KISS YOUR HAND AND RAISE IT TO THE SKY....

WHEN YOU RUN THROUGH A YELLOW LIGHT! Is there any truth to things like that? You know the throw salt over your left shoulder, lift your legs over the railroad tracks when passing? I don't know...those things that people hold onto, to get over things,to make things go away, have answers and reasons for crappy things happening to them or people that they love. I think we all need those things in order to get by, to make it feel like if we do that we escape the dark unknown. That we in some way avoided something bad that might have happened. That in doing those things we escape something bad by lifting our legs over the railroad tracks. The funny thing is once you reach a certain age you no longer do those things. You no longer lift your legs over the tracks, look for yellow lights to speed your car to barely make it; just so that you can kiss the sky! The question is why? Why do we no longer think those results would change the outcome? Or so we simply lost our sense of imagination? I miss being that carefree girl who used to do that. The girl that could turn on a song and feel better just listening to the lyrics. The girl who would get through anything bad, by just listening to the lyrics of a Billy Joel song. I miss staring out the window like a bad video and crying my eyes out, but somehow feeling better after I did that. Turing on UB40 after spending hours in my rooms trying on outfits I would never wear. Now everything is so literal, so honest and so...well...THERE. Some food for thought. Night Night! XOXO BTC

THE SELLER THAT DOES NOT WANT TO SELL!

My father always told me I should be a lawyer, or a car salesman (you get the connection)? I can sell...sell almost anything to anyone. The strange thing is I hate doing it, and never wanted to do any of that when it was required. In a strange way what I do for a living involves selling myself, and my company (with Beth), but to me that's not selling...that is actual facts. How is it that we are skilled in areas we don't really want to be skilled in? OR don't really care to USE that skill? And the things we wished we were really good at, we don't stand a chance. It's weird to think about it like that b/c those skills are useful, you know...but if you don't want to be good at those things or rather if it makes no difference if you are good at those things, then what's the use of having the skill? I think my father use to say, "Bethie you could really talk yourself out of a paper bag." oh SO lovely... Here's to "Terrible Tuesday!" XOXO BTC

SELF PORTRAITOTION

I love this new thing that people do, take photos of themselves and post them on whatever outlet they can...twitter, facebook, instagram. I am not sure how I feel about it...actually I know how I feel about it, but not sure everyone is on my page. How is it that non-famous people act like they ARE in fact, famous? Is it strange that I don't care if people take photos of themselves if they are already celebrities? BUT seem bothered by those who are not and take self portraits/promotional pics. Listen, you take a pic and doing something funny, ok...but it's the ones that are CONSTANTLY doing that and then looking for some sort of appreciation that irritates me to no end. I don't even mind if you are wearing something new and want to show people, but for some reason there seems to be an invisible line drawn or rather crossed that is so fucking annoying. More importantly the question is WHY do people do that? AND doesn't anyone want to tell them that it is super annoying?

IS IT REALLY TRUE THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON?

AND if that IS in fact true, why do bad things happen to good people? Or why won't good things happen to good people. I know they say sometimes that God needs the best people in heaven, like he HAS to have them...but is that just a saying, or should I really believe it to be true? Why do people get things who don't deserve them? AND how is it possible that they are able to have things, get things and don't do a DAMN thing in life. I often wonder how things like that are possible and if it really does relate to Karma? Interesting weekend I had, saw some old friends which is always amazing...Brian and I are looking to make some big time life decisions, and I am not ill with a bad cold! "What a long strange trip it's been...." Here's to another week. XOXO BTC

AMEN IT'S FRIDAY!

I rarely feel liberated on a Friday anymore...b/c really all days blend into one another; BUT today I am so happy it's Friday! After a short but VERY exhausting week, I am ready to go home, put on my sweats, get into bed at 7:30 and not move one little bit! The notion of doing nothing super appealing right now! What is it about weeks like this, that help you appreciate things in a much nicer manner? That allows you to enjoy those days when you don't have as much to do and really can take a moment to breath. I need to be thankful that I have something where I don't often feel this way, but am only human too. SO, enjoy your weekend...whatever you are doing, for me it's gonna be a whole lotta NOTHING! xoxo BTC

TERRIBLE TUESDAY!

