and it's never left me, since. The space just shook me up and jumped out at me. It might have been the music (one of my favorite Feist tunes was jammin'), it could have been the scent of Vibrance (our signature fragrance), wafting on the wind or it may have been the glamorously appropriate lighting (we all know the pitfalls of a brush with bad lighting...). Regardless, something happened. I knew I was here to create something and love it the way a queen would love her court. With respect. With power, with strength, with love.

So, when I got started flinging vibe around, it wasn't always perfect. Little things did and do continue to get by me and I've had to bob and weave and shuffle uffle buffalo my way around a solution on the fly. There wasn't always a lot of direction and, at least once a week, I'd go: What am I doing? And then, I'd take an hour to breathe and be in re:mix and I'd remember.

Believing in my space. Believing in my work. Believing in myself. Being authentic.

aloft, at its core is an authentic space. It's so new and so young, it couldn't be contrived, if it tried. Or, it could, but it wouldn't be happy. It's too fresh and untouched to be hard, haughty or a hack. It still wears its hair down and it doesn't yet try to hold back the truth. It feels good in its skin, because it hasn't been told to look like anything else. It only knows it's best attributes, because it hasn't been hit, hurt or held down enough to believe in its flaws. This experience is a gift. The best part? It's real and you can play, too.

I know what inspired me that blustery day, months ago, when I came trotting in, mildly hopeless. It was that authenticity. That originality. That youthful, carefree way of being that doesn't always feel the need to know better or do it "right." It was the sparky way that all of the sensory elements seemed to have conspired in some master plan to shout to the universe: Nothing matters. You are alive!

I've been reminded of this experience and this journey, as I've been spending some time chatting with the new diva's, rocking the space at our fabulous, hot-off-the-presses property, aloft Richmond West. (http://www.aloftrichmondwest.com/).

As new alofts start popping up across the country and the globe, for that matter, I hope to inspire and encourage all of the future kings and queens to know:

When you're ready to believe you're royal, royal you shall become.

Own it. Believe in your ability to rule the way you did when you were five. Believe me when I tell you. You are authentic. You are alive. You live life, aloft.

Whoosh!

Are you swamped? Have you been feeling a little overwhelmed by the mountainous to-do list that seems to only grow larger and loom more dramatically as each little weekday goes ticking by? Have you begun to notice that even simple things, like picking up coffee on your way home, or popping in to the drycleaner, are becoming impossible to get to, exhausting, too much? I mean, are you busy? If you said yes, I'm not going to respond by saying, "Great! That's a good thing!" Nope, not gonna do it.

Admittedly, I am a dynamic person who takes big bites into life. I take on a lot of responsibilities and I'm active. I have a lot of energy. And yes, I tend toward an overactive schedule that can lead to an occasional meltdown based on a momentary peek at my week-at-a-glance calendar. I confess, I'm often running from point A to point B, lucky if I'm only 15 minutes behind the 8 ball. I do it. It's a good thing, sure, and then, it's something else, it's more than that. It is a constant reminder to keep searching out and keeping around places and spaces, people, animals, plants and lilting breezes to relax, revive and recharge. It's a marathon. I'm making sure to stock up on the stuff that keeps my feet on the ground.

I'm slammed, lately! I can't stop thinking about the four hundred gazillion things I have to do between 9 and 5 PM, followed by the ninety-seven thousand things waiting on me, starting at 5:01 PM until...whenever. I'm up at 5 AM, down at midnight. I'm kicking A and taking names. I tell people this and they're shocked or inspired or a combo pack of the two. They wonder how I'm getting it done with a smile and some sass on the side and I can tell them, I can tell you. It's because I spend at least 40 hours of every week in a space that is filled with zen, ease, fun, funk, peace, play, party, pizzaz, beauty, bounce and bountiful life. I work with the best, the brightest, the most beautiful, creative and killer personalities. My boss is the bomb. My coworkers are heart-filled, passionate humans. And it shows, all over us, all around us, every day.

Our rooms, like our personal and professional lives, are booked, and I'm not surprised. We go big, go hard and go all the way and we are busy. We like this, for sure. It's more than good or great or even fantastic. It's fabulous. It's also a reflection of our ability to maintain balance, support each other and keep a constantly connected, cohesive flow, followed by the strength and follow through to take it all, all the way home.

I love all the things in my life, and yes, time's flying by too fast and it can be scary to see it speeding so wildly, on. Fortunately, I'm surrounded by people moving with me in a spot that knows how to pull us all together, making rain. And that, my friends, is, indeed, great!

right on

I am a do-er. I tend to find satisfaction in getting things done. I'm not content to sit back and watch, too often. In fact, I tend to sit in the front of the class and raise my hand, regularly. It's my way. It's my style. It's part of why I like to be a queen. I get to do a lot, a lot of the time.

