Living What I Love

Kristen + Eric Are Having a Baby!

A (fun) foggy fall maternity shoot in Volunteer Park:

Matt + Filiz

...are getting married! An incredibly fun shoot with amazing people who I'm honored to call my friends. September in Seattle really delivered on this one, too.

 

The latest and greatest

Some favorites from a super-fun family shoot on Saturday in Redmond. This little guy is just too cute. Love it when the grandparents can get in some shots, too!

The golden hour

This shoot was at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, late in the afternoon when the sun was perfectly filtering through the trees and made for some beautiful photos. The little guy is only 3 months old, and I could definitely tell how much love his family has for him! We had his parents, aunt, cousin and grandparents all together, and no matter how many times he got passed around, he was a pretty content (and sleepy!) little guy.

I love the grandmother's sari and the bright colors she and her daughter both wore. Take note: bright colors make for gorgeous pictures!

Laughter also makes for great photos. =)

Granddaughter + grandfather

Father + son

Mother + son

Grandparents + grandchildren

Toddlers: keeping me on my toes

I thought this little guy was quick the first time I took his photo; I was wrong. Good thing I wore shoes that were easy to move in! A few of my favorites:

Rose, Travis + Adrienne

Favorites from a family/holiday card shoot for close friends of ours last weekend in West Seattle:

Aniruddha + Pragnya

Last week I met up with Aniruddha and Pragnya who are recently engaged to do a photoshoot at the Sculpture Park. Even the rain couldn't keep the smiles off the faces of these two! =) And talk about true love: they are currently living in Seattle, WA and the Netherlands (separately!). It was awesome to do an engagement session again. We had so much fun and definitely made the best of the less-than-ideal weather. Wishing them all the best!

Fall + families

Work from a family session I shot this past weekend in South Lake Union. Check out these kids' gorgeous, curly hair!

Late September family shoot

Another lovely family who I worked with a few weeks ago with a beautiful four-month-old baby girl, and grandparents visiting from China. There's just something about those grandparent visits - crossing oceans to see their newest family members ... it just really pulls at my heartstrings. =) Maybe I just miss my own grandparents who also live far away; not as far as China, but far enough that I don't see them often enough. I hope this sweet little girl gets to see her family a lot over the years as she's growing up. They certainly adore her already (as do her parents!)

mini explorer

I had a few family sessions this weekend and had so much fun meeting more tiny people! Filtered sunlight, crisp air and an empty park made for a perfect shoot. This is Luna, who's 18 months and very, very busy, and very interested in the natural world (rocks and sticks and leaves) but not so much the dirt - her dad had to brush it off for her. =)

Family.

A sunny, warm day in Seattle, a happy, smiling baby and a light breeze mixed well for a great family shoot this past weekend at the Olympic Sculpture Park. I loved little Lily's expressions! Babies at this age are so fun to work with.

Saturday morning

This past Saturday I drove out to a cool little tucked-away park to meet up with a super fun family of three to shoot some photos. Their son was 14 months and man could he move fast! Probably half the shots I snapped of him were blurry; luckily I always keep that shutter clickin' and am left with plenty of great ones. =) When my photos of him were in focus, they turned out great - he just had this little glint in his eye all morning that was too cute.

Baby M's First Birthday

I had the pleasure of shooting the first birthday party of Baby M last weekend. She had the biggest, prettiest eyes and had everyone at her party wrapped around her finger. =) Can you blame them?

And what a party it was! There were gift baskets and bubbles and squirt guns for the kids to play with, a bouncy castle, a mini swimming pool and SO much food. It's so great to see families and friends brought together to celebrate, and I had a fabulous time getting to know Baby M and her parents and grandparents.

Baby Adrienne

We went out of town with friends last weekend and my camera couldn't stop snappin' photos of their beautiful 7-month-old daughter. Those eyelashes!

(Forgive the avocado, she was just saving some for later.)

 

family portraits

You guys, it's been forever, I know. It's bad. But I've had some awesome shoots recently and would love to share them with you! First up: a lovely family from the East side who wanted to capture their newest addition on a rather sunny Seattle morning.

