Missing Geneva

We moved back to California over nine months ago, but I find myself still adjusting to life here in the states. I miss Geneva more than I like to admit and lately it seems to be more than usual. I try to focus on the positive, being thankful for the amazing opportunity we had to live in such a beautiful country for three years and also happy to have been able to return to a great part of the US where so many of our friends and family live. But at the same time it is still very bittersweet for me. I'm really looking forward to June when we head back for a visit, even for a little while.

Jack's Prime

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday and we celebrated with a family dinner at Jack's Prime, a local burger joint. Seven of us squeezed into a booth (plus two high chairs) for a yummy dinner of burgers, sweet potato fries, and mint chip shakes. Yummy!! I love sweet potato fries, but have never seen them in a restaurant in California (I discovered this delicacy while visiting Pennsylvania). I recently learned they sell them frozen at Trader Joe's, so I will for sure be making them at home soon. I like this picture because of the folks waiting outside for a table, especially the guy leaning against the pole. I need to work on incorporating people in my shots a little more often. It just makes the shot much more interesting to me.

Thanks Karin!

Karin brought these beautiful blooms over for Cooking Club on Saturday. With all the hectic craziness of the evening there was a bit of a delay getting them into water, but as you can see they are thriving! Thanks Karin... you always know the perfect thing to bring (and the hors d'œuvres were scrumptious too!) :)

Back to School

I've decided to do something I've wanted to do for a long time... learn to become a better photographer. When we were in Geneva I took a beginning photography course and really liked it, but that was the only class offered in English, so that was all I ended up taking. Now that we're back here you would think that finding a good local photography program would be a snap, but surprisingly even in the Bay Area there aren't a whole lot of options that fit my schedule and don't cost a fortune. So I did some research and decided to enroll in the "Professional Photography Course" through the New York Institute of Photography. It's an online program where you send in your photo assignments as you complete each unit. So today I officially started and hopefully within the year I'll have completed the course and become a better photographer!

Cooking Club blooms

Tonight was Cooking Club night and I was the host! The premise is simple: 8 friends host 8 dinner parties throughout the year, each with a different theme to keep it interesting. My theme was "green cooking" where I challenged everyone to try to be a little more environmentally friendly in their cooking. Folks brought veggies grown in their yard, visited local farmers markets, bought organic, brought their own bags, and thought a little more about packaging and where their food comes from. Since cleaning is a part of cooking, I had everyone make their own "green cleaners" while we enjoyed hors d'œuvres and sipped wine. The green cleaning party and dinner turned out great and everyone got to go home with a "green goody bag". I was whipped out by the time everyone left, but what a fantastic night!

Late night shopping

This really isn't the best picture, but I was trying to get to Whole Foods all day and finally made it just before they closed. I had to pick up a few things for Maddie, including YoBaby plain yogurt, Organic O's, and some organic veggies to make baby food for her. I really try to limit what I buy here to just things for her (so we don't go broke!), but I'm always tempted to get a few extra things too. This time I just picked up a little organic chocolate. That is one thing I can't resist! :)

Baby's got a new pair of shoes

Today was Maddie's first class picture at Little Hands School. I decided to get her a new pair of shoes for the big occasion and found these adorable ones at Nordstrom's. They are just too cute! The funny thing is I don't even think you can see the shoes in the class picture, but that's okay... I know we will get a lot of use out of them!

Racing season has begun!

I had no idea that last weekend in our sleepy little neighborhood Stanford hosted the Seventh Annual Pac-10 Rowing Challenge right here in Redwood Shores! The two-day regatta featured more than 114 crew races between the nation's top universities. Gary and I were actually out house hunting when we noticed all the crowds gathered to watch the racers. I figured it was a few local teams that practice here most weekends. Nope, it was just some of the best teams in the country! Just a few blocks from our place is the start of the "Redwood Lagoon 2000 Meter Course" where the regatta took place. Next year I will make it a point to walk down and check out the festivities and take a few pictures. This year I just took some photos of the course where all the action took place... last weekend!

O-ball

This is one of Maddie's favorite toys! We discovered the O-ball when we were visiting with Pat and Dash. Maddie couldn't get enough of it so I bought her one. The next week we brought it to our playgroup and all the kids were after it! Soon all the mom's had one for their kids too. It is just a fantastic toy that is so easy for babies to grasp and play with. We now have three different kinds of O-balls and Maddie loves them all! :)

No swimming

Maddie's birthday is fast approaching (okay, it's not for another month, but I know that will fly by just like the rest of the year has!) I walked down to the picnic area where we are going to have her party and noticed this sign by the little beach there. I was a little surprised to see the warning about the jellyfish. The last time I was warned of jellyfish was when Gary and I were going to go swimming in the "Blue Lagoon" on the island of Comino in Malta. Oh yeah, and then there was the time in Nice, France when Karin got stung... but that is a whole other story!

