My September Issue'

Little did I know that the Friday before last would be one of those life-changing days....At the risk of sounding dramatic. It really was.

From the time I found out about the 'boys-only-no-wives-allowed' Japan leg of the Manafest Tour, I had planned to cash in the lieu hours in my overtime pot (of goodness! I heart the union sometimes!).

It naturally was a convenient day of the week to take off so that I could prep and primp prior to my hubby coming home from his rockstar trip (wherein he met Lady Gaga...but that is a convo for another day).

I had been up until the wee hours of the morning trying to sort out the flights that the boys were scheduled to take and made double sure of the time I had to be at the terminal to pick up my Love. I triple checked to make sure that the volcanic activity wouldn't be an issue...I was ready and set.

...please allow me to rewind a bit to get some context before moving forward....

December 31st 2009, at a NYE bash in Greenwoodville I was introduced to Cherryappleart . It was one of those moments where you meet someone and have that feeling that they were destined to be in your life. She is, as Walt Whitman puts it, "So much sunshine to the square inch!"

We chatted and chatted about being rockstar wives and mused about the copious amounts of guitar and amp gear that we have to manage in our homes (even though we love it and love that our boys have got talent!) and we both share the grab-life-by-the-balls-and-take-no-prisoners kind of mentality. Alicia Key's would call her a Superwoman too!
She's manages a home, 2 small (beautiful) children and runs a fashion accessories business - I'm pretty sure she's on her way to becoming a top style editor at Vogue as well...

After we had rung in 2010, we made sure that we would get together in the near future. But actually do it and not just say "We should really get together sometime" <- One of my pet peeves!

.....fast forward back to the original story....

So I managed to arrange a visit to my new friend's place between my hair cut (over 2 inches!) and the hubby's airport pick-up.

On our way out the door to lunch, we got a call from Mme Vision City on her way to work saying that her hubby, was stuck in Japan for one more day, his flight (which we were under the impression was a different one) wasn't able to get out of Tokyo. She asked whether my husband was stuck - I promptly responded that I had double checked and they had taken off according to the airline's website.

We grabbed Cherryappleart's Prince and Princess and headed to a local eatery and had burgers and fresh cut fries and Dino buddies for the little ones... half-way through lunch, the news came via email to my BBerry...."Hey Babe, ........I want you to know that everything's okay, but the plane had engine problems and we're staying an extra night......".

I tried not to be too crushed, and besides I was in great company!

Cherryappleart , being the sweetest that she is, saw the glass as half-full and made me extend my stay seeing as there was no made rush to get to the airport. I had until the next day!

I quickly made some phone calls to family and to the drummer's wife - who hadn't taken the news well - then relaxed for a few more hours and some tea. The day was unfolding beautifully and her rockstar had even whizzed home from work and was out to a night time gig in under 20 mins.

Then it happened....

Over stuffed chicken, brownies, lattes, and vino, we had an impromptu ladies' night that topped all ladies' nights. We decided to rent the movie "The September Issue"...it was great because it complements my favorite movie, "The Devil Wears Prada". It is a riveting documentary about the months and countless hours that go into the publishing of the September 2008 issue of Vogue magazine.

Sounds pretty straightforward no!? Little did I know it would be so revolutionary for me.

What got me was a line that one of stylists/editors said in response to why the September isssue is the biggest (most expensive) mag of the year. She said, and I paraphrase "...this is the time of year where one can re-invent oneself and start over new..." Hmmmm...Sounds a lot like where I was at in my head and in my life.

I've just gone through a major life transition into marriage, 3 hospitalizations in the last few months, lots of changes at work and successful psychotherapy treatment (aka one of the best decisions I've made yet), finally deciding what I want to "do when I grow up"and making a bunch of quality decisions about my life.

I know that us, watching that particular movie, on that particular night, was NOT at all coincidental.

The September Issue was the catalyst for me realizing that I am living my own real-life September Issue moment. This is the season of my life where I am now presenting the new "me" to the world.

I believe that fashion is an art form and that it should reflect what is on the inside of me. I mean, the packaging/ wrapping of a gift or product is indicative of its content, right?!

I firmly believe that more time should be spent on who you are rather than what you look like.

Believe me when I say that over the last 2 months things have changed drastically for me and up until a few weeks ago I didn't look the way I felt on the inside....I'm just over 25 pounds heavier than I've ever been in my life and my "new/larger size wardrobe" and that is a result of a combination of stress, happiness and side-effects to medication...also, irresponsible and unloving towards myself.

The best part of ladies' night, on top of the fact that there were other ladies who joined us, was that during the movie, as I was (mentally)readying myself for my "re-launch", Cherryappleart was busily making me a custom brooch, that she designed based on our conversation. I think she knew what I needed to get my September issue on!

I was telling hubby last night that we're now safely and happily on our 'married way', I've worked on stablizing my health, decided on my educational path, dealt with some skeletons in the closet at therapy and the next thing is my process of un-veiling the new me.

This is my next step....my next mountain...Just now wondering how I'm going to pull this one off!

I've joined a fitness challenge group that creates accountability for working out at least 3 times a week (or else you've got to pay) and, at home, we're well on our way to making the gluten-free & organic eating transition.

My new co-worker moonlights as an IT specialist for some company where they give her (FREE) fashion, home and lifestyle mags so I'm stocked up as of this week. I also splurged after getting a head's up from Mme VisionCity that Vogue is featuring "Classic Chic" style this month! I mean it isn't "Classic GLAM" but its a start ;o)

So that's me. Stay tuned!

As Meryl Streep as Anna Wintour would say "That's all"

M,