Momhghh

The title of this post
is a result of a baby crawling across my computer...

I decided to leave it as is,
in efforts of maintaining this post's theme.

*     *     *

Regardless of how easy Instagram and blogging 

may make it look

to travel, work and be a mom...

it's not always picture perfect.

It wouldn't even be possible

if Tyler wasn't working on a start-up

that gave him the flexibility to move his hours around

and work from home when needed.

In fact, can I pause for a moment to applaud the dad he is?

He takes care of Viola nearly every day before lunch

and is, 99%, the wind beneath my proverbial wings

when I have to scoot out to a museum tour or day trip

by hanging back with Viola when I need to be "on."

So, no, it's not easy.

It's take endless chatter trying to align our days

and figure out who needs to be where at what time...

and, at times, it results in one (or both) of us

jockeying for who's "turn" it is to do something...

and, at other time, it makes us want to chunk our day planners

at the other's head in frustration....

... and while we gain a lot from this life,
we also give up a lot to have it.

We don't have a lot of free time
to stay in touch with our friends & family
like we might wish.

We don't have a lot of disposable income.

We have a hard time thinking further out
than about 5 or 6 months ahead.

but do I feel lucky to get to spend my days

with the two people I love most

doing jobs that we love
and working with people we respect?

Oh, heck yeah.

It's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination,

but I'm so thankful for this time that we have.

*photography by Noah Darnell for Aspiring Kennedy

Straight to the Heart {Home}

As you might remember,

I'm a contributor to the UK's beloved 

Heart Home Magazine.

I write a quirky little diary of my life as an expat.

{Yes, as a matter of fact, it does make me feel pretty cool.}

The spring issue came out last week

and I have been clicking through it's pages 

whenever I have a free moment.

 I have to say...

they did a really great job.

It's all spring-y, English-y, & happy...y.

Honestly, reading it made me a bit homesick for England.

When you have a little bit of time,

flip through the new issue- I bet you'll love it, too!

A few of the highlights from reading it were...
drooling over the recipe for an Orange & Pistachio Cake (pg 24),
getting inspired to rent an English cottage for our upcoming break (pg 132),
& Tina Bernstein's floor level day bed decked out in Missoni prints (pg 98).

I hope you'll go check out the magazine,

and stop by page 124 to see my piece!

First Day of School

Today I went back to school...

not as a student,

but to teach.

I started off the class,

went rolling through my material,

and when I was about 75% finished with my lesson

I checked the time...

It was 8:07 am.

I had been teaching for seven minutes.

It was time to slow down & pace myself...

and, luckily, I did.

The rest of the class went fine & was actually very fun...


Though I'm sure all the veteran teachers that read this
could school my efforts... Teach me your ways!

While getting up at 6 was the opposite of enjoyable,

I had forgotten my pleasure in constructing an outfit

for the first day of school.

So here is what I wore.

Like, literally.

I somehow managed to find every piece on line.

Anthropologie sweater | h&m black jersey shirt | vera wang landyn flats | milly hobo bag | h&m slim trouser | kate spade, twirl

Ok fine,

except the pretty Vera Wang shoes.

I've never seen them except on-line. 

I actually wore leopard mary-jane flats,

but I've had mine too long

and they are extinct from the interwebs.

Going back to school was so much fun.

I kept thinking of "You've Got Mail" and the idea of a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils,

and just in case you love that movie

as much as I do...

Friday Funday: But honestly....

via

I love looking through your blogs.

I wonder what everyone is like in their "real lives."

Blogging really allows us to connect in our creative sides...

but I love getting to know you

and discovering "who else" you are.

Are you someone's teacher?

Do you sort buttons?

Can you decorate fancy cakes?

Have you ever been published?

Are you busy raising your babies?

These are things I like to know.

So in order to charm you into being honest,

 I'll be a bit candid with you...

While I may get to show you my frolicking and playing around Europe...

The "real" Aspiring Kennedy works from home doing marketing...

{which is what I'm "trained" to do}

and I also coordinate the overseas program for an American University...

{which is what I "love" to do}

and I can be often found on my couch in my pajamas...

{or "blogging fitigues" as my friend, Beth, says}

way past respectable pajama-wearing hours.

So there you have it.

I've lifted my mask.

Now it's your turn.

WHO ARE YOU?

Tea for You

A few weeks back,

I hosted a group traveling through London

that were studying the history of tea.

(... does that sound really random...)

