off to new york...

we leave tomorrow for new york! it's been a year (too long!) since we've visited and can't wait to spend time with t's family and enjoy some to the sights and scenes of nyc. we are checking out the radio city christmas spectacular, which should be loads of fun and really get me in the christmas spirit... nothing quite beats new york during christmas time!

back from thanksgiving in michigan and giving thanks that my family is doing ok... life is pretty rough there right now for a lot of people.

huntress: spirit of the forest

overall, i was pretty pleased with my halloween costume this year. people at the party actually had a general idea of what i was, so that was a bonus!
i was particularly happy with how the feather neck piece and earrings that i made turned out. boy, i really do like designing costumes and dressing up... i might have missed my calling as costume designer;)

halloween inspiration

with only a few days until halloween night, i am still working on pulling my costume together. while browsing through anahata's flickr photos i came across her halloween costume inspiration...



aren't they lovely?! and these images sent me off on my own path of planning, which has eventually evolved into my creating a costume based on the roman goddess diana.


and here is my own inspiration board based on the concept of "huntress: spirit of the forest"... we shall see what becomes of all this planning!

1. , 2. a row of old cameras., 3. ., 4. Catch me, 5. Home is, 6. autumn air | october 24. 2009, 7. slightly haunted house update!, 8. that sky, 9. for dawn, 10. Golden Gate Bridge, 11. Succulents., 12. blue skies and red trees | october 24. 2009, 13. Untitled, 14. Untitled, 15. Untitled, 16. the friend is the woman who knows all about you, and still likes you.

current inspiration via one of my most favorite things EVER: flickr

awkward family photos

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

whenever i need a good laugh, i visit awkward family photos... i cannot help but laugh out loud at some of these awkward and often bizarre family shots! so wrong, but so funny.

new header

thank you to my wonderful and savvy husband for helping me to personalize my header! i supplied the art work and he did all of the technical work. thanks, love!

listening to...

home by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros

san juan bautista

today we enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the sleepy village of san juan bautista... we ate a deliciously authentic lunch at one of the several mexican restaurants on main street followed by a bit of ice cream as we wandered the quiet little streets admiring all of the old architecture and artifacts. i wish i would have visited this quaint little place earlier! it is definitely on my list of places to bring visitors from now on. it is a special hamlet as it has been protected from development since 1933 and according to my fodor's northern california guidebook, it's "about as close to early-19th-century california as you can get." simply charming and i can't wait to visit again and take lots more photos!

chicks rock boogie 2009

last weekend we ventured down to southern california to attend the infamous chicks rock boogie at skydive elsinore. the purpose of this event is to celebrate women in skydiving, who only make up between 10-15% of the sport's demographic. and celebrate we did! during the day, we made lots of fun jumps and supported each other as we learned and grew in our skydiving abilities.

and if we jump out of planes for fun during the day, then you can imagine how much fun we like to have at night! friday night, fellow skydiver and friend andy's band arson academy performed an intense show to a high energy crowd at the dropzone. and then saturday night all the stops were pulled out for the piece de resistance of the weekend: a 60s themed party! complete with security at the door, a great dj, free alcohol, a professional photographer manning a photobooth, beautiful people in creative costumes, this party rivaled those at any club.

i'm so glad to have made it to this amazing event where there was such great energy! i was able to see friends from all over the country, as well as meet many new ones. and being surrounded by such great women who share the same passion was satisfying on a deep level. hopefully the mosaic above helps to capture the sensations of the weekend, for i surely cannot do it justice merely with words...

exciting news!

wow, where has september gone?! this month we've had lots of visitors. although tiring, having visitors allows me to play the role of tourist a bit and i get to revisit some of my favorite spots, as well as discover new ones. we are half way done with our time here and i am motivated to make the most of the 9 remaining months.

and we also just got back from HAWAII! we were on oahu for about a week and it truly is paradise. we had talked about visiting there for a while and i'm glad we were able to slip away.

and last but not least, we received some exciting news this week... instead of heading back to north carolina like we had anticipated, we are now going to key west, florida! next summer we will make our way to key west where we'll be for about 2 years. this move means many good things for our future and i'm just very pleased to know where we'll be off to next...

