huffmania

ten

2012-01-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

On Turning Ten by Billy Collins

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

happy birthday eliot, you'll always shine.

there are things

2012-01-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

that this photo makes me think of. that for once i am at a loss for words. i can see it, in the golden light, the blurred edges of his glasses, shining in the sunset. i can feel it too. but i don't quite know how to tell you. so instead i'll just show you here, where i haven't been much. where i miss the little bits of inspiration that used to feed that part of my brain, that doesn't get much use these days. but i know it's still there, because there are those things. you know those things, that we can feel, even if we don't know how to say it.

baker's dozen

2011-08-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

thirteen years is a long time for just about anything. but having been married for 13 years and only being 35, it's a heady number to contemplate. a lovely friend (hi allison!) told us about a recent npr program in which the latest generation (X, Y, Z? i can't keep track anymore) is making a greater commitment to stay married, because the previous generation has so much divorce. the most interesting piece of advice was this: whatever your issues or struggles are in your second year of marriage, is what you will have to work on for always. thought provoking isn't it? our same awesome friend (hi allison!) came over yesterday to watch the huffsters so that we could take an afternoon to ourselves to celebrate our anniversary. we went to the LACMA to see the tim burton exhibit (awesome) (no photos allowed, so i've got nothing) and then went to eat at son of a gun. that's right, son of a gun. also awesome (photos semi allowed, got dirty looks from hipsters, but i shot some film anyway jerks). while stuffing our faces with an amazing dinner, we talked about our thirteen years of marriage, and what our issues were in the second year. turns out they were money and travelling for work. two things which are definitely still stressors for us. but we've managed to recognize this over the years, and keep on trucking. sweet, huh? i also thought the concept of a baker's dozen was interesting. the idea being that one is a throw away to avoid having less than a dozen. which lead to a conversation about best and worst years. turns out 2007 stunk. and 2010 - 2011 was rockin'. yeah, of course having kids and whatnot are amazing milestones, but that's a given. i'm not that heartless people. anyway, all that to say, that i can't imagine 13 years with anyone else but a one mister david huffman. i love you my dear. we make us awesome.

ps. in no way did david intend to color coordinate with our date, but i think it's awesome that he did. see? he's the best.

city

2011-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

saturday we spent the day in LA with our friends chris & kathy and their daughter naomi. they bought a home near fairfax and invited us over for the day. their new house is lovely, and it was fun for us to imagine what it would be like for our family to live in the city. we walked to the farmers market for lunch. molly in case you were wondering, the cochinita pibil from loteria grill IS as good as you remember it. i forgot they had a store at the farmers market, and gladly stood in line for delicious tacos. after lunch we headed to the la brea tar pits. i forgot just how nerdy of an archaeologist i can be. i could have stayed there all day, but the kids were more interested in rolling around outside. i'll have to go back and geek out on my own.

one

2011-06-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

like so many things we anticipate, good or bad, when they arrive its like, oh, ok, i've got this. here i sit, one year to the day, from when we moved into this house. one year. one whole year in california. a part of my brain can't really understand this, but apparently the majority of my brain is like, uh yeah, don't worry, i told you, i've got this. we've got a favorite vietnamese place, we know how to get around on surface streets if the freeway is jammed, we found a church we like, we have a secret beach spot, we eat fish tacos, we have a neighborhood we talk about owning a house in someday, we planted flowers, we have friends. friends. so clearly things are going, and going well at that. life is life. just the way we huffmans like to do. and as always our door is open. come on by. i'm pretty darn sure i can guarantee you a nice patio sit, a big glass of smoothie, and a kiddo dance party.

a saturday

2011-03-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

i don't get many saturdays free, but when i do, i like to maximize them. hello poor little blog, it's been so long. i hardly know where to start, except to say, wow it's march already. holy cow. while david and i were laying on the grass saturday, watching the huffsters run around i came to an unbelievable conclusion. in just three more months, we will have lived in california for a YEAR. what??? in true huffman fashion, we have upped the ante around here. we thought 2010 was big around here, but oh man, 2011 has certainly muscled its way right to the forefront. work continues to kick my butt into shape. and we just keep doing what we do at huffmania, and enjoy days like this when we get them. but enough about us, how have you been?? and when are you coming to visit?

half and half

2010-12-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

today is december 18th. today means we have lived in california for six months. half of the year here and half in kansas city. there are days when it feels as though we have been here forever and ever. and there are days when we pine for the ease of the familiar and the comfort of old friends. but really the wonder of it all is that we keep on living and going through the days, and they are just days. and we build new ease and we build new comfort. we make new friends, and delight in visits from dear friends. and we are good. and really, what more can we ask for? not one single thing more.

lately

2010-10-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

construction has started on the project i'm working. which leaves me working six, sometimes seven days a week, 12 hours a day. while that might sound brutal, i am constantly thankful for david because he certainly has the harder job. that man works from home and takes care of the kids full time these days. how does he do it? i have no idea. but aside from our new schedule, we have been so very lucky to have dear friends coming into our lives here in california. for a day, or for a week, it feels pretty dang good to see an old, familiar, well loved face. thank you beth, jeremy and tricia, and toby and maureen. you make us laugh harder and smile bigger, and for now, we can use that kind of good good medicine.

saturday

2010-09-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

are about sleeping in, eggs and bacon, making limeade from scratch, washing cars in the driveway in swimsuits, smoothies, tacos for lunch, sitting on a long board and eating plums, showers, clean hair, watching we no speak americano a million times, waiting for friends to come over tonight to play canasta.

