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.