Happy Mother's Day!

Photos by

Travis Deuel

.

I am really lucky to not only have an incredible mother, but also an incredible grandmother. Every day I feel sad that my mom lives an ocean away, and it is only going to get more difficult as she gets older and Jeffery and I start thinking more about having a family of our own. But I also know how great it is to have a mom that I wish I saw more of. Having Marina live so close makes it easier on all of us, and my relationship with her has really strengthened in my adulthood.

I am also fortunate to have gained another mother this year! Robin, we love you and we wish we saw more of you too! Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers out there. You are loved!

Happy Birthday, Robin!

Photo by Travis Deuel.

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law! Aren't she and Jeffery cute at our wedding rehearsal? Robin, I am so glad you could be a part of our special day. We are lucky to have you in our lives!

Happy Saturday to everyone else. We had Thai food for lunch, did some produce shopping, and are now playing Scrabble and hanging out with our kitty, who is shedding like crazy from all of the warm weather we've been having. Time to get the brush out. He won't like it one bit. :)

A Birthday Brunch

Yesterday Katie and I went out for brunch to celebrate her birthday a day late. [Happy birthday Katie!] We ate at Tangerine on 16th Street and both ordered their zucchini latkes with poached eggs, smoked salmon, and hollandaise. It was delicious, fast, and really reasonable. She had to work after, but I spent the afternoon walking around the Mission taking photos. It was a perfect day. More to share soon!

Cinco de Mayo in Petaluma

Last weekend I played soccer in Marin, so after the game Katie met me up north and we spent the afternoon with Marina at her home in Petaluma. I wasn't feeling very well, so I didn't take very many photos. These are the few I did manage.

Her orchids are exploding. Marina is painting a series focused around a red chair (pictured above), consisting of still lifes and figures on the chair. She is absolutely inspired. Katie and I modeled for her so she could snap some photos of us in the chair.

We walked past the dilapidated string factory to her local taqueria where she receives kisses from the staff and ate $2 tacos. They were delicious. It was so beautiful to watch them make tortillas by hand, I bought a dozen to take home. We made chile relleno burritos for dinner.

And we spent some time in the garden. It was really nice to get out of the city for a day.

Greek Salad

Yesterday I gave into cravings and had popcorn and an old-fashioned glazed donut for lunch. And jalapeño and pineapple pizza for dinner. Today I needed something fresh and healthy. So I made Greek salad.

Combine and enjoy!

Celebrating One Year

Today marks one year since my first post on The Naked Rose. Since then I have developed a much clearer idea of what I want out of this space. I know the direction I want to go in, and I am excited about the potential it creates. I like having it as a reminder for me to share a piece of my world with my readers. And I like that I get to create something, from start to finish.

Marina brought me a Lady Slipper orchid and wildflowers on Saturday. I love how animalistic the Lady Slipper is, with its curved neck and spotted leaves. Since taking this photo, it has turned completely around to face the light. I'll share a photo when it opens. 

Remember how last week I was feeling rusty on the soccer field? Well this week I scored two goals and we won 2-1! It feels really good to contribute, especially since my team works as hard as they do. I love seeing the same smiling faces every Saturday during the season and I love being part of a group of women who appreciate the game and are good at it. It really is poetry in motion. You should hear Marina get into a game. I get knocked from behind, "RUUUDE! That was sooo RUUUDE!!!" I love her.

Four Things

1. Marina gave us home laid eggs from Marin and we've been making a lot of fresh pasta again,  it's a total crowd pleaser. On Monday my lovely friend Melissa came over for dinner and we made vegetable lasagna with a spinach salad and blackberry pie for dessert, and on Wednesday our friend Tim and his girlfriend Jen came over and we did mushroom fettuccine alfredo, green salad with pink lady apples and walnuts, and strawberry sundaes. Tonight we're taking a break from pasta and making Thai chicken curry, and Devin and Micah are joining us. Three dinner parties in one week and my apartment has never been so clean.