245

2010-09-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

it's nearly incomprehensible to me that today is the 245th day of this year. i know this because i've been keeping track with my camera. but i don't feel this. i don't feel as if 245 days have gone by. sometimes i feel like a million days have gone by since the day i talked to gary last christmas and he said the words, "you should come to california". and then there are moments when i could swear, just yesterday i was sitting on my front porch at the blue house, listening to my friends talk about the day while the fireflies turned on their evening time lights. that memory puts a little sawdust in my throat and makes it a bit hard to swallow. regardless of feelings, the cold hard facts of numbers tell me, 245. take it or leave it. ok so let's talk numbers then mr. calendar. it's been 77 days (!!!) since we moved to california. dang. in those days we've made 2 really good friends, 1 good dog friend, we've made 2 neighbor friends, and have had 9 friends (and family) come to stay. we drove 502 miles round trip to spend 4 hours with 2 dear friends. 1 more friend is coming monday to stay the night, and 6 more friends are expected later in september. 2 kids have been in school 2 days and are feeling pretty darn good about it. wow. i guess numbers don't lie, because if you ask me, that adds up to some good things. i should mention some stinky numbers, those being the 40+ i now work a week, which certainly equals a much smaller number of posts. oh well. i'm still ahead of the game. yeah?

it seems

2010-08-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

as though this thing called time is now flying. august is here, and we are nearly filled to the brim with visitors. which of course thrills us to no end. but if you do the kind of math that my brain does, once our last set of company leaves at the end of the month, then school starts. so that means school is just two more visits away. which practically means tomorrow. did you catch all that? let me recap, today is august 3rd, tomorrow will be september 1st. see what i mean? it's enough to make you dizzy. so instead of doing the dishes, or the other productive things on my list, i'll continue to troll the internets for my two new obsessions, a flat iron and a townie cruiser bike with a basket. it all makes perfect sense. right?

GO NOW

2010-07-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

did you think just because i wasn't in kc anymore that i would stop talking about habitat? not a chance. go over to a cup of jo to sign up to win a $100 gift certificate!!! what are you still doing here? go. NOW.

basic

2010-07-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

i had forgotten what it was like to be just us. we had sooooo many good people in our life in kc, that you forget the basics. i forgot that we were good at us. we have us down. someone commented a few days ago on flickr about capturing a feeling of contentment in my picture. it got me thinking. we are content. very much so. don't get me wrong. we miss our people. we love the new people we've got. i'm ready to fast forward to the drop-by stage. the sit on the patio and talk until really late stage. i like that stage the best i think. but i'm pacing myself. i'm working on the value of patience. i'm learning the lesson of letting things rest and develop. like i said, i forgot a lot. life was a little too easy on us at home. we are back to basics here, building from the ground up. and it's important to start right.

new

2010-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

we are slowly getting used to a new kind of summer here. two weeks in and we're still looking for our new rhythm. being at work full time is pretty big adjustment for all of us. i was in a meeting for six hours on wednesday, and eight hours on thursday. yes, i was totally fried by the end of it. whew. i needed a long slow weekend. we spent the fourth with all the jumilla bugs which i knew would be a good time. i bought the makings for granola and zucchini muffins, so hopefully something will materialize later this week. i am ready to get my july going. lucky for me, the lovely ladies behind joy + ride (sheri and shari) asked me to contribute for july. which is probably the best way to get started on summer that i can think of.

a very special ps. happy birthday to my dear friend kristen. we usually celebrate our birthdays together since they are only three days apart. it's sad to be so far away from each other. birthdays are much better shared.

well...

2010-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

we made it. hi people.

june is my best

2010-06-03T11:21:00.004-07:00

if you know me, then you know i have a deep and abiding love for the month of june. it is the best one in my book. number one out of 12. right at the top of the list. for me, june 1st is the beginning of summer. it's nearly a holiday. for as long as i can remember june has been about dirty bare feet, lazing under a tree, reading books on rumpled sheets to the drone of the attic fan, splashing in the creek after craw daddies, sitting in the mulberry tree and eating until you nearly fall out, daring your brother to eat a whole handful of gooseberries at once, carefully (ever so carefully) picking raspberries right from the bush, designating whatever container you can find big enough to contain your whole body and some cool water a "pool" (for us it was a horse trough), weeding the garden early early in the morning before the mosquitoes wake up, riding bikes, riding the old snapper lawn mower and pretending you are 16, tomatoes, warm hazy nights, cicadas, fire flies, watermelon, sparklers, walnut brown arms and gangly legs. believe me, i could go on and on.

and to think that for my children june will be defined by sand in their shoes, sea water, piers, surfing, skate boards, salty damp towels. it makes the mind spin. but i am certain that i can encompass those things in my june too.

in honor of june, my sweet friend shanna and i have collaborated on a desktop calendar for you. because we want you to love june too. you can find it right over here! make sure you watch that video too, it's fantastic. and just you nevermind that we're already three days in...

very very very

2010-06-01T09:39:00.003-07:00

david and i would like to say a very very very big thank you to everyone who came out on saturday to spend one last evening in the back yard with us. it was by far the best backyard party we've ever had. a humongous thank you to the wonderful and amazing oriole post who was kind enough to play. seth, bill, rachel, roger, michelle and michaela please know that we could have sat there and listened to you for hours and hours. looking around on saturday night i was grinning like a fool watching all our friends and family enjoying themselves. we have so much love and gratitude for all of you that have made up our community for all these years. you give us love and support at all times. you feed us and make us laugh. you make us better people. and we will miss you all so very very much.

yes

2010-05-20T09:52:00.004-07:00

a dear friend shared these wise words by andré gide with me yesterday. and dontcha know, it's just what i needed to hear.

it's may

2010-05-12T08:23:00.004-07:00

actually may is nearly half over. wow. yeah. i'm not really sure how that happened, except to say that we've been busy. like super busy. like trying to figure out how to make a whole new life in a whole new state halfway across the country work. how do you do that and also spend time with people you are going to miss so much it makes you want to spit? i don't have any good answers for any of this. none whatsoever. what i can say is this. yesterday as i was driving to work i was listening to this story about a family in india who has been playing traditional music for six generations. and now the last member of the family who has learned how to play the music is a 14 year old boy who wants to go to college someday. if and when he does, the music might stop with him. they asked his 81 year old uncle what he thought about that, and his response was "we can't know about that right now".

we can't know about that right now. it's so true. i've heard this before, but it has never hit me like it did yesterday. there are so many things, so very many things in my life that i just can't know about right now. hopefully i'll know about them later, and maybe even forget about them as unimportant. but for now, i just have to be at peace with not knowing. until the time comes to know.

