Just Because: City of twinkle twinkle

We may need to leave the city to see the actual twinkle twinkles, but this video is a breathtaking look at all that glitters in Los Angeles. Stunning.


LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Just Because: First time in a barn

Ruby is still talking about this! When we were in Minnesota a few weeks ago, she got the thrill of going inside her first barn. She was impressed. She even got to see three sleeping bats. 

Family Outing: Afternoon at the beach

You know...living in California and all, you might assume beach days would be a regular occurrence. Hardly! To plan a whole day of it often seems like a production. We are more of the last-minute (semi-accidental) beach-goers. This was a Sunday afternoon in which we happened to be on the West side and were headed home when we had the sudden urge to stop at the beach. And by "sudden urge," I mean we literally made a split-second decision and pulled into a parking lot off the PCH and headed out to the sand. Ocean and beach=always lovely. 

We keep our kite in our trunk, exactly because of days like this! Daddy has gotten so good at flying the kite that he doesn't even need to hold it with his hands anymore!

 Ruby LOVES to throw rocks into water.

 Ruby's first self-portrait! Little bugger grabbed my camera.

Wake up, Daddy! Time to go! Note the kite is still flying from his belt loop during his nap!

Deliciousness: Nothing says summer like strawberry shortcake...

And nobody does strawberry shortcake like Bocalli's in Ojai, California. They grow their own strawberries, so the dessert is seasonal.

Family Outing: Oh, Ojai...How do I love thee?

We are lucky to have this amazing mountain retreat (my in-laws' place) only 1.5 hours away. We don't take advantage of it often enough. But we're working on it...

She had a swimsuit on originally...then there was an incident.

We took my parents when they were in town. My dad loves to fly kites.

Ruby looking fly with her samurai hair and movie star sunglasses.

Taking a nap with Daddy next to the river.

 Goofy face.

Peaceful.

Family Outing: Buckingham Fountain (my favorite place in Chicago)

I was so glad that Ruby seemed to love Buckingham Fountain as much as I do!

Family Outing: The Chicago Bean (a.k.a. Cloudgate)

Had to go to a conference in Chicago for work. My brother lives there and my parents came with, too, so she had lots of family time while I was working. Jude and I lived in Chicago for a year after college, but Millenium Park and the "Bean" didn't exist yet back then.

Wedding Inspiration: Celebration of Love, Life, and Land

Went to the wedding of some dear friends in Upstate New York this weekend. It was one of those special days where the sky opens up and makes you contemplate all that is lovely and wonderous in this life. Katie and Alex are special people alone, but even more so together. Their wedding was a celebration of their love, the life they share, the joining of their families, and their passion and appreciation for natural beauty. I went with another girlfriend (road trip from NYC!) and we basically cried all afternoon/night. It was an emotionally draining weekend!
The wedding was on Alex's family's land.

This was the view from my seat during the ceremony. Not too shabby.

Gorgeous cakes made by a family member.

Alex's talented brother is a wood sculptor and made this installation piece for the wedding. Gorgeous.

Laughter is so important!

Fun Stuff: Creepy Crawlies (Jumpies)

Nothing says Midwest summer days quite like dozens of mini-frogs collected from the yard by a group of rough-and-tumble cousins and plopped into a toddler water table. 

Sweet little Anya.

Pretty Hannah.

Note that Ruby has a piece of plastic that CAME OUT OF THAT FROG-WATER in her mouth! I took it away numerous times and even tried to hide it, but it always ended up back in that water and/or back in her mouth. Oh well. We love germs.

Party Inspiration: Stella's Dora party = tutu cute!

Ruby is lucky enough to have a cousin exactly her same age (I went into labor with Ruby the day Stella was born. Granted, I didn't give birth until two days later, but that's another story)! We went to Wisconsin to be there for Stella's big day. She had a Dora-themed party that was so much fun!

Sweet sweet Stella was a doll in her fluffy Dora outfit.