About 13 years ago, I met a friend by the name of Lindsay Huggins. I was already working at Oprah Magazine as a fashion assistant, she came to the magazine a few months after me as the RTW fashion assistant. It's AMAZING how long we have been friends, and it just keeps getting better through the years! We spent Friday night with what we call the "original crew", celebrating her bday. We had a BLAST at an amazing steakhouse up in harlem by the name of Ricardo's. We ate, laughed danced our ASSES off and just had THE most amazing time! Many years ago, she introduced me to a term, "Terrible Tuesday"...every Tuesday the worse shit would go down. NOW even 13 years later, I still live by this term. A saying she has coined and I have adapted to for sure. Here it is again, another terrible tuesday...but I have a great friend, so that's all that really matters:) XOXO BTC

SWORN IN...HAND TO GOD!

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DAY TO BE AN AMERICAN! President Obama sworn in again, and the office is closed in celebration of Martin Luther King's bday. I feel so blessed to be an American AND to be an AFRICAN American in this country, today. I could not be who I am doing, doing what I am, having the things that I have...without the path Dr. King lead, the foundation he provided to make all of those things possible. I am forever in-depted the things that he did in order to make it possible for me to be WHO I am today. Please take a moment during your busy day, with a moment of silence for Dr. King, b/c without him there would be no Barak Obama, there would be no B' squared PR, there would be no path for any African American to take. I love you Dr. King, and all you stood for... XOXO BTC

COMMON ACCESSORIES, INSERT VOMIT!

What is it about women who feel like they all need to own the same things; primarily accessories? I walk around in NYC and it is definitely not as prevalent...I walk around in the burbs and it's INSANITY how it is literally attack of the killer clones! The Louis Vuitton shop all bag is like buying a pair of haviana flip flops, EVERY mother over the GWB has one. OR how about the Montclair puffer jacket? OH NO WAIT I have it...the Goyard bag, that's my fav. to hate. OH and the PIESTA RESISTANCE is the Channel chain bag. WTF goes on? Doesn't anyone believe in individuality anymore? There are so many times that I have wanted to literally blend in with the crowd, and then I think to myself...if all of these things make me crazy, why would I EVER feel that way? I hope Aiden and Lila are able to stand out in the crowd, to make choices that they feel benefit them and to not feel like they have to conform to the norm. When I was in HS I think I did a little bit too much of that, and then by the time I went to college I was a completely different person. I came into my own, made my own fashion decisions, chose my own clothing and accessories and realized I did NOT want to look like everyone else. Enjoy the day! XOXO BTC

I LOVE FASHION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON'T?

It's kind of strange my position on the industry that I work in AND love...I LOVE what I do, I clearly have a knack for it, but at the same time there are so many thing I hate about the industry too! Here is a list of things that I LOVE about it and the things that I HATE about it. Irony at its best! LOVE: 1. That you are forever on trend even when you are not trying 2. You know about everything and everyone before the general public...so you can plan your wardrobe appropriately. 3. In most cases, you can get to a designer for a discount if you have been doing it long enough...and that's always a major plus! 4. You have the ability to attend great parties, eat and drink well, and in some cases make life long friends that commiserate with you; on all things fashion related! 5. You can think outside the box when gift giving... 6. You can work with some of the most influential people on this planet! For me it was Oprah... 7. LOVE LOVE discovering new brands and helping make them something/someone. It's incredibly gratifying on all accounts! HATE: 1. I hate the bullshit, I hate when people wear a label and for some reason they think that gives them more power than the average person. 2. Hate the fake people, hate hate hate and there are just so many of them it's hard to differentiate. 3. HATE the lifestyle of eating and drinking every night with people you don't even love...(although there are so many you do love so that's not always the case)/ 4. Hate the shit don't stink theory...you are not always what you wear. 5. Hate the craziness, the need for something AT that moment...when you are not bettering the world or curing cancer for that matter. 6. Hate so many of the people, if I hear one more affected accent mixed with odd choices of clothing I may puke. So yeah, that's my deal..love it or leave it, fashion is a part of everyone's day, in some way! XOXO BTC

ANXIETY CAN EAT YOU ALIVE!!!