Sometimes, it jacks me up. I get to hustling, herding and checking off the list. I get to kicking A and taking names. I get down and I get it done. It's gratifying, satisfying, great. Yes! Another one bites the dust! It's just that, there are so many things that I can't just get done, even if I do everything I'm supposed to do, everything I want to do, in order to prepare. Some people and some situations just need time, agency and the winds of a new season to blow them my way. I can't make that happen. I can't shape that transaction. Arrival is not a static, fixed scenario. Life is fluxuating. This can be frustrating for a bossy hoss like me to accept. Except, lately, having finally acknowledged my own limitations in this tornado-like tango with time, having exhausted myself on the runaround, I'm rediscovering the beauty in deliverance. All the right things are showing up. Right on time. Aaah. It tastes good, the whole way down.

For what felt like an eon, we were hunting down a new sales manager. Many brilliant, tenacious and qualified individuals bustled through our doors, but none of them fit our exact specifications and requirements. We needed just the right fit. Us? A glass slipper. Aforementioned character? Cinder-frickin'-rella. A few weeks ago, we had a bear of a weekend, over here. We got worked. Our spot was booked to the gills with rooms and parties were going off the chain. The staff, including myself, all got our fill of fun. We were pooped. I was willing my way through the drive in on Monday. Faking it until I could get to making it. Wilted, zonked and wimpish, we made our way in and looked around. Who would inspire the shine? Me? Yikes.

Like a bubbling brook in a sweltering Sahara, she appeared! Our superstarlet sales goddess had been chosen and had arrived. Newly hired, vivacious and a veritable champion, she was and she is exactly the thing we've all been searching for. She's brought in fresh, new energy that is a perfect compliment to our many, shall we say, nuanced ways? She's incredible. She's savvy. Sassy. Sophisticated, but not stuffy. It's like we've been over here tasting soup for hours, trying to determine the missing ingredient to complete the flavor profile and boom, she stuck her little neck out from behind the oregano and squeaked out. Hello. Try me. Duh.

And her arrival has brought out all the best in all of us. Her direct, finite ways have helped me to feel grounded and steady. Her quirky curiosity has created a space to help open up our more reserved talent members, and we're all growing closer, together, more like a unit, less like a hodge podge, a random mix. I've noticed the way we're bringing this to all of our conversations, with each other, with our guests and probably with our spouses, loved ones, pets, plants and, in my case, daily interactions with the 7 eleven clerk who sells me my perrier and orbit spearment gum. I think Jamal thinks I scored a lotto ticket or a trip to Belize. Nope. Just Heidi. Just what I needed.

It's fabulous, because she's reminding me how important it is to have the right people around you, to have the right balance of personalities, character and, well, connection to your colleagues and coworkers. Her being here encourages me to know that there is magic in the things we go after, and still more magic in the things that arrive just when you'd given up hope they'd ever get there, or forgotten they were being sought out, in the first place. I am so grateful to work with the most fabulous assortment of people, across the board. I had almost forgotten.

I have a lot of access to a lot of vibe, but I don't control time and I can't move the clouds aside and demand the sun to shine. Those things are outside of me, thankfully. Beside me? Our new sales guru, Heidi Studer. Stop by and say hi. Whenever the time feels right.

come together

I have always been one of those connector-types. I'm like some wandering, traveling nucleus, always surrounded by forces that need me, that I need. We're like a ceiling fan, spin, spinning around a crowded, sweltering space and we've got to stay together to get the cool into the room. I love being the Queen, because I get to max out this level of my personality, all in the name of, well, vibe.

I was talking to a colleague, recently, and we were talking about all the different kinds of people that do what I do in all the different places in the world and it became clear. I'm not sure why other people in my position are doing what they're doing, but I know what I'm about and I know why I show up to drive the vibe home, every day. It's because I am a hub and I want to bring you people together. Around me. Over me.

I was always like this. Even as a tiny, baby Queen, I loved and adored all kinds of people. I loved variety and color, loved to mix and match us all together like swatch watches on my wrist. Throwin' a party? Can I help with the deets? Please and thank you? I just think people are so lovely when they get together. I see the way that we morph and soften to fit the shape of those around us, how we try to smile more, for the sake of each other. It touches me. People really like other people, inherently. Even when they're not aware of it. I've watched our business professional happy hour patrons befriend a traveling biker group, stopping in for a night, on their way to their next destination. I've seen housewives and mothers of three chatting up our pierced and tattooed front desk talent. It reminds me, constantly, why I'm doing this, why I love what I do.