We met up in Fremont and strolled around the waterfront, the Sunday Market and then headed up to Queen Anne for some views.

Do you know any families, couples, high school seniors or pet owners who'd love to spend an hour or so with me and have some really great photos taken? Send them my way!

Nicole + Erik

Last weekend on a brisk but beautiful Sunday afternoon, I met up with Nicole and Erik at the Olympic Sculpture Park for my very first Seattle engagement session. I swear the sun seemed to shine for them that day, because I hadn't seen it much prior and it's been hiding again ever since. Ah, Seattle. ;) We had a great time - congrats again you two!

Pumpkin patch!

A few weekends ago Chad and I went out to a pumpkin patch in Renton with his sister, brother-in-law and their twin girls. It was a sweet little farm, complete with geese, chickens, a calf, pigs, old tractors and trucks to climb on and plenty of pumpkins. The girls picked out one each and Uncle Chad surprised them both with a mini pumpkin, too. =) One of my favorite fall things, for sure. Hope you're getting out and enjoying the season!

My photos on Groupon

Yesterday I noticed through a friend's facebook post that a photo I took back in Ann Arbor at 826michigan last spring was the photo featured on Groupon's deal of the day. Pretty exciting! It's from a field trip, where 2nd grade students come by bus to 826 for a 2-hour creative writing workshop, and leave with their very own storybook. Anyway, I love this photo and it's always fun to see your work pop up in unexpected places. I've been told that a set of my photos has been enlarged + presented in a place I'd probably least expect them to be showcased... more on that later, stay tuned!

Yes: tea.

A fall wind whipped in Seattle today, and I spent a few hours with my friend Eva at an absolutely lovely tea shop called Remedy Teas in Captiol Hill, sipping a pot full of chai pu-erh (delicious and so seasonally appropriate) and nibbling on a piece of harvest squash bread with butter. We went there with the express purpose of 'doing work', and work did get done, but I also found myself luxuriating a bit in the place itself, and watching Seattleites go about their day, and enjoying being inside looking out of large windows while rain poured for a bit outside. The tea pots they serve there are kept hot by an ever-burning tealight underneath this little metal stand, and the minimalist in me loves the Bodum double-wall glass teacups they use, too.

Remedy prides itself on being a bit of an herbalist of sorts, catgorizing their teas by type and also listing not only the ingredients but the benefits of each concoction. I really do kind of believe tea can often cure what ails ya. Drinking any kind of tea, even the caffienated stuff, always relaxes me in a way that drinking coffee never can. I loved the mix I tried today, and here at home I have a bag of looseleaf leaves of #128 mind body soul that is just the thing to unwind after a long day at work. If you're in Seattle, the shop is amazing and I highly recommend spending a rainy or blustery Sunday there in the company of friends or your laptop. =)

Christina + Adam are having a baby!

This was my first maternity shoot ever, and my subjects were my good friends Christina and Adam, who are expecting their first baby (after their fur-baby Cali, that is) in about a month. We shot these in a friend's yard, complete with wine grapes, in Alamo, California over Labor Day weekend. I'm so incredibly excited for these two to become parents - they're going to be excellent at it!

Sneak peek: Christina's maternity shoot

Last weekend while barbequeing and soaking up the sun with friends for Labor Day in the Bay Area, I was lucky enough to squeeze in a maternity photoshoot for my good friend Christina. Since I shot her and her husband Adam's engagment photos over three years ago, I was thrilled to be able to capture this next super-exciting stage in their lives: impending parenthood! I haven't finished editing all of the photos yet, but here's a sneak peek. Isn't she the prettiest momma-to-be you've ever seen? I can't wait to meet their little one!

It's collabo time again! Another session of photo sharin' with the one and only Mister B. This time our theme was 'urban.' B's are the black and whites, mine are the color. I love how his are a mini series of their own - bridges. So cool. They were also taken in different cities... New York and I think Chicago + Minneapolis (B, correct me if I'm wrong!) Mine were all shot right here in (for now, anyway!) sunny Seattle.