sf outside lands music festival

1. 2009 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival - Day 3 - Lenka, 2. Band of Horses, 3. last photos, 4. Bat for Lashes, 5. Festival Atmosphere, 6. 2009 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival - Day 3 - The Avett Brothers, 7. 2009 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival - Day 2 - Raphael Saadiq, 8. Jason Mraz, 9. Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band _MVB0264xr

last weekend we were blessed to be able to attend the outside lands music festival in golden gate park. i had a lovely time listening to the great music, snacking on tasty treats, watching all sorts of interesting and beautiful people, and sharing it all with good friends.

above are some of my favorite acts from the festival: lenka, band of horses, zee avi, bat for lashes, the avett brothers, raphael saadiq, jason mraz, and conor oberst and the mystic river band with a guest appearance by jenny lewis! others left out of this collage are pearl jam (seeing them live was surreal), dave matthews band, calexico, and q-tip, who my friend sean insisted we go see and i actually ended up really enjoying myself and dancing lots. also went to see m.i.a. with a big group of friends and danced, danced, danced myself silly! so much fun...

monterey historics at laguna seca

we had the incredible opportunity yesterday to watch our skydiving friend gunnar doing what he does... racing sports cars! just up the road from us at laguna seca raceway the annual monterey historics automobile races were taking place, where i got to see cars from all different eras (from the early 1900s to early 1990s) zooming around the track.
admittedly, i don't know much about cars, but all of the variety of cars were definitely a feast for the eyes. whether low to the ground or riding high, compact or bulky, sleek or boxy, sexy or cute... the one thing they all had in common was that they were gleaming and ready to be shown off by their proud owners and drivers. thanks to gunnar and the jeannette family for a fun and unforgettable day.

my michigan

so i'm back home in cali and reflecting on the last three weeks in the midwest. wish i would have come across the 'my travel journal' flickr group before my trip, but it is inspiring me to document my future travels in a more personal and artistic manner.

here's a list of my michigan summer:
*crisp blueberries and tangy raspberries eaten straight off the bush from my dad's garden
*bare, dirty feet
*cool, fresh breezes blowing across lake michigan
*black cherries bought from a stand on the side of a country road in rural west michigan
*the greenest of grass, bluest of skies
*mosquito bites
*sleeping with windows open covered only by a sheet and a fan set on low blowing gently
* fresh eggs from my sister's chickens expertly cooked for me by my dad with love
*birds of all sizes and colors singing splendid summer serenades
*driving my dad's pick-up truck with the windows rolled down
*warm, golden evenings
*no cell reception or access to internet for days at a time
*exploring the forests and fields of my childhood with my camera and memories
*petting, brushing, loving, wrestling, jogging with buddy the blue heeler, a true friend
*the sun being swallowed slowly by lake michigan
*digging through old photos and memorabilia... remembering a younger me
*impromptu visits from old friends and chats under the shade of maple trees
*cheap, cold light beer sipped from a can
*trying to remember to say pop instead of soda
*the smell of freshly cut hay
*hiding from the sun in a comfy chair with a book
*crickets chirping at night
*meals centered around fresh veggies picked that day from the garden
*cucumber and tomato sandwiches
*sharing secrets with my sisters
*snuggling nieces and nephews
*water straight from the tap guzzled from a mason jar
*laughter, family, love

midwest summer

i am home in michigan visiting my family and loving every minute of it! i finally got to meet my niece sophia for the first time and she is a cherub. just see for yourself...

photo: Tracy Myers

tomorrow i head off to skydive chicago for the annual summerfest boogie. i am so excited to have so many of my friends assembled at one of my favorite places in the world. i will stay at sdc for about a week before heading back to michigan for a few more days... and then home to california.

i'm soaking it all in while i can, as there really is nothing quite like the midwest in the summertime...

stenciling

inspired by my lotta prints book, i have ventured into the realm of stencil making... so much fun! as i was packing for my upcoming trip to the midwest (i leave tomorrow), i decided my over-the-shoulder tote needed some personalizing. i'm quite pleased with how it turned out, especially considering that this was my first attempt at cutting and printing with my own stencils.

lover, you should've come over

listening to and loving this song... something about this song just tears at my heart.

baggu

baggu has just come out with some new colors and design options and i'm considering investing in a few more... i think their reusable shopping bags are just great. and i always feel so good walking out of the store with my own bags.
and imagine how many plastic bags would be saved if people invested in a few of these totes and had the foresight to do a little planning and bring them along when shopping... we're talking a huge impact on oil consumption.