I am so worried about my little Aiden today. She is performing a circus art act at school today, for the kids in Kindergarden and is SO anxious about the performance! I will be attending of course, but in the meantime I know she is freaking out inside! How do we deal with children's anxieties? What can we say to ease it a bit for them? AND if can we find dr.'s to help them deal with their anxiety? To all of those questions I hope the answer is yes...I want her to feel like her self again, love her love and enjoy being a kid:( BTC

APARTMENT LIVING

Let me state for the record, that I LOVE LOVE LOVE living in NYC! There is literally nothing like it...no other state, no other city, it's just BEYOND amazing. The things I can do with my kids, for myself, with my man, with my friends are not like ANY other...and for that I feel truly blessed! HOWEVER.... At times I do want to throw myself out of a window, having kids and living in an apt. Like you, most of manhattan live in apts, so they have the same issues that we do; but that does not make things any easier that's for sure; and sometimes (like in the winter) you do end up getting a little stir crazy! We are also lucky to have both of our extended families near by, so we are able to get away whenever we need to and want to! None the less, when you have your 2 year screaming away at your 6 year old...and you know the entire world can FULLY hear you, you do want to crawl up into a ball and die. SO, that was my weekend how was yours? XOXO BTC

WHAT, SO YOU DON'T TALK TO EVERYONE NEAR YOU?

This pic pretty much sums me up to a T...AND actually my husband too! There is not one vacation where we did not meet someone, a couple, anyone...we have befriended so many it's hard to count! One we even still speak to, I know crazy to some, but normal to us! I don't know what it is about speaking with people that I love so much, learning about where they are from, what they do, why they are wherever we are at that moment...I am a people person, and love being in the middle of all of the action! BUT at the same time hate being the center of attention when it's not natural, i.e. weddings, accolades, etc. I know there are so many people that feel the opposite that I do, hate speaking to strangers and probably hate people like me that might even just start talking to you. I sometimes listen in to hear if they are talking about something I might be interested in...and sometimes just take a gamble. It's clear that I am in the right profession, I often meet other PR people and think to myself how on earth do they do what they do...they kinda suck in the personality dept. I love that this is in Self Magazine, December issue because it means there are plenty of other people out that that think like me. Which in turn means that I will never run out of things to say, or people to talk to I should say:) Happy weekend! XOXO BTC

TO GUIDE OR NOT TO GUIDE...THAT IS THE QUESTION!

What do you do when a friend's in need, and you NEED to tell them the truth about what's up? Do you just go there and give them your thoughts? Or do you hold back in fear you may hurt their feelings? I don't know, for me...I think I would want my friends to be as honest as possible, even though I know it may hurt like hell!! I still think that sometimes hearing it from a friend you know, love and trust makes it that much more real. I have gone through things in my life that only certain people know about, and they just gave me the real deal. Gave it to my straight, let me know what was up, and made sure I got my shit back together! Does it change if you are dealing with a male friend over a female friend, and Vice versa? Probably. Sometimes I think it's easier when you are dealing with a friend that is a boy over a girl. You know we girls can be hard, vicious and straight up bitches:) XOXO BTC

THE ODD ONE OUT...

I always felt so different from those around me, primarily friends related to school. I know it was a combination of who/what I am, and where I went to school...but it still sits with me, and I think it will forever! When I say school too I mean ALL schools, growing up AND in college. I never really found the exact "group" I loved, even though it was always considered "The group" to be in? Does that make sense? From that group, extracted my real friends today...many of us are alike in many ways, some of us are not. We do all have one commonality and that's kindness. I hope for the sake of our own children they don't have those same feelings that I did. That I am able to shield them from some of what I felt, by putting them in the proper surroundings. It's hard to think that some people I grew up with are living the same lives that their parents lived...in the SAME kind of way. I feel like if you hang around the people that are exactly like you and mold off spring EXACTLY like you, you never fully get the flavor of the world. I am sad to say that I don't miss those feelings, and now that I am an adult with my own family and choose to hang with the people I know and love, it makes me feel so much more comfortable about who I am. I want more "ducks in a row" but I also don't want to leave that up to my man to create...I want to create it too! More on this subject FOR SURE! XOXO BTC

SEX AND THE CITY...JUST ANOTHER BLOG

I was watching Sex & The City the other day and I thought to myself...I am surprised it took so long for blogs to catch on; or rather bloggers to begin, well...blogging. Essentially that's what Carrie did during the entire show, blog. It's an interesting thing to go back to that time and see all the things that they are talking about...case in point: Carrie was discussing how her computer crashed, and where she needed to take it, how she could back up, and why she needed to do it? She also mentioned that people could "shop" online, and that it was easier to email someone than to call. Strange to think that's the way we all communicate now, that that's the norm. I don't know I am still into actually speaking with my friends over the phone in addition to email. I like the connection that we have when we communicate that way but then I think to myself is that just my age? Am I too old to just accept communicating all the time the other way? Anyway, it's nice to put my feelings on paper...I guess I always did in some way, just putting more out there, more often. XOXO BTC

HOW TO HELP THE ONES YOU LOVE...EVEN WHEN THERE IS AN AGE GAP!