4000

2010-04-27T13:49:00.002-07:00

this is my 4000th picture on flickr. i just put it up. that number seems crazy. like too many. or not enough. i can't decide. but what i do find interesting is what other people like. do you have one favorite picture of mine? if you had to choose one, which would it be? i know, i know, the dreaded favorite question. it's so hard for people isn't it?

howdy

2010-04-23T16:00:00.003-07:00

our good friends kevin and kristen have gone and done something great. they've started an etsy shop! it's called howdy, mates! and it is full of their fantastic designs. kevin and kristen make up two of the three crazy talented people of threehouse. i mean if you can create totally awesome illustrations, i guess it follows that you can do some damage to a silk screen too. let's not talk about how they are a cute newly wed couple. it kinda makes you hate them a little bit, they are so talented. luckily they are super nice too, making it pretty much impossible to hate them. so hop on over, take a look, and get yourself something.

who are you?

2010-04-22T09:18:00.003-07:00

did you ever have a pen pal when you were a kid? i'm talking about an honest to goodness pen pal. i'm talking pencils and lined notebook paper. pre-erasable ball point pen even. you remember that time? we were all still reeling from the invention of velcro sneakers, and cool ranch doritos were just a happy, blurry figment of our imaginations. i had a pen pal. her name was carolina and she lived in bogotá. she was the daughter of my aunt's then boyfriend, and we were nearly the same age, so it followed that we should be pen pals. i remember filling pages and pages of hello kitty notepad paper with really important information to tell her. and then waiting. oh the waiting. so much agony. after i sent a letter, not a day would go by that i didn't think about carolina getting my letter. what she would think about all my important information, and better yet, what important information did she have to tell me?? then there was always that day. the one when i kicked my way down the driveway, walking home from school, slouched into the kitchen to find an envelope sitting there for me. bam! i'd grab it, and tear it open as i was racing up the stairs to my room, fling myself onto my bed, and read like a blind man given sight. what a feeling. but where am i going with all this? i'll tell you. recently i read a really interesting essay on social media detox that my friend shari pointed me to. even more interesting, and ironic is that we then entered into a discussion of the article on twitter. i guess my point is this. i don't know how to be anyone else than myself, especially online. don't get me wrong i have a need for privacy. this is no reality tv show over here at huffmania. i have my moments. i get cranky like everyone else, we have lots of stress like everyone else. and guess what? i even have lots of ugly pictures. shocking, right? it's true. the key is healthy boundaries. boundaries about what you do and do not share online. boundaries on how much time you spend in your online world and your real world. and if you are lucky, having the opportunity to mix those two worlds a bit. i've had the sincere and great pleasure of meeting many of my online friends in person. they are flesh and blood people. and they are themselves. to me it's like having a pen pal without all the space of waiting. yes. i know space is a good thing. and yes, i think letters are wonderful. but our life moves at a faster pace these days. pulling yourself out now and then is good. but i also think being able to move with the flow is good too. if i didn't, i would have missed out on having some really wonderful people in my life. i would have sat alone on easter sunday in some crummy hotel room. instead i spent the whole day with a wonderful family. sure, i'd never met tracy before. but we had already exchanged lots of really important information. and i knew her. better yet, i know myself. and what i am comfortable with. i'm not naive. i know there are lots and lots of strange people and things on the internet. and i know you can get thrown a curve ball. but for the most part, my online community, my social media has been so very positive that i couldn't give it up. i'm not all that interested in expanding it. it's at a good place, a good size and takes up an amount of time that i am ok with. it works for me. and i know me pretty well. of course now i'm wondering if i can find carolina on facebook...

actually

2010-04-15T07:00:00.006-07:00

i have a really thoughtful post brewing about online identity, but i got distracted by shoes. go figure, right? here is the cool part. my beloved habitat is having their annual sale! starting today! if you are here in kc, get thyself to the store tonight for a shopping party. i have it on good authority that there will be sangria tonight. if you are not here in kc, well i have news for you too. the sale is going on online too. today you can get 25% off regular priced items with the code spring25 and friday through sunday you can get 20% off regular priced items with the code spring20
see how great that is!? i went by the store yesterday to say hello to kristen and walked out with these grey camper oxfords. i can assure you it made my day. so treat yourself this weekend. yes?

be nice to yourself

2010-04-02T15:03:00.004-07:00

do you ever find that the person you are the hardest on is yourself? maybe not the hardest, but maybe the one you never think to be nice to? or that might just be me. anyway, this week has had a series of highs and lows that left me feeling grumpy and doing come cursing out loud on the streets. thank goodness molly was so understanding (thank you molly!). i treated myself to some flowers on wednesday and couldn't help but smile every time i looked at them. time to be nice to myself. it's friday for pete's sake.

on a totally unrelated note, a person that never fails to make me proud is david. he had the opportunity to work with a very good friend of ours on a video that you can now watch on patagonia's website. go take a look. it's called border country, and it's lovely. hope you all have a wonderful weekend, enjoying easter, passover or some nice sunshine. or maybe all three? whatever floats your boat. just be nice.

peter, can i call you pete

2010-03-24T20:54:00.002-07:00

two things i can't stop watching on the internets.

nevada - my friend rob is something else. and this is fantastic.
john moschitta - everything about this is insane. the angles. but the pittsburg part. oh man. i watched that a million times and tried to say it to david. i can't do it.

friday

2010-03-19T14:11:00.002-07:00

thank you for all the well wishes. we are excited about the future. it's going to be difficult in the short term. i'll be commuting back and forth between kc and california until the school year is up. and really the difficulty is all on david's plate. he'll be working from home and watching the kiddos full time. i told you i was very lucky in the man i married. he's something. and i'm not just saying that because he can juggle. we are finishing up the tail end of spring break here. there might be a family movie in our future tomorrow. i'm in full denial about the snow they are forecasting. it can't be. no way. we'll have to comfort ourselves with pizza if it really snows. but let's not talk about it. have a good weekend!

