kate and geoff

2012 So Far -

2012-01-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

It's been busy. Shocking, I know. And I'm so bored of writing that sentence that I almost can't stand it.

What you've missed in January -

Geoff had a birthday. Couldn't quite top last year, but I surprised him with tickets to War Horse, and we had dinner at Bar Baloud, which was pretty great. And this Chocolate-Mocha-Crazy-Awesome-Did-They-Put-Crack-In This-Thing? cake was pretty amazing too.

We took photos of a BRAND NEW BABY for some friends and he was pretty killer. Somehow I left without actually holding him once, which seems epically wrong, but he was working suuuuuuper hard at his photo shoot and I didn't want to interfere.

I made Tomatillo Salsa on a whim for the first time. I previously had not really been able to understand a Tomatillo (like how I don't understand Twitter, or health care deductibles). But it was super easy and pretty dang good, even if I did smell like garlic for days.

We made plans with friends for a long weekend away in February and I CANNOT WAIT.

I got offered two new casting jobs, which I'm trying to figure out if I can take on.

Geoff is booking weddings like it's going out of style and it's shaping up to be a busy summer. And it's only January. Yipes.

We keep saying that one day soon we'll get to a pause in all the madness and actually be able to take a bit of our lives back. I'm hoping that's true. I've made it through a big push at work and there might be a minor pause in the next couple weeks where we can take stock of things and start to prioritize a bit. It was supposed to start today but Geoff got sidelined by food poisoning last night and is in no position at the moment to Discuss The Future.

I hate politics. All the Republican Primaries and debates have been reminding me just how much. It's not just the Republicans either - I'd hate it just as much if we were sitting through the Democrats do the same thing. And I'm sorry but the political commentators are the worst of the bunch. JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND ANALYZING IT AND LET PEOPLE LISTEN TO THE CANDIDATES FOR THEMSELVES, FIGURE OUT WHO IS LYING LESS AND MAKE THEIR CHOICE AND BE DONE WITH IT! JUST.PLEASE.STOP.TALKING-YOU'RE ONLY MAKING IT WORSE.

Whew. Interesting. Didn't really know all that was in there.

I wonder if I'm kind of over the whole blogging thing. I honestly can't think of anything to say these days and I'm barely taking any photos and there's definitely no time. I guess we'll see, but my apathy seems to be ever-increasing.

And most brutally, for the last 6 weeks I've been following the journey of a college friend who just last night lost his battle with Central Nervous System Lymphoma, leaving behind his wife and 2 year old daughter. I haven't seen or spoken to him since college and have never met his wife and daughter but I've been a bit haunted by it, I must confess. It's sobering. And it puts a lot of things into perspective.

So for now, I'm grateful to be in a cozy apartment with a glass of wine and finally a little spare moment to think through some things about life. I guess I'd like to say I'm ready to Take Charge and Make Changes and Kick Some Ass and Take Some Names. But at the moment, I'm just pondering many things. I've not had too many spare moments to do that in the last few months/years. So it's pondering for now. Maybe the ass-kicking part will come later.

2011

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

This has certainly been a year that was light in the blogging department. As I was glancing back through my posts from this year (and it didn't take me long to do so), every other one started with me marveling at how absent I'd been. Hopefully next year will be different. January may be dicey on that front, but I will do my best.

2011 was a big year for us. We went to London & Paris, we shot a ton of weddings, I quit my job and started working for myself and was surprised to find that my freelance casting work consumed nearly all my time this fall. We went far too long without seeing my family (10 months!) and I vow that will never happen again. My parents rescued a dog from the side of the highway and even before I met him, I knew we wouldn't be able to imagine our family without him. I only wish he could come live at my house. Friends got pregnant, got engaged, moved across the country, adopted kids, bought their first house, started their own business and we've been blessed to feel a part of it all - either directly, or through photo shoots or via love & support over email and phone calls.

2012 is upon us and I hope to actually spend more time doing all the things I wanted to do this fall when we began Phase 1 of the next stage in our lives. Phase 1 was quitting my job. At the moment there seem to be a minimum of 2 other Phases TBA with unknown timelines. The picture above is of my grandparent's house in Georgia, where my dad and his brothers grew up. I love this house. And if it could be relocated to the NYC Metro Area, that would certainly speed up the timeline on at least one of those other Phases. And I really should tell you about the USC string bikini top given to me by my mother at Christmas in hopes of "inspiring" us to inch closer to the Phase that will include grandchildren for her. You were right, Mom. Geoff says Extra Small IS the perfect size for me. :-)

But in the meantime, we're enjoying Phase 1. And soon it will hopefully include more blogging, cooking, photography, time with friends and family and just generally getting my creative mojo back.

Happy New Year to All!

PS - I forgot the most momentus occurrence of all of this month! We got our first actual Christmas Tree. Not a wreath, not a bush, but a full on (ok, half sized) Christmas Tree. I cannot tell you how happy it made me on a daily basis. I am practically a grown up, despite the horrendous iPhone picture.

Old Friends

2011-11-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

On Friday I had the chance to briefly see one of my oldest college friends. Mary and I met very early on freshman year and I remember thinking then how sweet and how pretty she was. And on Friday, (as with every time we get together) it was confirmed that both those things haven't changed a bit. She was in town for a quick trip without her two kids to see her siblings, who live in NYC and we were able to meet for coffee. I'd last seen her almost a year and half ago at the last Barn House reunion. In those pictures she was still pregnant with Issac, her second son, who is now - (obviously) nearly a year and a half. Crazy. Man, there is just something about people who have known you for a long time. And even though our lives are so different and she lives far away, it literally felt like we'd seen each other last week. How does that happen?? It's a mystery I'll never quite understand. Those special people who you can pick right up with like no time has passed. I love it.

Here we are on my roof, pretending to be models.

Mary, it was so great seeing you! I'm so grateful for you! Barn girls, who's jealous??!

Fall from My Window

2011-11-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Benefit #13 of Retirement:

I love the fall.

I particularly love fall when you can watch it from your window while you work.

What Retirement?

2011-10-10T16:17:00.001-07:00

As you may have noticed - I haven't been blogging. Because despite my "retirement", I have been working like a crazy person. I thought I'd have a moment to take it easy, get adjusted, blog, make dinner every night, see friends and just... re-calibrate a bit. But instead, I added a fourth freelance casting job to the three I already had lined up and had to turn down 3 more. So I've been working. All.the.time. How is it that you can leave a job to work for yourself and claim back some of your own life, and be even busier than before? I was on the phone with an agent friend last week who started his own business two years ago about this very conundrum. He said, "If you're anything like me, once you work for yourself, you work all the time and drink a lot more." Not too far off.

But on the other hand, its a good thing. Who knows what it'll be like in 6 months, but for the moment, having to turn work down is better than not having any at all. So I will take it.

But I would like to be here more. And the good news is, you haven't missed much in my life, cause I've just been working. And so has Geoff. Luckily wedding season is starting to slow down a bit and not having a wedding every weekend has made this past month liveable. Now if I could just find time to de-clutter and reorganize my apartment, I know life would be even more liveable. *sigh*. Baby steps.

Bear with me. I'll be back soon (I hope).

Retirement - Day One

2011-09-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today marks the beginning of the rest of my life. In the last 10 days I have had my last day of work at my old job, shot 2 weddings, weathered a hurricane, driven 7 hours round trip to a baby shower in one day, assisted in a baby possum rescue operation, visited with our nieces and nephew, had a few days on Cape Cod for some R&R and purchased a juicer. And today is my first day working from home. With 6 wedding shoots, a trip to Detroit and 3 freelance casting jobs on the books for September, "retirement" (as my mom likes to call it) isn't looking too different from my old life - at least on paper. But it FEELS a lot different so far. And that makes all the difference.

And last night I painted my nails purple in celebration. And despite the fact that they would admittedly look better if I'd had a third grader do them, retirement is officially WAY fun so far.

Oh - interested in that animal rescue story I mentioned? Quite the adventure at Cape Cod this week when my brother arrived for the weekend, went to use the restroom in the small cottage that doesn't always get used and discovered a wet baby possum staring up at him from the toilet. Partial footage of the rescue mission below. Also, there are starting to be an excess of weird animals stories on this blog. I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and re-title this site - "Unexpected Nature!"

24 Hours in Beantown

2011-08-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

I went up to Boston in June for a very spur of the moment visit - to see my brother briefly and to attend my friend Stephen's photography exhibit. It was a whirlwind trip for sure. Alison and I drove up late Friday night - got in after midnight and crashed. Saturday morning was coffee with my brother on his front stoop while we watched all the Bruins fan pass by on their way to the Stanley Cup Parade. Oh, didn't I mention that I happened to be in Boston on that particular day? The Bruin fans were out in FULL force and it made for some great photography and people watching. We walked down to see the parade too.

It.Was.Awesome.

After the parade and a much needed lunch, Clay and I walked through Charlestown for a mini-photo shoot. I wont confess to you how long ago I gave Clay the "present" of some of my photography to frame and hang in his apartment. He requested shots of Boston and I finally made it up here to take some shots.

Bunker Hill

An old bootscraper on someone's front step. Pretty cool.

One of the most historic bars in the country. It's been around since 1780 and George Washington and Paul Revere have had beers here. I dig it.

Part of the Freedom Trail runs through Charlestown

Then it was off to the South End for Stephen's photography and art exhibit. Stephen started a non-profit for medical relief to the Congo and this was a fundraiser, selling photographs he took while he was over there and paintings that were donated by local artists.

Alison put together quite the spread.

Artisinal beer was donated - super fun!

Clay got very into the art discussion.

Alison's Gingerbread Mustache Cookies were the hit of the party

'Twas quite the well-attended event...

The artist himself...

With his handmade pocket square, naturally

My brother and I

All in all, I had a wonderful (if whirlwind) trip to Boston. I was on an 8am bus back to NYC the next morning to teach a class, but I was SO glad I went. Hopefully my new life will allow for many more fun trips like this....

A Change is Gon' Come

2011-07-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

I've never been one who embraces change easily. Call me a control freak. Call me a creature of habit. Both statements have truth in them. Alison and I used to semi-joke about whichever one of us took the biggest risk could wear the Risk Takers Crown (similar to a Burger King crown, naturally). Well, I'm wearing it now. Though I will say that as the years have passed, I've gotten a little better at it. I'm a bit more open. Or just a bit wiser about how inevitable change is in life.

The day after my birthday this year, I had plans to go to the theatre with my boss, as per usual on any random weeknight. We had time to grab dinner beforehand, so we sat down, ordered, and then he looked at me and said, "Kate? What are you doing with your life?" I don't know when I have been more grateful that someone asked me a really hard question.

You see, I've been toying with leaving my job for about a year now. I've just been too scared to do it. As much as much as I love what I do, I've had to put other things that I want in life on hold to do it. And I know I can't put those things on hold forever. I don't want to. I'd dreamed of working on Broadway since I was a kid and that hasn't changed. But it's not all I've ever wanted. I want to be able to see my family more than twice a year. I'd like to see and spend time with my husband besides when we're falling asleep or shooting a wedding. I want to be available to be the kind of friend I'd like to be, instead of one who is never available to come to anything important in your life because she's always working. I want time to write, to take photographs, to take a vacation. And someday, I want time to be a mom. I know I couldn't keep this particular job and have a child. I don't make enough to cover the cost of childcare if I were to keep working and even if I did, I don't think I'd want to keep working these kind of hours anyway at that point.

So, change was imminent. But I was scared. Because it was looking like the way to get to all the other things I want in life (at least for the short term) was to switch to working for myself and working with Geoff. I've always been a fan of a steady paycheck, and in my head that has always meant a 9 to 5 job. I've pretty much colored inside the lines my whole life and the idea of this initially felt like someone was scribbling ALL OVER THE PAGE. What if I regret leaving? What if I am never as happy as I was when I worked on Broadway every day? What if we can't afford it? What if I can never get a job casting again? What if no one understands why I'd leave a "dream" job? Or what if everyone thinks I'm an idiot for leaving a job with health insurance (or any job for that matter) in a less than stable economy? What if, what if, what if??? There were about 1000 what-ifs. And then Geoff said to me one day, "You spend so much time thinking about what you will lose and absolutely no time thinking about what you will gain." That was a great perspective. And so stinkin' true. And something I still remind myself of on the days that I freak out about the future. Geoff was also smart enough to point out that all we are really changing is that we will be in control of our schedule and it is wide open to do with what we want.

So a month from today I will leave my full time job. Instead, I will work nearly full time with Geoff in his business and still work in casting on a freelance basis - as much or as little as I want and/or as we need. I know there are people who will still hire me to do that, even if I'm not doing it under the umbrella of a theatre company. We will shoot more weddings and now have the staff to shoot more corporate work too. I may start taking on more paid photography gigs, just to see if I like it. If nothing else, I'd be interested to see what it's like to edit photos in a more normal way, instead of between 11pm-1am on a weeknight after I get home from the theatre. So it's a huge change. And its risky. But we do hope to have a family in the not too distant future and if things are going to be tight financially, I'd rather struggle through that when there is still just the two of us to worry about. We may have to cut back on things, and I'm sure there will be ups and downs and adjustments to make, but ultimately...? I'm finding that I'm actually super excited about it. Even more than I thought I'd be. I'm ready for my new life. And I no longer feel like I'm leaving my old one behind. Things are just...shifting. They will be more on my terms. And I feel like a weight has been lifted. The people who've been told this news so far say that they can tell a noticeable difference in me already. Not that a lady should tell her age, but those of you that read this already know that I will be 35 in less than a year. And this month marks the 10 year anniversary of when I moved to NYC. It goes FAST, ya'll. It flies, in fact. And I don't want to feel like life is passing me by anymore. So even though it took me a year to work up the courage and an unexpected (but much needed) kick in the pants from my boss to get me there, I'm finally ready for this change. Now, as soon as I post this and it's out in the world for everyone to see, I'm sure I'll have a mild panic attack and spend a small(ish) amount of time curled up in the fetal position on my bed this evening. I've taken so long to write about this for that very reason. But for the most part, I'm surprised to find that all I can see these days is the "what I will gain" part. And I kind of feel like life is just beginning. *Deep Breath* Leap of faith, here we come.