It also reminds me to keep reminding you that I need you, that I want you and that I'm happy to have you in my world. My space is beautiful and powerful and alive. My staff is incredibly dynamic and inspired and fun. But we're not half as fabulous and fierce without you, here, beside us, urging us to smile wider, laugh louder and transform into the best possible versions of ourselves because you are here.

Remember, I am the center point, but I'm nothing without you to hold onto, encouraging me to keep turning the wheel that keeps us all in motion. Together.

say that you love me

Everyone is good at something or some things. We've all got aspects of ourselves that we have always thought, maybe secretly, maybe not, were unique, special, magic, lovable. When we're young and growing, we don't always move gracefully, we crash around a bit and bumble about, trying to get used to the newer, longer legs, the wider, bigger eyes, the seemingly smaller ceilings. One could say that it could be easy to get distracted by all the change and the discomfort, and to forget the secret ingredients that can't be touched by inches gained or lost, responsibilities awarded and neglected, recognition won and then, forgotten. Aloft is a brand new baby of a brand. We're an adoring piece of footwear, but we're unbroken by the right foot or feet. We're not completely comfortable in our skin, and we're learning the reach of our arms and the clip of our gait. While we're working through this time and learning how to move with ease, I don't want to lose sight of what it is I love about us. I don't want you to forget why we are unique, why we are special and why, ultimately, you saw possibility in us, in the first place.

We're positive. We are. You can't walk into the dag-on doors without being practically blasted with a specially crafted scent (Vibrance), a neon, glowing, pink piece of upholstery or a perky chanteuse of a songstress, rapping about a funky, fun scenario. Sparkly, little lights trickle out across the bar, around the perimeter of the lobby and wrap themselves, striped and beaming, around the circular front desk. Every color is bold. Every sound is pronounced. Each piece of furniture is funkily placed to feng shui your seated moments. We have ottomans, for days, begging your legs to stretch out. Want to play scattergories? Want to add a little jenga to your cocktail hour? We can help! We're bursting forth out of everything, like a wildflower garden gone to the devil and we're all about fun and freedom, but only if the vibrations are good.

We're creative. We fill our space with local artistry, local, live, talented musicians and DJ's, skilled and sassy bartenders and quirky, clever front desk staff. Our promise to ourselves and to our public is to deliver something fresh and new that will continue to inspire and enliven the senses. We don't want to just be another smiling face. And we want to do more than bring you cheer. We want to really connect with your sensibilities and impress ourselves upon the aesthetic experience of your life, even if only for a brief moment.

We're committed. We work really hard and we want to be great. We go and go and go because we want to get to the place we've been imagining: our fullest potential. And we are absolutely invested, bound and readied for the trek to get there. We stumble, but we don't slow down. We get tired, but we don't sleep. We don't break down, we just take breaks. We are on the only way we're willing to go.

I know it's not always easy getting to know something while it's getting to know itself. It would be easier if we were all a little older and wiser in our way, but we aren't. Isn't there some horrible cliche about not being able to be loved until you first learn to love yourself? Let me assure you, we may not always know our direction, entirely, but we know we love who we are, love all that we're becoming and we love getting to know ourselves, a little bit at a time, one day at a time. So, we're not worried. We know: You'll get here in your own time and in your own way. And once you do, we'll remember what we have to offer, and we'll remember all the reasons why: We're lovable.

alive

Music moves me. In any variety of different ways, it soothes me, it lifts me, it reaches me, in almost any and every moment. It rustles up memories, shakes up my blurring senses and sends me back into a truly felt life. Have you ever felt a little rickity and blasted, for instance, "Push It," or "Ain't No Mountain High Enough?" Have you ever been feeling a little wild and overly-hyped and rocked some Pointer Sisters in an effort to jump the jumping bean out of your system? Do you find that the only reason weddings are ever any fun, anymore, is simply because the dj's bangin', the band is on point and you just can't resist. You have to do the electric slide one more time? Well, maybe you don't, but I do. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I've spoken to you about the musically talented wunderkid who graces our sound system, every Friday night. You know that I know that we all ought to know, by now, that DJ Jeyone is basically the baddest brother around. In fact, he's been such an inspiration to the vibe, that team-queen has decided we need to add to all that he's been so artfully trying to do: Spice up our space through the art of sound. How are we going to do this? Live music.

We've begun hiring an eclectic and diverse array of talented souls to soothe you in person, in real time. Haven't you been longing to while away a wicked week-ending with sweet tunes, sweet cocktails and your sweetest Vibe Queen? I figured. Every Friday, starting July 10th, we'll be hosting Happy Hour on the backyard patio from 530ish to 830ish and the sound will be coming at you, live. Jeyone will still be on the set, hooking up this same bat station and bat time on the last two Fridays of the month.