westward

2010-03-18T08:59:00.003-07:00

ever since i can remember i've always had the itch to live some where different. try some place new. lucky for me i married someone with the exact same itch. and while we thought something like this would happen sooner, we know, with certainty that there were greater forces at work writing our story. dictating our time line. don't get me wrong. we railed, we whined, we wondered how to make it work for years. little did we know, that the whole time tiny cogs were clicking into place. making connections and ties that would prove invaluable. so that when the perfect time came, we would slap our foreheads in wonder. smile like idiots and say of course. of course that's how things would work out. so with many prayers of thanks. many tears of goodbye, many friends here and there wishing us well. huffmans move westward. southern california, here we come!

ps. little blue house, i will miss you. you were good to us. the best first home anyone could ask for. i take back all the mean things i said about you. and i hope someone who will love you like we do makes their home with you. who could resist that porch? who??

a few seconds

2010-03-15T13:43:00.003-07:00

there is a lot of life happening over here. i know when i get caught up in the what if's and the oh i should have's i start to get a little crazy. and let's face it, a little mean. so, when i feel that creep up on me i have to take a few seconds, a few minutes to sit and be quiet. i prefer for those minutes to involve the camera, or food, but life doesn't always give you what you want, does it? like right now i'd really like a big fat blt with fresh summer tomatoes. ah well. maybe in a few months. in the meantime, read this post from brian which struck the right note with me, and make sure to click through and read the night kitchen article.

Repeat

2010-03-08T07:57:00.003-08:00

the collaboration between Lisa Congdon and myself is available for sale now at Rare Device. go for it!

oh hey there

2010-03-04T11:21:00.005-08:00

i sorta dissappeared, huh? i've been traveling for work again, but this time working in an office. it's a different feeling. i'll be getting back out into the field again this summer, but in the meantime i'm adjusting myself to cubicle walls. not that there is much adjusting to be had with drab grey fabric covered walls. seriously. oof. on an up note, i visited trader joe's for the first time ever in my life. i am now crippled with an addiction to mochi ice cream. wow. i just drooled a little bit. to keep my sanity (and not watch hours of tv) i've been reading and streaming the new oriole post album. so good. really. like buy it. it's on itunes and amazon. there is a link on their site under music. yes, they are my friends, but let me tell you, i'm what you might call a direct person. and as a direct person i wouldn't tell you to buy something if i didn't like it myself. so there is that. i'll have a little something else to tell you about in a week. a super exciting collaboraiton. ok, i'm off to pollo loco (i'm such a california cliche).

it's sunday

2010-02-21T12:06:00.003-08:00

i've got good people in my life. lots of them. in a week that has resulted in a large amount of stress being put right up on my shoulders, it has been exceedingly clear that who is in your life makes all the difference in the world. who could ask for more than that? certainly not me.

i needed that

2010-02-17T13:45:00.004-08:00

i was asked to go to socal for a project meeting for work. they really had to twist my arm. really twist hard.

a test of will

2010-02-07T11:43:00.005-08:00

heading back out of town again tomorrow. i managed to keep up with my 365 project, and i discovered the power of hothands, which i also put in my boots. this week is supposed to be colder, and i'm wondering if i can tape hothands all over my entire body. would that be strange? maybe a bit, even in arkansas. never did get my hands on that flask. oh well.

one down

2010-01-31T13:05:00.003-08:00

eleven more months to go. it probably comes as no surprise that i am not the least bit sad to see january go. the closer we get to other months that start with j, the better. i suspect that february is going to be a doozy. i've got two weeks of fieldwork before me, and it has been suggested that the best way to stay warm would be to buy one of these and fill it with whiskey. obviously i have some smart friends. now that eliot's birthday is officially past, i am receiving daily reminders that arlo's is next. and that i should buy something pink and purple that she likes. i'm still not sure what that something is, because that's as specific as she is getting. occasionally she will throw out the word cozy. we'll see. it's hard to think of buying more things when all i want to do is get rid of 60% of the things in my closet. did you see maria's ruthless guidelines? i plan on getting down to business as soon as i get back and thaw myself. and i've still got those throw pillows on the back burner. sheesh.

eight is great

2010-01-29T13:32:00.002-08:00

it would be absolutely true to say that in many ways eliot changed my life. he is my firstborn child. before eliot, i was not a mother. after, well, i guess the after is pretty obvious. but here is the thing, eliot is a great kid. like really great. like it's hard for me to believe sometimes that he is the person he is. did we make this? how can this be? did he just say what i think he did? how did he get so smart? why is he so sweet? this stream of questions has been running through my brain for the last eight years. i still have no answers, apart from the person you see before you. all i know is that if eliot were not my son, he is still someone i would be happy to know, and count as a friend. happy birthday son. when i think of you all grown up, i can see the best person possible. i love you.

RIP

2010-01-28T14:30:00.003-08:00

jd salinger

Esmé was standing with crossed ankles again. "You're quite sure you won't forget to write that story for me?" she asked. "It doesn't have to be exclusively for me. It can--"
I said there was absolutely no chance that I'd forget. I told her that I'd never written a story for anybody, but that it seemed like exactly the right time to get down to it.
She nodded. "Make it extremely squalid and moving," she suggested. "Are you at all acquainted with squalor?"
I said not exactly but that I was getting better acquainted with it, in one form or another, all the time, and that I'd do my best to come up to her specifications. We shook hands.
"Isn't it a pity that we didn't meet under less extenuating circumstances?"
I said it was, I said it certainly was.
"Goodbye, " Esmé said. "I hope you return from the war with all your faculties intact."
I thanked her, and said a few other words, and then watched her leave the tearoom. She left it slowly, reflectively, testing the ends of her hair for dryness.