Just Say Yes

2011-07-02T16:46:00.001-07:00

To frozen mint lemonade
To bike rides through Brooklyn
To impromptu lunches with friends
To iced coffee and bagels for breakfast on a park bench while you dream about the future
To scoring big at the Ann Taylor Loft 40% off sale
To 80 degree weather without the humidity
To afternoon naps
To quality time
To sun on your face
To enjoying all this before the 4 day weekend is even half over.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Sunnyside, United States

Something Prettier

2011-06-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

Just so you dont have to be subjected to the graphic nature of those hawk pictures. Butterflies are prettier.

Also, I just saw my friend Becca last night who stopped in NYC on her way back to Austin from a week in Ireland. We went out to dinner with Alison and Sarah for a 6 course tasting menu I had a voucher for at Elsewhere and didn't get home until nearly 1am. On a Wednesday. We laughed, we cried, we hiccuped and we made great friends with the waiter when he brought us complimentary salted chocolate goat cheese truffles. Girls nights are the best.

Happy Thursday.

Nature: NYC Style

2011-06-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Let it not be said that us New Yorkers don't get exposed enough to nature. True, we do have to travel to Central Park in order to see more than 300 square feet of grass all in one place. And in an average day, the only flowers you see are the ones for sale at a bodega. If you're lucky, you walk down a street that has trees planted in intervals along the sidewalk, which is lovely, except for the way the roots of those trees push against the concrete and create mountains and valleys in the sidewalk that you can twist an ankle on in far less than a New York minute. Dogs and cats are about as wild as it gets animal-wise. (And yes, I have seen a cat on a leash). No deer passing through to eat your garden. Mostly because your garden is on your fire escape 6 flights up. Well, I suppose there are pigeons of course. And they are wild in their way. Particularly if you've watched them nearly fly directly into you as they attempt to make a dramatic exit from eating the last of that bagel that someone dropped while crossing the street. And yes, let us not forget The Great Squirrel Episode of '08. But beyond that, this is a man-made urban jungle, not a natural one. Concrete, smoke stacks, sky scrapers, cars, bridges, iron, steel and brick.

So imagine Geoff's surprise, when he gets up from his desk this afternoon and walks past this guy, hanging out on top of our living room air conditioning unit.

Yes. That is a hawk. And yes, he is ginormous. To give you perspective, that is a pigeon he's having for lunch. Can you believe how HUGE he is? I mean, he's nearly 2 feet long from beak to tail feathers at this angle below. I can't get over it. I'm sorry to the queasy, please forgive the carnage. But that sure is nature, isn't it? See, we get plenty of nature. Plenty. As Geoff said, this guy was just really going after that pigeon. Just eating him like it wasn't even wrong.

I like how he's clearly judging Geoff in this picture. "ExCUSe me? Pointing? Really? Oh please, One does not POINT."

And here, clearly contemplating Geoff's finger for dessert.

I think he kind of looks like a muppet. Except for the blood and guts part, of course.

In Comes Company

2011-06-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the film premire of COMPANY, which I cast for the NY Philharmonic. Some of you may remember me mentioning in this post that in addition to the 4 live performances in NYC April, it was filmed and will be showing at movie theatres across the country in June. So whether you live in Austin TX, Boston MA, Denver CO, Statesboro GA, Richmond VA, Louisville KY, Honolulu HI, NYC, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Alaska or nearly any other state across the country, you too can see it. It's also being shown in Canada. The performances are great, and besides, Stephen Colbert and Martha Plimpton have a wrestling match right there on stage and what is better than that?? Click here to find out when it's playing near you. It's playing in most theatres June 15, 16, 19 and 20, but there are a few places with other date options I think. Plus, if you do go, thrill of all thrills, you can see my little name right there in the credits. It's small, but it's there. Note to self: Get an agent and get better billing next time so my parents don't have to squint to see my name.

AND, you can also see the cast perform one of the numbers from the show live on the Tony Awards this Sunday June 12th at 8pm on CBS. Think Stephen Colbert, Neil Patrick Harris and Jon Cryer in a kick line. I know, not to be missed, right? Set your DVRs for Sunday and book your tickets to the movie now!

I Am Not Lost

2011-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

I am here. I am alive. I have been absent far too long. For good reason, but still. It has been beyond busy. And much has been afoot. And it's June 1. Which means, wedding season is officially underway and life is about to get even crazier.

But I just wanted to say I'm here. I've not forgotten this place. I want to spend more time here. And there is much to tell you. It needs to wait another week or so, since this week is super nuts and I really want to have time to write about it and really do it justice. So be patient. And I will fill you in on all you've missed.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

It's An Issue

2011-04-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

If you are easily distracted or can get sucked into the internet for hours on end reading and looking at a variety of fascinating and creative things, do yourself a favor and stop reading now.

Seriously.

OK, consider yourselves warned. What happens next is your own dang fault.

I'm not kidding.

Have you heard of a little website called Pinterest? If you haven't - be prepared to spend about the next 6 hours straight on it. It's a site where you can pull and collect images from the internet that inspire you for whatever reason, and store them all on a "board" of your making. All in one place. Home ideas, recipes, fashion, art, photography, DIY projects, pets you want, places you love, vacations you want to take, things you want to try someday, you name it. Anything you want, basically. Oh yeah, and you can look through everyone else's boards too. Yeah. there goes your whole weekend.

You have to email Pinterest to request an account and they will email you in a week or two with an invite to join. I found it through that darn Sherry at younghouselove. Darn her. And through her blog I found this link, which allowed me to join right away (scroll to the bottom of that post for the direct invite). Don't know if that link will still work. You kinda should hope it doesn't if you have any hope of every doing anything else again.

Happy Pinteresting!

Is This My Real Life?

2011-04-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

I live in New York. I work in the theatre. And so it follows that as a child, I was a special kind. Not more special than your average child, but just a certain kind of special. The story goes that when I was little, my parents would sometimes ask me to sing a little song or recite a poem when family or friends were around. I would promptly do so. And when I finished my performance, I would look at them all and say, "You clap." See? That kind of special. There is an audio tape of me making my Barbie dance and perform acrobatics on her roller skates as I narrated the entire thing in song - for some reason to the tune of "The Chicken Dance". In middle school I performed "routines" on the swingset behind our house, usually to "Livin' on a Prayer" blasting from my pink boombox. It seems my musical tastes were also a certain kind of special in those days. I performed soooooo many "numbers" in my bedroom. I started with songs from "Annie" when I was younger (although strangely I was most drawn to Ms. Hannigan's songs, even then. Hm.) and by the end of high school I had worked my way through Les Mis to The Secret Garden to RENT and everything I could find in between. In high school I was in, (or wanted to be in) every music and theatre related thing there was. I was even voted "most likely to sing on Broadway" in my graduating class. Now, it was not a very large school with about 7-10 theatre geeks total - so it wasn't a huge achievement or anything, This is the same school that gave me the Physics award. And if you know me at all, you know I'm the last person who should win something math or science related. It was just known that musical theatre was what I was into/obsessed with. I majored in music in college, listened to every Broadway cast recording I could get my hand on, and read plays and musicals left and right.

In 8th grade, I went to see the local high school's production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, and it captured my heart and my imagination in a way I will never forget. It has been cemented as my favorite show ever since. As has Sondheim as my favorite musical theatre composer. My first big part in high school was as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I wasn't particularly good, but I was one of a very few who semi-had the soprano notes. My senior year of college I fought tooth and nail for a part in A Little Night Music and for some reason, even managed to beat out the school's star belter for the part of Petra. Determination, man. Well, that and a professor who believed in the value of educational casting (meaning, casting me in the part, as I'd learn more from it than she would have, since she'd played parts like this twice a year for 4 years). So Sondheim is a true favorite. His lyrics are the most emotionally intelligent out there - something I've realized even more as I've gotten older. Now all someone has to do is sing "Move On" from Sunday in the Park with George or "No One Has Ever Loved Me" from Passion, and they can easily turn me into a puddle on the floor.

I remember when I first saw him in person. It was when I first started working at my current job, and I was volunteering at a gala where he was being honored. I've never been the kind of person who wants to meet famous people when I see them. I'm content to just watch them talk to other people and be in the same place as they are. So I think I may've gotten to shake his hand briefly (my co-worker had been put in charge of making sure he was taken care of throughout the evening) and then I was happy to just watch him interact with the other Broadway greats in the room. It was pretty amazing just to be in the same space as he was. If you'd told my teenage self that that would ever happen, it would've been something I could've only dreamed of.

Then last season, I happened to be seated in front of him at the first preview of Sondheim on Sondheim, a retrospective of his work featuring both his well and lesser known songs, stories of his life intercut with interviews with the man himself. At the point in the show where (in a videotaped interview) he shares a fairly brutal thing that his mother once wrote to him in a letter ("My greatest regret was giving you birth"), I had an overwhelming urge to turn around and hug him. I almost had to physically restrain myself. I wanted to be his friend. So much it nearly made me cry. Another unbelievable moment that my musical theatre-obsessed younger self would've nearly passed out over.

Cut to last weekend. I had the opportunity to cast the concert version of Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY for the New York Philharmonic, which had only 4 performances over a weekend. The director, Lonny Price, has always been incredibly kind in asking me to cast things for him. This was the biggest thing yet. I didn't really realize it at the time, while we were in the trenches of it this winter, trying to get various stars (it was partially a benefit after all) to join the cast. But last week, I went to the dress rehearsal on a Thursday afternoon, and there, again, I was in the same room as Stephen Sondheim. This time, attending a rehearsal of one of his shows that I was a part of. He was just there, reading the New York Times and waiting for the rehearsal to begin. It was overwhelming. And a feeling I never want to forget. Now, after 10 years in NYC, I'm as jaded as the next New Yorker. I don't really think twice if I pass Laura Linney on the street or see Ethan Hawke at an opening. And like most people, all I can usually see is the parts of my job that drive me nuts. But this was one of those moments where I truly can't believe I get to be a very small part of the Broadway community. Seeing Stephen Sondheim waiting to watch a cast that I put together? Even this jaded New Yorker has to admit...it's humbling. And kind of amazing. And something that would've made my 15 year old self absolutely pee her pants. That being the case, can you imagine how I handled actually seeing the dang thing performed the next day? Lets just say, it was emotionally overwhelming. Which really took me by surprise, I have to say. I've worked on a lot of Broadway shows. But this was different. I just felt so blessed. I kept thinking back to my younger self. If you had told me then that I would be doing what I do for a living, let alone, being a part of something created by a composer whose work has made such an impact on my life, I never would've believed it. Not in 100 years. Probably would've passed out and peed my pants at the same time. So I'm truly, truly grateful.

For those that are interested, the show was filmed and will be shown at movie theatres across the country starting June 15. I'm sure I'll cry all over again.

The Things We Don't Know

2011-04-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

A Facebook friend posted this today and I thought it was really interesting. For those of you who have seen Food Inc, some of this will not be new information. But there were some interesting things here that I hadn't known or hadn't remembered. It's worth a watch if you've got 15 min or so.

Pretty fascinating and certainly sobering. And I think she's got a realistic approach in how to do something about it. I think at some point in her talk she says something like, "you can't make The Perfect the enemy of The Good". Meaning, just because you can't create a perfect food supply system or eat 100% organic or do everything right to protect your family from the scarily unhealthy GMOs and processed foods and all the other crazy stuff that's out there, you can do something. Or a few somethings. And that is so much better than nothing.

More about Robyn, her book and her ideas about what to do at her site, here.

A Weekend

2011-03-28T11:22:00.001-07:00

We had one. Finally.

And it involved:

- A home store bonanza (mostly for fun, though we did have a Williams Sonoma gift card to use). Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and W&S - not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
- A late lunch at a lovely Italian wine bar on the upper east side
- Cleaning wax out of the living room rug (there was a candle that went rogue) while watching Emily Henderson just bring it every time on Secrets from a Stylist. She's a amazing and I want to be her friend. I'm considering moving to LA to work with as part of her team. Not that she's made that offer. But I'm still considering it.
- The making of gluten free brownies (from a mix) and a baked farro risotto with my favorite kale salad (thank you 101cookbooks.com for both).

I love a weekend. There should be more of them.

- Posted from my iPhone

What happened?

2011-03-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've been absent. Ya'll, I don't understand how March is almost over. Just like I don't understand how it was 75 degrees a few days ago and then last night it snowed.

It has been busy. Obviously. Work was madness for a couple weeks there and I continue to have something every night and never seem to be able to get home before 11pm. And I have kinda lost my mojo. I have so much to say and yet nothing to say. But I am alive. Which is something.

And tonight I'm going to the opening night of this:

For those that don't know, it's a Broadway musical. Written by the creators of South Park. Cast by one of my co-workers. I am fully prepared to be completely offended and simultaneously laugh my head off. I'm super excited.

Happy Thursday to all!

Everybody Loves A Parade

2011-03-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a rainy Sunday. One of my favorite kinds. Work this week has been a nightmare and it seems next week will be the same. So I was ready for a little fun and distraction while I could get it. We ventured out this afternoon to the annual neighborhood All Inclusive St. Patricks Day Parade (always held two weeks early). And Geoff decided to bring along his camera and test out a new funky gadget. This was the result. Forgive the grade school editing, this was obviously slapped together in 5 minutes. For my part, I'm trying to forgive him for filming me with a wide angle lens.

Happy Rainy Sunday to all!

Enjoy!