After weeks in India, Morocco, and Boston,

they were on the final leg of their trip...

and what better place to end a pilgrimage for tea than London?

And, boy, did we do it right.

We had fancy high tea at St. James

in the historic department store, Fortnum & Mason.

Not for the everyday treat

at £45 per person...

but with lunch offering like Lobster Salad

or the Crab & Saffron Tart,

you definitely are paying for quality.

look at that delicious hunk of lobster. mama mia.

The main course is served between 

savoury amuse bouches

and the delightfully obtrusive tea cakes & scones.

Heaven help me.

The next day, we went to Twinings 

(the original storefront along the Strand)

for a tea tasting.

Holy cow.

I mean, I drink tea.

I drink a lot of tea.

To be honest, 

I kinda consider myself a bit of a tea expert.

After our tea tasting, 

I realized I am actually just ignorant.

The making of tea is a bit complex.

It was like a visit to a vineyard

hearing them describe the method & process 

behind each variation.

I had no idea so much thought & work went into my daily drinks.

Who needs champagne when you can have 

20 cups of Darjeeling for half the price?

Ok... I guess it's not exactly the same.

Maybe you are smarter than me 

(this is very possible),

but just in case you're as clueless as I was,

here are some things I learned during my morning at Twinings:

1. Most tea comes from the same type of plant.

(camellia sinensis)

Green tea, black tea, white tea... you name it.

The variation of color comes from different parts of the tea leaves 

and the differed time of fermentation.

2. Tea is fermented?

Yes! Not all, but black teas are.

However, unlike wine-

it's only fermented in hot air for a matter of hours.

3. Tea is marked up about 3000x from the fields to the store.

Isn't that crazy?

4. When tasting tea, 

you make a very loud slurping sound

to allow half tea/ half oxygen in your mouth.

It's not very proper sounding, but proper form it is!

Twinings did an amazing tasting for us,

and I would highly recommend them for groups traveling through London.

I mean, if they have been the official purveyor to the monarchy for centuries...

I'm sure you might like them, too.

*All Twinings photos are taken by Noah Darnell, The Fledging Photographer.

Matchbook Strikes My Fancy.

After years of trying to get editors 

to put my clients in the spotlight...

I have, somehow, ended up in it myself.

Look for me in the newest & grooviest issue yet

of  Matchbook Magazine.

I feel pretty darn special.

So special that I'm eating clearance easter candy 

and listening to Billy Joel 

to celebrate my coolness.

{That is cool, isn't it?}

I just love Matchbook...

and I'm so flattered they liked me back!

P.S. 

Guess who is also featured

in this month's issue?

That's right, 

Miss GP herself.

So even though Gwynnie & I may be twelve pages away,

we're actually one step closer 

to being the best of friends. 

... well, assuming she likes caramel bunnies & Uptown Girl, too.

Bloggers: We're Just Like You {Vol 2}

I'm so glad you liked the first installment of this series...

I was going to be bummed if it was a low response post,

because I really have so much material 

that is just waiting to be used.

The next edition is dedicated to anyone out there

who has ever felt ugly talking on skype or gchat....

Because guess what?

So do I!

And though I do spend a lot of time on skype conference calls

looking cute & professional,

....these are the real calls that fill up my days.

The PULP boardroom

family time

see, even Hello Splendor is human, too!

raspberries are good.

talking to my 3 year old nephew...

until he gets bored and ditches us for cartoons...

So there you have it...

Real life.

La Shakespeare

I'm lucky to work with college students

who choose to study abroad in London & Paris.

I teach them things like

 British Culture, getting around on the Tube, 

& how to navigate a menu at an Indian restaurant.

And in return...

they teach me things like

internet hotspot shields that let me watch 30 Rock on Hulu,

Harry Potter movie star trivia,

& the "cool" places to go in all the European cities.

Last fall, 

my students were constantly scheming

of how to get a visit to Paris to visit

Shakespeare & Company.

They had heard of it from students before them,

and were bubbling with excitement to make it there,

...so I decided I need to check it out for myself.

 I went with my friends when we were in Paris,

and we looooved it.

This hidden gem

{cleverly disguised as a book shop} 

sits across the bridge from Notre Dame.

{Like literally, in it's front yard.}

Cozy corners to sit and read, old books mixed with new books, 

an outdoor area that overlooks the cathedral,

and the stamp of Mr. William Shakespeare inside the cover of our new books

left us resolved that this was pretty much...

 heaven on earth.