attached

2010-01-24T09:44:00.005-08:00

this was one of those really full weeks. lots of commitments, lots of stress, lots of wondering. not to say it was a bad week. not by any means. i made some lovely bread, collette had her first sleep over (they stayed up until 10:30!), i got to take photos of some wonderful people, and to top it all off, the sun came out today! collette asked if it was summer, she reasoned it must be as the snow was gone and the sun was out. she thought she should step outside to check the temperature. not summer. we were both disappointed. if only it were that easy. i also had time to finally read a book that my friend hanne sent me, called the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. i kind of can't stop thinking about it. how do we find that perfect balance between full on scientific rationalism on one side, and emotional attachment on the other? and isn't it crazy how many different levels of emotional attachment there can be? how you can feel so deeply for something. i sometimes feel like i don't form deep enough attachments. like with my children. don't get me wrong i love them, but i'm not one of those parents who says things like "i couldn't go away on vacation without them, i'd miss them too much". i'm more like how can we make this happen? i need a break, time with my husband. where we can talk about things and not fulfill the unending stream of requests that is a child. i seem to have wandered a bit... anyway, this week was a full one. i think the next will be the same. there is a boy here who is turning EIGHT. i can't really wrap my mind around that. i keep saying to him, "BUT I CAN REMEMBER BEING EIGHT!", dang.

eye candy

2010-01-20T09:16:00.003-08:00

we've been under grey fog for five or six days now. at first it was really cool and pretty, but now i kind of feel like my eyes have glazed over. i've gone hunting for something different to look at instead. here are some of my current favorites:
double exposures (thanks john for the link)
night swim
the land between here and mountains
yvan rodic (better know as the facehunter, but i love this, his personal blog, more)
andrew sea james
petits bonheurs (makes me want throw out all the girls clothes and dress them as little french sisters)

what are you looking at these days?

99.9% sure

2010-01-17T15:25:00.005-08:00

pretty average week here at home. nothing really out of the ordinary, especially in light of what is going on in haiti. for me, pictures say it all. i was thinking at some point this week that i am 99.9% certain that my house will not suddenly crumble around me. a fact that i am so certain of, that i pretty much never think about it. a fact that now seems like a gift. and i wonder how many other small miracles in my life i am missing every day. i have no answers to these questions, and definitely no answers to the million questions about haiti. if you have a moment, look at this post from my friend melissa, it is something to do. something easy at that. there are also so many different ways to donate both locally and nationally, but you probably already know that.

edit: local people, my friend maureen emailed me this information about a benefit for haitian relief at the record bar this week. here are the details:

Benefit for Haitian Relief

6:30pm

Wednesday, January 20

The Record Bar

Featuring:

The Elders

Sara Swenson

Danny Cox

Walkenhorst & Porter

Sponsored by Pilgrim Chapel & The Record Bar

$10 at the door | All proceeds and a portion of the bar will go to the American Red Cross Haitian Relief Fun.

10 days down, 12,000 words done

2010-01-10T12:42:00.002-08:00

i'd say things about the 365 project, and reflection and whatnot, but david says it so much better. so, without further ado, our last 1000 words. thank you so much for your support of our project. it's been something else.

contra

2010-01-07T11:22:00.001-08:00

dude...

hello there 2010

2010-01-05T14:32:00.005-08:00

it's hard to believe that we are in a new year, and let's not talk about this new decade. i'm not ready for that. i can talk a bit about goals and projects. not resolutions, because to be resolute sounds so negative. goals is much more positive, don't you think? david and i both have a huge plateful of professional goals that would make 2010 a real stunner. keep your fingers crossed on that front. it's the little things though that seem so hard to keep fresh. like i really need to drink more water. sometimes i won't have a single sip the whole day. terrible. of course i realize this right before bedtime, chug a glass and then my bladder gets even later. bad habit. so little things. drink more water. sew pillows for the couch (if we're getting technical i suppose this should say sew covers for the pillow inserts i've had for the couch over a year now). recover the dinning room chairs. man if i get super duper technical, the top of the little list would have to be finish sewing the christmas presents for the kids that didn't get done in time. this seems to be getting out of hand quite quickly. let's move on to projects instead. i've started a 365 project for this year. the goal being to take and post a photo each day of the year. step by step is how i plan to keep on track. i've started a set on my flickr page, and i'm thinking i might do a weekly summary of sorts over here. maybe. let's not get crazy. other projects of interest for this year include posting our 12th 1000 words story this month. it's almost been a whole year! how crazy. we've got all these fun ideas bubbling on the back burner for that too. i've got a show lined up for july that i'll talk more about later too. and band photos to take for some dear friends! man. now my project list is getting all crazy too. see? 2010. i'm expecting big things from you. bumper crop.

reflecting july to december

2009-12-27T15:06:00.008-08:00

i can't believe we are finishing up the year. i just can't believe it. looking back has felt really good. i see a fullness that i could feel, even if sometimes it was in the back of my mind, it was still there. i hope you all have had time to think about some good.

july

i had completely forgotten about this night. i was trying to capture some fire flies with my camera for my friend charlotte who has never seen any. char, i promise to give it another go this summer.

phoenix came to town and had a totally spontaneous and FREE secret concert at the record bar. it was worth every second of the two plus hours we stood in line waiting to get in. plus i made friends with the club photographer. he was wearing a kilt. sweet.

a room full of ladies, drinks and make-up. if you would have told me ten years ago that that was how i would spend my birthday i would have laughed in your face. i have since learned the value of all things feminine. and i love it. and i love gina.

you know those "pick up where you left off" kind of friends? i really like them. even better, i like spending the day at the spray park with them and rounding things off with a porch sit and popsicles. next time bozemans, it will be in nyc. right?

august

i have learned that any old anniversary (number eleven) can be extra special if you have a dinner date AND a breakfast date the next morning. twice as nice for sure.

big day. huuuge day. collette starts kindergarten. watch out people, there is no stopping this girl.

ok, so if i can't have make-up for my birthday then i want a birthday dinner like rachel's. she took her dinning room table and plopped it in the middle of the back yard. we watched the sun go down, listened to the kids running around and talked by candle light. so great.

two of my favorite people getting married. outside. it was beautiful and made my heart hurt. keep rockin' it toby and maureen.

september

this was a fantastic day. the day i saw my name and photograph printed on a collection of polaroid notes that anyone can buy at the store. at the store people. yeah, it still feels good.

september, when you give me lazy late summer days, i love you almost as much as june. and that's sayin' something.

what is there to say? my three kiddos at my favorite park. done and done.

october

the leaves finally start to fall, and arlo starts collecting. she's still not into the jumping like the other two.