Living in a city is an endless photo shoot. So many people, views, even the light being slightly different can change the entire look of the city skyline. Though I can appreciate a nice, calm nature-y landscape shot, there's something about concrete, glass, and city lights that draws my eye. More from my end of this session to come later!

 

Lake Serene

Another day where the sun shined from dawn to dusk. I feel like we're getting this completely warped view of Seattle, but whatever, we are not minding. We spent yesterday out-of-doors hiking the 7.2-mile trail up to Lake Serene and back. The hike's about an hour's drive northeast of the city, but don't worry, the hike is worth it and there is a Dairy Queen in a little town called Monroe conveniently located on your way back so you can gain back most of your calories burned on the trail quickly and deliciously. (Blizzards did the trick for us. Mmmm....)

The lake is reached at the summit of the hike, and it's a great reward. It's incredibly smooth and clear (and cold!), with huge rocks all around for munching on your trail mix and soaking up the view. We had an amazing morning on this hike, I'd definitely recommend it! Washington, so far - you're pretty impressive.

 

Puppy love

Stopbeingsodamncute, she can't. She eats rocks, pieces of paper, twigs, flowers, and anything else that happens to be in her path; she whines when she's not close enough to me and Chad, she nibbles on our fingers and our shoelaces and dribbles water from her bowl all the way across the kitchen floor, but...she's the best. Having so much fun with our puppy! Hooray for Frenchies. Especially ours.

To friends + Happy Friday!

It's almost the weekend, hooray! I'd like to take this Friday morning to give a shoutout to friends. Old friends, new friends, the kind of friends who you see rarely but always have a complete blast with in the short time you spend together. I've been feeling very blessed lately with the amazing people in my life. We had close friends fly to Seattle last weekend to surprise Chad for his 30th which meant so much; I've just booked a flight to watch an old college friend and fellow Sconnie get married in a few months; I made a new friend here in our building who I can't wait to hang out with; and I thank the nerds every day for Gchat, allowing me to keep completely up to date with friends in faraway places on the daily.

Hoping you have a great weekend filled with your favorite people. Happy Friday everyone!

Some outtakes from Maddie's and Maria's senior photo session, June 2011.

things I've made

Moving into a new apartment always fuels my DIY instincts, so I thought I'd share a few projects/things I've made recently as well as a painting I made a bit ago. People get intimidated about art on the walls, but it doesn't have to be something expensive or, if you want to try your hand at making art yourself, difficult. I'll show you!

I've always loved the cross motif - not the religious cross, more like the medical cross. I wanted a smaller piece to go above our bed and it needed to be cool and graphic. One trip to Blick, a 10"x10" birch board for $8 and $2 tube of black acrylic paint later, and I was on my way. I measured out the width I wanted (2" square), measured the center of the board, and penciled in light lines at the edges of the cross design. Then I laid blue painter's tape over the lines, using an exacto to make sure there were no frayed tape edges sticking into the cross design. Two coats of black paint dried in between with a hair dryer on low, et voila! A really cool, easy + affordable piece of art. I love how it looks in our bedroom:

Simple + cool. See, you can do it!

Next up: our Bosse stools from IKEA were pretty in their natural birch tone, but with the pale yellow renter's walls I wasn't totally digging their vibe. Using leftover wall paint from our deep teal accent wall, that blue painter's tape again, a measuring tape + pencil, I transformed them into something unique and more "us." Loving them now!

(Bosse stool as they come from the store, courtesy of IKEA.com)

I just measured 20" up from each leg's base and penciled/taped it in.

One down, one to go.

Done! So pretty.

Luna approves.

Last but not least, I thought I'd throw in the striped painting I created awhile back with our wedding date (9.6.08). The tricky part with this one was getting the lines to be straight, but with a measuring tape + pencil marks in a few places for each, it worked pretty well. Painters tape is your friend here, too. (Stuff is amazing!)