Please join me in celebrating another new opportunity to get a little closer to the finer things in life. It may be hot and you may be tired. You may be feelin' a little less than fab. Naturally, you'll need a song sent your way on the lofty wind to pick you up and get your groove put back on. Fortunately, your Queen is here to provide.

Mighty!

Bright colors and appropriately bright lighting are two things that really get me jazzed. I could never live in a basement apartment, cave or deepsea underwater huddle. Don't misunderstand. I appreciate the value in darkness. I know that stars only really twinkle against a nightsky backdrop. I understand that black is slimming. Chocolate sometimes saves my life. Many a superhero relied solely on a black cape, suit or headdress. I get it. Still, bursting rainbows and skittle-splattered backdrops are just my thing. I'm a sunny person. This vibe does not ride without a certain amount of shine.

Lately, there's so much going on, I've begun to feel like my head has spun around sixteen times and ended up stuck in the wrong direction and I feel...a little disoriented. I have to shake myself up. Have to do some jumping jacks, orchestrate an impromptu dance party in my office or find an unsuspecting puppy to hug and smother, for a few. Truly, it's wonderful to be busy and it's nice to be so needed. Yes, I have more energy than the average bear...but heavens to mergatroid! Sometimes, this Queen needs a pick me up, and no amount of glittery, cuddling, puff-painted, so you think you can dance-ing will get me there. I have made a determination. I need to hire a cheerleader. No wait, better yet. I'm starting a pep squad. And I'm recruiting.

I don't know if you've checked out a cheerleading team lately. Perhaps you've failed to show up to any local sporting events and missed the chance to catch a glimpse. Picture this: bedazzled divas, pom-poming their way across a field, a floor or some open arena. Hair pulled back with ribbon, sneakers matching and bleach-n-glow white. Smiles for days, bellowing out chants and rants and enthusiasm and support! Stunting! Backflips, russians, pyramids, jumps, leaps, jazz hands! Athleticism like Tiger couldn't compete with. And all that energy, all the force of this entire creation is focused on letting everyone know: You can do it! You're not down! We know you've got the special sauce! You are the best! Numero Uno = You! Go! Go! Go! See these ribbons? I wore them for you! This triple backtuck? In your honor and your name! I am more than a chic with spunk! I believe in you!

I'm sorry, but I have to say it. Who doesn't need this? At least once a week, but really, why not once a day?

Seriously though, I mean it, the world is a whirling, wild place, these days. We're all on the move and we get where we're going so quickly. Finding time to fit it all in can be an exercise in organizing chaos theory. It's just not simple and, while we're all doing our best to be queens, genies, princesses, kings, princes, lords, dukes and the occassional Beyonce, it's reality: we all need to do our best to pep each other up from time to time and channel our inner cheer team captain.

So, not only am I looking for a cheerleader to keep on retainer, but I'm offering you my own services in return. I'm going to do my very best to urge you and revive you in the ways I know you deserve. If I sense you're looking a little pekid or punked out, I'm going to summon my latest, greatest chant and walking handstand. From time to time, I may need you to put on a sweater with your Vibe Queen's lettering and leap around me, squealing that you've got my back. Together, I believe we can rally even the most defeated team spirit. We aren't made of titanium and steel. We're made of something lovelier than that-the shared energy of a universe acquainted with darkness, yes, but always, continually blanketed by a rising sun.

I want you working on your splits and backhandsprings. I want you pumping your fists in the air with glee. I want you to know that together, we will share this motto: Go Team!

Play this Way

People work really hard. I mean it, we do. The next time you're at the grocery store, look around you as you're bumbling around on a hunt for that cheese you ate at your girlfriend's house last week. Just check it out. People are furrowed and scowling and focusing on the task at hand. They're gripping their lists, checking off the completeds and hurriedly chasing down the remainders. That guy with four bags of puppy chow? His name is Brian. He's been up since 5 am. He went for a run before work, squeezed in a carwash on his lunchbreak and now, at 630 PM, he's heading home to his wife Tina and their dog, Buster. Buster's out of dog food and Tina's mad. Why didn't he pick it up when he was there last time? Now, the dog's got to starve and whine. Thanks Brian. Can't wait to see you when you get home.

Or, have you been to the gym lately? Walked by an open door to a random, 530 PM spin class? Seen the instructor barking out at the crowd of huddling, sweating, grimacing lycra-clad souls? Have you honed in on any one person's face long enough to recognize their effort? There's Lisa, in the front row. She is fit and she will tell you she's getting fitter. Lisa's in a wedding in 3 weeks. She'll be a bridesmaid for the 7th time in 2 years. She has decided that if she's going to wear another strapless A-line dress, she's going to make it look damn good, even if it is the 8th time around. My girl is working hard for her hemline.

