We enjoyed our Thanksgiving up in Sonoma with extended family, my parents were king and queen of the kitchen and cooked up a killer meal. I took portraits of my cousins and their beautiful labrador. On Friday we drove down to Santa Cruz for two nights, where it was hot, in the high seventies. There were so many pelicans, more than I have ever seen in one place. We watched them at Natural Bridges, skein after skein flying in and landing, resting and preening. My parents took us to the Arboretum, which is up attached to the UCSC campus. There were so many exotic varieties of plants, many originating from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tons of protea. We took a leisurely walk through the gardens, pausing for photos and games of frisbee. In all a very relaxing escape, it was great spending entire days with family. What were your favorite moments from the holiday?
Family photos
Russian Easter
in Lifestyle
Life has been really busy around here with my parents visiting and the launch of my new site. I finally managed to post photos from our Russian Easter celebration. Enjoy!
I think I'm becoming more sentimental with age. We haven't celebrated Russian Easter in about ten years, since my great grandmother Zoya was alive. My memories of it are mostly of the recipes and I realized how important it is to keep those recipes alive. I was so engrossed in the party that I didn't get to take as many photos as I would have liked. But it was a lot of fun. We shared Russian recipes with our mostly non-Russian friends, played a lot of croquet and enjoyed Lee's garden. Susie brought buckets full of roses and though it wasn't as warm as the day before, the weather cooperated and we were able to spend most of the day outdoors. Thank you to all who made it happen, it was so nice seeing friends we don't get to see often enough. Hopefully it won't be another ten years before the next celebration.
Our Wedding Reception (Part One)
Santa Cruz in July
My parents came to California earlier this month and we rented a house in Santa Cruz for the 4th. It was so restorative having stress-free time with family, where we didn't have a birthday, a bridal shower, or a wedding to plan, we just got to hang out and enjoy the summer. We barbecued every day and ate out doors, took long walks, played frisbee, got to read and sew and play music and spent time at the beach. The house was massive, and perfectly accommodated our family. In addition to Jeffery and me, my parents, and Marina, my brother, his girlfriend, and her dog joined us, and my best friends Devin and Raeann stayed a couple of nights as well. We got hooked on Settlers of Catan, drank piña coladas, sautéed baby squash blossoms fresh from the garden, and ate up all the oysters we bought in Marshall. And I had a terrific eyebrow day and had to take a picture. I am really lucky to have such a great family, and I love how we spend our leisure time. Here's looking forward to many more family gatherings ahead.
When We Got Married
I received some photos of the ceremony from the talented Mr. Deuel. I am doing my best to hold onto memories from every single moment of that day, but six months later I'm already finding that it's easier with the help of photos. Everything and everyone was so beautiful. The love was palpable, evidence of it in the work that made it happen and the celebration that followed. That so many people came from far away to be there. That we were all together in such a beautiful place on a perfect day. We felt so lucky. How did we get so lucky? That these could be our people, that this could be our day? Thank you again to those of you shared it with us. And thank you Travis for capturing it so beautifully. Such a gift.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
This picture was taken of my mom on her (4th?) birthday in San Francisco in the sixties. She is sneaking her brother Toliver a lick of frosting. I love the fabric of her and Marina's dresses and the flower crown in her hair. When Marina asked Mariah what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she responded, "I want a lady." So Marina attempted to make a lady cake, and it collapsed, making it a memorable birthday.
Happy birthday, mom! I wish I could be with you to celebrate.
Happy Father's Day!
Photos by Travis Deuel
Happy Father's Day to my wonderful father. This past year has been a pivotal one for me, and I am so thankful for your encouragement and support. I am grateful for the life you and mom created for me, and I am in awe of the new one you guys are living on the Big Island. You are proof that it just keeps getting better.
I got some photos of our ceremony from Travis, which I'm excited to share later this week. Jeffery and I had a great time at our friend's wedding this weekend. It was so beautiful that I ran out of space on my memory card before the first dance. Time to buy a second memory card. Photos of that coming soon as well!
P.S. Last year's Father's Day post...
To My Darling Husband
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays. You make me happy every day.
You make me want to do nice things for you.
Like have dinner ready when you get home late. Yesterday I got off work at 6 (which is really early for me) and was able to go work out before going grocery shopping. I decided on seafood because we've already had chicken, beef, tofu and sausage this week. And I bought you beer because you deserve it after working all day (for free) and taking your last final exam. I also bought Ben and Jerry's Frozen Greek Yogurt Raspberry Fudge Chunk because it was being advertised in the muni station and it got me.
I made salmon with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and yellow squash topped with hollandaise. It was delicious.
Today we're going to BBQ in Golden Gate Park, just like we used to.
Choosing a Life
My mother was one of five kids and always had to make do with not enough. Not enough food, space, privacy, attention. Not enough of her father’s support or fidelity. So she married a man who loved her above all else and had two children so each of them would get a larger portion. A larger portion of love and affection and time and kisses and cake and presents and a larger portion of herself.
My father grew up one of three, the middle child. He didn’t want there to be a middle child so they had two. His mother didn’t cook, so he married a woman so beautiful and talented that all he had to do was look at her and eat her cooking and he would be endlessly happy. (He helped her in the kitchen too.)
They were active. Took their little ones to Yosemite before the youngest one could walk. Hiked Half Dome in the summer and cross-country skied in the winter. They met playing soccer. And raised their family playing soccer, giving them a community to be a part of and a lifestyle to embrace and something to believe in.
They took trips to the ocean, to the desert, to the tropics, to Disneyland, camped, stayed in hotels, entertained themselves in nature. They bought bikes and swimsuits and books and art supplies. Read Dr. Seuss and Dr. Dolittle. Bought them instruments. Took them to Paris, Alaska, Hawaii. Provided them with opportunity. Wanted them to be happy and encouraged them to follow their dreams. They followed their own dreams too.
The older I get the more I realize that we chose the life that we want for ourselves and we create a life for our children. I admire how my parents made those choices and I hope that Jeffery and I are able to make choices that our children will one day appreciate.
Birthday Photo Stream
For my mom's birthday party I selected photos from her first fifty years and strung them up on the lanai with miniature binder clips. We used gold wire with the number 50, but twine would look good too.
My mom helped contribute to Title IX. My grandmother took her to court so she could play on an all boys baseball team in Marin. She was the clean up batter and would knock the ball out of the park.
Here we are at my first birthday. She baked and decorated cakes for every occasion.
The last time my mom's family got together in Hawaii was for my Auntie Io's wedding on Maui. She was a bridesmaid, I was the flower girl, and my brother was the ring bearer. See me sneaking up on her on the left? On the right we are at the top of Haleakala crater.
When I was a baby, my mom founded and coached the High School girl's soccer team in the town I grew up in. By the time I was in high school, she had retired from coaching, but she still came to every game. Here she is coaching with me in her arms.
The photos were a hit and they created nice decoration. Jeffery and I are hoping to recreate this project for the wedding. The collection of photos continues!