It is 8:44 and already I have had a productive morning. I have taken E to work, made her snacky pack, put away laundry, walked the dogs a mile, made a mock order for 100 tshirts, prepared the EP distribution list so I have a plan for the afternoon, and gotten a shower so I will be ready for yoga.

These type mornings scare me to death!

On my first trip to NYC, 1999, I think, I deliberately sought out a store called Kate's Paperie. A client I had met while working in my friend Trish's salon had brought in a photo album that her husband, a professional photographer, had made for her with pictures from her son's first year of life. He mounted one pic per page, and it was a beautiful wood and leather bound album with parchment separated pages. It was imported from Italy if I remember correctly, and I really just thought it was an exquisite album. I also knew it would be expensive, but I knew I was going to NYC, and the client had given me the name of the store. I had to go and see how much it was.

Kate's Paperie is a wonderland to me. We were in there at least an hour the first time, and I know I did not see everything. I did, however, find the photo album. I was prepared for it to be about $125 and was not at all shocked when I discovered it was actually $160. I had budgeted for it, and if I brought nothing else home from NYC, I was getting one of these albums. It is the biggest one and I got it in the birch (light) finish.

Of course, as fine things go, Ionce I get them, they sit a while until I decide they merit use. This is true of clothing, my Eileen Fisher things for example, as well as things in general. I have an All Clad pan that has yet to be used and I had to have that 2 years ago.

The photo album is an entity onto itself. I have been intimidated by it, consciously not wanting to mess it up. I really wanted photos to appear chronologically, and wanted to include pics my dad has taken, and just photos I have taken that I really love, eventually then becoming a display of our travels together, too. The trouble with the plan is that if I include pics of my dad's, the album will never be chronological. It's a Virgo thing, y'know.

Then I had a thought about it being a chronicle to the joy of M and E, a capsule of our lives together as one.

But I was more drawn to include pics of my dad's that I really like.

Yesterday I decided to throw chronological order out the window and just get the damn thing going. It has been 4 years sitting in the box on the shelf, so it is about time. I am even going to write margin notes as I see fit. Maybe.

The box is getting dusted off and opened up today. The ceremony will be this evening at 7ish if anyone wants to attend!