Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Friday, May 7, 2010

Crazy month, photo fun :]

April flew by! May is too! 
In April I went up to Tahoe and down to Monterey and Carmel. 
A week or so ago, I passed my in the car driving exam. 
Last week my two betta fishies died :(.
Tonight, Sunday and Wednesday are the graduation ceremonies for my sister from UC Berkeley.
Tomorrow I'm doing the Human Race which is a fundraiser for most of the non-profits in Sonoma County.
Sunday, Mother's Day, I'm preforming in a "band" made up of a bunch of my friends at my work.
Next week is the last week of school before finals!
Next week is the last week of this round of the fitness bootcamp I've been doing.
Two weeks later I start work at a 7:30am-5pm job Monday-Friday.
For. The. Entire. Summer.

11 final papers to write.
3 final tests to take.
1 dance final to choreograph and preform.

A week to get it all done.
Yikes.


On the trip to Tahoe and Monterey I took my camera with me and came back with these results.
I'm quite pleased with how they turned out.
:)














































Monday, December 14, 2009

Our Holiday Card! (Also to be known as things aren't always as easy as they look!)

Happy Holidays bloggy friends!!

(both old and new!)


May I present to you our first holiday picture since...well I don't think we've ever sent out a holiday picture..

Gorgeous right?

I've wanted to do a holiday photo card forever and this year I was determined to get a family photo and make a card.
Back at the end of November, we had to get the family, my camera and my tripod to the park so I could use my self-timer on my camera and then run into the picture.
Easy right? I mean really, look how great this photo came out!

(So I guess I won't tell you about EVERY single one of the other 42 shots that came out something like this...)




I think there may be a reason we havn't taken a family portrait in over nine years...


(To my real life family who's reading out there-you and who happen to appear in these pictures, you all did great. Thank you for letting me get the ONE good shot. It worked. Thank you for also giving me the much appreciated reminder that things aren't always as easy as they look, I wouldn't trade you guys for the world. Love you!)

I also love YOU bloggy friends!

Hope your week is filled with Holly Jolly Holiday spirit!


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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thanksgiving Revisited!

I started off the day with Mod Podge!
I made this for a total of $3! I'm pretty happy with it! Now I just have to pick the perfect picture for it. =]

While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I was busy cutting out virtual snowflakes!
So much fun and no mess!!

My mom was busy in the kitchen all day....

...with a sweet friend always near by and hoping mom'd drop something that mom managed to trip over 7 or 8 times...

Mmmm stuffing!

I even made a pumpkin pie that turned out amazing! (If I do say so myself!)

Sitting down to eat!

Sooo good!
This is the second year that my mom's gone completely allergen free for Thanksgiving for me! That's right! Everything you see (the pie included!) is dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, carrageenan free, and is almost completely fat free!!
Though all the recipients that ate this meal agreed that this version is SOO much better, full of taste, no Thanksgiving hangover and guilt free!
Yum!
Not just that but the table was surrounded by my mom, dad and sister-what could be better than that!?

My mom, sister and I then hit the black friday deals (we were on the road by 5am)! It was amazing how empty the stores were compared to previous years! Well we came away saving hundreds of dollars (I have become a master at coupon clipping and being thrifty!)

We also pulled out all of the holiday "stuff" and started decorating! I'm in charge of the outside of the house (which in the front yard is now almost done and is all lit up!) and part of the inside (which is almost done). The main thing left to do is to get the tree!
I'll post pictures when it's all done-just know that we go all out!!

Have you gotten the "stuff" out yet? Do you decorate for the holidays?

Hope your nice long weekend was wonderful!!
Happy Thanksgiving!


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Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
-- Albert Schweitzer


Today I'm thankful for my sister being home for the weekend, that I'm warm with clothes and shelter, for my family's health, for my mom's wonderful cooking (and that my pumpkin pies I baked this morning set okay!) and for the love I'm surrounded by.


Hope your day is full of family, friends, gratitude and food!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!



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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Wordless Wednesday -#13 Friends, Cats and Tahoe 4th of July Style

This Wordless Wednesday is a bit of an update for the past two weeks.

Two weekends ago I got to go to San Francisco and see one of my amazing friends that I hadn't seen for over a year and a half!
(Celia and I)


Yesterday when I got home from Tahoe I set up my "dog/cat tent" that I've had for a few years. Both cats immediately claimed it.


While I didn't have my nice camera, I did have my handy dandy point and shoot. Here're the pictures from my week in Tahoe..starting with the beautiful fireworks!






(Mom feeding the Stellar Jays peanuts off our back deck in Tahoe)






Thursday, July 2, 2009

Back in Tahoe - 4th of July Weekend

So I'm in Tahoe! I arrived yesterday afternoon. My mom and I had gotten up early and we hit the road by 8 so that we'd get up here in time for a boat ride on the lake with my dad. We'd made perfect time and were around 15 minutes away and suddenly all the cars were stopped on the side of the mountain and people were getting out of their cars and just walking around. I got out and asked the lady in the car in front of us if she had a clue to what was going on and she informed me that her husband was a few cars ahead and had told her there had been an accident. Every so often the line of cars would slowly creep forward and then stop again. An hour later, we'd missed the boat trip but were finally steadily moving along. In that hour, I'd also realized that my camera had gotten left behind at the house so all I had was my tripod and my little point-and-shoot. Shoot.
That also means no fireworks pictures for the Fourth or pictures of the lake.
I'm glad I at least have my little camera!

