I am a bad granddaughter this year. I cannot for the life of me seem to be on time for family birthdays! But better late than never, right?
In honor of Sharon, the ideal Gram (trust me you wish she was YOUR grandma!), I present what she loves most–pictures!
Laura Hanging in Camp at Zion
Dad Says “Cheers!” to You
The Girls and I Celebrating My Birthday on the Russian River
Deborah and I at the Film Fest Kick-Off Party
Happy Birthday Sharon! I hope it was a fabulous day!
Yesterday was mom-in-law’s 59th birthday and the official beginning of my 2-week birthday celebration. In search of adding flexibility and centeredness to the next year of my life, I began the day with a 1.5 hour yoga class where I “hung-out” upside down on the yoga wall. Talk about a rush of blood to the head! It was the most enjoyable part of my day.
Until I got to dinner.
We dined at the new Seabright eatery La Posta. Bistro style Italian food, top notch wine, and a “flight” of salami. Now *that’s* a rush to the head! We also revealed the birthday gift I’ve been working on for Mrs. 59, www.whistlingdragonfly.com. Sadly, La Posta is not one of my company’s WiFi hotspots, so the surprise was somewhat muted. But hopefully the Web site will be enjoyed for many years to come (just like this one).
The birthday continues as I pack up for a trip to Washington this weekend to visit my dear friend Audra. Let the celebrations continue!
My family does birthdays in clumps. My birth-family’s batch falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas (Uncle, Mom, Step-Mom, Dad and Sister), something I cried and whined about for years, since my March birthday required me to wait an extra 3 months. It seemed unfair to a little girl to watch everyone else peel brightly colored bows off presents and lick frosting off decadent cakes over and over while I sat waiting impatiently.
When I got married, I knew I’d find the right in-laws: their birthdays bunched around mine. Now from February to March we celebrate Hubby, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, and then me. Of course this means I am presently in the middle of my “birthday month” even though the actual date is still a few weeks away.
In the hope of making everyone’s lives a little easier, I’m putting together my birthday wish list (or birthday registry you could say). Here it goes:
Wish List Item #1: Gift Certificate to Sockshop Santa Cruz - Brown leather boots are calling my name!, 1515 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-469-2101, http://www.sockshopandshoeco.com
Wish List Item #2: Gift Certificate to Azhar Hair Design (Karen Carlsen) - We bought our house and luxuries like highlights disappeared. Help banish my mousy brown hair! , 507 Cedar St., Santa Cruz, 831-426-6334
Wish List Item #3: Gift Certificate to Farmacy - A girl could go crazy in this place, from facials to face wash, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-426-FARM, http://www.shopfarmacy.com/
Wish List Item #4: Gift Certificate to Spoiled Rotten Day Spa - Okay, okay, I obviously want to be pampered. But I don’t treat myself to such decadence so a birthday seems appropriate, 9039 Soquel Dr., Aptos, 831-688-7714, http://www.spoiledrottenspa.com/
This is nothing more than a wish list. Even a card or birthday phone call will satisfy me. But one day a year we are entitled to celebrate ourselves, so why not enjoy?
A feast for the belly, the eyes and the spirit was the order for my holiday weekend.
Thanksgiving was darn near perfect. I woke up late doing my final house tidying in my PJs and made the final “turkey arrangements” with Dad. We spent the rest of the day slowly filling the house with amazing aromas as the the bacon-covered turkey turned gold and my dad stirred his “world famous” (or at least soon to be) artichoke green chile soup.
Friends and family began to arrive at 3pm and the rest of the evening was rich with laughter, wine (leading to more laughter) and glorious quantities of food. If you think you had a lot to eat on thanksgiving imagine this: 5 pies, 10 people (we could each eat half!). They were: pumpkin, coconut cream, apple pear, pear cranberry, and pecan. It turns out we have some very talented bakers in our sphere! The evening ended with all of the dishes washed (they wouldn’t even let me help) and the senses full.
The feast for our bellies was just the kick-off to our anniversary weekend (has it been 5 years already?!) in Fort Bragg and Mendocino. We ate up the beautiful expanses of ocean and cliffs, imagining what life in a town with a population of 800 must be like (Mendo has more, but we traveled through many smaller coastal towns). To us, that life is a part of the fantasy. It’s where Puffin Ranch could be. Where life would include a craft and homegrown sustenance, and handmade goat cheese would reign superior to blocks of Costco cheddar. But alas that fantasy has a Santa Cruz-sized price tag. So we strolled, we window shopped, and enjoyed slow time together (like slow food–the best).
With our senses full we came home (through a deluge of cleansing rain) and began the first week of year six. What dreams, friends and foods will enrich our next half-decade? I can’t wait to find out.
P.S. Apparently my finger is on the pulse. Sunset Magazine’s December issue included an article on visiting Mendocino. This was their photo (below), taken from nearly the same vantage point as mine (above).
It’s fall. No really, it is! Friday morning hubby and I took Guinness for a walk in Nisene Marks and with each inhale the cold air stung my lungs, fresh and whole. The evenings now fade away in golden-hued sunlight and my deck is covered in leaves from a sudden surge of wind. But what I love about fall most is that it makes me fall in love. With life, the sky, and everything around me. It’s when hubby and I fell in love and got married, it’s when I adopted Guinness and Jasmine, it’s when hot chocolate sounds good again.
Yesterday, I fell in love with something else, Miss Bella, a 9 week old German Shepard/”Something” puppy. We adopted her from the Animal Friends Rescue Project (an organization I’m very supportive of, and the same I adopted sweet Jasmine from). So far she is a delight, but Guinness is a little unsure. I think she’ll win him over in no time. We still have MUCH training to do, but it’s fall and I’m in love.