love

I love this so much, I spent a lot of time here as a kid, and my dad has climbed every mountain in this valley.

lerrrrrrrve it

Source: katespade.com via Emma on Pinterest

Trip Home

So we went home to Monterey this past weekend, we just needed to get out of town. I love Sacramento, but periodically I just need to see the ocean. The weather was pretty dismal so we didn't spend much time at the beach, but being a veteran Central-Coaster, this didn't surprise or bother me very much. It did, however, bother Merrill who loves the beach and was literally trying to jump out the window as we were driving by. 

 As you can see in the picture above, I am literally dragging her back in by the tail, as I am photographing the debacle. She jumped up to the front and into Josh's lamp and then started trying to hang out the window, which led to her attempting to jump. It was kind of scary, but everyone was laughing so hard we could barely drag her back in. 

Anyway, even though it rained a lot, the trip was worth it because we got to spend a lot of time with family and friends, and I finally got to meet my dear friend Sarah's little baby girl, Evelyn Rose!

I was so happy to finally meet this little one. Sarah is one of my best friends and one that I've known longer than almost anybody, since we were eleven, so it was like a disturbance in the universe that I hadn't met Evelyn yet. It was all a matter of bad timing. We came to visit from GA last September, and then she gave birth a few weeks later. We moved back to CA at Christmas, but we were only in her neck of the woods on Christmas Day, and obviously tied up with family. We came down to Monterey one other time to watch the SuperBowl, but she and Ev were up in San Jose that day. See! Such bad timing. This time, however, we made it top priority to see that baby! And it was wonderful. I love her just as much as I knew I would. She's everything a baby girl ought to be, and I feel so connected to her, even though I haven't seen her till now. There's just something about the baby of someone you've known that long. It's special. And it's so nice to have a friend who's already going through the nitty-gritty of childbirth and motherhood, because she can both warn me about pitfalls and calm my fears about, well, everything that has to do with becoming a mom. Seriously, if you don't have a friend who's known you for fifteen years, you oughtta get one, it's a lifesaver. 

The last time I met Ev

Us at Sarah's impromptu bachelorette...

Us the morning of my wedding...

I love this picture because we're all still friends (circa 2002)...

Old friends are God's gift to our ego. They remember us when we were young and skinny, but they also remember us when we were boy crazy and wore high-water jeans. It's a balancing act, and having a friend like Sarah, who's known me at my best and at my worst, helps me keep it real, for lack of a better phrase. Old friends are the touchstones who bring us back to earth. It's worth the effort to stay in touch, it really is...

That awkward moment when you realize your dog is actually in love with your husband and the strange behavior exhibited by said dog toward yourself is nothing less than actual, irrational jealousy...

Nice socks, buddy...

I started knitting these months ago, first cast on in December, right before we moved home to CA. I knitted them in the car on the drive home, on the couch while watching movies once we got here, and all the while, husband thought they were for my dad. You see, it's very hard to knit something as a gift for someone you live with, and so...I lie. He never caught on, even after I fit them on his feet, time after time, my sweet husband did not suspect. He accepted my reasoning: both he and my father have very large feet so they must wear similarly sized socks...not a clue, so sweet that husband...he did, however, constantly comment on how great they felt, how comfy and soft the hand-knit was, how much he wanted a pair juuuuust like them (hint, hint...husband is not subtle), thus he was both surprised and thrilled when I presented them to him on Valentines Day this year, albeit unfinished. These were my very first knit socks, and I did it the hardest way (of course), toe-up and two at a time, so it took me a while to figure out the best way to cast off so it would be stretchy enough in the cuff. I finally dreamed up the best possible solution tonight, and husband finally took possession of his dream socks. Such a great feeling to see the feet I love wrapped up in something I made with my own two hands!