Greetings, one and all!

Today, we are in good company!  Alison, from the beautiful blog, www.ThePoloHouse.blogspot.com,  is here to share the loves of her life!  She’s a gorgeous mid-western girl from the suburbs of Chicago, who I have enjoyed bantering with since the beginning.  She has a trained eye, which you know, if you’ve ever taken a tour of her stunning home, which sits on what used to be a polo horse ranch.  I had better let Alison, tell the story, before I start sharing any glaring inaccuracies.  You’ve got the stage, Alison!

Thank you so much, Barbara, for your kindness in featuring me on your gorgeous blog this week! It took me a while to try to figure out what I would write to share with you. I came up with these 8 things, and though they are not terribly interesting… they are true.

Thanks again for including me in your fun series, Barbara!

1. entomologist at five
When I was little, I grew up on my grandparents horse farm.
My grandfather gave each of his children land to build a house on, should they choose to, and my parents did just that. There was a large hill behind my house and acres and acres of open fields. In those fields, butterflies galore.

Right behind those butterflies was one fearless little blonde girl running — with net in hand on a mission to capture every winged beauty she could get her net on. I could tell you anything and everything about butterflies and moths back then…. too bad that memory card has been erased!

2. designed a toy store at 16
When I was in high school, my parents had friends who were opening a toy store in their small town. They decided to call it The Toy Soldier and they asked me to help them design the interior. It was so much fun, sketching the ideas and watching it all come
to life as the carpenter’s built and painted the details.  There were two large wooden soldiers flanking the front doors and the cashier desk was a large drum with cording running zig-zagged from top to bottom on wooden knobs. What a fun project for a kid!
Wish I had pictures of it from back then.

3. a graphic designer
I went to college to be a graphic designer. I worked at ad agencies for a while but came to Chicago and ended up designing national game programs and team yearbooks for professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball teams with my husband.

4. got engaged on an airplane
My husband proposed to me on an airplane via an announcement by one of the pilots flying the plane in 1989. It was pretty funny. I got on the plane and sat in our seats. My husband (boyfriend at the time) jumped up and said he forgot to get a magazine and would
be right back. Little did I know, he was giving a handwritten script to the flight attendants to read once we were airborne. Little did he know, I had decided to change seats to a wider row where no one was seated so we could spread out and have more room.

He came back to find me, moved from the seat number, which the pilot would soon read in the proposal, throwing quite a wrench into the works! He came back and made me MOVE back to our original seats. Very unhappy and not at all the easy going guy that he was!!!
Once the pilot read the seat numbers in the proposal, I understood the urgency of staying in my original seat!!!

The entire plane clapped for us when I said yes. They served champagne to all on board, AND…. my parents were waiting at the gate when we got off the plane with flowers and more champagne! Caught me COMPLETELY off guard! What a memory!

5. famous painter
My grandmother was from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains. Her brother was an artist there and is very well-known in this part of eastern Europe. His paintings are in museums and their family home is now a museum dedicated to his life’s works.

6. love to fish
In the 1980’s, a friend took me fishing. I was absolutely horrible at casting and thought I would never get the hang of it but “hung in there” anyway and gave it my best. Years later I love every second sitting on a small boat on the water especially on a quiet lake, waiting for the fish to bite. It is so relaxing and so peaceful. Wish I could fish everyday. The waiting, the patience it takes …. all worthwhile.
(Still cannot prepare the fish for dinner though! My husband has to do that part!)
On my bucket list? To catch a muskie.

7. love what i do for a living
I am a mom, a decorator and an antique shop owner. Love what I do!

8. why i blog
My immediate family knows why I blog.They get it! My friends and extended family, probably do not. That’s ok. I think some of them think I am crazy. Unless you are a blogger, you just don’t “get it”…. and that’s okay.

It is an artistic outlet for me — I get to take photographs, I get to write, I get to collect and research current design needs I have while working with clients. And in the meantime, I see the latest in gorgeous layouts and photos of homes and rooms — always inspiring.

Blogging shares the latest and greatest in trends on home, fashion, products, technology, etc. making it easy to
keep up. The internet is so much more timely and up-to-date that printed magazines.S o I have found that if you are looking to be inspired by anything you love — blogging is the way to keep on top of those things, no doubt.

And the best part? The followers and the friendships you create. I love it. Don’t you?
(ALL IMAGES FROM PINTEREST, except for the painting)
Alison

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