I don't mean to poke fun at this ethic, really. I'm just like Lisa and Brian. I'm the woman beside you on the interstate, fearfully applying lip gloss, yammering into her bluetooth and faking it til I make it, believing that I will NOT be five minutes late, again. I understand. I speak-a-the language. I just think that play is so enormously important to squeeze in there, somewhere. Anywhere. If we strive and go and run and work and wittle outselves down to the carb-free, mundane, motorized version of ourselves, we'll all start to look and, far worse, feel, like the pre-packaged, not for resale versions of ourselves. If we don't keep refreshing and refueling, recharging and remixing the ingredients of our everyday life-smoothie, we'll just fade. I don't want to be another task to be marked off another legal pad. I.Just.Don't.

And so, this is why I'm out here, dear worker bees. This is why I am the queen. I want to lure you, want to entice you and remind you to beautify your life, every new day. I want you to see the color, want you to savor the flavor, want you to listen to my thrumming beats. I want you to know that I think you work it, even when you're not working on it. Our motto, here, encourages our guests and our posse to Stay and Play and we mean it. I mean it. Officially, I'm marking it Christmas in July at aloft Chesapeake and we're giving out the gift of ourselves. Our joy is ringing out all year long. In case you hadn't had your daily dose of inspiration, here I am, right now, to remind you: You only have one life. Let.It.Out.

I'll be here when you're ready to ditch the dozen eggs and the drug store on the way home. Play on, playettes.

The Genie of the Vamp

Do I seem like an only child?  I get that alot.  People meet me, see how I feel willing to inhabit all the space and energy around me and they go, oh yea, somebody spoiled that sister, once.  But here's the deal-I'm not a solitary entity.  And I never was.  In fact, most of the reason I'm so willing to know my power, my flavor and my funk, is because of my sibling and, more importantly over the years, my fabulous contingent of friends.

I won't spend much time talking about my big sis, Double U.  I know you and everyone in the universe, it seems, knows who she is.  She's a glamorous personality, and having her as my older sis was truly a gift.  She always knew who she was and it showed.  The gal has just always demonstrated a lot of style, verve and energy.  For me, if I were to ever match her power, I knew I'd have to go my own way and find my own inner fire.  She has always loved me, supported me and adored me in her way, but ultimately, Double U does her own thing and goes her own way.  Me?  Sure, I'm independent, but I love my posse.  I need my crew.  After all I am a queen, and every queen has got to have her court.

This brings me to the importance of my trusty, zesty sidekick.  While I don't mention her much, she's become an integral part of the jazz-factory that I'm currently operating.  It's a wonderful thing to be a bold and vibrant lady who believes in herself and her dreams.  Sometimes, however, life throws you a random, clustered pickle of a hairball.  Suddenly, you need a re:mix or a re:charge and for some reason, it's just not happening.  Mojo?  Nowhere to be found.  Juju quotient?  Depleted.  The groundwork is laid and all the players are in place, but... no cigar.  That's when you gotta have friends.  You know, the people who return you to yourself, remind you of your fabulosity, speak directly to your sassy soul.  For me, I have the diva with the secret recipe for my re:fuel and she is the Genie.  The Genie of the Vamp.

The girl's a femme fatale.  She's dynamic, colorful, quirky and uber-cool.  In fact, in many ways, she reminds me of myself, but in her own unique Genie way.  She works words the way we Vibe Queen's like and her flair for fun and freedom is what I'm all about.  I can tell you, I've been operating in a space primarily inhabited by my doting, loving Kings, and it's fabulous, but it's been missing a little feminine magic.  Fortunately, Genie's a masterful materialize-r.  Poof and she's here.  She's keeping me sane on days when I'm less a queen and more just a jester.  She's my lady in waiting, ready to remind me of our shared mission-to create, to revive, to enliven!  We're workin' out our flow, every day, together.  We're two women who love to love ourselves and love to love each other!  And why not?  When it looks like there's nothing left to celebrate, remember your sisters, and get on out there and celebrate yourselves.  

Lately, Summer's kicking into effect, and we're jammin' over here, at the hot spot.  It's busy, it's steamy and it's right.  All the synergistic flow is taking off and I can feel it:  we're blowin' up.  It would be easy to ride this train out by myself, but I don't want to.  No matter where I go or what I do, I'm taking with me my girls, my team, my ladies.  I'm not alone out here.   You know it, as well as I:  Life is a team sport and we've got to choose our players and our teammates well.  I'm so grateful to my Genie, for being on my squad.  For me, she's a score, a dynamo, my secret weapon on a rainy day.  We'll be out here, chillin' and fulfillin' all Summer, seniorita's and senora's.  So, allow me to invite you to join our posse of Vibe-ettes and Vamp-tress's.  

