work in progress: photography

Loom kit. Quilt. Wave Board. Ukulele. Back flips. Whistling by putting two fingers in my mouth. Wrapping Christmas presents. Photography. That's my running list of things that I've been trying to master since I was a little kid. I think the loom kit was the biggest failure to date. 

I'm currently attempting to learn more about photography since I bought a bright and shiny new camera two years ago and up until last week I had it stuffed in the closet. The camera looks so easy to use and then I'm like a cave man over here rediscovering fire when I figured out that you can turn off and on the flash. Real life. 

So far I've learned that lighting is a crucial thing and that Caleb is a horrible test subject. He intentionally poses like he's in pain for every photo so I can't save any of them. 

^ Foothill Park in Palo Alto is the best scenic drive. It's the only park I've been to where they card to see if you live here (snob to the max) but it's worth it. 

^ Officially my favorite street in P.A. Every house is a classic and has been flipped by some really talented people. Red doors! White picket fences! Boxwood hedges people!

dating

I look back on Caleb and I meeting, dating, and eventually getting married. I remember avoiding all lounge wear and pajamas for months and months because Caleb would always pop by my apartment without warning and I didn't want to look undone. I remember curling my hair exactly the same way for our first like 7 dates because he casually mentioned that my hair looked nice weeks before. I also remember our first date after we got married and how grown up I felt going to dinner with my husband. Weird! Weird! Weird!

For a while, we kind of got into a date slump and we've been making a better effort to keep that same kind of special anticipation for date night. It's something that we look forward to, plan throughout the week, and try really really hard not to break for our social calendars. Our best recipe for a date is: simple + new + relaxing.

This week we tried a new indian restaurant that turned out to be amazing! You always have this trepidation about restaurants that look semi-empty when you walk in and seem a little too excited to seat you. Soooo good!

We also decided to explore Stanford during sunset and play a little frisbee in some random courtyard. Right outside the main quad is a cast of my favorite sculpture, The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin.

^ To the girl in green: nailed it.

^when you think that your self-timer already went off and you did a High School Musical jumping shot for nothing

farmer's market // father's day

 First and foremost, a very happy Father's Day to my Dad and and Caleb! Growing up, I always said that I wanted to marry someone just like my Dad and when I met Caleb it was almost scary how much they had in common. I love that! I'm so thankful for not just the love, but the tough love that each of these men have given me. Although we don't have kids yet, I considered Caleb a father the moment we got married. I know that our children are waiting and can't wait to be reunited with Dad.

This weekend we got a chance to stop by the Downtown Palo Alto Farmer's Market. The community really emphasizes organic, fresh, and local produce in most of the grocery stores and the farmers market was like a party for local values. Gilroy, a small farming community that is only about 45 minutes away, has so much fresh produce that the prices are pretty great and you meet some of the growers at the market.

^ We ordered a great crepe from a stand that was made with all organic ingredients. Nutella + English Creme! 

^ I didn't notice that when we sat down we kind of crashed a family embrace...I think we were sitting in the middle of one large family and had no clue why everyone was smiling at us...

carpool

Today I caught a small glimpse into the life of a mom while her kids are away at school. I always wondered what in the world my Mom was doing while I spent what felt like a lifetime in the classroom. I imagined her taking naps, going shopping, hanging out with friends and getting ice cream. How wrong was I?

I picked up Caleb early from work today and it was the exact time when kids were getting out of school. I realized how fast the day went and as productive as I was, I accomplished nothing! It's only going to get worse...

Right now I'm Caleb's official tour guide of Palo Alto since I've been spending the day exploring while he's at work. Totally unfair I know. I've been taking him to my favorite neighborhoods for walks and some of my food finds. 

Shrimp salad from Sancho's Taqueria 

I found a Sprinkles 5 minutes away from our house and I've finally converted Caleb. Their instagram sometimes reveals codewords for free cupcakes

My first baby romper! I saw a tutorial and decided to give it a try. I still have a little bit more to finish but I'm so excited because everything has turned out so clean so far

I love this specialty cotton! It was super easy to sew with and was really forgiving while I was learning to sew the buttons

half moon bay

During our last week before Caleb starts work, we've decided to go absolutely bonkers with crazy exciting things. We spent a whole day at the DMV, swiffered our floor 3,000 times that still stays dirty, and sweated to death through the hottest day of the summer.  CRAZY STUFF. 

Finally, we got to some of the things that we've been dying to do since we've moved to Palo Alto. We got to visit Half Moon Bay, a cute small seaside town with lots of trees and cool cool cool weather (emphasis on the cool). 

Prepare yourself for a picture blast. 

^ The cutest nursery with some of the best flower prices I've seen in a while. We really want to plant a garden and start "livin off the land". I anticipate that our plants will die in less than 3 weeks. It's the intentions that count. 

^ We stopped at Barbara's Seafood. Crazy good fish n'chips!

^ Holy Gums!

^^ Holy Chins!

^ An inn that I couldn't stop taking pictures of as Caleb repeatedly shut down my camera

Seasons Greetings

It's beginning to look a lot like…..my favorite season of the year! Some people are real 4th of July lovers, Easter crazies, or Halloween enthusiasts, but me-I'm a total Christmas nut. Completely. I love celebrating any holiday (cake on arbor day anyone?), but this time of year is really my time to shine. The debate on whether Christmas strikes too early and cuts out Thanksgiving isn't even on my radar-I started playing Michael Buble Christmas last June. I also feel like this season is really about transformation and change. A fresh start with the new year is a best way to top of the holidays.
Speaking of change, Caleb accepted a job with HP in Palo Alto. YAY! I'm so proud of him and we can't wait to graduate this spring and make some real changes.

Funny story: We took this pictures expecting that this huge HP envelope was his offer. We were so wrong! They were actually health plan info packets from his internship last summer. A little anti-climatic, but we were on pins and needles when it came to finding out!

Another amazing change! We have officially chosen an IVF doctor and are moving forward. After time to reflect, counsel with our parents, and a lot of prayer, we feel ready to take the plunge! I'm excited to see what our first tests will reveal and start setting some dates.