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese

i just came across this quote on Apartment Therapy and it struck a chord with me. i think this is why travel is so important... by removing one from their comfortable surroundings and stripping away the familiar and routine, it allows for profound realizations and growth.

a thousand bees by sara lov

thanks to black eiffel for always posting such great music, particularly this little number by sarah lov.

dreaming of a michigan summer

1. Start the day At Bezra's, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. so lang wie es geht..., 5. Untitled,
6. yourhouse, 7. More line pictures..., 8. two for the price of one, 9. Summer, please return

just got home from our vacation (we went to japan!) and i'm already thinking of my next trip...

team eos

photo by Wendy David

i'm back from the tunnel competition! this is a photo of my team, team eos, playing in the gigantic paraclete wind tunnel over the weekend. we didn't win (and didn't expect to), but we did great and better than we expected. plus, we learned lots... and had SO much fun! yay for our all girl team!

and we haven't been able to leave for our vacation yet, but hope to in the next day or so. due to summer break, availabilites on the air force planes are limited, so we have to have some patience... but soon enough i hope to be in a faraway land soaking up lots of wonderful sights and sounds!

on the go

i'm leaving this evening for the indoor skydiving championships at the paraclete xp wind tunnel in north carolina.... AND THEN when i get back tuesday evening, t and i are leaving for a 3 week traveling adventure that will hopefully include one or more of the following: hawaii, australia, or japan!! we don't know yet because we'll be hopping a ride on an air force cargo plane and we'll take what we can get. it will be an adventure for sure!! i'll let you know how it goes!

flying high

ok, so i've been busy. i've been busy flying in the wind tunnel about 1.5 hrs from here in union city. me and my all-girl team have been training for an upcoming competition in north carolina this next weekend... yikes!
but i love it and i love these girls and i love what this time in the wind tunnel (which simulates skydiving) has done for my skydiving skills. i'm not sure where we're going from here, but we're sure loving the journey and flying together every chance we get...

frank lloyd wright

i recently watched a documentary on frank lloyd wright, which i found incredibly fascinating. what a character he was! seemingly, his extravagant, larger than life nature had much to do with his genius. after watching this film, i felt very inspired and spent the rest of the afternoon working on my art (which i will post on soon).

new regina

Laughing With


a new video from regina spektor... and looking forward to more new songs soon!

via black eiffel

a visit from dad

my dad has been here this past week and time has just flown by... tomorrow i'll be taking him to the airport. he has approached his californian adventure with such eagerness and curiosity that it has been a bit like seeing my life here through the eyes of a child. what a gift it has been to share this experience together...

wedding in yosemite

we are headed to yosemite this weekend to attend the wedding of my skydiving friend and teammate melissa andrzejewski and her equally adventurous fiance rex pemberton. these two are such a fun and inspiring couple and definitely well suited for each other. i'm so excited to share in this momentous event with these two very special individuals!!

i'm finding that attending weddings once you're married is a great reminder of your own wedding day and all of the excitement and feelings that come along with it. and you look at each other knowingly and think "remember when"... and breathe a deep sigh of contentment to know that you've been so blessed since that big and busy day. and then you look at the newlyweds and wish them all the same happiness and joy...
and with our 2 year anniversary quickly approaching, i know that i'll definitely be doing some extra reflecting on how lucky i am to be blessed with such a loving husband and a truly great life.

the duhks

when we were in san diego back in february we had the pleasure of seeing this great band in concert (original post here). and now i just discovered that a song from the concert has been posted and i thought i'd share part of the performance that we experienced... they were so good!

san francisco's outside lands

we just got tickets to the outside lands music festival (a gift from t's parents... thank you!) and can't wait to experience great live music with good friends. it's sure to be an adventure filled with interesting sights, sounds, and smells this summer in golden gate park!

the crafter's studio

i just had my first class at the crafter's studio in santa cruz and i am so excited and inspired!! last night was the first part of a 2 part folk art quilting class and it was challenging, but in a great and refreshing way. it pushed my comfort zone with working with fabric and really got my creative juices flowing.
in the class with me and my good friend sarah were four other ladies of varying backgrounds and skill levels, as well as a super friendly and helpful teacher. the whole environment was very comfortable and conducive to learning and creating. i can't wait until my next class!