(in our old apartment - it's still in the bedroom in our Seattle place but on the wall opposite the bed.)

Don't be intimidated! A trip to your local art/craft store and $20 or less, some painter's tape and a little brainstorming can make a big impact on your apartment walls.

One awesome fountain

Chad and I walked Luna to Seattle Center this weekend mostly to enjoy some sunshine and sit and watch the local kids play in the fountain there. Before you think, 'That's kinda lame', just wait. This isn't your run of the mill smallish fountain with a steady, unintimidating flow. No. This is something from a another planet; even the thing itself looks like a spaceship recently landed in the middle of Seattle. It intermittently shoots water from all sorts of weird places, but the main attraction comes from the four spouts on top that with no rhyme or reason suddenly shoot jetstreams of water hundreds of feet into the stratosphere, then with a burst of air shoot them higher until they fall with a thunderous crash back to the concrete and onto the heads of the tiny kids below. It's fantastic fun and so hilarious to watch. We sat there for a good 45 minutes, mostly wishing we'd worn our swimsuits. Next time, fountain. Next time.

You'd think this was 'full blast.' Not quite....

This kid sees the steam. He knows - STAY BACK! She's about to blow!

!!!!!!!

It's about here you could hear the high-pitched screams of little girls... and probably some boys, because:

...what goes up has got to come down. BOOM! So. Awesome.

Yet another point for the city of Seattle.

And p.s.: the corn dog stand near the fountain has *super* tasty dogs.

Summer in the city

Last Sunday was an absolutely brilliantly perfect summer day in Seattle. Chad and I took the day to hit up the marina, the beach, and to walk around Ballard. We happend upon Cupcake Royale and (oops!) ate one. It was in the low 70s with a breeze, and there's not much I'd rather do than mosey aimlessly around the city, watch people, and eat cupcakes with my husband.

Beach, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. Not a bad view, Seattle, not a bad view at all.

Ah, the days of building sandcastles at the beach all day with your best friend. I miss those.

I feel like it's a rite of passage in Seattle to own your own sea kayak.

Even hipsters love the beach.

Loving our new city! Happy Friday everyone, + have a fabulous weekend!

finally, a Frenchie.

After about three years of stalking them on the street, watching their hilarious videos on YouTube, Googling their cute little faces and whining to my husband, I finally did it: got a French Bulldog puppy! I searched breeders high and low all over the country until I found her: Luna. A white and brindle spotted "cow" girl whose face was all it took for me to fall in love. We brought her home yesterday. She is loved to pieces already.

Quite the distinguished smushed-nose profile, don't ya think?

Little puppy, big bed (she's definitely not allowed in here, this was purely for photo styling purposes..... at this point.)

C'mon - look at that face! Props to The Copper Poppy on Etsy for making Luna's beautiful tag, and quickly!

Those covers are just so luxurious. *snortle*

Someone else fell for her fast, too. =)

I'm sure we'll have lots of sleep-deprived nights and various chewed shoes in the weeks ahead, but she is so, so worth it.

Do you have a dog/cat/pet just begging to be photographed? Holler at me!

Maria's senior photos

My sister brought her friend Maria along for the senior session I did while I was at home. It was fun for them to get to bounce ideas off each other and make faces behind the camera at the other. ;)

Maria's photos turned out awesome and it was great to get to know her. Wishing her an awesome senior year!

P.S. I'm now living in Seattle, WA, so if you or anyone you know need senior photos taken, give me a shout in the comment section!

Maddie's senior photos

Incredibly hard to believe that my little sister will be a senior in high school next year. I was home for a few days in between getting back from our big trip (more on that to come!) and our move to Seattle, so I shot seniors for Maddie and her friend Maria, whose photos I'll post tomorrow.

We had a blast and *the* most perfect summer day. We shot these around Williams Bay, which was fun since it's where I grew up. No matter where you are, there are always great photo ops to be found!

Sorry to brag, but my sister is so beautiful. See for yourself:

 

And also, hilarious. Giant glasses courtesey of the Dollar Store.