Let's all make a concerted effort to celebrate the sizzlin' sisterhood.  Where my ladies at? 

Word

I love words.  And how can I not?  They are designed, specifically, to help us humans effectively and efficiently communicate with other members of our species.  In case you hadn't noticed, communication is EVERYTHING to me, so, naturally, wordsmithing is a craft I learned to hone, long before I got great at just about anything else.  How to use a spoon seemed less important than how to spell the word spoon.  "Vibe Queen, I want to teach you how to ride a bike," turned into, "But wait, what is the derivation of the word bicycle?  Do we know how many different words there are to describe or reference a bike?"  When I write, when I read, when I speak, when I am understood, when I get someone's point, when connection happens...those are my versions of success.  Those are my scores!

Words are funny little characters, though.  Some words reach some people, and for others, they're meaningless.  For many people, formal speech and traditional language use doesn't exist.  For others, anything but proper grammatical usage/syntax is unacceptable.  Shall is a word that my grandmother and I use.  It's a beautiful word, but if it doesn't mean turkey to you, it loses its power.  So, I play with words.  I rework them to fit my world.  I have so much to say, all the time, but it's all jibber jabber, gobbeldy gook, if my audience can't hear me, doesn't get it, cannot read between the lines.  I know I can be confusing, sometimes.  I know my rhymes can be a little bit of a hassle.  Sometimes, I sound like something so entirely different, it might alarm you or deter you from what it is I'm trying to do.  Let me use words that I know we can all understand and be very clear:  I am here to build a bridge, draw a map and break bread pieces back to the place where I believe we all want to be, inevitably, anyway-mutually understood, mutually respected, together.  

I'm going to list a few of my queen-isms, for you to use from time to time, should you get lost in the ever-whirling flow.  I don't mean to condescend, so please don't misunderstand.  I just know that I can be a bit of a jumping monkey on a bullhorn, and I don't want to leave some of my most cherished brothers and sisters in the dark.  Keep reading.  Keep listening.  Talk to me.  Tell me what you want to understand.  Ask me how I can help you speak your truth.  Follow me, in your favorite fashion.  Because, ultimately, posse, it's all about the word.  And I'm sending it out to more than just your mother.

Queen Cues:

Deets = Details

Bunny = a term of endearment, referring to a friend or adored person, analogizing the cute, adorable and sweet way of the aforementioned animal.  

Doodle on my noodle = for usage, see "Bunny," but without the animal part.  I just think the word doodle is cute and who doesn't love noodles??

WTF = I'll assume we don't have to go there.

Sha-Wing = Score!  Heck yea!  You won!  I won!  Somebody just became a millionaire!

Sitch = Situation

Zazz = short for Pizazz, generally used as a verb, in my world.  (ex. I like to "zazz" things up.)  A common queen reference to jazzing up, pumping up, freshening up, livening up, etc.

OMG = again, I think you're under a rock if this means nothing to you.  Sorry.  Don't mean to be a hater, but...

Wha? = What?  I saved a T and got to remain open-mouthed with disbelief.

Wackity McStackins = a term that I commonly use to refer to a total wacko, crazy person, obnoxious psychopath, etc. 

Fliz-ow = Flow with an iz in the middle.   

Sheesh = Jeez, but PC

Snickity Snacks = small, tasty bites of food, much like tapas or the every day h'ors d'oeuvres plate

There may be more that I throw out, as we continue this conversation we're having, so I'd like to formally invite you to let me know when I get a little wackity mcstackins (refer to your list!!!) on the verbiage and you need a little help.  Please do send me an email listing the word in question, and I will do my best to get the sitch (again...the list!) all cleared up.

Thank you for being in my crew, and rollin' with me.  I know we've all got our little lots to carry around, but having you around seems to lighten my load and get my engine's burnin'.  Word.

The Art of Living

Today, I am what I like to call "slim-pickins."  I didn't sleep well, woke up late and let my typical routine go to hell in a handbag, over and over and over and....well, you get it.  Everything is just doing it's own little thing, in it's own little way and I'm sort of trailing along behind it.  It only really got pickly for me as the afternoon waned on and my task list began to explode with, primarily, the heavily creative work.  I sat at my little desk and felt like the formica version of myself.  I looked around at the fax machine, copier, color printer, giant laminator and stacks of weekly sales logs and thought, I gotta get on up outta here, if I'm gonna get this genius to grow.