but that eliot. he's pretty much all about the jumping. leaves just make things a bit softer.

eliot insisted that we check out the civil war battleground announced on the sign that we saw along the highway. we need to do that sort of thing more often.

pretty much the perfect fall day, and grandma just happened to have some kites on hand.

november

the last few months of the year found me traveling quite a bit for work. it was hard on our schedules, but i was able to make up for some of the stress by having a dinner date and night walk with my friend shari. it was lovely to meet her in person, as i knew it would be.

being land locked in kansas, i'll take any opportunity to see the ocean. even if it means a 45 minute drive to maine, to spend 15 minutes on the beach, and then drive back 45 minutes to the airport. next time maine, i'll get in at least a whole day.

december

the first day of december was insane this year. sunny and in the 50's, maybe even in the 60's. i'm not sure what that means, but we decided to capitalize on it anyway and hit the playground.

i don't do much christmas decorating. i think about it, but you know how it goes. i do have a few special things that come out once a year, this pine cone being at the top of the list.

fortune smiled on me and i was able to be in town for eliot's first christmas program at school. i laughed and laughed. maybe i wasn't supposed to, but with all those fidgety kids how could i not?

and here we are. nearly the end of the year. we came home the day after christmas to 13 inches of snow and fat flakes coming down. i'll take just a few minutes to think about how pretty it was, and that's about it.

have a fun (and safe!) new year's eve wherever you are. i'll be dancing my booty off at the party of the century, third year in a row. still on a last minute hunt for the perfect pair of pumps. keep your fingers crossed.

reflecting january to june

2009-12-21T13:57:00.011-08:00

inspired by shari yet again, i'm reflecting on this past year through images. my memory isn't what it used to be, but thank goodness flickr is all nice and organized by date. so here we go.
january

david tells me he found the cutest little cafe that specializes in soup. we load up the whole family and go investigate.

february

my friend courtney invites me to have a show at her tiny adorable cafe. it was cozy and full of soft pretty colors.

my friend molly's first book is published. it's so good for so many reasons, but mostly because of molly.

march

warmer weather and flowers start to sneek into the picture. always a plus in my book.

we finally finally get collette's skin problems under control, making everyone much happier at home.

april

a dinner date with my favorite person.

a weekend away with some amazing women, time to talk, make a meal together and reflect on the good things in our lives.

may

goofing around with the camera, a small trampoline and my brothers & sister makes for lots of laughs.

taking a day off work so we could celebrate the first day of summer vacation at the zoo. naturally there was ice cream involved.

june

june never fails me. every day is pretty much perfect for me. time on the porch, popsicles, bubbles, bare feet, you name it, i love it all.

getting to visit my boyfriend in portland. his mom isn't too shabby either.

cooking out on lazy day when flickr friends become real, live people and you realize you knew you liked them for a reason, not just because they were handy with a camera.

hear me out

2009-12-14T10:00:00.009-08:00

there is this new sweet little girl in my life, and her name is maybelle. i am of the opinion that all sweet little girls should have a pretty little quilt that they can love their whole life through. it just makes sense. as soon as i heard that maybelle was coming, i knew i had to make one. i even started during the summer time, thinking i could give it to her mom as a shower gift. sadly work went into a tailspin and there things sat for months and months. there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel and i was able to get it done and oh man am i so glad i did. because i need to tell you about the secret of this quilt.

first, take a good look at it. and pay no attention to that imp in the corner. do you see what i see? yeah. triangles. lots of them. did you get a little sick feeling in your stomach like i did thinking about getting all those points to line up? well, i am here to tell you to banish your triangle worry! of course i realize that there are many smarter, more experienced quilters out there that are probably laughing at my simple secret, because they knew it all along, and that's ok. because if you didn't know, you do now. originally i planned to make the flock of triangles quilt from denyse schmidt's quilt book. it's the orange & white number at the top left on the cover there. as i looked through the instructions in the book, and realized how many triangles i'd have to cut and piece my heart sunk a little. i knew that i wouldn't have the patience or the skill to make nice triangles line up with each other. i also knew that if i ignored what i knew about myself and triangles, i would get really frustrated and never ever finish the quilt. so, it was time to regroup, i went hunting on the internet and that's where i found the answer (of course) in a simple tutorial over at purl bee. it's so simple in fact, that i almost walked right past it. so here is the deal. no odd points to match, no triangles to cut. that's right. this whole quilt started as squares, and ended as squares. straight lines! i can do straight lines! kinda. but take me at my word, this quilt was easy and fast. i mean it. i did all the cutting of my white squares and my pattern squares in one evening, maybe a couple hours. i used the size in the tutorial and figured out how many 4 inch squares i wanted length and width to calculate how many i needed to cut. i did mess up and cut twice the number of white squares than necessary because i forgot that for every white & patterned square you cut, you get two smaller pieced squares. even with that mistake, i did all the cutting in one sitting. the next night, i converted my stack of white squares and pattern squares into one big stack of pieced white & patterned triangles, like magic. then i asked david to work on the layout becuase i'm not so good with that sort of thing, he came up with the lovely gradient, i pieced the squares into rows, the rows into the blanket and made the quilt sandwhich all in one evening. the hardest part of this whole project for me of was cutting & piecing my binding strips. i kept messing up that stupid bias angle. apparently i need to go on the hunt for another tutorial. once i finally made strips that lined up and would work, i did the binding by hand over a few nights of tv watching with david. done and done! both mom & maybelle are thrilled, and i feel great for getting a project done and being pleased with it. as a tiny postcript, you could use this triangle pieceing tutorial to make the flock of triangles quilt, it would just take a little figuring to find out how many blocks you would need.

ps. there should be some 1000 words action for december later today. keep your eyes peeled. i'll post here again after i update. huffmans are getting ALL kinds of things done these days. sweet.

pps. the new post is up over at 1k, it's a doosey.

reflections

2009-12-03T14:29:00.004-08:00

inspired by my friends shari and charlotte, i've been doing some looking back on the year. spending time thinking about all the good things in life, instead of getting bogged down by current stress. shari pointed me to this challenge by gwen bell to do just this very thing. i'm a bit behind, and i might not answer all of them, but i sure do like the thought. so here it goes, after what has proved to be a long hard day, let's put some good thoughts to work.