So proud to be your sister, Maddie! You're amazing.

 

 

Bon voyage!

10 countries in 52 days. Ready, GO!

Sorry for the radio silence for the next two months, but I'm off to travel Eastern Europe with my husband! Lots of photos + stories when we return. Have a great May + June everybody! xo - Kate

BC | KM Collabo 3: Faces

A third collaboration with Brett where we each chose five of our favorite and possibly unshared portraits.

I love photos of people (and puppies, obvi). This was a really fun collabo.

by KM

by BC

by KM

by BC

by KM (ppppssst.... this IS BC! ;)

by BC

by KM

by BC

by KM

by BC

preparation

Chad and I are prepping for our big backpacking trip through Eastern Europe, Greece and Turkey. We leave 2 weeks from Monday (!). Since Christmas when we handed over half of our life savings to REI for new packs, stuff sacks, and other ephemera, we've been slowly but surely collecting the "stuff" we think we're going to need over 8 weeks of traveling. We're allowing ourselves one mid-size pack each, plus a smaller day bag. This is tough for me, the notorious over-packer; I've been mentally planning my outfits and each piece of clothing I'll be able to take for months. Because that's the kind of thing *I* think about: how I want to look. If I really can get away with only two pairs of shoes for 2 months. If I'm bringing too much grey. Etc. Stupid stuff.

My husband, on the other hand, ever the logical and practical person he is, has been reading blogs and websites and asking friends what kind of "stuff" exactly we should bring in our packs to be sure all our bases are covered. I'm not really sure we're going to need 8 travel rolls of Charmin, but I'm sure Chad would have the last laugh if I got myself stuck in some Slovakian bathroom without any toilet paper to be found. So, thank goodness for planning, both Chad's kind and my kind.

Getting so excited!!!

This is one set of all the stuff we've collected. Meaning for a lot of these things, we each have our own. Luckily we won't be schlepping our packs for hours and hours on end; mostly just from train station to hotel/hostel. But still: I'm trying to practice NOT whining. I can be rather good at it so hopefully I can keep it to a very minimum on this trip. ;) So basically we'll be carrying the above, plus a small set of clothes, and 2 cameras.

My pretty pack, probably going to be a lot less pretty once we get back at the end of June:

2 weeks to go!

Just another day where I take photos of Dave Eggers.

Or more formally and lengthily (.... that's a word, right?) known as: 826michigan’s Spelling Bee for Honest Cheaters, Dirty Rotten Spellers and Mustachioed Heroes!

826michigan threw down with their latest fundraiser, which raised a whopping $23,000 for their tutoring and writing programs. Ah-mazing. This particular event was a spelling bee, pitting teams of two against each other with a few "cheats" thrown in. The more money each team raised for 826, the more opportunities to cheat they were granted. One of the cheaters' perks was also the panel of celebrity "helpers" ready to give assistance to those who might be spelling-challenged. Sporting a mustache (real or otherwise) also awarded you cheats. The esteemed guest panel consisted of: Davy Rothbart, creator of Found magazine, writer, and This American Life contributor; Phoebe Gloeckner, author, and Dave Eggers, author and 826 founder. Andy Garris of Woodruff's was kind enough to host.

Some shots from the (very fun) evening:

Oh, the wittiness.

If you can't grow one, draw one on!

Or, paste one on.

a whole family of mustaches!

Getting ready to cheer on the spellers

Andy, manager of Woodruff's

A contestant uses a cheat to get a little help from Dave and Phoebe...

Dave Eggers, penning his next book perhaps?

Davy Rothbart

Thanks for coming, Dave!

BFF's

This post is for wishing my very best friend Allison a happy 28th birthday today!

Allison and I have been friends for over twenty years. TWENTY.