How can I tell my little Aiden that everything will be ok? That when she worries and gets anxious about things that this too shall pass. How do I make sure her feelings are warranted, but that she won't always feel so lost? It's now 10:30 PM and she is STILL up, in her bed, chatting with Dad. She can't quite get herself to sleep she is almost wired...and worried that she does not feel like "herself." How can you talk a 6 year old to sleep, when their mind is just racing? It's hard being a parents, some days more than others. I am shot myself, so about to go to bed but I am having a hard timing helping my little ones grow up. I know there is no manual for any of this, but what I do know is parents can really fuck up their kids...I SO don't want to be one of those people:) XOXO BTC

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO....

It's the never ending question! Should we stay in NYC or move out to the burbs. There are SO many reasons I want to go, but then so many MORE reasons I want to stay. We often sit there and go around and around in circles and I think the main problem is that we do not WANT to move out; but feel compelled to make the move for other obvious reasons. How can I take my kids away from the most amazing melting pot ever, and move them to a place where everyone is more alike and they are different? I had that and it sucked a big moose cocka A LOT of the time. How can I take them away from their friends and things of that nature...when they will have to start over again? I don't have much to say about this, other than my brain is running a mile a minute with so many decisions to make, BIG life decisions and sometimes I just want it to all stop for a moment, so that I can take a deep breath. Have a wonderful weekend...XOXO BTC

FORGIVE AND FORGET...IF YOU ARE ABLE.

How do you forgive and forget? And by that I mean how do you REALLY forgive and forget. I think if you really love someone and really understand that something that may have happened does not define who they are, you are able to forgive and really forget. I find that forgiveness is WAY easier than forgetting...it's just not as easy. I find myself reliving the things I hated about the person. It is probably something that is much harder for women to deal with, than men. Men don't even give a shit about the things we care about in friendships (for the most part) so that makes things that they do or don't do less, well, "important." I would like to think that I am a forgiving person, and that I look at the long lasting effects if I don't forgive. It can effect your every being and then BOOM you run into the person and you want to kill yourself b/c you have so many unresolved issues. Is it always possible to resolve issues? Can friends just fall out of love? I mean I guess so, but it seems to me in most cases there is always a catalyst. Otherwise relationships take work on both sides, friendships and love relationships. If you don't want to work at it anymore I guess you can say some sort of breakup is imminent. I do feel that there is a part of me that's weak in that way, that if someone I used to be friends with and in ways longed to still be friends with, wanted that relationship again...I may just jump back in, with both feet and hope for the best. XOXO BTC

HOPING TO HELP MY LITTLE ONE, ONE DAY AT A TIME...

I think the single most important thing I have done lately, is to help Aiden be the best person that she can be...and feel the best that she can feel. We have had some issues with her being anxious about school, friends, life in general and we wanted to make sure we got her the proper help, and fast! I think one of the single more important things to do with a child is to make sure that you seek early intervention, IF there is an issue. This will give you and your child the chance to gauge the severity of the issue and to take aim on treatment. We found a wonderful therapist for her to talk to, and so far so good! SO if you have someone or know someone that needs help, intervene at an early stage if you can, it can make all the difference. XOXO BTC

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...

BACK to reality for most people, post holidays I think is THE worst time EVER! It's like being in limbo, nothing immediately following to make you happy and it's totally freezing so no one even wants to go anywhere! I am sorry to say, I am so not a fan. I hate this time of year, I am hoping that next year I will be much more in the holiday spirit...for now, just trying to hold it together. XOXO BTC

2013

What's in store for everyone this year, no one knows...all that wonder and excitement for new beginnings and ends to endings. It's nice to walk around and hear Happy New Year from those you know and love and then also from complete strangers. A lovely new feeling in the air. I am slightly a cynic when it comes to New Years resolutions and things of that nature, but this year I am going to going to make one and prove MYSELF wrong! This year, I am going to get the things done I always want to get done but never could seem to find the time. I am going to focus on those larger things by taking smaller steps to complete them. I am going to embrace the new and say adios to the old. I am going to do those things this year, so that I don't make myself crazy thinking about the things that I could NOT control in 2012. I hope everyone has a lovely New Year, wishing health and happiness to all. Tomorrow's another day... XOXO BTC