neko case

love her.
and i'd love to see her in concert...

scandinavian design

time and again i find myself seeking out scandinavian blogs. i love the simplicity, the design, the functionality, and the white and brightness of it all. perhaps it's the little part of me that is norwegian that craves this aesthetic... or maybe it's because it's just so pretty.
here's a few of my favorites:

• smosch

• chez larsson

• emmas designblogg

• purple area

• nestled in

enjoy! and have a lovely weekend. we're off to lodi again this weekend to do a little sky jumping.

welcome baby sophia

this photo is of my niece guinevere holding my newest niece sophia... i love my girls!
this past thursday, april 2nd my younger sister karyn had her first baby! sophia faye is 7 lbs and 19 inches long and cute as a button.
congratulations, sissy!

song to the siren

one of my favorite songs of all time. so simple and haunting.

new art

i recently finished an ocean inspired painting for our living room, which has great views of monterey bay (you can faintly see blue out the window in the mirror).
i'm pleased with how it turned out and how it fits into the room. and i'm also surprised because a work on this scale, done in paint, and on display in my home is something very new for me....

this little gnome is home

1. Untitled, 2. gnome_deer, 3. The Ghetto Snail-Riding Garden Gnome, 4. gnome alone, 5. Cedric is in search for a new home (Project 365 - Day 23 & Plastic 52 - Week 27), 6. eloise vs. the gnomes


...at least for a little while. we have been traveling so much lately that i really do feel like the gnome from the movie Amelie.
and so, a homage to this wee jolly traveler.

a visit from mom

last week my mom came to visit and i was able to not only play tour guide, but also the role of tourist as well. unfortunately, the weather was rainy and chilly for a couple days, but we broke out the rain gear and made the best of it. fortunately, there are so many things to see and do here that we didn't have a shortage of places to explore. here's a list of some of our adventures:

• touring the beautiful and historic carmel mission

• wine tasting in carmel valley at the chateau julien winery, which was really a great time... such beautiful facilities.

• enjoying carmel-by-the-sea's quaint village atmosphere by admiring the many fairytale-like cottages.

• exploring pacific grove's charming main street and shops, as well as its many distinctive victorian homes and having lunch at this cafe.

• a drive along highway 1 through big sur... so stunning.

• visiting the monterey aquarium on my birthday, which was the perfect way for a pisces to spend the day!

a great week indeed and i'm looking forward to sharing this beautiful area with many more visitors.

san diego

Two weekends ago we headed down to beautiful san diego to see my nephew jonathon graduate from boot camp. i hardly recognized him, as he had put on 30 lbs of muscle and had a new air of pride and strength about him.

after the ceremony early friday, we had the rest of the weekend to experience sunny san diego. we stayed at the bay club hotel on shelter island, which was the perfect locale from which to explore the area. with perfect weather and gorgeous ocean views, our time in san diego was a quick stay in paradise.

unexpectedly, the weekend ended up being largely about enjoying live music. next to our hotel, humphrey's on the bay was having a preview and fundraiser for the upcoming indiefest event and we were able to catch some excellent acts, including my favorite of the evening bitter sober.

on saturday evening, we ventured away from the tourist part of town to catch a concert at acoustic music san diego, which holds its shows in a beautiful church in the heart of the city. in this intimate and unique setting, i enjoyed a moving performance by the duhks. it was truly a great way to usher in my birthday week and welcome my 28th year. as i start to get older, i am less interested in going out to bars and mixing in that scene, but would rather enjoy great live music.

more wallpaper

why wallpaper? on its own it can function as art and add depth, dimension, and character to a space.

this is wallpaper done well.
ok... enough about wallpaper!

current obsession: wallpaper

1. Untitled, 2. IMG_3658RETRö, 3. Maison de ma grand mère 01, 4. dining room detail, 5. A Real Coffee Table book, 6. Untitled

wallpaper is back in a big way. i only wish that i could cover a wall with a beautiful pattern, but alas we are renting our beachside abode. i especially like the idea of wallpapering an entryway, powder room, or one wall in a room for impact.

angus & julia stone: mango tree

i'm relating to the imagery and sound of this song right now.