Since:

Swimming lessons at the Y, ~1989

And definitely since:

Buckling up for safety at the pier on Lake Geneva, ~ 1991

Thankfully now we've both grown into those teeth and gangly legs, and have better taste in hairstyles and swimsuits:

Chicago visit, 2010

Happy birthday, Al! Love you, mean it, + couldn't imagine a better best friend. You're my lobster. ;)

four eyes

So, I wear glasses now. First timer. I don't need them all the time; in fact, I don't need them much at all. Reading on the computer was occasionally becoming fuzzy, and driving at night seemed just shy of crystal clear, so I saw an eye doc and was told that yes, I could use a little help on those two fronts. Being vain and snooty, I snubbed the offerings at Pearle Vision for something hipper - Warby Parker frames. I like that they're relatively inexpensive at just 95 bones a pair with prescription; I like that you can both virtually 'try them on' online + then get 5 real frames shipped to you at home to try before even committing to buying. And once you decide on a pair (which you will, they have tons of 'em and they're all awesome!), your purchase also means that W.P. donates a pair of new glasses to a fellow four eyes in need. (Like Tom's!) I get to look good AND be philanthropic?! Done.

I like that glasses are cool now - thanks Tina Fey! And I love these glasses. Still glad I don't have to wear them 24/7, but glad to wear them all the same.

P.S. It is still so weird to post photos of myself on my blog.

BC | KM 2

Collaboration the second with my friend Brett: color!

Top: my photo. A gorgeous coral/orange flower that seemed to literally jump out of all the green in my grandparents' side yard in Florida.

Bottom: B's photo. "A few weeks ago my friend Ned and I were walking around the city, commenting on how dull and bland everything looks after a long winter - and then we came upon the Loring Park fire station. The doors on the building are the craziest bold shade of red, I had no idea! I've walked by them a million times but never bothered to notice how fun and retro the doors are. Just a lil reminder to enjoy the little things, I guess."

So true. Even if spring hasn't quite sprung around your neighborhood, there's always something colorful to find if you look close enough.

vacash.

Ah, Florida. So sunny, so warm. Had an awesome time over three gorgeous days with my mom, sister, aunt, cousins, grandma + grandpa. Things we saw: dolphins off Sanibel Island. Things we didn't see: alligators (bummer!) Things we did: ate (had the best steak of my life, probably), chilled at the pool, played cards with my grandpa, shopped, watched the sun set over the Gulf, and listened to old stories while we looked through photo albums. Some of my favorite shots:

Back to real life, at least for another month. Then: two months vacash in Eastern Europe! That was probably an annoying thing to say, but I can't help it: I'm really, really excited for this next trip.

Up next: BC | KM Collabo 2!

Vacation, all I ever wanted

And it starts now! Okay, in a few hours. I'm leaving for Naples, Florida tonight for a long weekend trip. So excited! This has honestly seemed like the longest winter EVER.

I've been traveling to Florida since I was little to visit my grandparents, and it's always sure to bring lots of great breakfasts out, beach-going, shopping, and enjoying being outside without a jacket. I'm flying down with my aunt and we're meeting my mom and my sister who are there already on their spring break.

Here are a few photos from my last trip there, in 2008. Looking at them reminds me that my photography (and editing skills) have come a long way in three years! Looking forward to sharing some great shots when I get back. Here's also to hoping the thermostat warms up a bit (it's been in the 20s/30s in Michigan this week!) when I get off that plane Monday night! Happy weekend everybody....

 

Writing stories/writing songs

A few photos from a 2nd-grade fieldtrip and a middle-school songwriters' workshop at the fantastic 826Michigan:

Loved this guy's collared shirt.

This kid was droppin' some beats in Garage Band. PS remember the Hornets? I think their team was popular among my 7th grade (girl) friends because their colors were teal + purple. ;)

I <3 826.

Just a Wild Things robot helping write some songs, nbd.

 

minty fresh

In honor of St. Pat's, though I have not a single drop of Guiness-laden Irish blood in me, I thought I'd do another color study: GREEN.

signs of spring!

the squirrels in Ann Arbor are ridiculously trusting of humans; if I'd have had a peanut this guy would've eaten it out of my hand!