2. Today I turned some leftover fresh pasta into cheesy garlic noodles and had it with a strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette. The secret to the best vinaigrette ever also comes from Marina: Mix a teaspoon of Dijon mustard with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and then whisk in the olive oil drop by drop. It forms a creamy emulsion that doesn't separate.

3. I recently finished reading Without a Map, by Meredith Hall. It takes place in the 1960s and is the heartbreaking story of how she got pregnant at age 16 and was completely shunned by her family and her community. It is so beautifully written and her perspective on life and family and love is inspiring. As soon as I finished it I needed to start another novel, so I picked up Ann Patchett's The Magician's Assistant. So far so good.

4. Is it obvious how much I love my kitty?

Happy Monday

Treasure Island

was

beautiful on Saturday, and we won our game. I felt a little rusty, but hopefully I'll play better next week. Despite sore muscles, Jeffery and I both had the day off today and walked the 4.5 miles round trip to Trader Joe's, stopping for some sushi and tempura in Japan town on the way home.

Dilapidated and Living.

It is so nice taking a long walk with him, slowing down the pace of things, getting a chance to appreciate our surroundings, see some nature, talk about the future. I love that my husband knows the name of every flower and tree. One thing I have realized in the last year is that I really need my home to be surrounded by nature. Part of the reason why I yearn for Hawaii isn't just because it's paradise and I miss my parents and the pets. When I'm there I'm surrounded by nature, the good kind of life, the perfect kind. Here I'm surrounded by people, and all of their imperfections. The city makes me cynical. It's difficult not to be affected by the litter and the filth. The pollution on my windowsill. As beautiful as this city is from a distance, and it is so beautiful, up close and up the streets whose sidewalks aren't washed every day, it's another story.

But my photos show otherwise. I think that's part of why I do this. I need to contain the good.

Around the house

I can't go a day without playing with my camera, and usually the only things in my apartment worth photographing are kitty and cut flowers. He has very little patience for it. They, on the other hand, hold perfectly still.

The second half of our soccer season starts tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to it. Due to rain outs, Easter, and my work schedule, it's been almost a month since I've played, and I miss it. It thundered with lightening last night, but today there's blue sky. It should be beautiful on Treasure Island tomorrow.

I've been reading poetry in the mornings with my breakfast, and it puts me in a really great head space. Currently reading Sharon Olds',

The Dead and the Living

, where she focuses on relationships with family. I have not written any poetry in a long time, not since I completed my dissertation in England. I think that having to write poetry as an assignment kind of took the pleasure out of it and made it more of a chore. I want to be a good writer, but it takes practice and I don't have the discipline to practice every day. Photography, on the other hand, is a pleasure, and I feel like I still have a lot to learn. I also think it's a bit more accessible and easier to relate to than words arranged on a page. But I'm glad I've gotten back into reading poetry. I still appreciate the language. Maybe some time I'll share some of my favorites.

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to.

Birthdays are hard. Everyone just wants you to be happy. But I find that I want to make everyone else happy, and I get anxiety when I can't.

Photo by Melissa Hook

That being said, I had a lovely birthday. Thank you to all who came out to celebrate. I am lucky to be a part of such an incredible community of friends. 23 was a great age. And I think 24 will be great as well. I am looking forward to experiencing every age as it comes and I am just going to try to enjoy as much as possible. And document the good things. I did a lot of great things when I was 23. I started this blog. I planned my wedding, and in doing so had some amazing experiences with the people I love most. I got to go to Hawaii twice; once to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday, and once to marry my favorite person. And then we got to honeymoon on Kauai. I realized that I love taking photos more than just about anything and I want to pursue photography as a career (!). I think in the last year I developed a pretty clear understanding of what I value most and what I want out of life, which feels kind of huge. And I hope this year is the year I can turn my longings into a reality. It feels close. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience, and it will take a lot more. Thank you to those of you who have been supportive. It really is amazing to think what can happen in a year.