Three Day Weekend

2011-02-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

We had one last weekend. And I'm only now getting around to writing about it. It was great to have 3 days off. We stayed home for most of it and I cooked a great deal. Which was super fun.

It all started with a project. We finally had the guys show up to fix our ceiling in the foyer. All those snow storms meant we had a leak which turned into a mini "the sky is falling" moment, when parts of the ceiling fell in from the weight of all the water. And then it kept snowing, so it was always wet at they couldn't fix it. Or at least that's the reason I gave myself for why it took so long to come back and fix it. So Saturday morning we had to empty the contents of our front hall closet, because there was water damage in there too and definitely a mold situation. Now, like most city dwellers, our front hall closet is our major storage area in the apartment. It serves as Geoff's closet, a coat closet, tool shed, Christmas decoration storage, home for luggage and and all Geoff's film gear. So cleaning it out is an undertaking. But we did. And they fixed it. Probably not to Holmes on Homes standard, but there is no longer a gaping hole in my ceiling. There is however, still half the contents of this closet lined up against a wall in the living room, as there has been no time to put it all back yet. I guess that's what this weekend is for.

I promise my living room doesn't always look like this.

But while they were doing that, I was doing this.

Breakfast time was lovely. Blogging and recipe searching and coffee with toast and jam. Yes please. In pulling all the stuff out of the closet, a few boxes had gotten wet. They were boxes full of old letters, my journals from high school and college, old playbills, photos etc. It was kinda really fun to look through them as I set them up on the kitchen table to dry out in the sun. Some of you should recognize some of these things....

A letter from my dad when I was 6. We were living in England and he must've been away for training because there were references to "I know you're being such a big help to your mommy and being a good girl". I hope I was, if mom was holding down the fort with 2 kids in a foreign country. Mom, I hope I wasn't a brat. At least not all the time. I loved finding this again.

Journals, a picture from my baptism, the playbill from a very *special* (and by that I mean bad) production of Sweet Charity I was in after college and good old middle school class photos. Nothin' like 'em. is there? I actually still remember nearly everyone's first and last name. Possibly because I am now friends with at least half of them on Facebook.

When we were kids my brother and I both had one of these cases with our names on them.

They were for holding your cassette tape collection. When I opened it, there were mostly tapes from All-County Chorus and other such middle school adventures. But there was definitely my old favorites in there too - a Jan and Dean "Surfin' Hits" that I played all the time for some reason, a mix tape that just says "Oldies" and the original cast album of Worzel Gumidge, a 1981 British musical about a scarecrow who comes to life. Or at least I assume that's what it's about. I never actually saw the show, I just listened to the tape, so I was never quite sure of the whole story. I played that tape so often that i wore out some of the songs from fast forwarding to my favorites and then rewinding them and playing them over again. Just like my Annie tape. Gosh. Remember TAPES? Remember having to rewind and fast forward to get to your favorite song? Please. That seems like the dark ages.

I also found a note written from a friend after my senior recital in college. All music majors had to give a recital their senior year, and in mine, my last number was "Paris Original" from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It's a song about a girl who shows up at a party hoping to make the guy fall in love with her, only to find that there are multiple other girls at the party wearing the same dress. So I hauled 3 of my friends up on stage with me, having all bought the same cheap black dress at Deb or Express or some such place, and pulled off the number to great applause. After the recital my parents threw a little punch and dessert party at the Barn House, where I lived, and Mom left these little booklets out for my friends to write a note to me if they wanted.

This particular note that I found was written by my friend EJ. He later went on to marry my friend and fellow Barn girl Ali and they have 3 amazing boys. Now, for most of college, EJ was a little quiet. He was a really nice guy, hung out with the boys mostly and (at least in my experience) didn't seem as.....tuned in (for lack of a better way to describe it) to cultivating friendships with girls. After he and Ali started dating however, it was like a switch had been thrown. We all talked about how thoughtful he was, how he'd come over to see Ali and would just sit down and talk to the rest of us about our days, how we were doing. He seemed to really care about us and want to know us better. Not that he didn't like us before, but he became intentional about it, and interested in us because we were important to Ali. And it wasn't a "Oh, I've got to hang out with her friends so she'll like me more and think I'm a good guy" It was just a natural, genuine thing. Ah, the love of a good woman.

This is the note he wrote me.

"Kate - Great job on your singing thing. It was truly one of the best performances I have ever seen. Love, EJ. PS-You definitely looked the best in that dress."

First of all, it's just awesome. On a number of levels. And so "EJ" of him. My "singing thing". Amazing. Now, keep in mind, I was up on that stage with three gorgeous, skinny women. Having always been just a little heavier or curvier than most of my friends and certainly more so than 95% of performers at my school, a compliment about how I looked in comparison with the" pretty people", was one of the kindest things he could've said to my little 21 year old self. He won me over for life. :-)

As my memories dried out in the sun, I cooked. And grocery shopped.

I came home from grocery shopping intent on cleaning out the fridge, but then I realized it was after 3pm and I hadn't eaten lunch. So, on a whim, I made a Quinoa "Risotto" with Mushroom and Thyme - which happened to just be the latest recipe I had saved on my phone from Epicurious and I happened to have all the ingredients. It was surprisingly quick and pretty darn good! Not as creamy as an actual risotto, but I don't mind that.

For dinner I also made my homemade salsa and a mexican salad. The salsa I've been making for years and I don't really have a recipe. I just make up the proportions as I go. Chopped tomatoes, about half a jalepeno, a shallot, some lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Just what my countertop looks like when cooking is in progress. And I know I've said it before, but this is my only actual countertop space that came with the apartment. Immediately to the left of that bowl of salsa is the sink. Who is jealous? Butcher blocks are my friend.

Mexican salad with honey lime dressing. I didn't have corn, bell pepper or jicama and it was still good. And I added avocado. The dressing was just ok. I made it a few nights later with just a cilantro lime vinaigrette that I liked better.

And we made these amazing cookies for dessert. I even whipped them up on the coffee table while we were watching a movie. They have no flour, butter, eggs or added sugar at all. And they are amazing. Bananas, almond meal (just grind almonds in a blender or coffee grinder) and coconut oil hold them together. Add oats, shredded unsweetened coconut and dark chocolate or chocolate chips.

I also made Banana Blueberry muffins (pictured at top of this post - with skim milk and a combo of whole wheat and buckwheat flour) and a Brown Butter Soda bread with rosemary and black pepper (also with whole wheat flour). The rosemary and the black pepper made it really good. And Alison and her beau and her dog Rupert came over on Monday night for a VERY impromptu dinner party, where we made my kale salad and a mushroom pasta that I now can't find the recipe for. I have pictures of all that, but my camera is being fussy. But a good time and good food was had by all.

Could someone see about making 3 day weekend happen more often?

Paris - Part 2

2011-02-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

DAY 2: Monmarte & Sacre Cur, the Moulin Rouge, the Lapin Agile, several cafes, more wandering, a parfumerie, the Louvre just as it was closing and a wonderful dinner at a little pizza place just a few doors down from our hotel. Truth be told, we have come to call Monmarte our Waterloo. We may or may not have gotten into a wee bit of a disagreement and I may or may not have cried on the streets of Paris. Everyone should do it once, right? But it led to some really good conversations, so all was not lost.

I've decided Hal Holbrook would play this guy in the movie about his life. Either that or it actually IS Hal Holbrook.

Actual Moulin Rouge

The Louvre

DAY 3: Freeeeeeeeeeezing. Notre Dame, a stop for a warming cup of cafe in a cafe, wandering over near the Latin Quarter, an attempt to buy Geoff some gloves, but they broke after about 15 minutes, more photography, AMAZING french onion soup to warm me for lunch, a brief stroll through Luxembourg Gardens, a brief tour through The Musee d'Orsay (where we both fell for the same Degas painting), a frigid wait in the cold for a taxi, a nap at the hotel, a dinner at the corner bistro after being turned away from a reccommended restaurant, a late night crepe and a walk down the rue de Clare.

I was really taken with the statue of Jesus at the altar inside Notre Dame. I took about 47 pictures of him. You couldn't really see him directly from the front but I thought it was beautiful and there was something about it that really spoke to me. I know it's weird to talk him up and then show you a shot from behind the altar, but, again, angles of him were limited.

Reeeeaaallly ready for my soup now, please.

Luxembourg Garden

Latin Quarter - or thereabouts.

How amazingly Parisien is she?

Musee d'Orsay

All in all, Paris was pretty gorgeous. Even with the cold and the grey. We would love to go back.

Viva La France!

2011-02-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

You were promised Paris travel videos. And here they are. Yes, I am self aware enough to know how atrocious my French accent is. Extra points for anyone who can identify how many accents I go through during the course of these videos while attempting to have a French one.

I count at least Italian, German, Spanish and Czechoslovakian. And virtually nothing that sounds remotely French. Any others?

Paris - Part 1

2011-02-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

OK, there is FAR too much to say about Paris. I've been trying to write it all in one whole post for almost 2 weeks and finally had to break it into multiple posts. Even though, in my initial report I complained about the cold I wasn't prepared for, as well as how gray it was, as I look back on my pictures, I have to admit, Paris is pretty photogenic. I should really so about 6-10 dfferent series of photographs to really do it justice: Paris at Night, Black and White Paris, the People of Paris, Le Tour Eiffel, The Cafes of Paris, etc etc etc.

Day 1: Our favorite day. The Eiffel tower in the morning, wandering the 6th arrondismont in the afternoon, the Champs-Elyesee and the Arc de Triomphe in the evening and Geoff's 40th Birthday Dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris. Kinda hard to beat a day like that.

A repelling class was there that day. Pretty cool place to take lessons.

Standard

Loved this little guy - marvelling at Just How Tall It Is

Lovers initials at the middle level of the tower

Me attempting to look impossibly Parisian at our first meal in Paris and mostly succeeding in just looking like a New Yorker.

Wandering around...

Standard couple making out shot

Stairs up to the top of the Arc De Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

The view from the top...

More to come. And yes, there are videos from Paris as well. Brace yourselves.

My Double Life

2011-02-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

Casting director by day, Bad-ass Event Filmmaker by night. Or by weekends at least.

These photos were taken at a wedding I shot with the AMAZING photography team of RAW Photo Design, Eric and and Amber Langelois, who are completely beyond cool, and I will be forever grateful for them making me look even half as cool as they actually are. This was only the second time I'd led a team solo (without Geoff), so I was using the regular cameras (with technology I can actually understand), while he was on another shoot with the Fancy Pants Amazing Cameras. Eric and Amber had a set up a photo booth for the guests and at one point when I took five from filming to grab a water, they encouraged me to jump into said photo booth and do my worst. Though reluctant at first, I quickly got into the spirit of the thing, zhuzhed my hair (joojed?? - how do you spell that???!?), put my shades on and gave them my best. They even included me in their blog post about the wedding. (Also, if you look in the "About" section of their website, you will see a picture of them with their kids that pretty much sums up them and their infinite cool-ness).

I will be channeling this bad-ass persona as we shoot another wedding this weekend. Man, I swear they photoshopped me skinny and that has earned them my undying love until the end of time.

My New Favorite Salad(s)

2011-02-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

I love finding new salad recipes. Salads have forever been Geoff's nemesis, mostly because he spent his life having to eat (his words) "gross" ones. In my imagination that means sad iceberg lettuce, mealy tomatoes and horrible/boring dressing. Blech.

We've made quite a revolution to our diets in the last year. An even more drastic one in the last 6 months, where we are trying to eat as vegetarian/vegan/raw as possible. Not always and not in a militant way. We still have the occasional steak or burger, or some chips and salsa (my one true weakness), but we're doing as much organic, whole foods, whole grains, vegetables, superfoods as we possibly can. (Real Simple did a whole feature on the healthiest foods last month. I was glad to see I was on the right track and that about 2/3 of the things on the list were already in rotation at our house.) The biggest difference I've noticed so far is how it makes me feel. I rarely need coffee in the afternoons anymore or feel tired during the day. And more specifically, I've also noticed how horrible I feel if I don't eat that way now. For example, my stupid boss bought some sort of Crackle Crunch Caramel Corn nonsense from Dean & DeLuca today for a "treat" for the office. Lovely of him. And, yes, I told him to his face he was the devil. I of course tasted it, and that led to several other subsequent "tastings" throughout the afternoon and now I feel sluggish and horrible and like I just ate seven Big Macs.

Diet revolution aside, I also have an ever-growing desire to cook, bake and experiment in the kitchen. Cooking for me, has grown into a kind of therapy. If I have a bad day, all I want to do is get in the kitchen and make something. I'm still a total disaster about it and won't be Martha Stewart anytime soon. Geoff marvels at how many dishes I can create in the process of making just one meal. But I love to do it. It's all I want to do in my (limited) free time. And it's not about eating the final product (though that is fun too) - it's about the actual cooking process.

So the diet revolution in combination with cooking therapy, means that I am constantly on the look out for interesting things to make. Salads included.

My first new favorite I found on 101cookbooks.com, my new favorite food website. OK, clearly I like this site because she's on the same page about eating whole foods, all of her recipes are vegetarian, and she's into travel and photography. We're basically the same person except that she lives on the West Coast and is blond and skinny. But the recipes are/look amazing. Technically this salad is the only one I've tried so far, but if I use this to judge the rest, I'll love all of them.

Her Raw Tuscan Kale Salad is so simple and it actually makes raw kale fairly easy to eat. It's just raw kale with a special dressing, topped with pecorino cheese and whole wheat breadcrumbs (you can easily make your own breadcrumbs by toasting some really chunky whole grain bread and then throwing them in the food processor for a minute or so). I think the lemon juice in the dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, S&P, red pepper flakes and pecorino cheese) helps wilt the kale down a bit to make it more chewable and less like eating a tree. I also used just whatever kale they had at the grocery store and it worked, even if it wasn't Tuscan. And don't accuse me of liking this only because there is so much cheese involved. (Although I don't blame you for thinking it). I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture of the final product before I dug right in. But, um.... this is what it looked like when I finished...?