So, I picked up my trusty mac and hustled into re:mix.  Parked self down on bright green chair.  Kicked off shoes.  Put feet up on giant, cushioned ottoman.  Here, I sit.  The music is rocking me-Annie Lennox is soulfully covering some of my favorite songs that were, heretofore, not favorite's.  The sun is shining through our giant windows and doors and I feel recovered.  The crazy day virus that infected my system has been thwarted.  Thank you to re:freshed space.  This brings me to my point.  Space is just SO important, sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a whimsical sort of personality, so I can cook up a little creative most of the time.  But when it's been rough, when my vibe has run dry, when the spunk I so rely on to feel fiery, each day, turns to funk, I need beauty.  I need art.  I need air, light, clean, fresh, bright.  It all comes down to energy, really.  When my energy is low, I look to space to renew me.  I mean, we're all taking up space, right?  So, it may as well be more about renewal and less about, well, bad lighting and the creepy, incessant whining of the technological multiplex that can tend to consume most office spaces.  

I'm so lucky and so blessed to have found myself in a place, in a space, that is, ultimately, all about renewal.  I'm so fortunate to have discovered myself as an authentically energetic-minded person, and I'm even more grateful that I have found the right kind of places and people to help me manage this aspect of myself.  

We have these names that we use to define each corner of our little palace, at aloft:  re:fuel, re:fresh, re:mix, re:charge, etc.  We have tried to make it easy for you-we use our words and our language to speak to the truth of who we are, what we need and what we want to continually offer-a revived, invigorated experience of life, an energy-infusion on a grimey day, a space to seek solace in the art of living. 

Fried Day

Fridays can be funny days, right? It's like, sometimes, I get there and I'm so jazzed and pumped that my work is done and that free time is here, that my energy tanks and I hit the wall at 7 PM. I'll admit it, it's become the night where I tend to catch up on zz's, eat an early meal at home and, occassionally, do leftover laundry. I call it my fried day. I'll allow it-attach the giant L above my head. I know, I know. Stay with me, though. This is all about to change. I'm crafting myself a sort of ramp-up weekend performance plan. As of right now, step one looks like this:

Every Friday night, DJ Jeyone, a stupendously brilliant DJ, rocks our turntables with styly-style and genius mixes. This guy is seriously a genie. No, really. He's skilled with records the way lion tamers and bee charmers are-he's got a natural inclination toward wrangling something big, loud, raucous and wild and making it look easy, making it fun, fresh, compelling. He literally is the re:mix on Friday nights. And he's worth every step taken to get here and check him out. He is. He's worth the rally I have to do to get myself back up and out, after a long week. He's worth every second of my disco nap, worth every missed errand run on the Saturday morning I'll sleep through, on the flip side of the night. Because he's inspiring, he's smart and he re:charges my vibe with his creative musical stylings. I can dance it out, I can chill and ride it out. Doesn't matter, it all applies. The kid is a killer. And I'm giving up the lazy, nerdy week-end side of myself for him.

Fridays at 9 PM at aloft. Yes. He'll put your game down, flip it and reverse it.

It's all in aloft

Here's the way I plan my day: I rise, knock back copious amounts of coffee and hit re:charge for a little sweat-fest, jammin' it up to GirlTalk on my ipod. Afterward, I take myself out to breakfast at re:fresh, grab an apple, some yogurt, maybe a little oatmeal, perhaps a bowl of cheerios, it varies... Then, I race off to a hot shower and get bedazzled for my day. I take a few quiet moments to reflect on the day before, the morning workout, or even the tastiness of the snack I just savored. It's the little things that revv the Queen of the Vibe, truly.

Once I hit the floor and I'm headed into my vibe bubble for the days tasks, I generally feel re:freshed and re:vived. Sometimes, I'm slim pickins', so I grab a hot chocolate for a little pick me up, or maybe a latte, if I need an extra kick it up. No matter what, I always basically get groovy by being able to get my hands on whatever I need, without leaving the front doors. It's work that works for me. And I love it. All day, I watch people making great use of space and relishing in the freedom, the flow and the sweet tunes that we keep on constant rotation, throughout. Yesterday, I came out for a midday snack and found only one oatmeal raisin cookie remaining, amidst the chocolate chip and the macedamia nut stash. My coworker had a similar hankering for the dried grape and quaker combination, so we lovingly chose to halve it up and share. It's really peaceful, being me. But that's only because I haven't mentioned anything past the 5 o'clock hour.

Flip the switch and dangle the disco ball, W xyz me! Our swanky, eco-sophisticated, dynamic space is just right for a cocktail, a glass of organic wine or, better yet, a signature cocktail made by one of our sassy bartenders. I tend to like to wind down, beginning promptly at 6 PM, and I find w xyz to be the perfect ride for my end-of-day vibe. After a few of my favorite cocktails-du-jour, I like to whip out for a light bite and get home to do some work, watch a little tube on my flatscreen, or just mellow out to some music and maybe grab a nightcap before I tuck into my tender sheets and find my very favorite, vibey zzz's.

