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!