New Favorite Salad #2 I created for myself at Dean and DeLuca's salad bar last week for lunch and recreated it for dinner for myself last night.

Mixed greens, sliced radishes, artichokes, tomatoes, blanched haricot vert with slivered almonds tossed with Balsamic Vinegar, EVOO and freshly ground S&P. I've had it for lunch several days in a row. One day they were out of tomatoes and I tried it with diced red pepper instead. Also very good. So far Dean and DeLuca does it slightly better than me (which I am chalking up to needing to upgrade my balsamic and trying a different brand of artichokes next time). Both of these I tried on myself first as a guinea pig. We'll see what Geoff thinks of them. I'm making the Raw Tuscan Kale one for a dinner party tomorrow night and he'll be trying it there.

Hope someone else is as excited about these salads as I am.

And Now, Your Host...LONDON (Part 2)

2011-02-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, there's more......

And Now, Your Host...LONDON (Part1)

2011-02-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

When we were at the Tower of London, Geoff turned the camera on me and this is what happened. Shouldn't quit my day job, huh?

I Can't Help It

2011-02-01T15:30:00.001-08:00

Is it me, or is this one of the best things ever?

Assuming you've all seen the video of the guy that inspired this, you have GOT to agree. I love that guy. And this dog. Clearly.

London

2011-01-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

I lived in England as a kid for two years when my dad was stationed there for work. We made a trip to London then, and I vaguely remember watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Or at least, I remember the picture of my brother and I standing outside the gates at Buckingham Palace.

This trip was officially about me seeing theatre that I had cast. Which we certainly did. It was tough to have to see Deathtrap the night we got there (jet lag and all), but that was the closing performance and therefore our only option. I was tired, but it was good. The next day we saw them loading up the lights and the set for the next show to move into the theatre. I was able to snap one of the last possible shots of the Deathtrap marquis.

As always, we just did a lot of walking around, picture taking and soaking it all in. It was gray and rainy, but at least it was in the 50s. We liked wandering around Covent Garden.

Bought some licorice all-sorts here. Yes, I am one of the few people in the world who actually like licorice.

Had actual tea at the Covent Garden Hotel. Like you do.

I know I've already talked far too much about thi cheese shop, but it's awesome and I can't help myself. I love cheese.

We also spent a morning in Notting HIll.

Walked all along Portabello Road. On Saturdays there is a huge market here. Usually with masses of people, I would bet. We were there on a Sunday and had it relatively to ourselves, which was also kind of lovely. In one of my favorite Disney movies from childhood, Bednobs and Broomsticks, Angela Lansbury sings about Portabello Road - "the street where the riches of ages are sold." And boy, are they ever. I could not stop taking pictures. I wish I had had the money and the room in my suitcase to buy all these things and SOOOO many more.

Found someone selling Geoff's initials.

We (meaning I) had a minor "I'm too hungry" meltdown on the way to lunch at Harrods (overrated, though their gelato in the candy shop was good), rode a double decker bus where I lost the adorable grey beret that Alison made me (sadness), but at least some lucky Londoner now has an Alison original.

Evensong at Westminster Abbey was cool only because of the men's choir. Well, ok, and the Abbey itself. We could only stay 20 minutes without being late for the theatre and the priests didn't seem too pleased with that when we told them in advance. But the building was pretty amazing. And the choir sang an amazing song as we were walking out, which was super cool. Next time, I'd spend a little more time walking through and reading/learning everything about the history of the Abbey itself.

Our last day we did the Tower of London. I'm such a sucker for how much history there is in London period, and the Tower was chock full of it, obviously. Our visit there also happened to coincide with the 1 hour of sunshine we had in London. You can see our shadows in this picture.

I just like that there is a full trunk of grit on hand.

I called this a Catapult. Geoff was all fancy and knowledgable and called it a Trebuchet. Show off.

Tower Bridge. Also pretty cool.

As was London. I thought it was pretty charming. We didn't do curry, or fish and chips or see Buckingham Palace, but we feel we had a fairly full fledged London experience nonetheless. And despite facing a few of the challenges I've mentioned before, we really enjoyed it. I would certainly go back

Snowy Wednesday

2011-01-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's a snowy day in NYC and I for one love it. Everyone on Facebook seems to be over the snow, but I am not. We're back from London/Paris and settling back into real life. Pictures and stories and details to come. There may even be some videos of me playing faux travel guide at the Tower of London, which we made while goofing around. Those were fun. The trip itself was good, though not what we had anticipated, as is always the way of things. I sadly felt like my photography mojo was off for nearly the whole trip. It may have been because it was gray and or rainy the entire time we were there, in both cities. We had about 3 scattered hours of sunlight on Geoff's birthday, and that was about it, so everything looks a bit gray and cold and sad in the photos. I will say that was a bit of a bummer, since my favorite thing to do in pretty places I've never been to is photograph them. But we'll see what we come up with after a little photo editing. Speaking of photos - my apologies for the horrible quality of the iPhone photos that appeared on this blog while I was gone. They looked a lot better on the tiny screen of my iPhone than on an actual computer. I had no idea.

Geoff has finally caught the cold I had on the trip, so he is feeling pretty lousy. I'm back at work and sensing things starting to really heat up in the next 2 months. I'm anticipating being quite busy. Trying to brace myself. Gosh there are so many things I'm thinking about, but I'm skirting the line of what to share when, what to share here at all and when I'll actually have time to write about it all in a way I feel good about. In the meantime, tonight I'm trekking to Brooklyn for dinner with my best friend and that alone will answer at least half of my questions.

Winding Down

2011-01-23T01:37:00.001-08:00

Took the train back to London yesterday. Had a lovely French cheese and wine picnic as we watched the foggy French countryside roll by. Truth be told it was mostly highways and gas stations, but we did notice a few quaint country towns in the distance.

Got back in time to make it to the first preview of The Children's Hour in the West End, which our office cast.

Kiera Knightley, Elisabeth Moss, Ellen Burstyn, Carol Kane and others. I really enjoyed it! Some terrific performances.

A few last hours in London before we head to the airport and fly home. Not looking forward to 18 degrees but it will be nice to be back in my own little bed.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:London,United Kingdom

Paris is COLD

2011-01-21T10:51:00.001-08:00

It is frigid here today. And I do not have my warmest down winter coat, since the rest of the trip was mid 40s-mid 50s. It hampered our adventuring today for sure. Hence, French Onion Soup for lunch. It was pretty amazing. And necessary.

We leave tomorrow for London. Things we have not done yet: have a crepe(s), try a macaroon or any other French pastries besides croissant and pan de chocolat, make it to 80% of the restaurants that were recommended to us. I guess we have a lot of eating to do in less than 24 hours.

- Posted from my iPhone

Just Your Average Thursday

2011-01-20T14:31:00.001-08:00

OK, this photo is deceiving, as we only made it to the Louvre just in time for closing. But tomorrow they are open until 10pm. So that's on for tomorrow.

Today was Montmartre, being accosted by the artists there who all wanted to draw me, extensive time in multiple cafes, much street photography, walking by Lapine Agile (closed) and the Moulin Rouge before meeting a female cab driver and getting to chatting about her son Joaquin (Joe) the accountant, who moved to NYC, got married to a Russian girl there and the mean ole thing just up and left him - leaving him heartbroken. Come on, New York, I know you have better options for him. I could think of a perfect one, but she is currently taken.... All other ideas welcome.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Rue Amélie,Paris,France

Petit Dejuener

2011-01-20T14:17:00.001-08:00

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. See how they are half gone already? Before the cafe even arrives!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Rue de Grenelle, Paris

Happy Birthday, I Got You This

2011-01-19T11:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Geoff! The big 4-0. I got him this Paris. Not such a bad gift.

Eiffel Tower in the morning, MANY photos, much wandering, a late lunch at Le Comptoir in the 6th arr., Arc de Triomphe, Champs d'Elysee and are now off to a birthday dinner at a brasserie TBD. Hopefully with champagne.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Rue Amélie,Paris,France

Paris Bound

2011-01-18T10:29:00.001-08:00

My cold is still hanging on, so this morning was a bit rough. Still managed to visit the Tower of London, ride in several taxis (where Geoff was immensely pleased with the leg room) and pop back into Neil's Dairy Yard for some bread and cheese for our train trip to Paris!

Bon Voyage to us!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Cheney Rd,Camden Town,United Kingdom

The Abbey

2011-01-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Evensong at Westminster. Pretty stinkin' cool. Wish we had time to explore it more, but we had to dash to HAMLET at the National Theatre. Which was equally epic and cool.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Stamford St,Lambeth,United Kingdom

Down But Not Out

2011-01-16T14:56:00.001-08:00

Though jet lag and a cold knocked me out for the morning, it couldn't keep me down long. By 2pm we were out wandering through Covent Garden, having afternoon tea and taking photos.

A rest, some dinner and another walk that ended along the Thames. One place we will definitely be going back to when it's open...

Neal's Yard Dairy - specialty farm cheeses and produce from the British Isles.

Count me in.

Lots more tomorrow!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:London,United Kingdom

False Start

2011-01-16T04:29:00.001-08:00

A funny thing happened on the way to our big European adventure. Hi everyone, Geoff here. Writing from our hotel bed where my poor sweet adorable wife Kate is sleeping deeply right beside me. Apparently the countless weeks of little sleep and lots of travel, work and stress have caught up with our hero and she seems to have picked herself up a bit of a cold. Yes I know, the tragedy of the timing could not be overstated. But as far as I'm concerned things could be far far worse. Besides, deep down I think we're both really grateful for a day off even if its not from work at this point but from a possible fun filled day of galavanting across the city of London. Oh well, c'est la vie, we're not as young and vibrantly heathy as we once were and need to sometimes take heed when our bodies say whoa.
More updates to come later.

Location:London,United Kingdom

It Begins!

2011-01-15T05:54:00.001-08:00

Heathrow Airport 8am. Little to no sleep, but this sign a welcome sight.

Geoff also enjoyed this sign at the Underground. And that they kept repeating the name of the station at every stop (as that was the train's final stop). Every time they announced it, we chucked. (Sorry, but it's true).

Yes, we are grown ups. Barely. Let's blame how funny we found it on the lack of sleep. Let's also blame the fact that I'm posting about it on said lack of sleep.

I must cut myself off before I do further damage. On to the rest!

- Posted from my iPhone

Testing

2011-01-12T21:39:00.001-08:00

The Roosevelt Island Tram tonight.

(Just actually testing that I can blog with photos from my phone - in the hopes that I can do so from London and Paris next week...)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I see London, I see....

2011-01-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Exciting Thing #1 of 2011: (OK, more exciting for me than you. Exciting for you via photographic recap when all is said and done.)

This past year, I help cast 3 show in London. And my boss said he'd send me there to see them. Well, will the craziness of the fall, there was no time for me to go. But we finally figured out a way for me to go in January. All we had to pay for was Geoff's ticket and he could come with me. So we're going in less than 10 days! I'm super excited. Two of the three closed have since closed, but we've timed it so I can see a fourth show (that I didn't personally work on, but our office did) just before we leave.

So check us out. We're fancy and we're going to London. Booyah.

And then my brilliant husband had this great idea.....

"When will we ever be so close to Paris on a trip that is half paid for?" he wondered. And he was right. So I screwed up the courage to ask my boss for two more days off so we could pop over to the City of Lights. Surprisingly, the boss man agreed. Even encouraged me to go. As someone who travels to London for business, he says he always regrets not doing this very thing - taking a couple days to see another part of Europe for a long weekend. So even though he can be crazy and quite a handful on occassion (ok, frequent occasions), I'm grateful that he is as generous in spirit as he is.

Because, after all, life is short. Go to Paris.

Don't worry, we'll take a TON of pictures.

And There Was Christmas

2010-12-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

It came and went pretty quickly. We missed the big ole blizzard that shut down NYC, but did get a light dusting down in south Georgia, which has maybe happened twice in 30 years. I took a lot more pictures of the snow, but forgot to upload them today. Will try and post later. There was family, there was food, there was Clay's (special whiskey) Christmas Punch and there were pretty intense games of Monolopy - one that will even go down in history.

(Please imagine the following paragraph read by the guy who narrates the timeless holiday film, A Christmas Story.)

It was nearly 1am. Clay's special Christmas punch was melting in everyone's glasses. My brother was dominating the game as usual, had picked off Geoff and I in rapid succession and owned nearly every property on the board. He was about to beat poor cousin Clarke, who owned one measley monopoly, nearly all of which were morgaged to keep him in the game while he languished in jail. The Free Parking pot had grown considerably. No one had landed on it for nearly the whole game. We realized there was a fortune in there. Clarke's final chance to roll doubles and get out jail came. He shook the dice, gave it a special magic "Hail Mary" blow and....BOOOOOOM! DOUBLE FIVES! As soon as those dice hit the board, I screamed, forgetting it was 1am and my aunt and uncle were sleeping in the next room. Clay's face sank. Clarke appeared to be in shock. Double fives! Liberation from jail, a trip to Free Parking to collect All.That.Money and the game took a turn. Despite all of Clay's scrambling and wheeling and deeling that occured afterwards to emerge the victor (and it was impressive), Clarke won that night. And underdogs the world over rejoiced. He stood a little taller the next day. No longer could we be held down by they tyranny of Clay having a monopoly on winning Monopoly. There was equality. There was hope. There was Double Fives!

There wasn't much that could top that epic game.

There was, however, a family jam session.

I forgot to bring our stockings so Mom stitched Geoff's name on the back of the one I had when I was a kid. So we shared. And even though it's crocheted, and therefore stretches to become the world's largest stocking, it didn't fit everything. And it kind of looks like it has a tumor in this picture.