It's all in a day. It's all in aloft.

Gimme a Beat!

I sometimes come up with hair-brained ideas. True, I'm a creative-type, imaginatively-driven, frequently caught up in an excited, whirling new vision of "fun" or "inspired" or whatever's tickling my fancy in any given moment. And, many times, these ideas are brilliant and exciting, but they don't happen on their own. There's a lot of collaborating and hard work that go into creating something large enough to entertain, enlighten and educate a pack. Alone, I am a force, but my force will fade, ultimately, if I don't find a posse to pick me up when I've given out all my zazz and hit the wall. I learned a long time ago: I'm a drummer, but I'm only useful if I'm surrounded by the people who only need a beat. When I started creating vibe, I didn't know who would pick up my flow. Suddenly, it's fabulous, it's lovely, it's perfect-all the right players are converging on me, all over the place, and the daydreamy wishes I sent out into the wind are walking through the front door, realized and ready to dance. Good thing we've got this smokin' sound system...

I'm a nerd for a party with a purpose. I mean it, give me a cause and I will find a cure. I'm all about fun for a serious sake. And, that being said, one of my current missions is to support the local community-it's artists and talent and small businesses and, importantly, it's natural resources. So, when I discovered that Chesapeake hadn't yet begun celebrating "Green Drinks"- a sort of happy hour for the eco-sophisticate- I was like, Duh. We're so gonna make this happen. Interestingly and conveniently, every green activist in the area has found a way to be between 1 and 3 degrees of separation from me, and they are all TOTALLY acting as my posse- extraordinaire. Everyone wants to help. So many superstars want to be involved. My lunches for, seriously, the next month, are completely booked. The drums are thumping...the beat goes on.

Last month, we succeeded in launching our first "Meet the Artist" event, and many of our new contingent were found from that fray. It's fabulous because, having attended that event, they already realize we're purpose-driven. The people we care about are beginning to really care about us. I feel like someone weeded the garden in front of the fence in my front yard and they're interested to step through and see what's going on inside.

Green Drinks Chesapeake will launch, officially and for real, this Thursday, June 4th at 5:30 PM. We'll have organic wine to drink, the backyard patio open and awaiting sunbathers and, of course, a lot of environmentally-invested peeps who love all the colors of the rainbow, but especially love green. We're Virginia Green certified and I've got our e-newsletter ready to roll and our invite list is growing! The word is circulating-we've got people ready to speak and teach and play and drink and laugh and connect and do all the things we love, and do it for the sake of caring about our shared, physical space.

It actually, really is easy being green. Join us this Thursday, if you can make it. See what it looks like to, once again, turn a pretty thought into a very real meeting of great minds. In this case, green, great minds...

I am aloft

Lately, I feel like the eccentric and artsy kid who's been travelling the world with my equally eccentric and, perhaps, overly academic parents, and we've all decided to move into some small town where everybody knows and gets each other. Except us. We're the lovely things that don't look lovely anymore to anyone, except us. Sigh. It's the weirdest feeling.

I am the kid sister to a sort of celebrity-my big sister. I call her Double U. Double U is fabulous, beautiful, glamorous and, basically, always-adored. Double U has that rare ability to look perfectly pulled together in a sophisticated, charming way, at all times. She could be stuck in the middle of a snowstorm in Montana, get stranded in a swamp in Mississippi and the woman would still stand out the way knocks out do: she'd be stunning and reigning over her crowd. So, naturally, she's always been pretty popular and she's got an entourage that she currently relies on to follow her around on her latest and greatest new ventures. I think she's incredible, but lately, I realize that she and I are just different in some ways. And, while I've spent a lot of my formative years idolizing her and trying to be like her, I finally kind of get it: I'm something else entirely. And I want to learn and express that, in my own way.

When we moved here, to Chesapeake, VA, I was excited. I read up on all the outdoor activities and loved it: the botanical gardens, the ocean, the rivers, the mountains, the forest, the great swamps, the up and coming restaurants, all the universities and emerging artists, the budding music scene, etc. I thought, "They need someone like me there. I'm just what they've been missing. I love all this percolating, bubbling up possibility!" Since moving here, settling down and reaching out, I gotta tell you-I'm feeling a little misunderstood and a little left out.

So, I'm searching for the right way to express myself. I'm working on it, every day. I'm putting everything I am and all of my inspired energy into my cause. I want to be known and appreciated for the unique qualities I posess, and I want to help others to suss out and flush out their own aesthetic value, their own sassy, saucy ways. I want to remain the fun, whimsical person I know myself to be, and I want to cultivate a culture that can support me, know me, grow me, and let me provide the same things, in return.

Come over and meet me. Come on and get to living. This is life. I am aloft.