27th birthday fun

I have to admit that my 27th birthday was one of the best ones that I've had in a LONG time! We started off a day early and headed down to Aptos and stayed at the Beach house with my dad and stepmom. Basically did all of my favorite Santa Cruz things - went to Bookshop SC, Streetlight Records, and Mobo sushi. Yum! After a few walks on the beach with Duke (the dog), we had dinner and a few of my SC friends stopped by. As the night progressed we had a fire, drank more beers, and walked over to the Mediteranean to have more birthday drinks, play pool, and play tunes from the great juke box. It was a great way to start out the day!

Saturday was a day of preparing for my party - we eventually made it home to Alameda and I finished off the preparations for the party. We had a great BBQ early in the night, complete with polish dogs cooked on the little webber grill. Paul let Cadence eat grass while Marie wasn't looking.

People started coming over around 8pm - about 25 people showed up to wish me a happy birthday and drink birthday mojitos (my favorite!) I had such a great time (as you can tell by the pictures) and was so happy to share the day with friends and family.

It's my party...

...and I'll cry if I want to!



Yup Yup, the countdown is ON - only 2 days til I turn 27! I'm planning a big birthday bash at my house Saturday night. If you're in the area, come on over!

Babies and the beach

If you live in California, there's no doubt that you spent yesterday outside basking in the sun! Marie, Cadence and I took advantage of the hot, sunny weather and headed west to Stinson Beach. I couldn't believe how many people were there, and how hot it was! We met up with some of Marie's friends (I was the only one sans baby) and played in the ocean, drank beers, and soaked up the sun. Yes, I do admit that I may have soaked up too much sun (nothing aloe vera gel can't make better!) Of course I was the resident photographer and was able to capture the many times Cadence ate sand (much to Marie's dismay)

Spring Camping

What a weekend we had! For the 2nd annual spring camping trip (this year held at Samuel P. Taylor State Park north of Marin) there were 16 adults, 1 baby girl, and lots of good times. We lucked out and moved to our very own group camping site, where we could be as loud and silly as we wanted to be! Friday night was a Mexican theme - tacos, cervesas, and LOTS of tequila. Saturday we basked in the sun on a random hill, played cards, attempted 2 different crossword puzzles, and hiked (almost to the top) of Mt. Barnabe. The wind was howling the whole weekend, which made it a little difficult to hike (and to keep warm...we spent most of the nights huddled around the fire!) There was only 1 serious raccoon accident (he came in the middle of the night, ate 6 eggs, a loaf of bread, and a whole bag of marshmellows!) Check out the slide show for some great pics!

Happy Earth Day!

Hope you all do something for the earth today! And check out Google's earth day image - I kinda like it!

Why I love cats...

...must...watch....NOW!

What I made...

My first apron - didn't follow any pattern, but did have a little help from an old ARTA apron I found around the house.

Hoot hoot! (round 2)

These little guys are on their way to Portland, OR (arriving a little late for Malcolm's birthday, but that's okay!)

update: Malcolm loves his little owls :)



you can see the ones I made Cadence here

Hangin' with Cadence

This weekend I had the chance to hang out with Cadence while Marie did some studying. It's great being an "almost auntie"...we took advantage of the beautiful day and went on a walk to downtown Alameda and did a little bit of my favorite activity - shopping! I just have the best memories of being with my favorite aunts and having so much fun with them (probably because they spoiled me!) Anyway she's growing up so fast and her uncle Paul can't wait to come home and watch her grow...

Finger puppets

Go to this website and download your very own Obama, Hillary or McCain finger puppet. I found this link from one of my favorite blogs. They have been a hit at the NWP office!

Washington DC trip

I've finally been able to post a few pics from my recent trip to DC. I had a FABULOUS time! The cherry blossoms were out everywhere, and were just a gorgeous addition to the beautiful old buildings. I was there for NWP's Spring Meeting, and it was a great event. Teachers from across the country came to talk with their legislators. It was amazing to hear their stories and to see how excited they were to have told their story to their representatives. Democracy is great!

Anyway, you know that I don't go anywhere without having a great time. I was able to go to many of the museums around town - from the National Portrait Gallery to the Museum of Art, to a few of the Smithsonians and the National Botanical Garden.


Highlights of the trip include:
- Seeing Stephen Colbert's portrait on exhibit (the one above his mantle on the show!)
- An Obata Yosemite exhibit (A Japanese artist that did beautiful watercolors of Yosemite)
- The Budweiser Clydesdale horses on display for the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition
- Going to Anthony Bourdain's restaurant "Les Halles"
- Orchids at the botanical garden
- Having dinner and catching up with a friend from grad school


All in all, it was a great time meeting new teachers, hanging out with cool co-workers, and enjoying the nation's capital. I never realized how cool of a city DC is!

Any thoughts....

...on the protests going on around the world against China and their hosting the Olympics?


This is a pic from a protest today in San Francisco. There was a mini-protest in Berkeley last week. I think it's great that people all over the world are protesting this. I mean, really, killing Monks? They are the most peaceful, nonviolent people in the world. It's interesting though, to see how people in other countries protest. In France, this guy full on grabbed the torch out of a runners hand. In SF, protesters took a different approach and hung signs off of the Golden Gate.

I'm back!

Just a short note to tell the blogging world that I'm back in Alameda (well, the NWP Berkeley office) after a WONDERFUL work/vacation trip to DC. Pics and stories will be up soon!

DC here I come!

So by this time tomorrow I'll be on a plane to DC! This Thursday and Friday is NWP's Spring Meeting, where teachers from all across the country visit their legislators and senators in the nations capital. I get to go just to experience the whole event and help out in whatever way I can. I have a meeting on Saturday, but other than that, I plan on touring around the city and checking out the cherry blossoms that are in bloom!(This isn't my first trip to DC - I went with my grandparents in 6th grade, but I'm sure I'll be having a different experience now that I'm 27). I'm also meeting up with an old friend from grad school, so that should be fun too. If you'd like a postcard, let me know!

Spring flowers

From my recent Groveland trip. Wish I could grow these in my urban "garden"!

Trip to Groveland

Jenny and I had a fantastic trip to Groveland this weekend - we started off by laying out on the grass in the hot sun (my first tan of spring!) and eventually had a BBQ. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and it was so nice to sit on the porch til dark and talk and eat and drink with the family. The next day we went over to my dad and Tish's house for Easter brunch - again spent the day in the sun, drinking champagne and playing with Duke (their dog). The zoo at my mom's house is still there! (see the dogs in the pic below.) Yeah for spring!

Groveland on Dwellable

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! (a day late, I know!) Hope you had a great one looking for eggs...


Decorative eggs

The Easter Bunny came to visit Jenny Cole and I in Groveland!

Time to sew!

I've been finding the CUTEST patterns online that are inspiring me to use my sewing machine more often. Aren't they great?? Guess you know what I'd like for my upcoming birthday :)

Yummy Treats

Mmmm...my favorite salad made for a dinner at home

Happy Birthday Marie and Jean!

And new additions to the kitchen!

Spring Camping

I'm currently in the planning stages of my 2nd annual spring camping trip. Last year the trip coincided with my 26th birthday and was held at Big Basin State Park in the mountains north of Santa Cruz. The trip was epic - a pinata filled with mini bottles of booze, a huge campfire, lots of burgers...and beer! While our intentions were to hike around, we did nothing of the sort. We just hung out all day. This year I'm moving the trip to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, just north of San Francisco. I'm determined that we will at least do some sort of hike this year! The park is supposed to be incredible, with lots of history and beautiful views. Let the planning begin!