The blizzard did affect us getting home though. Even though the blizzard was over, our travel day was over 24 hours instead of a 2.5 hour plane ride. It was Planes, Planes and Automobiles. After attempting to leave Savannah at 12noon, we eventually got out of Atlanta at 8pm on a flight to DC, rented a car, drove a few hours, got a hotel room near the Delaware border and drove the rest of the way the next morning. Turned the rental car in at Laguardia, where (thankfully!) our luggage was waiting patiently and hailed a cab home. Have never been happier to be home in my life.

Some scenes from our epic journey...

The Savannah Airport - where it all began

The Delaware Memorial Bridge

Some Drive-by scenes of Brooklyn from the BQE

Very very glad to be home. Very.

Many more thoughts and exciting things coming up in the New Year to share. Stay tuned!

Sean and Christina

2010-12-23T09:23:00.001-08:00

Realized we haven't posted a video in a while. For your Christmas-wrapping procrastination pleasure, here's one we did earlier this year. Such a cute young couple. I liked that the groom seemed all tough, but you could tell he was really emotional all day. It was such a pleasure to be a part of their wedding!

Streetscenes: 6th Avenue (10th-14th Streets) - Wednesday 9:45am

2010-12-22T09:26:00.001-08:00

Cinderella in the City

2010-12-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

I walked past this sight on my way home from the gym this morning.

It seems my neighborhood had a visit from Cinderella in the night. Now, how does this happen? A lost scarf or hat, I totally get. A glove...absolutely. But a shoe? How do you not realize that you're barefoot all of a sudden?

From what I can figure, this could only have transpired in a few ways:

1) It fell out of some poor girl's overnight bag. She was on her way to her girlfriend's place for dinner and then a night on the town and a sleepover and she was probably so pissed when she realized she was down a 4 inch heel. They do not let you into da' club with no shoes on. This ain't no beach town.

2) An angry girlfriend walked in on her man in the presence of a lady he had no business being with and promptly threw that lady and her crazy ho' heels out the 5th floor window. This shoe is all that survived the incident.

3) Cinderella does actually live in my neighborhood. If this is the case I'm glad I didn't tamper with the evidence and I sure hope he finds her. I am a sucker for a Rom-Com after all.

Here's hoping.....

Ho Ho Ho

2010-12-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

The latest addition to this year's Christmas Extravaganza. I have to say, I am reeeeeeeeally into Santa-in-a-Hot-Air-Balloon. Kind of a lot. Am I wrong that he classes it up a bit?

I mean, as much as this crazy display can be classed up?

I will say, the landlord sure is bringing it this year. There are more lights and garlands than last year and way more Santas-in-snow-globes than ever before. Last year they were in the place of honor, before they were usurped by Hot Air Balloon Santa. This year you can sorta see them tucked in the back corners near the door. I bet they feel totally jealous of Hot Air Balloon Santa. There could actually be a lot of politics and rivalries with all these decorations, now that I think of it. I bet all those Santas and Christmas Carousel Creatures TOTALLY hate the new kid who usurps the place of honor every year. It probably gets ugly. Or at least awkward.

Regardless, any way you slice it, it's....

Just Like The Olden Days

2010-12-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

When Geoff and I were dating and he lived in CT, I got very familiar with the Metro North. Getting to Grand Central in time to make an express train, which ticket machines had the shortest lines during rush hour and how to navigate the tourists waiting to meet their friends at the clock.

Last night was a Christmas party for all of Geoff's photography friends and I was able to go with him. He headed up earlier by car and there I was catching the 6:11pm train on track 25, scrounging for the best seat on a full train, and arriving in Bridgeport to find Geoff waiting for me. He was in the car, right outside the entrance to the station and he leaned over and opened my door for me, just like back in the old days. It was a lovely flashback to weekends in Connecticut and the early stages of our relationship. I liked it. It made me smile.

Oh Christmas....Shrubbery

2010-12-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Last year you may remember my attempt at a Christmas tree was a wreath. Now granted, a wreath that got a much better photo shoot than I managed this year. And complete with a very excellent decorating idea that I did (in fact) see in Real Simple this year. I think they are stalking my blog for ideas.

Hm.

Anyhooooo, this year, we're making a bit more progress toward an actual tree. We've graduated to a small bush. A few days before Thanksgiving, Mom mentioned that she could cut me a Christmas tree from their land in Maine and bring it down to hand off at Thanksgiving. I insisted that I would need something small, something that could maybe sit at the end of our entertainment center, as opposed to a real tree on the floor. Well, Mom heard me loud and clear and just in time to pack up the car, she pulled me a "tree" out of a rock in Maine, stuck it in a pot, and lo, I have officially moved up in the world. From wreath to... shrubbery.

I love it so much.

Forgive the fuzzy iPhone photos. I love how random it is. How it swoops weirdly to the side. I'm calling it avantgarde. It's very "artsy". Very non-conformist. Very "doing its own thing". I honestly could not love it more. It's the perfect amount of "tree" for us to manage with our crazy lifestyle. And those shell ornaments sure were just plucked from the beach on a walk with my mom over Thanksgiving and just tied right on with red string. It couldn't look more busted, particularly in these horrible, horrible photos.

I mean it's nothing fancy and legit like this.

But that's even a hair overdone/Martha Stewart-ish for my taste. Though certainly, closer to my actual taste. I mean, honestly my shrubbery looks like something a third grader brings home from school. But when those little white lights come on, all is right with my world.

I think it's heaven. Even if the photos are atrocious.

Coming Up for Air

2010-12-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it's December. Which means I survived October and November. A feat in itself. And honestly, the last two months have felt kind of like I've been continuously scaling a building. It's been difficult. On a number of fronts. I normally feel like I'm a fairly positive person. I can take a lot of things thrown at me and just keep soldiering on. But these past couple of months have been different. Have kind of beaten me down in a way I'm not used to. Nothing epic or life shattering, and there are zillions of people who have it a lot worse than me, but it's been surprising (to me, though not to the other people in my life) that I've not really been able to rally back like I usually do. I'm hoping that a bit of a holiday lull at work will help things. Ultimately, there's more to examine than just that. And I'll be attempting those things as well.

In the meantime, I can't believe how much you've missed. The annual Halloween extravaganza outside my apartment building, our visit to a farm in Queens in October (so fun!), the return of Tom the Pilgrim Turkey, many adventures in cooking, multiple openings at work, my visit to a burlesque show that a friend was in (one of the cleaner ones out there I would imagine - pretty fun!),Thanksgiving at the Cape, and an attempted burglary of our apartment (luckily it happened when Geoff was home and scared the idiot away before he could even get inside). Other than that it's been mostly work, work, work. Here's hoping things are going to turn around soon... They have to. A good weekend which included time in the kitchen and real conversations with my husband led to me returning to my creative pursuits today...blogging and photography. So that must stand for something.

Stress Therapy Haiku

2010-11-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

Work is too busy
Which means no life at all
And also no blogging

No cooking or fun
No seeing of husbands and
Friends are forgotten

Husband is stranger
(as in: unknown, not weird/scary)
Who sleeps in my bed

Twelve-hour days suck
Make me sick and unable
To deal. Or to care.

I don't want to work
This weekend. Last weekend was
enough, thank you much.

I've now caught a cold.
Even my poetry sucks
Mom-sorry I said "sucks".

May run away and
Join the circus instead of
this. Show-biz = B.S.

If I stay absent
you will know why - lion tamers don't
use the internet.

Streetscenes: Southwest of Union Square, Monday 10am

2010-10-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Pain Update

2010-10-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

It's better.

It's still there, but the Crunchy Man said he saw visible improvement in my lower back as soon as he looked at it today. And I could feel it was a bit better too. And not just 'cause of the vicodin that I took for the first time today. Though that sure helps in its own way too.

So I'm not out of the woods yet, and I don't want to speak too soon, but certainly better. And I will take what I can get.

And I am now a fan of chiropractors. Who knew?

Pain, Pain, Go Away

2010-10-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last Monday night I was washing dishes after dinner and felt my lower back kind of twinge and tighten up. It wasn't too terribly bad and it had happened a time or two before and usually went away fairly quickly. I didn't think much of it. It was a little worse on Tuesday morning. Ok, by "a little worse" I mean i couldn't stand up straight without feeling like I was going to puke or pass out, so I took my time getting to work. By Tuesday afternoon I was walking around like I was 8 months pregnant. By Wednesday, I was walking around like I was 90 years old. I couldn't stand up straight. At all. I wasn't sleeping well. There was constant pain, especially when getting up/sitting down and walking. Which basically covers your whole day. Sometimes it shot down my leg. But mostly I could tell that the rest of the muscles in my back were getting even more wacked out by trying to compensate for the lower back pain.

So on Thursday I took the advice of a friend and called his chiropractor. I was nervous as I'd never been to one before. But this guy came highly recomended and I was beyond desperate. He ended up being very reassuring (even when I cried while telling him I was nervous about the whole thing) and the treatment was very helpful. He said he thought it was a pinched nerve, and that the natural response of your spine was to bend away from the thing that hurts - hence my semi hunchback state. By the time he was done I was nearly standing up straight again. But then I had to go straight to an opening night at the theatre and sit for two hours (apparently the worst thing for me) and then stand in heels for another two. Which I can imagine isn't a ton better.

Friday morning I was almost back to where I'd been two days before. The chiropractor wasn't as helpful as he'd been the previous night and the whole day was pretty painful. I tried to go back and see "the crunchy man" (as mom had taken to calling him) Friday night (as he is not open on the weekends) but work prevented me from getting there before he left for the evening. I cried in the middle of 7th Avenue when I found this out. Out of frustration, pain and just general exhaustion. But I went home on Friday night and tried to make the best of it. There may or may not have been wine involved. Purely for pain management purposes, of course.

The weekend was spent alternating ice and heat and sleeping with two pillows under my knees. Wasting the gorgeous fall weather due to my invalid status. And figuring out that the mornings were far more painful that the evenings. Taking two walks a day, incorporating some great stretches and marveling at how back pain affects not only your body, your sleep habits and your social life, but even your ability to carry on an interesting conversation. Or any conversation at all that doesn't involve your current pain. So I felt a bit sorry for Geoff. And we both spent a good deal of effort trying to avoid thinking about Monday. For him, it meant jury duty. For me, a full day of auditions and a three hour class to teach.

Monday dawned early for us both and regardless of the extra time I spent trying to warm up my back (hot shower, heating pad, stretches), it was a painful commute and very difficult morning. Geoff did get released from jury duty and auditions didn't go too badly. But my body didn't feel any better until nearly 5pm. Not sure why it likes the evenings better, but I suppose I cant blame it too much. I will also choose not to dwell on the fact that in addition to the all day pain, my "fat" jeans were tighter than I would have liked this morning. I am moving on from that. Well, I'm not really, but there are bigger fish to fry at the moment.

So here we are exactly a week after I felt that first twinge at the sink last Monday. I go back to the chiropractor tomorrow and he and I are gonna have a bit of a chat. Get a game plan and get me fixed. Cause here's what - Im over this whole not being able to walk/sit/stand/sleep thing. I have a feeling at a ton of it is stress related. But work will be madness until Thanksgiving, so that stress isn't going anywhere. We'll just have to find a way to handle it better I guess. I'm thinking wine, massages and puppies might be the perfect prescription. But we'll see what the Crunchy Man has to say about it.

Streetscenes: 42nd & Broadway - 46th & 6th

2010-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Scenes from my walk to the theatre last night.

In the breezeway of the newly christened Stephen Sondheim Theatre

43rd Street

44th Street

6th Ave

46th & 6th

Brunch in Brooklyn

2010-10-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago, Alison hosted a girls brunch at her place in Brooklyn. And being the Little Miss Martha Stewart that she is, it was absolutely fabulous. I got there a bit early and helped with last minute prep; making coffee and whipping up a salad dressing for the CSA greens that were to be part of the meal.

Is it weird that I really like making homemade salad dressing? Like, kind of a lot? A mustard shallot vinaigrette is my new favorite I think ....

Alison made this fabulous quiche.

Then the girls arrived and we had a feast...

Amanda brought Miss Laura of course and she was QUITE the life of the party.

She's about seven and half months and at that I-must-be-Bouncing-at-all-times stage. Her legs are always moving. She also needs to know where Mom is at all times. But eventually she relaxed and got really into the rest of us. Particularly Alison's dog Rupert, as he is just her size.

Here they are really sizing each other up.

We don't all get together nearly often enough. Truly. Life gets hectic for all of us, I know - shows and jobs and babies and husbands and all that. But it is lovely to get together when we can. We should probably just put a quarterly brunch on the calendar, so we know it at least happens 4 times a year. Maybe we could make it happen more often than that if we remember that Alison will likely make us something like this.

Yep, that should do it.

The Ultimate Challenge

2010-09-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Marshmallow Test from Mission HS on Vimeo.

By the Seat of My Pants

2010-09-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

That's how I'm operating these days. It's been really busy. Like......since the day after Labor Day. That's when it all exploded. Zillions of weddings, ZILLIONS of casting things. Last week was absolute MADNESS at the office and we shot a wedding both days this weekend. I won't be home before 11pm any night this week, we have a wedding in Hartford all day Saturday and I have an opening for work Sunday night. Which I think I haven't even told Geoff about. Then theatre and classes all next week and 2 weddings on the 9th. So my next day off is October 10.

And all I want to do is cook.

I want to be able to be at home and make stuff with the poor CSA vegetables that are being woefully neglected in my fridge. I want to get creative in the kitchen. I want to make homemade everything. Bread, pies, pizza, soups, salads, things made with squash, everything. Not quite sure where this is all coming from. But its what I want to do. Maybe because I never get to? And if I got to all the time, I'd be glad to eat out?

But there are 6 openings for work in the next 7 weeks. And at least 5 weddings to shoot. So I fear there will far too much takeout in my life in the weeks to come. This is very, very sad. But I guess I'll be flying around by the aforementioned seat of my pants far too fast to notice.

