Life Mapping with Matt

My kids grew up with a Spiegel catalog in their hands. They would literally fight over it when it came in the mail. Not because they were super-materialistic kids, but because they loved to play paper dolls; except their form of paper dolls was not like that of most children. My three small kids (from ages four and five until they were teenagers) created their grown-up lives with catalogs. They began the mapping out process in their individual bedrooms and sometimes they covered the entire house with their selected pages of living. The technique was simple. They foraged through the pages of Spiegel, Lands End, Eddie Bauer, Ballard Designs and any other home or clothing mail-order catalog that wound up in our mailbox. They chose living room furniture, kitchen dishes, holiday decorations, family members (husband, wife, son and daughter - sometimes grandma, aunt, cousin, etc.), clothing, bedding, and essentially everything you needed to have a perfect paper life.

When they found something they wanted, they slapped the page fast and hard, and shouted, "I Want That!" Quickness was absolutely key to getting what you wanted, like a fast-paced game of cards. Then, they tore out the pages or cut specific images and meticulously placed them all over the floor - leaving only a pathway to walk. Finally, they rummaged through my magazines to find expensive cars, adorable pets and any other aspect of their paper lives that the catalogs did not provide. The process took all day. Once they finished creating their paper worlds, they always called me to come and view the periodical depictions of their perfect lives. It was absolutely amazing! I have always wanted it to be a "today's big story", but I never knew how to "picture book" such a complicated process.

This past weekend, my grown-up son and I spent Saturday in the capital city of our state. Our agenda was simple - visit the Amtrak station to plan a family trip. Once we received all of the information and toured the station, we decided to enjoy a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, walk around the nearly deserted downtown streets and enjoy the fall day. He had been looking at lofts and condos online that he wanted to see in person, and I had brought my camera...so we began an afternoon adventure. As we started looking at the various buildings, shops, architecture and restaurants, I experienced a process that I had encountered before. Matt was mapping out a life - not a paper one, but a real one. He was beginning his selection process, and I was simply invited to view some of his choices. The grown-up boy was saying, "I want that and I want that!"

What better place to begin a journey than the train station!

Love repeated patterns...

and architectural details...

and lots of color...

and the state's perfect tour guide!

Love the tile and the building!

Love fire escapes...

big clocks...

and coffee shops!

One of Matt's aspiration addresses is the Electric 308 Building... (I love this picture because you can see the building name and number in the background!)

or the Plaza... (I love this picture - reminds me of an opitical illusion.)

or maybe the most important address in the state!

Love things that come in threes...

and iconic eateries...

and restaurants that are closed for the day...

and restaurants that are getting ready to open!

Need new shoes for the journey...

and a one very old phone booth!

A view from the bottom...

and the top (thanks to a sweet gentleman at the Capitol Towers Building!)...

...and maybe, one day, from a window.

TODAY'S BIG STORY: A rare mail-order catalog perfect day with my favorite grown-up son.

Dianne ; )