#1 - what was your best trip in 2009?
getting the chance to visit dear friends in portland for a third time. i feel so lucky to have made incredible friendships on the internet, and even luckier to turn those into real life, flesh and blood relationships. the only thing that could have made that trip better was if i could have brought david and the kids and all my other online friends too, to have one big super bbq with kids, cameras, laughing and general awesomeness.

#2 - best restaurant experience in 2009
i've been doing a lot of travel for work again, which has it's ups and downs. sometimes, if i'm really lucky, i can work something fun for myself into a trip. while i was in new hampshire, i was able to spend an evening in vermont with shari. she treated me to a wonderful dinner, but honestly i could have been eating cardboard for all i care, it was a lovely dinner because of my company. the fact that the food was amazing was the cherry on top.

one of the added bonuses of reflecting on good things is that you start to remember exponentially. because now i'm thinking of our last trip to see david's grandparents in arkansas. nothing particularly amazing about the trip itself, but it was one of those occasions when everyone was in a good mood. the kids were wonderful and we all had fun, even out to dinner. see how that works? give it a shot people. it's worth it.

good habits

2009-12-01T13:55:00.002-08:00

well, it's official. december. my brain is confused because it's sunny and 60 degrees outside. go figure. speaking of the month of december, molly & emily have come up with a brilliant idea. to celebrate a year at habit, they have invited all their guests back to post for the month. i'm so excited to see this year close out through the eyes of so many people. please come have a look.

random randomness

2009-11-29T18:17:00.003-08:00

so yeah, there went thanksgiving. and you know what's next. crazy huh? i'd ask where this year went, but i've been saying it so much lately i'm even annoying myself with the question. instead i'll just post a bunch of random stuff that has been rolling around in my head lately. first up, i'd like to wish my friend john a happy birthday. a man of style and taste, who knows how to throw a good party and has a most excellent wife. heck of a friend. what's not to like there? second, a big fat thank you to my dad for creating yet another delicious thanksgiving dinner. i was so full and sleepy that not once did i touch my camera. i used what little brain power i had to think about my camera, but couldn't make my body move to get it. oh well. you know. third, and perhaps most random, i was thinking a lot about the past today. let me get there. i took a long, round about way to drive to my parents house to pick up the kids this afternoon. i even stopped and did a little grocery shopping. the whole time i had this strange feeling that i was going to run into someone i know, but i never did. as i finished up my shopping it finally dawned on me that i haven't lived in that town for about 15 years. in my head it is frozen in time. i drove down roads that were once just pastures and farms, and now it's just sub division after subdivision. it was just such a strange feeling. i had all these high school memories bumping around in my head. i told you this was random. so bear with me. fourth and final random thought (that i put here anyway) do you think pride & prejudice would work if the roles were switched? i mean, if elizabeth was high society, had a huge fortune, and darcy were some witty, down and out country gentleman? maybe? i've been consuming p&p again like crazy. i have no idea why. ok. so there you have it.

better, much better

2009-11-15T17:34:00.002-08:00

i'm not one to shy away from clichés. so when i say better late then never, i mean it. much much better. here is the thing. you might not have noticed, but david and i haven't posted a 1000 words for november yet. shocking? maybe. reality, yes. because here i sit, in the "business center" at the holiday inn express (yes, fancy, i know) and i just laughed out loud two times. actually three, the first was more like a snicker, but i'm going to count it anyway. david just emailed me the story for this month, and it's good. real good. perhaps my favorite yet. don't hold me to that, not quite anyway. actually, why don't you go decide for yourself. i'm not sure when we will be posting again, given the endless string of fieldwork i see before me, and the large amount that david has on his plate right now. maybe we will take a little hiatus for the holidays. maybe. i'll keep you posted. if i ever go back home that is.

very very smart people

2009-10-31T13:47:00.003-07:00

i'm lucky enough to know some very very smart people. i'm even luckier to call them my friends. so when someone i really like comes up with a brilliant idea involving food, well i'm pretty much a goner. folks, let me tell you what my friend gina has gone and done. prepare yourselves. she has started her very own gourmet whoopie pie business. YES. you read correctly. whoopie pies people. but not just any whoopie pies, flavors like pumpkin spice, and bananatella which i was so eager to sample. gina dropped some by the house so that we could hold an official taste test, and just imagine, five out of five huffman's were delighted with them! david was a dead ringer for the pumpkin spice. he's all about the pumpkin pie and this was like taking a pumpkin pie and jamming between two soft, spiced cookies. uh yum. eliot was also strongly in favor of this pie. myself and the girls on the other hand were quite partial to the bananatella. i mean, really in my opinion there is no way to go wrong with nutella. i used to think my favorite way to eat it was dipping sourdough pretzels straight into the jar. no longer. now all i want to do is have a slab of nutella goodness in between two banana cake like cookies. yes please. there are more flavors to try, and i am going to make it my personal mission to try them all. of course you are all wondering where you can get your hands on these delicious whoopie pies. right now what you need to do is head on down to hammerpress on first fridays where gina her cute self will be selling them this friday, november 6th. and i would guess, that if you beg and plead enough, someday soon, they would be available all over kansas city, and who knows, maybe even all over the world. yes. let's dream big. go gina go!!

remember that?

2009-10-20T20:26:00.002-07:00

yeah me too. it's funny how my adult brain is saying to me, man if i jump in those leaves, i'm going to get all dusty, have leaf bits in my shirt and mouth, it will be a pain to get them out of my hair etc etc... and yet i see no evidence in the slightest that they are thinking anything of the sort. i need to remind my adult brain to shut up every now and then.

tables that were turned

2009-10-12T07:20:00.008-07:00

a few weeks ago david caught me by surprise by sending me some interview questions for our 1000 words project. things got really busy for me at work, so it took me a while to get to them, but i did so here you go, a little more insight for any one interested in our work.

