Goodbye

memorial day weekend was full of goodbyes, and goodbyes--whether it be because someone is moving across the world or because someone has moved on to the next world--are always hard to take.

our awesome, talented friends auður, marinó and baby ylfa moved away from the city forever (well, i'm secretly hoping they'll be back by year's end, but i won't hold my breath).  they're moving all the way to denmark.  demark is awesome, so they probably won't be coming back.  that's the hard thing about living in sf: no one stays for long.  so on friday zoë, andrew and i said our sad goodbyes as we drank to their success in farofflandia.  we'll miss you guys so much!

monday was another sad goodbye, this time for andrew's step-uncle, jimmy.  i never had the chance to meet jimmy, though i hear he was a very intelligent and talented man with an interesting life story.  i regret not having had the chance to meet him, but felt honored to be part of his memorial on monday.  it's always a difficult thing to put together a celebration of someone's life while also honoring what that person would have wanted, but i think monday's memorial was a beautiful, relaxed tribute to what jimmy would have enjoyed if he himself were still here with us today.

spring always seems to throw a lot of emotional curve balls my way (maybe because that's when baseball season starts?...ok, that was a bad joke), and may has been exceptionally exhausting.  

summer, where are you?

Never Stop Chasing Birds

Wicca Wacka Wu-Wu, the Whippet from Windyglen--or simply "Wicca" to those who loved her most--died on Tuesday.  She was 15 years old.

Wicca, who was born on a wide open range at the Windyglen Kennel in Redding, daughter of two racing champions, spent the majority of her life in Boulder Creek, CA with her family, both two legged Mavers and four.  She was put to rest peacefully by the family vet Dr. McConnell in the loving embrace of most of her family, with Flidais and Fergus standing watch over her.

Wicca spent the majority of her life being a wild, energetic pup.  She loved chasing after our family cats, seagulls on the beach, squirrels on Irwin Way, and wild baby pigs in the forest (she might have accidentally killed the pig).

A former pack puppy, Wicca embraced the role of pack leader with dignity and grace after Puck, Oenghus and Mab moved on.  She was well mannered and wonderful to travel, cuddle in bed, or go on long hikes with. 

Until her dying day, Wicca was dedicated to following my mom's every footstep (my mom called Wicca "my shadow"), tirelessly licking Fergus' ears (his favorite thing) and begrudgingly accepting Flidais' cuddles.

She was everything you could ever want in a dog and more.  And saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, even though it was time.

You're a good girl, Wicca.  Have fun chasing those birds with Yoko, Fagan, Puck, Oenghus, Mab and Neasa.  You'll be alive in our hearts forever.

We love you.

The Instagram Life

these past few weeks have been keeping me pretty busy, but i can't complain.  i saw my parents for the first time since january, celebrated the wedding of two great friends, went to an art show at the old mint building (my friends force me to be cultured) and received multiple doggy kisses.  all in all, pretty awesome.

now it's time to get to studying.  it's the home stretch: just one more week left of classes.  next plan of action is to buy plane tickets to costa rica!

here are some photos from the past couple of weeks.  enjoy!

The Portfolio.

some things are a labor of love.  others are just pointless labor.  after over $300 spent on this portfolio alone, i realize that photography takes a whole lot more time, talent and access to trust funds than i currently possess.

but, it's finished.  my photojournlism portfolio is spellchecked, printed, cut, glued, and whatever else it took for me to get here.  

i'd say this is cause for a celebratory beer, but i already drank all my heineken working on this thing.

Happy Mother's Day!

like most everyone in the world, i have one awesome mom.  

growing up, i rarely realized the sacrifices that moms make in order to raise children: their body, their money, their time, their sanity.  now that i'm older, i'm really in awe of everything my mom did for all four of her kids.

thank you, mom!  you're the best!

happy mother's day to all you wonderful moms out there.  keep doing what you're doing.  no one is better at it than you.

It was a good idea at the time...

 sometimes i get these brilliant ideas in my head, and i act on them before the inspiration dies on me.  looking back, i realize these plans weren't, perhaps, quite fully vetted.  here are some of these brilliant ideas: 

 eating three of these cupcakes at work.

blue steel.

ordering shoes that don't fit off the internet.  again.

eating lunch on the rooftop at noon without sunscreen.

putting our clean laundry on the chair for safe keeping.