*photography by Rachel Johnson, 
  editing by Aspiring Kennedy

To A Tea.

Any day that involves a lunch meeting at Fortnum & Mason is a good day.

But when it's on a Friday-

it's even better!

I'll be munching some yummy food

and then will heading on to tea...

I love tea time.

Every little thing about it.

In fact, I even love the name, 

as it politely fails to mention all the sweets & sammies.

1. bodum bean tea press 2. dean & deluca sugar sticks  3. lip tease cup & sauce 4. celebri-tea bags

The hubs like his black tea iced.

I drink my green tea hot. 

What's your special blend?

Blog- Roll Call

Help!

I'm in the market for some great new blogs to add to my daily routine.

I know you all have your daily stops-

so I'm asking you, 

my friends-who-I-think-are-pretty-cool-and-have-great-taste,

for some advice:

What blogs do you love that I am missing?

I love pretty things, yummy things, cultured things, and well, you get the idea...

**As a "thank you" for your help, I offer you this gorgeous picture that makes me happy**

*image source, image 2 source

Fantastic Mr. Friday

Just because I quit my job last week

and have hopped off the 9-5 routing,

doesn't mean I've forgotten 

all my friends in the working world.

Kick off your shoes, pop the cork, and start winding down-

It's Friday!

I'll be out at the lake with family.

What indulgent things will you be unwinding with over the weekend?

{I hope it involves chocolate, celebrity run-ins, and excessive loved ones!}

See you all on Monday morning...

How do you function?

I love blogger land.

It's so lovely here, isn't it?

I've connected with some great people

through my daily interactions here.

Each morning, I connect with the sweetest acquaintances 

from London, Toronto, Los Angeles, Dallas, Sydney,  Tampa...

{You name the place- and I bet there's a blogger I would like writing there!}

But here's the deal-

There's so much more to this Aspiring Kennedy outside this website...

... and I love learning more about you!

So on this Monday morning,

{when we would all rather be anywhere else in the world than our desks...}

I'm throwing out the 

slightly personal question:

What do you do?

I've been working with a great stationer doing sales & public relations

 since I graduated from college, 

and I just resigned to move to England with my husband

that is probably too good looking to be with me I adore.

So there. That's something personal about me.

And now it's your turn.

What's your role in the real world?

*image source

Rifle Paper Co. Giveaway!

Most girls find Anna Bond's illustration intoxicating.

I love it.

Martha loves it.

and even Oprah loves it.

But, really, how could you not?

It's intricately simple,

it's poshly understated,

and heavens, is it charming!

Luckily, my day job allows me to work with Anna

to make some amazing invitations!

{ letterpress + illustration = i'm getting light headed }

And lucky for you-

WE ARE DOING A GIVEAWAY

FOR HER PERFECTLY AMAZING PRINT

ANATOMY OF LOVE

{you could have this print.

in your home. on the wall. for free!}

Here's how you can enter:

1. Be a follower of Aspiring Kennedy
 leave first comment

2. Tell us what your dream theme would be for Anna to illustrate 
{I'm scheming of Mr. & Mrs. Aspiring Kennedy on a boat...}
leave second comment

2. Share the love with a comment on Anna's Rifle Paper Co Blog
 leave third comment

3. Buy your own print from Rifle Paper Co.
save 15% on all prints with the promo code: kennedy13
{gee, thanks, Anna!}
leave fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, & eighth entry- 5 entries!




*a winner will be selected Friday, July 30th by random.org*

*images are from Rifle Paper Co.

Punch me out & dress me up....

Lately I feel a bit like my little friend below.

I'm the same basic girl

but in a state of constant costume change.

Wife.

Friend.

Daughter.

Employee.

Blogger.

Schleppy lady moving out of her house.

As much as the craziness leaves me feeling... well, crazy,

I am thankful for each & every role

I've been cast.

Happy Monday!

It's a new week,

and a new chance to do amazing things

with each of our many facets!

*image source

Sex and The... Office?

The UPS man became

my personal fairy godmother today

when he brought this package

to our door.

A signed copy

of

Candace Bushnell's

newest book

The Carrie Diaries!

It was

her little thank-you

for helping out with her launch party

in Manhattan

last week.

Well,

Ms. Bushnell,

You are quite welcome.

Now how do I focus on my inbox

with this gem

laying around for the rest of the day??

*photos taken by Aspiring Kennedy