Every time I look at this color nail polish I want to get a Shamrock Shake. Which is why I'm taking it off... tonight.

downtown Ann Arbor - so pretty. Can you spot the green?

Oh hai, cute coat!

this last photo has absolutely nothing green in it. but since chocolate + mint are such a good combo:

aaaaaaaaaah! Wishing you puppies, green beer, and four-leaf clovers this St. Patrick's Day.

Erin Go Bragh!

My friend and fellow photo enthusiast Brett and I decided to try our hand(s) at challenging each other with concept-driven photo collaborations. For now these posts will be rather sporadic, but in the future I hope we get up to one a week! We'll both share both images on our own blogs, so be sure to check B's out, too!

For this week's inaugural collabo, we decided on "light". I chose it (so you're next, B!) because I liked its ambiguity and the many ways it could be interpreted. Brett's cool photo is on top; mine below.

About his photo, Brett wrote: "This pic is funny because the way lighting hit the grass and clouds makes it look like I was out in the middle of a field, but I was actually in my neighborhood right downtown Minneapolis. In fact, you can even see I-94 in the background! Love me some Loring Park." I love the moody storm clouds and how the perspective the photo was shot from is rather misleading - I'd never have guessed it was taken in a city park.

My photo was taken in January at a roadside A&W with friends on our way home from our ski trip in Northern Michigan. We'd never been to such an old-school place and got a total kick out of the ordering system (a dial-up telephone in each booth for you to phone-in your order to the waitress behind the counter which was about 8 feet away). Hot dogs + frosty rootbeers were tasty, but I was loving the way the late afternoon light hit the retro booths.

Stay tuned, lots more to come, especially now that spring is actually in sight and we can both escape the confines of our apartments, cameras in hand, more often...

Zingerman's Creamery

I remembered hearing from a friend that Zingerman's Creamery, where they make a few select soft cheeses from local milk, gives tours on the weekends. Since Chad and I are both kind of nerds about cheese (the cheese counter at Whole Foods is one of our favorite places, ever)... which is perfectly excuseable considering our dual Wisconsin heritage... we decided to make a reservation for a tour on Sunday. It's only $5 and you get a $5 coupon for each person to use in the shop after the tour, which makes it basically free. The girl who gave us the tour was really knowledgable about cheese and cheesemaking, and while she talked she made fresh mozarella from a starter rennet. It was kind of awesome to watch it go from a block of rennet, to a taffy-like product after hot water was poured over it, and then to those perfect half-pound size balls that you see in the store (she did this by hand). We got to try it fresh out of the salt bath and OMG, so delicious! Having skipped lunch, Chad and I promptly bought ourselves a ball after the tour, a fresh French bagette at the bakery next door, and some salami and scarfed all of the above at a little cafe table next door to the creamery. They also made vanilla bean gelato which we got to sample; it was tasty too but we were there for the fromage, yo. Overall a fun activity for a Sunday afternoon - I'd definitely recommend!

 

Can't stop eating: avocado toast

The great Maddie G turned me on to this incredibly delicious snack/meal and I can't stop eating it. Once a week I troll the aisles at Kroger for perfectly ripe avocados so I can make this and eat it immediately. If they only have unripe avocados, I get really cranky. Try it, I promise you'll love it. I make 2 slices and it's dinner.

Avocado Toast

need:

2 pieces bread (fresh bread is awesome but if you just have your regular sandwich loaf that's okay too)

1 ripe avocado, mashed up (like you're going to make guacamole)

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt + fresh ground pepper

crushed red pepper flakes

Toast the bread. Slather on the mashed-up avocado. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinke a few dashes of sea salt and pepper, and dust liberally with crushed red pepper. Stuff in face. Enjoy.

I want it again!

from the archives

Finally finished re-vamping and sprucing and OCD-ing my way through my iPhoto and piles of photos from 2004 to present. The large majority of them I've looked at dozens of times, posted to Facebook, seen on my screensaver, etc.