I'd planned on making a post last night but came to find out that the internet at the house turns on at 8:30 in the morning and suddenly shuts off sometime in the afternoon/evening. Heh. Good to know!

My mom, dad and I, in lieu of the boat trip, went down to one of the creeks where it pools to create a fairly deep hole and went swimming.
It's beautiful, I really do miss waking up to huge beautiful trees right outside my window and feeding the Stellar Jays peanuts off the deck (which my mom has been entertaining herself with all morning!).

We also went to the grocery store, and I saw around 15 people I knew. (Yeah, Tahoe really is a small town!) A few I'd even been really good friends with. There was even one who was talking to me in the store that I'd sat on the bus with for two years! And one who I'd been in dance class with for the last 4 years!
Only one recognized me though. He'd been in my French class in high school.
It feels so strange. Unfortunately, it really reminded me why I left Tahoe.

So today, my dad's at work and my mom and I are going to try and pack up as much of the stuff that's still left in this house as we can.
We want to be packed by the end of tomorrow as we have to load the truck up on Saturday and would love to have a day to just spend playing around and relaxing up here. =] We'll see if we can accomplish the impossible to be able to do that. I sure hope so!

I'm off! Got to get packing!


By the way! I wanted to mention that April Showers is creating an organic site that will talk about all things "going green". I've entered to be one of the 6 main contributers and am hoping to be picked! My fingers are crossed!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Dear Dad, Happy Father's Day

Dear Dad,

I know that though we certainly don't always see eye to eye and that we've become masters at pushing each other's buttons, I appreciate everything you've done for me (and realize I don't tell you that enough). You've always tried your best and in all honesty, that's the best someone could ask for. You've always loved me and are quick to jump if someone or something is threatening your family and the people you care about.

I know that as I've grown up we've drifted apart but I will always have the wonderful memories of hanging on your legs with sis as you walked in the front door at night, of exploring mountains and lakes with you each weekend, of sitting in your lap and folding myself into you and your big grey jacket to escape the cold, of "camping" under the stars, of spending hours in the pool with you during the summers, of playing games, of you helping me with homework (you always amaze me with the expanse of your book smarts) and on stepping on your feet as you taught me to dance in the living room.

I hope with all my heart that when I start living with you again that we can step back, agree to disagree and know that often the reason we have such a difficult time getting along is because we're so similar and see so much of ourselves in each other.

I admire that as awful of a childhood that you had, that you continue to try to have a relationship with your father. It's allowed me to attempt to know the only grandfather I've ever known. I know that someday you'll be an incredible grandfather to my and sis' children.

I'm also incredibly thankful I get to spend father's day with you. I enjoyed going to the farmer's market and to the pancake breakfast watching you bob your head to the music playing. I'm glad I got the chance to spend the entire day with you as you're spending the night and didn't have to leave halfway through the day as you do most Sundays. I loved going to the movies (The Proposal) with you and having you tell me how much you loved watching sis and I laugh throughout the movie.

I love you with all my heart and am glad to call you mine.

Happy Father's Day!

Love,
K.


Saturday, June 13, 2009

Hot Air Balloon and Sidewalk Art Festivals!

My day today started out at 4:00 AM. We headed out in the dark to a nearby park and staked out  seats in the wet grass. This morning was the Sonoma Hot Air Balloon Classic. Starting at 5 the balloons started filling up. Throughout the morning (5-8 AM) 30 balloons, from all over the country, were filled and let off. It was incredible! Then in the afternoon we headed over to San Rafael for the Italian Street Art Festival. We walked around and looked at huge pieces of sidewalk paintings. The artists (from all over the world) had only been working for 5 or 6 hours and some of them had already finished. (The rest are set to finish by late tomorrow afternoon.) One spot was set aside for kids though that had 1 ft x 1 ft squares that kids (some were as young as 2) were allowed to purchase to use.
 We also stopped by to say hi to my cousin who was one of the artists! 
I'm planning on getting up early again tomorrow for the second launch of the balloons!

Throughout the day I took 468 photos!! I've included some of my favorites from both events.

Sonoma Hot Air Balloon Classic

-Dawn Patrol-



-The Giant Purple People Eater and the Energizer Bunny-

-"Sushi" the fish (one of my favorites)-

-The Energizer Bunny is the tallest balloon in the country!-

-The Giant Purple People Eater (another favorite of mine)-



The Italian Street Art Festival

-My cousin and her piece-

-These guys were creating a collage of a man out of hundreds of colored squares-





-This is one of the kids squares that I enjoyed-

-This was my favorite piece, the blending was incredible!-

-Some of the kids squares were really good-