Checking out Grandpa Frank

Today we went over to my mom's for lunch with her and my step dad, Frank. Maddie hadn't seen him in a while and wasn't too sure about his long hair and jovial laugh. She spent a lot of time cautiously checking him out, but by the end of our visit she had warmed up considerably! It was actually really cute. We are definitely going to have to make more trips up to the city so Frank and Maddie can have a little more bonding time! :)

Earth Hour

Tonight we switched off the lights (and TV and almost everything else except the baby monitor) for Earth Hour 2009, a worldwide effort to raise awareness for global warming. My dear husband is such a good sport. We participated in Earth Hour last year in Geneva where we enjoyed a candle light dinner at home (I was on bed rest then) and talked. This year he was just as great, turning off the TV in the middle of a movie and helped me gather the candles for an hour of no electricity. He gently pointed out that none of our neighbors seemed to know it was Earth Hour, but he never complained. Thanks dear for supporting my cause! You are the best! :)

Look how much we've grown!

Does this picture look familiar? It should, I took one almost exactly like it just 10 days ago when my college friends and I lined up our kids, Ari, Dylan, Hailey, & Maddie for a group shot. Today we got all the kids together again but this time little Hailey is absent... she is off with her mom doing other fun stuff. But we can see how much Ari, Dylan, and Maddie have grown in 10 days. Okay, so maybe they aren’t THAT different, but they sure are cute!

French flight

Tonight was the mom's club monthly Wine Club outing. 14 of us met up at "B Street & Vine" in San Mateo which is a wine cafe and bruschetta bar that has live music. I've heard rave reviews about the place and wow, were they right! The food was excellent and the wine was great. I choose the "French flight" with a sampling of wines from all over, including the Côtes du Rhône region (the wine region closest to Geneva and my personal favorite). Overall it was a great night and the wine bar gets a big thumbs up... I will be back for sure!

Lunch at Specialty's

This amazingly delicious bakery and cafe called Specialty's opened up in our neighborhood recently. I'm no stranger to Specialty's tasty sandwiches and yummy cookies since there is one close by to my old office at Genentech in South City. The danger of this new Specialty's location is it's within walking distance of our place... very tempting! Today Maddie and I walked over for lunch with my good friend Lori and her son Ari. Scrumptious! :)

Life is good

I really like our neighborhood, especially on gorgeous, sunny days. Our area is crisscrossed with canals that are dotted with boats. I've walked by this canal many times, but never noticed the name of the little blue boat, "Life is Good". I love it! That would be the name of my boat (if I had one). It's kind of my mantra in life... it's simple, optimistic, and so true! Because Life is Good! :)

Making plans

This last week I've been on the computer a lot! I seem to have a lot on my plate these days planning all kinds of fun stuff. I've been researching ideas for Maddie's first birthday party, I found myself as the head of the entertainment committee for the Little Hand's all-school picnic, next weekend I'm hosting our cooking club, we're house hunting, and then there is our trip to Europe in June! I've really had my hands full lately! I would much rather be busy than bored (well, that's kind of impossible these days with Maddie keeping me on my toes). Even though things have been a little crazy around here, I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Weather vane

This was kind of a random, last minute shot. I realized I've had this little weather vane for years but I have no idea where or when exactly I acquired it. I love weather vanes and hope to one day have a real one up on top of our roof. They don't seem to be too popular around here, but that's okay, we will just have the most interesting roof in the neighborhood. Now we just have to find a house to put it on! :)

When mommies let loose!

About six months ago I got into a fantastic playgroup for Maddie. The gals in our group are just great and I feel so lucky to have gotten to know them and become friends with this bunch of wild women! Here we are (with our husbands in tow; babies are at home) after the Little Hands Spring Auction dinner. After the dinner we ventured to the Carlos Club for a few drinks. This self portrait was taken just before a round of purple hooters were ordered! Cheers ladies! :)

Bloom!

These gorgeous orange blooms have sprung up recently not too far from our house (well, I guess technically they were planted, but nonetheless, they weren't there a couple weeks ago). I thought flowers were a good thing to shoot for this first day of spring. I also wanted to capture these on film before they start to fade. Happy Spring Equinox!