A New York Ball with Prince Charming

It's funny, no matter how old we get our parents still reserve the right to boss us around.  Three weeks ago, Nate got a call from his mother insisting that he go to New York to support his "favorite" (read: youngest and most annoying) cousin in her latest venture:  charity ball committee member, the "career" of choice for bored New York women with excessively large engagement rings.  I can just hear the conversation:  "Nathaniel, you WILL go to New York, you WILL wear a tuxedo and you WILL be nice to Stella."!  I was thrilled (but not surprised) when his next call was to yours truly asking for help/company.  I was horrified however when I realized that I know Cousin Stella from back in my Junior League days.  She is a real piece of work.

Somehow Nate and I managed to pull together a whirlwind trip to NYC so as not to upset Mrs. Pinkett. We arrived early Saturday from our respective cities and hit the ground running:  a new tuxedo for monsieur and a dress for mademoiselle, his & her's hair cuts, an early dinner with my parents (!!!) and then we danced the night away at the Ball... jet lag and all!  It was all very Cinderella (minus the rags, fairy godmother, mice, etc!)!  By the stroke of 8PM the next night we were back on a plane en route to Paris and a train heading south to DC respectively.  But it really was wonderful, a night out of a Disney movie!  We managed to avoid Stella all night and Prince Charming could not have looked more handsome in his tuxedo.  I'm still swooning over the photos!

After all the frogs I've kissed, I think I deserve a Prince!

Bisous xx

With Friends Like These

Dearest girls,

Flora's last letter got me thinking about just how quickly time flies.  Her trip down memory lane was a happy reminder of just how lucky I am to have friends as wonderful as you!  

It was a year ago that this Eternal Intern found herself on a collision course that almost ended in tragedy.  And as always, my dear friends were there to pick me up, dust me off and put me back on the right path!  Through the incredible highs (Paris 2011 and that "infamous night!") to the terrible lows (The breakups, oh the breakups!) we've had one hell of a time, les filles!

In other news, I'm off to dinner with that Irish journalist I was dating at the beginning of the year.  He says he has something important to tell me.  Don't ask why he can't just email this late-breaking news! Why I agree to these things is beyond me, I'm too nice.  Don't tell Nate, I'm sure he'll assume the worst and it is so NOT like that AT ALL!   Oh and speaking of Nate, I'll write again this weekend to update you on that!  Lots to report!


Bisous xx

x+x+x+Rose

And now for a moment of enlightenment....

Since moving to London from La La Land, I have had to adjust to many things.  The constant rain, British self-deprecating humor, giving up on a healthy liver etc… but nothing has been more difficult for me to acclimatize to than the unique culture of signing off with a kiss.  The politics involved in the kiss signature culture is multi-layered and a skill to master.

Here are the 5 basic rules of the EMAIL KISS ETIQUETTE:

1) Don’t be cheap! The never-ending debate of should you or shouldn’t you kiss on a first date translates directly to email kiss etiquette.  Never kiss on a first encounter!

2) Learn to LOVE a lot! Brits are amazing for their loving demeanors.  ‘Oh Darling’ ‘Hello, my love’ ‘Thanks, love’ are all part of everyday greetings.  Therefore, it is no surprise that all regular correspondence should end with at least one kiss.

3) Thank you by another name.  Depending on the favor in question, a simple ‘Thanks’ no longer suffices.  An average favor requires: ‘Thanks x’ at the very least.  The number of kisses is directly correlated to the relative size of the favor.  I have received on more than one occasion: ‘Thanks so much! Xxxxx’. What can I say?  I'm a generous gal!

4) Equality for all!  Don’t be deterred by who is at the other end of the correspondence.  Male and Female are equal in the world of Kiss Etiquette, so kiss away!

5) Consistency is necessary.  The best way to use a kiss in your signature is to simply add it to your name and stick to it!  For example, I had to chose between the following: ‘Rose x’ ‘xx Rose’ Rx’ ‘ xxx Rose’ etc...  After much internal debate, I opted for:

Xxx