Can't decide if glancing at my favorite food blogs, here, here and here, while I'm too crazed to do anything myself will make it better or worse.

I'm guessing worse.

My First Headshots

2010-09-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

On the way home from brunch last weekend, Megan and I had an impromptu photo shoot in our neighborhood. She needed some headshots for a couple interviews/auditions and we just snapped a couple real quick. I didn't have the best lens with me and I truly don't know what I'm doing, but I thought they turned out ok, all things considered.

I think this one is my favorite.

My favorite kind of photography is the kind where I hide in the background with a long lens and catch a great moment when the subject doesn't actually know they are being photographed. I'm not super comfortable "directing" people yet. I think I need some practice in that department.

Like, for example, I told Megan to maybe give me a little half smile/smirk and jokingly said "you know, like you have a secret." This was her response.

Rightly so.

So I need a ton more practice (right, in all my free time), but it was fun. Thanks for being a patient subject, Megs!

Niece Number 3

2010-09-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Emma Brook Bashawaty, our third niece was born just over a week ago. The hair runs in the family. She couldn't be cuter. Or smaller really. I mean she was 8 pounds, but here's what - that's small.

Here she meets her brother and two sisters.... (L-R: Kayla, Maya & Khal). This picture is pretty stinkin' awesome.

We got the chance to meet her briefly on Saturday morning before a wedding shoot. She is teeny. And surprisingly alert. And she only puked on me twice. So she's pretty impressive.

Wildlife and Bike Rides

2010-09-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

We saw a ton of wildlife at the Cape. My parents have always kept binoculars at the ready at the Cape and at their home in Maine, and with good reason. The bird life alone is pretty awe-inspiring. It makes me feel pretty old to get excited by birds so much (and I believe Alison even once bought me a bird watchers guide in jest a couple of years ago), but here's what - birds are amazing. Straight up. They just are.

The day we were expecting Earl it was grey and damp out and we took advantage of the weather to get ahead on a few business things. So we were inside on the computer when all of a sudden a HUGE bird swooped right across the deck. We made our way outside gingerly (grabbing the camera of course) and found this guy, with his back to us, just chillin' on the roof.

Yep. A hawk. Just hanging out with us pre-hurricane.

Just check him right out! I believe at this point he was standing on one leg. He hung out like that for a while.

And then in a hot second, he flew away...

So he was pretty awesome. We saw him (or his cousin) again later throughout the weekend swooping around and flying back and forth. Also in the bird family, we were really into this guy.....

Particularly when he was drying out his wings

The rest of the wildlife we didn't manage to capture on film. There are usually some foxes who dart across the end of the deck. There was a super cute chipmunk who lived in this hole at the end of the deck and I just missed him poking his little head out.

There was also a ginormous black garden snake who lopped himself down out of the ivy in the above picture, and then looped himself right back up into it. But we won't talk too much about him (even though it was fascinating), because just thinking about him does my mom in. As she says.

Rightly so.

After Earl headed north, we had THE MOST AMAZING weather and we headed up to a bike path in Truro.

It was awesome.

Not a super long path, but a gorgeous one. After about a mile you come to this amazing bridge

It's right over this gorgeous marshland.

And then you're at the beach.

Where there were surfers taking advantage of what Earl left behind...

Honestly, what is better than Cape Cod?

No, seriously, try to think of ONE thing...

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Flowers in the Rain

2010-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

The day that Earl was supposed to hit the Cape I got up early. I made some coffee and read for a bit and it started raining. It was so quiet. Peaceful. Mom had given me a list of things we should do to prepare for Earl (nailing shut the door to the outdoor shower, drawing off water, locking windows in the attic, pulling out the radio and flashlights etct) and one of the best things she suggested was cutting some flowers for us to enjoy indoors, since once Earl and his "75mph winds" came through, the flowers would be pretty much ruined. Excellent idea.

So when it started raining and I wondered if this was the start of Earl, I headed out to clip some flowers. The rain was gentle and a little warm and I was out there by myself. There was something about it that was so awesome. I didn't mind getting wet. I didn't mind the bits of leaves and pollen that stuck to my damp arms. I liked it even. And even though many of the prettiest flowers on the trees and bushes were scorched looking from the super dry summer, I found a few worth saving.

For some reason that I can't quite describe, those 20 minutes in the rain with the flowers is something I think I will remember for a long time. The peace of it. The simplicity. The total contentment I felt to reach for the highest branches to get a flower, to get mud on me, to let the rain fall and enjoy it. Rain in the city is only fun when you're safe inside. Fighting through the umbrellas in the streets and subways, trying not to have your eyes poked out....not my idea of a good time. Rain in the country....a whole different story. And rain and flowers together will now always remind me of being at peace.

Re-Entry

2010-09-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

We're back from the Cape. We'll we've been back for a while, but computer issues have kept me from sharing. Earl kicked up a lot of fuss for no reason. But he left us with A-MAZ-ING weather for Labor Day Weekend.

Vacation is great. But always too short. The only time vacation was not to short was our 3 week honeymoon. By the end of that, we were ready to come home and start our life.

I find it takes me a couple of days to let the work stress melt away. During the rest of the year, Geoff and I usually get one day a week together (usually Sunday) and beyond that we're together daily from 10pm - 10am (or less). Most of that time, we are asleep. And as you may remember from our house rules, we are not allowed to have any real or serious conversations during those hours. We often have to break that rule out of necessity and it rarely goes well. Hence the house rule. So when we do have a whole week off it takes us a minute to adjust. To stop thinking about all the potential things we could be doing to get ahead on business stuff. To allow ourselves to dig beneath the surface and have a real conversation. Finding the balance between that and just allowing ourselves some down time to read quietly on the deck was more difficult than I thought it would be, actually. We each needed time to mentally space out, read, not have to think about anything, and we also needed time to actually KNOW each other. Which is difficult in real life with the 27 things we each have going on. I'm sure most couples experience this on some level, especially those with kids. In fact, I take comfort in the fact that at least the craziness of our current lifestyle will prepare us for the craziness of kids. It can't possibly be worse. Right? Right??!

All that being said, we managed to have a good time at the Cape. I'm convinced its one of the most beautiful places on earth. It just is. I love the history. I love the weather. I love the architecture. I love the charm. I love the fact that it feels like there is TIME there. We had some really great CONNECTING conversations that were a long time coming. We spent a lot of time on the deck. We grilled out. We went for bike rides. We read. We walked around downtown and had lunch at The Squire (Chatham's most famous restaurant/bar). We went to my favorite Home Consignment shop. We got ice cream. We took (a few) photos. We went to a great French place for dinner one night. We connected with nature and the local wildlife (pictures to come). We survived Earl. Which wasn't remotely hard to do. We made mojitos in the afternoons. We saw my brother for dinner and made s'mores on the grill. We wished we didn't have to leave.

More photos to come...

Please Hold

2010-09-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

We're back from vacation. I'm back at work. Kids the world over are back to school. September has a very "back in the saddle"/"gearing up" feel to it.

Wanting to share the few pictures from vacation that I did take, but haven't been home before 11pm to do so (again with the "back in the saddle" theme). That and a new computer and sorting through tech issues means my photos haven't even been uploaded yet. We'll get to it.

Hoping to share soon....Happy Friday!

An Uninvited Visitor

2010-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Earl was not invited on my vacation.

But he's a comin'.

We are at the Cape. The only opportunity to get away this summer and good ole Earl wants in on the fun. And I just remembered that several of my dear friends from college are vacationing in the Outer Banks this week. They make an annual group trip there with their kids (6 or so families all together). They've just been issued a mandatory evacuation. Mean ole Earl, just ruining vacations left and right.

We're hoping that it won't come to that here. We're keeping a close watch on things. We'll be battening down the hatches today.

Earl, I don't mind a little wind and rain - that can be fun to watch from the safety of the house. You better watch yourself, though. I came on vacation for a vacation. Not to be in the middle of a national disaster. Why don't you be a good boy and just head on out to sea and leave us alone?

'ppreciate it.

Richard and Cathleen

2010-08-31T10:34:00.001-07:00

For your viewing pleasure....one of our weddings from last summer.

"Such a heartwarming and faith restoring story. On the surface this is the story of a simple charming little wedding at a quaint and serene lake house. But beneath the surface, this is the story of three lives from very different worlds coming together against rather remarkable odds to become organically intertwined into a family. This is a story for everyone who believes in second chances. This is the reason we love doing what we do. Richard and Cathleen thank you for the honor of allowing us to be a part of your wedding."

With Tissues at the Ready

2010-08-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is pretty awesome. I cried. Which, if you know me, may not say a lot, as I am one of the great criers of my generation, but still.

This story was recorded (and I believe animated) by StoryCorps. It's a non-profit organization that makes audio recordings of the stories of everyday people's lives. A copy of every recording is kept in the Library of Congress and becomes part of the oral history of America. The interviews are conducted between two people who are important to each other. Children interviewing parents, immigrants recalling when they first arrived here or spouses like Annie & Danny remembering their first date. Lover of history that I am, this is so up my alley. Apparently they feature different stories every day on NPR's Morning Edition.

I dig it. I want to make one now.

Mondays are for Random

2010-08-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

1. This is my friend Courtney's kitchen window sill. And a reminder that tomatoes in season, sliced with a little salt and pepper have been changing my life on a daily basis recently. (um, my mouth is watering just thinking about them)

2. Too bad the weather today does not remotely match this picture. Although I do love a rainy day, they are really only lovely when you don't have to leave the house.

3. I think I might have broken my toe. And what's worse, I the potential incident in which it was broken was over 3 weeks ago (at the Barn reunion where my crazy lack of depth perception made me walk into a doorframe instead of just through the actual doorway). I can walk on it, but I think only because it's open toe shoe season. It hurts when I have to wear real shoes.I fear the coming of fall may bring me much pain. I fear also that because I've done nothing about it, I will now never be able to wear closed toe shoes. This does not bode well for winter in the northeast.

4. The wedding we shot this weekend was at a GORGEOUS house in Connecticut that I have been thinking a lot about. I mused to the photographer on Saturday, "If we do a really good job, do you think they would let us have this house?"

5. It's August, and I'm wearing a thick cable knit sweater and drinking Earl Grey tea at my desk.

6. On Sunday morning when we woke up after a late night shoot, while the curtains were still drawn and our room was nearly as dark as a cave, I said to Geoff, "It sounds cloudy outside."

7. Later in the day on Sunday, while making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, he said to me something like, "You look in the fridge and tell me what sounds good to me." Which we also thought was funny.

8. We stayed up way too late last night looking at zillow.com to find the amazing house I fell in love with this weekend. That website is addictive.

9. Now that I've talked about my broken toe, it's starting to hurt more.

10. I mean, that's about all the semi-interesting tidbits I can muster today. It's rainy and I'm sleepy.

xo

The Quest

2010-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

When we were dating, Geoff took stock of my still very poor college student bedroom furniture (dresser from my highschool bedroom, my dad's old tool storage bookshelf turned on its side and draped with a sheet as a "vanity", wobbly circular bedside table also draped with a sheet with glass on top - and pictures under the glass, of course) and encouraged me to upgrade a bit. Why was I so into draping things in sheets? Come to think of it, I'm almost positive there were storage boxes draped in a blanket in there too. What was I thinking?

Well I saved up and bought a matching desk, nightstand and dresser (which looks like this, you may remember. And felt like such the grown up. Granted I bought it from good ole Bob's Discount Furniture (since we know how cheap/thrifty I am), but it's still in good shape. Geoff even encouraged me to get the matching blanket chest. Which I did. It sits in our front hallway below our picture wall and does, in fact, store blankets.

The problem? When we bought the new furniture, I was in a different apartment, using a different bed, which was pushed up against the wall. Thereby, only needing or having room for one nightstand. We're still using this furniture and now need two nightstands. They have since discontinued the line of furniture at good ole Bob's and we've been searching through their damamaged/used/returned items every couple of months for the past three years. We have yet to find one. Poor Geoff is making do, but I would reeeeeeeeeeeeeally like to find something better. Even other stores don't seem to have a similar style/color that would match. I've all but given up. People say I should get something contrasty, like a mirrored nightstand or something.

Like this maybe?

Which I do like the idea of, but my guess is Geoff would want the solid wood one and I'd get the mirrored one on my side. Which I'd like. Except I cannot keep things looking nice and it would be covered in fingerprints in about 5 seconds flat. And stay that way permanently.

Although, I just noticed that Crate and Barrel has this.

It matches! But honestly C&B? $500?? I bought basically this exact thing at good ole Bob's for $199.

Get over yourself.

Very Cool Photos

2010-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Geoff sent me this link to these awesome photos. They are some of the only color photos of the Depression Era in the United States. They were part of an exhibit a few years ago and currently are kept in the Library of Congress.

Worker at carbon black plant. Sunray, Texas, 1942. Photo by Worker at carbon black plant, John Vachon.

M-4 tank crews of the United States. Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 1942. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer

Distributing surplus commodities. St. Johns, Arizona, October 1940. Photo by Russell Lee.

Women workers employed as wipers in the roundhouse having lunch in their rest room, Chicago and Northwest Railway Company. Clinton, Iowa, April 1943. Photo by Jack Delano.

Woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber Tennessee, February 1943. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer.

Hauling crates of peaches from the orchard to the shipping shed. Delta County, Colorado, September 1940. Photo by Russell Lee.

There are a ton more photos, all very cool. Check them out!

The Reality - Day 2

2010-08-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

We started with homemade Sunday brunch. Scrambled eggs with parmesean cheese, rosemary breakfast potatoes and my blueberry oat scones. Iced coffee for me and iced tea with fresh mint for Geoff. He deemed it better than our usual brunch at Quaint (no offense to them), so score one for me.

