Christmas gifts

My lovely boyfriend got me a fisheye lens for my Nikon for Christmas - so excited! I have my little Japanese film fisheye cam, which is fun, but the quality isn't so great. I had no idea he even knew I wanted this lens - whatta guy :) I've already played around a bit:

a day at SAM

My sisters and I went to the Seattle Art Museum last week to see the Picasso Exhibit in what will probably be its only international tour outside of Paris. It was beautiful, of course. One of the coolest things for me was the collection of black and white photos of Pablo Picasso himself, and the explanations of him and his various lovers. I love and appreciate paintings, drawings, sculptures, etc, but I definitely have the strongest response to photographs. On Picasso - I am far from a tortured artist, but I do find their minds quite captivating. We also lucked out on dinner - we wanted cheap, yummy sushi and we stumbled into Japonessa, right across from SAM during their happy hour (all the rolls were $4!) and the food + atmosphere were to die for. I definitely recommend it, and can't wait to go back.

Turning 20

I had a fabulous two-part birthday celebration - one night out in Seattle with my friends, and the next night spent in my cozy house with loved family and friends. Plus, I got to wear my new dress and shoes! Felt wonderful.

Holidays and the art of eating

I've been keeping track of all the holiday treats my mom, sisters and I have baked so far this break - so many delicious things! The amount of butter we have gone through in the last month is beyond ridiculous. New Years Resolution nombre un: get back to the gym!

My birthday breakfast: buttermilk scones and homemade blackberry jam

triple-berry pie

gingerbread cookies with cream cheese frosting for Christmas dessert

tree-shaped French Toast for Christmas morning!

Scotch Shortbread cookies with cream cheese & dark chocolate frosting for Christmas dessert.

BonBons & peanut butter kisses for my birthday party

Ciopinno for Christmas Eve dinner: made with prawns, shrimp, halibut, scallops, and calamari. Served with salad and sourdough baguettes - youhavenoidea how good!

Quiche and drip for my first breakfast at home.

Tree-shaped biscuits, served with homemade sausage gravy and Kona coffee.

Seriously though, I ate like a queen this holiday season!

every girl needs an LBD

Also, my boyfriend's mom bought me this dress from Urban Outfitters as an early birthday present this weekend - I love it! I'm itching to wear it, maybe for my birthday dinner this week.

Christmas in the city

Had a fabulous time staying in downtown Seattle for the weekend with my boyfriend's family. Christmas is my very favorite time to visit the city! Everything is lit up and shiny, food tastes better, long lines seem shorter, and hot cocoa stays hotter longer. I didn't do a ton of shopping, but one thing I did get is a photography book specific to my Nikon D3000 - I'm on the first chapter and already learned a few new things! I'm really excited to learn more. After I finish reading it, I'm going to take more portraits and landscape shots to practice what I learn. Right now I'm probably only using about 20% of my camera's capabilities, so I have a lot more to grasp.

A few recommendations from our trip:

• DO eat at Wild Ginger (next to the Triple Door), Lola's (order the egg's benedict, to-die-for) and Mexico (on the top of Pacific Place)
• DON'T eat at Etta's in Pike Place, unless you have a few hours to spend on breakfast
• DO see 'The Fighter', with Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. Fantastic.
• DON'T see 'How Do you Know' or 'The Tempest'. Seriously. Don't do it.

Calm After the Storm

Yesterday it was so stormy all night & all morning - rain pouring down, even flooding some houses, trees swaying and crashing, wind howling, and so dark. Then all of the sudden the rain and wind stopped, and the sun popped out! It was so quiet and beautiful, and so instantaneously. I was wearing pajamas and slippers, but I grabbed my camera and did a few "Calm After the Storm" shots from my back deck. I barely edited these, because the lighting and colors were so beautiful all on their own. Enjoy!

why do the fingers

why do the fingers
of the little once beautiful lady
(sitting sewing at an open window this fine morning)
fly instead of dancing
are they possibly afraid that life is running away from them
(i wonder)
or isn't she aware that life (who never grows old)
is always beautiful
and that nobody beautiful ever hurries

can't get enough of EE Cummings. I got his Complete Works for Christmas a couple years ago and it continues to be one of my favorite treasures. I cannot wait to start taking poetry classes in the spring! As of now, my poetry skills are N/A, just waiting to be developed.

rings and things

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:2

Thanks, Ralph

One of my great thrifting finds from this weekend! I found a navy Ralph Lauren button-up sweater for only $12 at Goodwill here in my hometown. I love Ralph Lauren's classic gold buttons. I was too excited about the find, I wore it the next day to church!

(I love this shoulder detail - my little sister said I look like a sailor)

stylied with my favorite lace dress, navy tights, snowflake ankle socks, and brown boots - I love navy and brown together.

I have two other cool finds I need to take pictures of still - maybe after my boyfriend & I make our gingerbread house this afternoon! It is so Christmas time.