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Fragrance Friday: S(c)en(t)sory Overload
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Fragrance Friday: S(c)en(t)sory Overload

This is the fragrance story I was going to share last Friday, before I heard about the attacks in Paris. So last Friday was a Fragrance Friday moment of silence in honor of one of the world’s greatest fragrance cities. This Friday, I’ll describe my recent (and first) visit to Los Angeles, the Broad Museum and the Scent Bar.

I was in Costa Mesa for a conference; an old friend had recently moved to Los Angeles and invited me to spend some time with her downtown, where she lives. We made plans to spend the morning at the new Broad Museum of contemporary art, where she works on weekends, then eat lunch in Little Tokyo, then make our way to the Scent Bar, storefront and home base of http://www.luckyscent.com, a noted online retailer of independent, niche and hard to find perfumes.

First, the Broad Museum. Continue reading →

What Went Well
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What Went Well

Lots of wonderful things went well this week!

  1. I spent 24 hours with an old friend, who has moved to LA to make a new life after several major transitions, and we had a fantastic time, as if we haven’t been apart for several years. Because she lives in my heart, even though we don’t see each other often any more.
  2. I visited a fantastic new museum, thanks to my friend: The Broad, in downtown LA. It was an amazing experience and it has a wonderful collection of contemporary art. Because its founders, the Broads, are generous philanthropists who want to share their art collection and because my friend is an engaged participant in LA’s Arts District.
  3. We also visited a spot on my bucket list, The Scent Bar, a fragrance store that specializes in niche and independent perfumes, where the staff could not have been nicer or more helpful (I’ll write more about it on Fragrance Friday). Because my friend and I decided to be a little adventurous and do some exploring. So much fun!

What went well for you this week?

Photo: NPR.org

Fragrance Friday: A Moment of Silence
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Fragrance Friday: A Moment of Silence

I had a wonderful fragrance experience to share last Friday, then I heard the awful news about the terror attacks in Paris. I love Paris and have spent some summers there. My husband and I got engaged in Paris and later spent part of our honeymoon there. It is the City of Light and one of the world’s cities most associated with fragrance and perfume, as well as so many other things of beauty and creative spirits. So this week’s Fragrance Friday is a moment of silence for Paris, but also a statement of my conviction that its true light will not be extinguished. Vive la France!

Photo: eiffeltowerfacts.org.

What Went Well Wednesday
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What Went Well Wednesday

What went well this week?

  1. We saw “Cinderella”, the Rodgers and Hammerstein version that made its debut on Broadway two years ago; it was originally written for television. Wow, it was incredible theater! Because so many gifted people worked really hard to create a magical evening for us all.
  2. We celebrated a daughter’s birthday, together as a family. Because we still enjoy each other’s company so much, and I love that even my oldest wants to come home from college for this kind of celebration.
  3. I actually took a day off work to try to beat a bad head cold. Because I am REALLY TRYING to take better care of myself and not let my workaholic tendencies get the better of me.

How has your week gone so far?

Photo: CinderellaOnBroadway.com

Fragrance Friday: Autumn Roses
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Fragrance Friday: Autumn Roses

Our first child was born in early November. She was a gorgeous baby, with round pink cheeks, wide blue eyes and a soft downy fuzz of golden-reddish hair that soon turned to blonde curls. I remember walking through the neighborhood with my precious newborn strapped to my chest or snoozing in her baby carriage (yes, a real carriage, with big wheels and a hood). Here in Zone 7, the last roses of the year were still blooming. I remember stopping with the baby carriage to pick a white blossom, marveling at its presence so late in the fall and feeling its silken petals, which were no softer or more delicately shaded than my tiny daughter’s skin.

And now that daughter is a beautiful young lady, in the full bloom of young womanhood, blossoming in her mind, education and pursuits as we have always dreamed she would. A few late roses still bloom in our neighborhood during her birth month, their scent joining the fragrance of autumn air, fires newly lit in hearths, the  wet earth soaked through from autumn rains and covered with fallen, colorful leaves that add their own scent.

I love rose fragrances, and I have learned so much about so many, and I’ll write about them soon, but this Fragrance Friday is all about my girl, my autumn rose.

Photo: Anne Geddes.

What Went Well
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What Went Well

Every Wednesday (or thereabouts!), I post three things that went well in the preceding week. This is a mindfulness practice also known as “three blessings.” It helps focus one’s thoughts on the positive events in one’s life and the factors that have contributed to them. This week on “What Went Well Wednesday”:

  1. My husband and I took a day trip to a beautiful new botanical garden we hadn’t visited before, to see its thousands of Japanese maples; it was gorgeous and we had a great afternoon on our own. Because as much as we love our teenagers, we still enjoy being alone together and are best friends after 25 years of marriage.
  2. My daughter finished and submitted her Early Decision application to her top-choice college! Because she is a hardworking, gifted student making great choices for herself and her future.
  3. Halloween was very entertaining. Because although our children have mostly outgrown it, we still get visited by dozens of small trick-or-treaters in wonderful costumes, including some from outside our neighborhood whose parents bring them because our neighborhood is kid-friendly and safe. So cute!

That was my week, on top of the usual work/school/house routines! How was yours?

An Autumn Bouquet
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An Autumn Bouquet

Now that autumn is really here where I live, it seems as if it’s time to rotate the header image to a more autumnal bouquet. The original of this lovely photo comes from David Austin Roses, and it shows an arrangement designed by Thomas De Bruyle. The full photo is the feature image for this post. Enjoy!

What Went Well
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What Went Well

This was a gold-star week for What Went Well!

  1. We took our three teenagers to Orlando for a long weekend, with the sole goal of visiting the Harry Potter theme parks at Universal. Because our kids literally grew up with the Harry Potter series, which we read aloud to them for years and listened to on audiobooks on long family trips in the minivan.
  2. The attention to detail in the Harry Potter areas was breathtaking, right down to the food (lots of fish and chips, no hamburgers or hot dogs; lots of Butterbeer and pumpkin juice, no high-fructose corn syrup or soda). Because, apparently, J.K. Rowling kept more creative control over the design and presentations than any creative person has had over a theme park since Walt Disney himself. Thank you, yet again, J.K. Rowling!
  3. We laughed and laughed for three straight days, which was so refreshing. Because we have stressful work lives, but we also have a wonderful family that still knows how to enjoy each other’s company.

P.S. As you might imagine, theme parks are not a favored destination for this introvert (I also get motion sickness) and I have hardly gone to any, as I don’t usually enjoy them very much. This was SO MUCH FUN! I do wish I could have gone on a couple of the immersive rides, as my family says they were fantastic, but it was probably wiser for me to skip those. There were plenty of other diversions to enjoy.