san francisco: conservatory of flowers

while in golden gate park, we took in more garden delights at the conservatory of flowers. all of the foliage and flowers were stunning, but i was particularly drawn to the many beautiful varieties of orchids.
i also enjoyed the miniature model of san francisco whose structures were made of everyday objects such as cassette tapes, old silverware, and other odds and ends. as one stood admiring the petite replicas, a train and a cable car ran throughout the landscape, which added a great deal of character and wonder to the scene.

san francisco: japanese tea garden

this weekend we headed up to san francisco to visit family and do some sightseeing. saturday was overcast, but the air was crisp and comfortable and great for walking around and exploring golden gate park.
golden gate park (like central park) is a lush oasis that provides refuge from the hectic pace and hard lines of the city. as a result, the park is often referred to as the "lungs" of the city. moreover, the japanese tea garden is much like an oasis within an oasis where one can truly feel centered and breathe.

how to be an explorer

i received this book for christmas and have just started to explore with it. inside are little tasks or "explorations" set out for you to experiment with...it's really quite neat. examples include such activities as accidental art, sound map, food as art, miniature ecosystem and non-linear life (which i approached yesterday). perhaps i will share some of my findings on here, or perhaps not, but i'm pleased that it has me journaling again.

candy heart

via petunia face

i love the idea of this pop-up book.

picture window

This is the view from our front deck.
This scene is also visible from our living room, dining room, and kitchen.
I pinch myself every day.

bicycle

1. Lao Shanghai II, 2. Untitled, 3. llibreria - bookstore - Amsterdam - HDR, 4. my magic Christmas bicycle........., 5. { in the distance, the slow rumble of summer thunder }, 6. london cycling, 7. to myself, 8. Summer, 9. bike frenzy.

in honor of my new schwinn.
how i love living on a bike path.

music video of the week

i love music videos. not only do you get to listen to a song, but you also gain insight into the musician's intentions. at their best, music videos function as visual art where music, artistic vision, and brevity all work in harmony.

santa cruz

One sunny Sunday afternoon after my first shopping excursion to Ikea (I'm now officially in love with Ikea), we decided to swing down to Santa Cruz on our way home. A random hula hooping gathering was taking place at the historic lighthouse, which houses the surfing museum, and I couldn't resist joining in the fun.
Just below the lighthouse, a surfing competition was in progress. Many young kids were competing, which made it so much fun to watch. Santa Cruz is an especially good place both to surf and watch the action, as there are nice waves that break below overlooking cliffs.
Santa Cruz is actually just across the bay from Monterey and not too far of a drive, so I'm really excited to do some more exploring in this hipster surf town.

san francisco

After arriving back in California we decided to spend a few days exploring San Francisco. What a great city! A few days earlier we had been making our way through the dense maze of NYC streets and subway system and now we were exploring a very different urban environment with a very different mood. San Francisco struck me as a much more livable, open, and friendly place. If I imagine myself living in a city, this would be the one.

andrew wyeth

christina's world

r.i.p. andrew wyeth

christmas in new york

Wow. I am finally back "home" in California and beginning to get settled into my new life here. And finally I have time to reflect upon and post about these crazy past few weeks.
The last time I posted I was in New York with Trevor's family celebrating Christmas... and what a great Christmas it was. All I can say is that I must have been a very good girl this year.


Whenever we visit New York we try to make at least one trip into the city. A few days after Christmas we decided to take advantage of some mild weather and took the train from Westchester County into Manhattan. Our first stop was the Guggenheim Museum, which is known for its unique curving architecture. It is a beautiful building filled with many beautiful works, but be forewarned that the art tends to be quite modern and may not suit all tastes.

And no trip into the city during the holiday season would be complete without visiting at least a few festively adorned store windows. My favorites were the windows at Bergdorf & Goodman (shown below), which tend to be artistic and extremely detailed.
And the very next day after our trip into the city, we boarded a plane and again flew from one side of the country to the other...

As we chased the sun westward and passed over the vast land that is our nation, I pondered what it must be like to live in the various regions below. Each little cluster of lights glinting up at me, however small or large, isolated or connected, was home to somebody. And once again I considered why people live where they do... as I did when we drove across the country a few weeks prior. Seeing where and how others live helps to put your own journey into perspective. And it helps you to realize that home is relative and transferable.