Then I made some whole wheat pizza dough and left it to rise

We did a bit of work, called a photographer we needed to get in touch with and tied up some loose ends. Then we hopped in the car and headed into the city for a Mini-Adventure at The Highline.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Highline is a park that has been built on an elvated train track on the West Side (currently between 14th & 23rd Streets - though that's only phase 1 of 3 - it will eventually extend to 34th Street). Starting in the mid 1800s, freight trains ran on street level delivering milk, meat, produce and a variety of other products. There were so many accidents with street traffic that 10th Avenue became known as Death Avenue. So they built an elevated train that could make deliveries to second story loading docks and kept the freight trains off the streets. The last train ran on the Highline in the 1980s and when it was in danger of being torn down in the late '90s, community activists lobbied to preserve it and it ended up being turned into a really really cool park space that pays tribute to its history. (Speaking of the history, you can read more about it on here....it's pretty cool.)

(cool bridge between buildings)

There are all these cool sections...like this viewing box, where people can just sit and watch the world go by on the street below.

At one point you walk under this cool steel bridge that's holding up a building (I think) and has these amazing windows...

There are cool different kinds of sitting areas, including these lounge chairs that actually are built on the tracks and are locked in place, even though they are on wheels.

The landscaping is fantastic....again, paying tribute to keeping it as natural as possible, it was created to mimic the things that were growing there naturally when they started the project.

And it is SUPER popular and crowded on a Sunday, FYI. Best to go on a weekday. But when it's a family like this, I don't mind...

We left the Highline when I got too hot and had a mini-meltdown. We all know that I shouldn't be allowed to get hot, hungry or tired, so we had to abort mission and take me home. I felt much better once I was home, away from crowds and in the AC, and also once I started making pizza for dinner.

It was really REALLY good. Pizza, wine and a few episodes of Pillars of the Earth was a perfect end to my super fun weekend. *sigh* Who knew weekends could be so fun?

The Reality

2010-08-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I did pretty well with my list, all things considered. I did not manage to get a pedicure, write a letter, go on a bike ride, make cheddar dill biscuits, rosemary flatbread or the peach blueberry cobbler. Why did I want to bake so many things? It's summer. That was a crazy idea.

The Zumba teacher didn't show on Saturday, so they offered a pilates class that I took instead. Ran home and swung by the farmer's market where I immediately wanted to buy everything.

Including this woman's bag.

You know those peaches that have been in season lately that look like butts? Well, I learned they have an actual (classier) name.

Loved this little one

Glad to see she was starting her wine tasting early. A girl after my own heart.

What I accidentally came home with from the Farmer's Market...

Then I headed to Brooklyn to see Alison

And I made my first trip to the Brooklyn Flea, where they sell nearly everything cool.

Like these...

I really wanted to buy these. But I already have way too many glasses & cups and no room for them, so I restrained myself.

No idea what these are made out of. But they are fun.

Old school truck - Love it

Absolutely

Very Cool

I really wanted a pair of these.

A whole stand with a woman who does Art on Post-its. Very cool. People think of such interesting things...

All kinds of jewlery (cuff links, rings, earrings, pendants made from scrabble letters, typewriter keys and all kinds of other cool things). Again, with the thinking of interesting things...

This guy was selling sourdough toasted & brushed with olive oil then sprinkled with salt and pepper. Since it after 3pm and I hadn't eaten since my maple oatmeal muffin at 9am, I bought one for $1. Yum.

Then Alison and I got a very very late lunch (can you still call it lunch at 430pm?) and encountered these munchkins, who were embracing what summer is all about.

Then Alison and I played HGTV and rearranged the furniture in her living room before I headed home. Once there I made Whole Wheat Blueberry Oat Scones, boiled potatoes for tomorrow's brunch and edited some photos for one of Geoff's clients. And watched Design Star.

All in all....a very FULL and very FUN day off. And I haven't even told you about Sunday yet!

The Dream

2010-08-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have the whole day off. Just sent Geoff out the door for a wedding shoot. He graciously encouraged me to stay behind and have a day to myself. It's amazing how much I want to do today, just because I can. In fact, In my head I have filled this entire weekend with amazing and fantastic fun things to do. I figured I'd better write some of it down, partially as a record and partially to laugh at myself on Sunday night when I see I could really only squeeze half of it into 48 hours.

To Do:
-Make Maple Oatmeal Muffins for breakfast for the week
-Try a Zumba class at the gym
-Go to Brooklyn Flea with Alison
-Make Geoff breakfast and snacks for his shoot on Saturday
-Get pedicure
-Take pictures
-Make homemade whole wheat pizza dough (for pizza on Sunday night)
-Double pizza dough recipe and make Rosemary Flatbread with the other half
-Make oatmeal blueberry scones for brunch tomorrow
-Use CSA potatoes to make homemade hash browns for brunch tomorrow
-Use up the zillions of CSA peaches in the fridge by making this Nectarine Blueberry Cobbler from SweetFineDay. Except with peaches, obviously.
-Go on bike ride
-Edit photos of event Geoff shot
-Make something with CSA kale & zuchini before they go bad (not necessarily in same recipe)
-Write someone a letter with the cool Katharine Hepburn stamps Geoff's mom sent me
-Make Cheddar Dill biscuits to have for the week
-Replant cilantro (as it is dying)
-Make iced coffee
-Make batch of iced tea for Geoff for the week
-Pick up more white wine
-Go on a fun adventure with Geoff tomorrow (bike into the city, go to the Highline....SOMETHING)
-Blog pictures of this amazing weekend I'm making up

Things I have already accomplished from this list:
-Maple oatmeal muffins (I only ever use whole wheat flour now, no matter what the recipe says - works pretty well in this one)
-Got Geoff out the door with healthy breakfast and snacks for his shoot
-Made iced coffee
-Am about to go change and head to the gym for my Zumba class!

We'll see how much more of my dream weekend actually becomes a reality....

Happy Saturday!

Scenes From my Lunch Break....

2010-08-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

...or, "Things I Managed to Take a Picture of on My iPhone While I Ran to the Bank and Grabbed a Quick Sandwich to Bring Back and Eat at My Desk".

The Barn Girls Take DC

2010-08-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

It was all over far too quickly. This past weekend I skipped out on shooting weddings and headed to Northern Virginia for a girls weekend with the 8 ladies I lived with in college. I'm amazed every time I see them at how much we as a collective unit have dealt with. Good and bad. And as always, its good to feel known, supported, encouraged and loved for exactly right where you are. Not always perfectly so, but we don't strive for perfection, we strive for genuine relationships.

We're all quite different...in personality, in faith, in politics, in opinions, but I think it's safe to say we all take comfort, refuge and encourgement from being around people who want to really know you and who do their very best to listen, love and ask questions that help you to grow. I know I for one was HUNGRY for this weekend. I needed it. I needed to get out of the city. I needed a weekend with more than 1 day off. I needed time with girlfriends. I needed to be with people who have known me for almost half my life.

We spent a lot of time here:

Doing a lot of this:

And as I looked back through my pictures, we also spent a lot of time listening. Which I love. I love that I have so many photos of us listening to each other...

There were wonderful breakfasts, amazing margaritas, a zillion kinds of desserts, and a fantastic dinner out at a local restaurant featuring a tomato & feta salad that I will dream of for possibly the rest of my life. For serious.

There was this gorgeous butterfly who was digging hanging out with us in the backyard.

There were lemon & sugar facials on Sunday morning that were super simple and pretty stinkin' impressive. And came complete with a crazy instruction video.

And there was not nearly enough time with this guy.

Ali's youngest, Ryan, who is about 4 months old and possibly the most perfect angel child there ever was. He never cried once the whole weekend. And he makes the most amazing faces.

He even got in on the Listening...

And he's such a cuddler

I love these friends

Kate, Mary, Michelle, Courtney, Christy, Kathy, Becca & Ali

And yes, you are not mistaken, that is an Actual Barn near Courtney's house that we were able to take a picture next to. Come on...how perfect is that?

Girls, I miss you already. You can find more pictures (and an extensive photo shoot of Ryan) here. I'm already thinking about the next reunion. I'm thinking late summer 2011 at Cape Cod....who's in?

What You've Missed in July

2010-07-29T11:39:00.001-07:00

Clearly, by my absence here, it's been quite the month.

Work = busybusybusybusybusy. Basically the entire month has been like my previous post. Many nights at the office until 10pm. I don't even have time to read other blogs, let alone write my own.

Many weddings have been shot. Last weekend's was at this awesome vineyard in CT, almost on the Rhode Island border called Salt Water Farm Vineyard. It used to be a WWI (or WWII, I can't remember) airport and airplane hanger that they have restored and converted into winery and amazing event space. I bought some of their wine on the spot. I dig it. Everyone should go. Except don't go when it's humid, as the mosquitoes will actually eat you alive. I still have welts.

We had to rebuild the engine in our car, (not ourselves, thankfully). But quite sad to see thousands of dollars disappear.

And tomorrow I head to this year's Barn House reunion. We're in DC this year. I'm excited to see those girls!

And that has basically been July. Hope yours has been less hectic. And frankly, I hope my August will be better. Fingers crossed....

The State of Things....

2010-07-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

The weather this week has made me want to be like this....

And work has been like this...

Which is why, in a few short hours, I hope to be having one (or several) of these...

Organic Farming Week 4: What I've made so far

2010-06-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Week 4: Blueberries, Rasberries, Onions, Carrots, Dill, Swiss Chard (not pictured), some sort of ginormous singular green leaves the size of a tennis raquet (also not pictured) and what has been determined after much research to be fennel (bottom left).

Here's what I've made so far:

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.....Yes that sangria came premade out of a bottle and yes I chopped up my own fruit to put in it (apples and oranges only) and yes I know that there were no CSA:Week 4 items in there. But I did "make" it. Sort of. And man, was it good.

OK, back on point. Dill:

Orzo Salad with tomato, dill and feta

And....

Berries with homemade whipped cream...

Tonight, I will attempt to use the swiss chard in a new recipe. If I get home at a decent hour. And if it's not too hot. And if Geoff lets me cook.

UPDATE:
It was not too hot. So I cooked. I took this...

And made this. Whole wheat pasta with swiss chard & bacon. Yum!

My Very First Boy BFF

2010-06-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

When I was in kindergarten, I had two BFFs. Stacy and JD. Stacy lived... next door? A few doors down? We played all the time and I particularly remember being at a sleepover at her house and jumping on the bed late at night until her mom came in to quiet us down. JD lived down the hill and I have memories of jumping on the brown leather couch in his basement. Lots of jumping on furniture in my early years, it seems.

We all lived at West Point, where most military families stay for 2-3 years and then move on. After kindergarten, we moved away, but came back for another few years when I was in 4th grade. Stacy and her family were gone (don't worry, we've since found each other on Facebook and her mom is now a wonderfully supportive reader of this blog!) But JD's family was still there and he was in my 4th grade class. We were back to being BFF again. Now, he was clearly my boy BFF, because at this point I was probably struggling mightily to have as many girl BFFs as possible. In fact, we were such good friends that all our other friends were pressuring us to "go out". It all came to a head one summer afternoon between 4th and 5th grade at Delafield Pond when JD and I finally discussed "dating". We decided (at age 10) that we really valued our friendship and didn't want to do anything that would ruin that. So we decided not to "go out". Incredibly mature of us. Or maybe just an easy way out of not hurting each other's feelings since we liked each other, but didn't like-like each other.

So we continued to be friends. We were in chorus together. And hand bell choir (yes, hand bell choir. We even went to some regional competitions, thank you very much). And we were in all the "advanced" classes. I have such memories of him getting a case of the giggles during our "Sustained Silent Reading" period and almost getting in BIG trouble with Mrs Pauley, our 8th grade homeroom teacher. And we sat across from each other in Earth Science (? - or some such science class), at a lab table RIGHT under our teacher's nose and still managed to pass notes to each other. And sometimes we got away with it. I remember we found it so funny that Mr Boucher pronounced "washer" with an "R" in it - "waRsher". And laughing hysterically about a local radio station called WSUD - "Music from the Terrace" and we kept saying, "What the heck are they talking about? What TERRACE?!" Oh, we thought we were sooooo smart. And soooooo funny. And retrospectively, I know that he was a really good friend because in 9th grade, when we hit high school, he told me I was changing. Which was true. As most girls do when they enter high school and start getting attention from senior guys, I became a bit of an idiot. And he called me on it. See? Good friend.

We moved to Virginia after 9th grade, but JD and I kept in touch sporadically. We tracked each other down shortly after I moved to NYC and had lunch one day when he was in town. He's continued to pursue music, has his masters in conducting and has been working in the city for the past...almost a year now as a choral music editor. Which I just know takes a ton of crazy music smarts. It sounds intimidating, and I was a music major myself. He owns a house in New Jersey, like a grown-up. He has a ginormous Wiemaraner named Cooper. He is taking his youth choir on a 10 day tour of Europe next week. And yesterday, we met for a super quick lunch at Chipotle, since we've discovered our offices are only 4 blocks away. My office was madness as usual, but I snuck away anyway. And I'm so glad I did. We caught up on the last 6-7 years and marvelled at how we could possibly be 15 years out of highschool. WHAT?!

Ma - here's a picture as promised. And yes, that is a copier behind us as this was a iPhone self-portrait on the corner of 37th Street right in front of a Kinkos.

Here's to friends who have known you since you were 5.

A Weekend at the Cape

2010-06-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

After our liaison with Chowder, we headed directly to the house. And what should await us on our porch, but this...

A gift from mom. We are still growing the basil we gave as favors at our wedding two years ago, but those are not nearly as hearty looking as this guy. Hurrah! Since our wedding plants are practically senior citizens in the plant world, I suppose we could use a replenishment. But I will still attempt to grow our wedding basil until it shrivels up into a dry brittle twig, no matter how good this young whippersnapper looks. "Death do us part" and all....