Except for these two little gems. I have no idea who took this shot of me, waving like an idiot at the top of some Russian Hill hill, Transamerica in the background circa 2007. Or who I was with, or what we were doing. But I kinda love it and the mystery only makes it better. This was almost immediately before realizing it was time to start highlighting my hair if I wanted people to still call me a blonde, after landing my first real job post-college, and not long after moving to the great city of San Francisco. This photo makes me happy just looking at it because it reminds of that feeling you get when you move to a new place that's full of interesting and beautiful and scary and funny and weird things to discover.  Plus, I'm wearing this exact same sweater today. Serendipitious? I think so.

This photo also reminds me, simply, that I'm really glad I cart around a camera almost all the time. Even if it is, sometimes, a crappy point and shoot with improper exposure and a little grain. It's so worth it.

Without that old Sony banging around in my purse, I never would have captured this little sidewalk art gem, either. Isn't it the greatest? Taken that same mystery San Francisco day back in 2007. I just looked down and there it was.

I love you, photography.

reverse psychology

First, apologies for the radio silence lately. A few days after my birthday I got really sick, took a few days off of work and spent all last weekend doing my best J.D. Salinger recluse impression and I *still* have this stupid cough keeping me up all night. Winter. Bleh. Over it.

In an effort to psych out the weather into turning springlike a little early (just a little? Tomorrow is March, when people in normal climes enjoy at least a bout of days in the 50s or 60s...), I figured I'd post a few last winter photos. These are from a ski trip Chad and I took with friends from school at the end of January up to northern Michigan. Beautiful snow but oh, so cold. We put to good use our cabin's fireplace and comfy couches, though, skied, ate greasy food at the lodge, and played some kickball in the feet (upon feet!) of snow.

So, here it goes: I love winter! I never want it to end! This gray crusty leftover snow making everything look post nuclear fallout is so..... interesting! (Did it work?)

View from our bedroom. Cozy.

happy day of love!

wishing you lots and lots of it today. =)

In my bag

I've always loved the set on flickr called what's in my bag, so about a month ago I emptied out my trusty carryall and shot what's in mine. There's something really fun and voyeuristic about seeing inside someone's bag... it definitely gives a slight inkling of the person who carries all of those things, and feels somehow a little bit sneaky, too. This is one of my favorites. Clean and pretty-looking essentials (even the Muji pens... I still love to color). Anything that's organized neatly with a side of OCD gets my vote. 

The contents of my bag won't shock or surprise, but this is generally a version of the things I lug around every day:

:datebook (I'm oldschool and still prefer to write everything down, with a pen), minty gum (never cinnamon or fruity, ew), my iPod touch (lots of Robyn), my little point and shoot (though this cute little orange one is r.i.p...), my phone, a Pilot Varsity pen, MAC lipgloss + lipstick, chapstick, wallet, and my little Moo card holder for my photography biz cards. If you catch me in the morning, I've also got my to go tea mug filled with green tea to get me through the day.

And my bag? My trusty, uber-durable and utilitarian Timbuk2 tote:

It's definitely not sexy, but I'm finally at peace, in my wise age of nearly-28, with the fact that I am not a purse girl. I can appreciate a Coach bag just like any girl (are those even still cool? I can't keep up) but I tend to need a bag that fits my shiz, looks smart, and that I can wear on my shoulder day after day. Timbuk2 bags and I have gotten along for about seven years now, and I'm sure I'll stay faithful to this relationship for a long time.

Hope you enjoyed the peek! I showed you mine... now what's in yours?

 

Accidental Collector: Stripes Edition

Remember that post about my crazy tea stash? Yeah, well, turns out I have a *crazy and unwitting amount* of something else, too, this time in my dresser drawers: stripes! You guys, I swear I never realized the magnitude of my stripe-hoarding. Observe:

Fifteen! That right there is fifteen short-sleeved t's, long-sleeved t's, sweaters and sweatshirts.

I guess you could call my obsession... patriotic? I do have a lot of the red/white and blue/white variety. America!

The final blow: even my camera bag is striped.

Stop loving stripes: I can't! The heart wants what it wants.