We settled in on the deck and did a bit of work, I have to admit. Last minute planning for the shoot the next day and some other planning and answering emails for future shoots. Have to say, I didn't mind working in that environment. Certainly didn't mind chopping some tomatoes for a special green bean salad Mom was making with this as my view...

We had salmon on the grill and green bean salad and headed to bed pretty early. We had attempted to make it to the Cape late the night before, but after some hateful construction traffic on I-95 near New Haven, we couldn't make it to even Rhode Island before 2:30am. So we crashed at a cheap hotel which had an excessive amount of Betty Boop decor, a horrific tempurpedic bed and only a slight resemblance to something you might see in a horror flick, and continued our drive Friday morning. So all of that, plus a wedding to shoot the next day meant we were pretty ready to crash.

Saturday dawned and was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect Cape weather and perfect weather for a wedding. It was great to see my friend Anne again. It had been....gosh...6 years since I'd seen her, but it seemed like last week. And She. Looked. Gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. No pictures of that, sadly, but there will eventually be a great video we'll be sure to post here.

Sunday dawned a little humid and overcast, but we had a lovely time anyway. Clay and Kristyn came down as well and it was great to see them. Mom and I did some gardening, which was super fun. I'm discovering I really like it. We did some weeding and got rid of some overgrown ivy and made room for these guys again. Frick and Frack, who have sat on this rock in this portion of the patio for as long as I can remember.

We played the same frisbee/horseshoes game as we did last year at Clay's birthday. Clay & I vs. Geoff & Kristyn. And even though I am absolutely horrendous at frisbee (something about the wrist thing I just can't master), I did manage to get the winning point, so maybe there's hope for me yet.

Then I spent a little time with my old friend, the outdoor shower. If you've never had one, you don't know what you're missing. And after that it was time for gin & tonics. I don't usually like gin, but holy moses were these refreshing and wonderful.

While Mom whipped up some cilantro lime grilled shrimp...

And Hayley chilled on her special portion of the couch...

I mostly wandered around taking pictures of hydrangeas....

We had gorgonzola burgers and special Boston Creme Pie Cupcakes for dessert. Since we were celebrating Father's Day and Dad's birthday and Boston Creme Pie is his favorite, Mom outdid herself with this Martha Stewart recipe. A-MAZ-ING. Wish I had a picture.

We stayed over til Monday, which was H-O-T with not a ton of breeze. Had some great talks with Mom and Dad about life and the future and all was really good, even though it included a minor emotional breakdown about the state of my life. But in a way that helps me move forward, so all was good in the end.

Hayley did some swimming...

And we spent our last moments on the deck with a corona and some chips and salsa and good conversation. It was healing to my soul in a number of ways. Here's hoping that some day we can spend more than two days on either side of a shoot in this amazing restorative place....

Chow-Dah

2010-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is my new love. His name is Chowder. He belongs to my mom's hairdresser in Chatham and was the first thing to greet me as we rolled into the Cape on Friday. Well, technically Mom was the first thing to greet me. At the salon as she waited for her color to set. And also cause she made me come see her first. And rightly so. But then I headed straight for this guy.

He's a lover...

AND a fighter (not really...he just looks like one here)

What a great way to kick off the weekend. I miss him already....

Oasis

2010-06-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

We're going here this weeeknd. Tonight, in fact. After I get home from the theatre.

Thank God.

Technically we'll be there shooting my friend Anne's wedding, but we've managed to turn it into a mini family trip, since I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. So we'll be able to have father's day with my dad.

Yay.

And yay for the peace and quiet, even for just a day or so.

I'm sighing just thinking about it....

17% More

2010-06-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

The flowers that awaited me when I got home last night.

And a reprise of this card to go with it...

Don't know why the "17% more" struck me as so funny, but we laughed about it all night. I feel it will become a running joke.

And we didn't make it out to dinner. I was too tired/defeated by a shopping attempt that went horribly wrong. And Geoff had a killer day too. So that = Thai food, a bottle of wine and the Real Housewives of NYC Reunion - Parts 1 & 2 (don't judge). It was lovely.

And to be entered into the log as Reason #127 Why I Love My Husband, I give you an excerpt from our text conversation last night after an incredibly frustrating attempt to find a dress to wear to my friend Anne's wedding this weekend.

(WARNING: This may be offensive to those who aren't fans of strong language - even when used for good and not for evil, or those who puke easily at lovey-dovey stuff)

ME: I'm fat and ugly and so over shopping.
G: Noooooooo!! That's my gorgeous wife you're talking about!!!!! Themselves fighting words!!
ME: Wandered into DKNY. Which was a mistake as everyone is thin and fashionable.
G: Oh f*@% those skinny drugged up flat as a pancake chicks!!** Give me a sweet, sassy, curly haired curvy WOMAN!!!!

Um. I heart him.

And now I promise to put a moratorium on mushiness for a significant period of time.

**DISCLAIMER: Obviously no offense is meant to women who are thin and fashionable. We don't actually hate you. We are sure you are lovely people. The writers of this blog hope that the above re-creation of a text conversation was received in the spirit in which it was meant: as an encouragement to those women who are neither thin, nor fashionable and have just spent two hours looking horrible in absolutely every dress she tried on.

Year Two

2010-06-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

We both forgot it was our anniversary today.

Which I suppose is better than one of us forgetting and the other feeling sad. And it's also pretty typical of life right now. Busy. Distracted. Stresed. Thinking of 10 thousand other things.We talked last week about how it was our anniversary and can you believe it's been two years, but then this morning, it took my mom wishing me Happy Anniversary on the morning subway phone call and my friend Marisa texting both of us for us to remember.

So. I'm really on top of things. As usual.

No fun adventures planned today, not like last year where we discovered our dream home. We'll be lucky to make it to dinner together. And if we do, I'm thinking this authentic Italian place in Long Island City....you know, to keep with the whole Italy = love theme.

Even amid all the hustle and the bustle and the forgetting of anniversaries...life is good. We are good. The "us" part of life is quite lovely. And I am grateful for it.

Now back to the madness....

Like Real New Yorkers

2010-06-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

We were kind of like real New Yorkers on Wednesday night. Our friend Greg King had made a documentary with his friend David Teague and it was screening at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in Williamsburg. So, like real cultured people who aren't tied with a ball and chain to their respective jobs, we went.

It. Was. Awesome.

1) The film was great. BEAUTIFULLY shot. Which is no surprise. Because when Greg has shot for us in the past, his stuff is always gorgeous. So much so that when we talk about needing to get some really pretty, beautifully composed shots, we actually call them "Greg Shots". That's our shorthand. And when we told him that, he claims that half the shots in the film we thought were "Greg Shots", were actually "David Shots". So....a talented pair of guys, basically.

The film is called Our House.
I think the tagline on their website sums it up pretty well:

Our House
Illegal squatters. Anarchist radicals. Devout Christians.

Here's a trailer... It's an older version of the trailer (because it's all I could find online to embed here).

'Our House' movie trailer from Greg King on Vimeo.

2. We spent the evening in Brooklyn. Which, as a borough, I love more and more every time I'm there. Even though I don't quite fit in entirely. I don't wear flannel shirts and leggings. I'm not incredibly alternative or indie. I don't know all the cool bands. My world is a little more Ann Taylor Loft than Beacon's Closet or American Apparel. But I sure do dig Brooklyn. And there I was - on a Wednesday night, just hanging out at a film festival, going for beers afterwards (you know I'm more of a wine person) and even wearing my glasses, all Brooklyn-like. It was pretty rad. And I loved it.

3. It was great to see some friends I don't hang out with all that often and feel enough like a normal person, who might just, oh, go to Brooklyn on a Wednesday for a film festival and then, oh, I don't know - go to an AWESOME Beer Garden (which looks like it should be a tavern in a Lord of the Rings movie) a few blocks away and hang out with Greg & David and our friend Joanna until 1230am. And talk about film. And life. And relationships. And meet Greg's awesome girlfriend, Ashley. It was a nice change from my life of schlepping to every play in town before it closes.

Here is the world's darkest iPhone picture of my new favorite Lord of the Rings Beer Garden.

I like to be a real person sometimes. And step a little outside myself.

Monday Night Dinner

2010-06-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Monday nights are sometimes the only time Geoff and I see each other during the week, what with me at the theatre most evenings. Sometimes we turn it into a "business meeting" where we discuss all kinds of thoughts and concerns and ideas about Geoff's business. And it just so happens that Monday night is "All You Can Eat Mussels & Fries" Night at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.

So that's where we went last night. And sat on the patio. And the weather was actually from heaven. Like, I think that's what the weather will be like in heaven.

And the restaurant had their herb garden growing right out on the patio, directly next to our table. Loved it.

Also loved the string of lights running around the patio and the ivy that climbs up the wall of the apartment building behind it.

Some snapshots of our view from the patio over margaritas (for me) and $3 beers (for him). In case you were curious, this is absolutely the way to spend a Monday night in the summer.

My First Pie

2010-06-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Remember that red celery? Well I mixed it with the above and attempted to make my first pie last night. A Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with an oatmeal crumble topping. Ok, so technically I don't actually own a pie dish. So mostly I made it in one of those disposable 8x8 square tins that you buy at the grocery store for 99cents. So it looked more like a cobbler when I was done. But it was technically a pie recipe. (You can find it here)

The filling (strawberries, rhubarb, organic sugar & vanilla and an egg)

The final product.

It was really good. I was kinda surprised (and proud of myself, truth be told). I've never made a pie OR a cobbler before. And I even used wheat flour instead of regular. Next time I'll probably cut down the butter in the crumble topping a hair. It'll still be yum.

Yay for me and my Betty Crocker-ness. Who knew?

Organic Farming - Week 1: Red Celery?

2010-06-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

We picked up our first batch of organic fruit & vegetables yesterday. We are splitting a veggie share with our neighbors and have a fruit share all to ourselves. I knew there would be some things delivered that I wouldn't know what to do with, and boy did they start us off with a bang!

OK: strawberries, radishes, Boston Lettuce, Arugula, Romaine - those I could identify. I was pretty confident that those white things with leafy stems were turnips. And while I initially thought I was looking at red celery (?!), a quick internet search confirmed the suspicion that it was rhubarb. Surprisingly, the thing that took the longest to identify was a leafy green that was a little red/purple at the stem. Figured it was some kind of lettuce, but when I mentioned the red stem to Mom over the phone, she thought it might be Swiss Chard. Turns out it's just plain ole spinach.

I feel this will be a very educational experience for me.

I think I may attempt some sort of Strawberry Rhubarb something-or-other on Sunday. And I will definitely be making a ton of salad dressing to go with all those greens.

Now, what on earth do you do with a turnip?

Quote of the Day

2010-06-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves."

-Rilke

Mom found this quote and read it to me this morning. I like it. It makes me take a deep breath and release a little of the tension from my shoulders. And knowing what a few of my friends are going through, I thought others might feel the same.

Happy Thursday!

When The Boss is Away...

2010-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

...the staff will bring dogs to the office for the day.

This is Daphne. Stephen, my co-worker, was dog-sitting her for the weekend and her owner hadn't picked her back up yet, so he brought her in on Tuesday. Corgies aren't even on my Top Ten Favorite Breeds list, but she was pretty durn sweet when she curled up under my desk. It's amazing what having a dog around does for morale. We should do this more often.

On the Other Side

2010-05-31T12:54:00.001-07:00

We made it.
We lived.
Some parts even went well.

My feet were really angry at me last night. And oddly, my calves were in knots this morning. No idea why.

But we survived. 4 hours of sleep between Saturday and Sunday and it didn't end until 3am last night/(this morning). But we're on the other side of it now. And we're grateful. And just trying to have today be a slow day.

Some gorgeous settings and moving vows and emotional grooms were the highlights for me. And the horse was pretty cool too. I think everyone should try to attend an Indian wedding at some point in their lives. Gorgeous.

*sigh* I think we're going to head to the wine bar on the corner to enjoy our Memorial Day before next week hits us. And have some of this.

Vaya Con Dios

2010-05-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

5 wedding shoots in the next 2 days
2.5 we are shooting ourselves
5 couples
6 shooters
2 audio technicians
3 rides to arrange
6 officiants
8 locations
10 cameras
zillions of batteries
6 bags of gear
4 wedding planners
109 planning related emails (this week)
4-8 revisions on each of the 5 shoot timelines
1 day of possible thunderstorms
3 outdoor ceremonies
857 guests
94.5 hours worked between the 8 of us
1 horse (I am not kidding)

For those of you who are the praying kind....we wouldn't mind a couple thrown in our direction that we make it to Monday in one piece.

Better Late Than Never

2010-05-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

My birthday was over 2 weeks ago. And I'm just getting around to posting the pictures. If that tells you anything about life these days. It was one of those magical evenings.....perfect weather, rooftop dining and a group of friends that comes from different walks and stages of my life, but who fit together seamlessly. There's not much better than that.

There was Classic Clay & Alison. Naturally.

For your Consideration in the "My Friends Are Pretty" Category

The Many Faces of Kory

A good time was had by all

Virtually everyone ended up in Kory's glasses at some point

I have no idea how we ended up with no pictures of The O'Gradys. They were only sitting next to me all night! Also not pictured - the lovely Marisa who had to dash out early to rehearsal. And Amanda, who had to dash home to a 4 month old who was really missing her. There's some pretty funny video too....I'll probably manage to get that up in another two weeks.

I love and am SO grateful for my friends.

Down with Wednesdays

2010-05-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

I’m not having it. Work makes me want to hide under my desk and never come out today. This job has absolutely made me dyslexic. My job + Geoff’s crazy season = minor melt down for both of us. I definitely almost cried when they didn't have my prescription at the pharmacy today. If that tells you anything.

And now I feel I’m potentially on the verge of splitting personalities.

I don’t like today.