-how long have you been taking photographs?
i've been snapping away for fun since i was 12 or 13 and hamming it up for photos even earlier than that. remember when 110 film was cool? i think my parents still have their old vivitar somewhere. but i'd say i've been shooting purposefully for the last two and a half years.

- what makes you decide to go digital or film (in general)?
this is such a hard question for me. before i bought my dslr (a nikon D80) i would have said film hands down. i love film for so many reasons, one of which is it just sounds so great, hearing that shutter go kerplunk. but having a better digital camera that i can manipulate things like aperture and shutter speed, makes me feel really great about digital as well. that being said i would never ever give up on film. ever. i'll have that pentax k1000 with me until it dies or i do.

- what have you used for the 1k project, and why?
looking back at all the posts for 1k, they are very digital heavy. it might be a cop-out to say it, but i feel like it's mostly due to time constraints. since we have to work about a month ahead of time (which reminds me i need to get you november's photo soon!), finding the time to set up a photo shoot on film, have it processed and then look through the photos to decide on one, makes me a little nervous. not to mention the fact, what if i take all that time, and don't get anything i'm happy with? i'd like to shoot more film for this project, but finding the time makes it hard. especially moving into the winter months, since i only use natural light with my film camera. yeah, it's a total cop-out. sorry folks.

- what is your process for composing an image for this project?
i'm finding that it's certainly more purposeful than i thought it would be when we started. it's hard for me not to think about the fact that the next post will be in november. since i have to shoot what is around me (no out of town location shoots in the near future), for me seasonality plays a huge roll. some of the past photos i had an extremely specific image in my mind that i wanted to create, such as july's 1k story. we went out to my parents house because i was looking for a creek and i really wanted to find a big frog. as you can see, we did. that image is pretty much exactly what i had in my head. the images for the earlier stories were certainly more off the cuff, i guess because i was getting settled into the project. i always having ideas floating around for images i want, but making them happen has proved more difficult than i would have guessed.

- which story do you feel best connects to, or represents, the image you provided?
i'd have to say april 1k. there is this haze in the picture that for me directly connects to the haze that gene has been living under. his character is so much the pack mule, he has basically put his head down and worked hard for more years than he can count, only to finally look up and realize so much has passed him by. all this time he was doing what he thought was so important, when really his family wanted more than a pack mule, they wanted a father in their life. that story kills me, and the photo is right in the wheel-house too.

- which story was the biggest surprise, based on the photo you provided?
february 1k. maybe because it was our first, maybe because the story takes such a huge twist three fourths of the way through, for whatever reason, that story knocked me flat off my feet. i had no idea what was coming, but the thing that is so great about this project is that even though the story was such a surprise to me, looking back, the image still fits. fits snugly if i do say so myself.

- when you cook, why don't you try following the recipe, just once?
i can't help it. i'm a fiddler. what can i say? at least your wife is a good cook. for the most part. i'll fully admit that there are times when my fiddling makes some disgusting food.

- name two of your favorite photos and explain why.
may 1k. this was one of those purposeful, shot on film, set up waaay ahead of time, image that was created. it was so great, two people i had never met before in person let me into their home, took off some of their clothes (not all of them!) and let me take pictures of them. the best part was that it was totally fun and awesome, not awkward at all. i'd like to do more of these types of shoots, the purposeful kind, not the take off your clothes kind.

june 1k is also a favorite of mine. the photo is very personal (it's my sister) and the setting is also personal (i used that clothing line for most of my childhood), elements which i think david channeled into the story. i had a good idea of what image i wanted to get, and the story goes so well with it that it's hard not to be a favorite.

- why are you doing this with me?
well, you are certainly the best writer i know personally. collaborating with other creative people is such a great feeling. now take that feeling and multiply it by a thousand when you collaborate with someone you love, kind of makes it a no-brainer really.

- out of all of the images you have on Flickr, pick two that you think best represents you as an artist.
man. wrap it up with an easy question why don't you. sheesh.

this is a photo that i love for so many reasons, personal and technical. the light came out just the way i wanted it to. the space brings back so many strong memories. pretty much everything about it does things for me. i think if i had my way, my photos would be much more along these lines, more moody. but because it's hard for me to spend time alone, away from home shooting, i feel like these happen less often.

that being said, if i could take pictures of people having fun, preferably enjoying the summer, for the rest of my life, i would do it in a heartbeat. to capture a moment of joy, or love, or even pain, those are the kinds of photos i love to take. that i keep striving for.

in case you missed it, a new story for october is up. so there you have it folks.

home to

2009-10-08T14:04:00.004-07:00

hugs
kisses
giggles
more hugs
macaroni and cheese
rain
coloring and new markers
some whining
some tears
some complaining (it wouldn't be real life without them)
good mail
boring mail
tivo
the couch
my down throw
more rain
snuggles
more kisses (wink wink)

for you

2009-09-25T17:00:00.003-07:00

as sad as i am to see summer go, i'm ready for a change of clothes. granted if i had my way, it would never ever get any colder than 50 degrees. the perfect temperature for cute sweaters, blazers, and even a nice little jacket. not nearly cold enough for things like down coats and frozen fingertips & toes. this fall i'm building my wardrobe around the christian dior boys wool blazer i found thrifting. yeah, you read that right, christian dior. i won't get that lucky for at least another three years, as i am the world's worst thrifter. but enough about clothes, because as far as i'm concerned clothes are just an excuse to pick out a pair of SHOES. i'm on the hunt for a pair of oxfords this fall. i've got my eye on the rachel comey derringer at habitat. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the size 6 is a small 6. very very small. but let's talk about sexy. because i've been tapping into my sexy shoe side. i was in habitat a few weeks ago and they had just gotten in the heel you see in the photos above, it's the odanak from coclico. people. first let me tell you that it is a genius mix of heel & bootie, second let me tell you that the leather that wraps around your ankle feels like BUTTER. seriously, it's the softest leather i've ever felt, i wanted to sit there and pet it. and here is the best part yet, besides this shoe being ridiculously sexy, it was also incredibly comfortable. so where am i going with all this? well today through sunday you can shop online and get 20% off new shoes, boots and handbags, just enter the code newfall20 and that my friends, is how this is for you. woot!!

last first

2009-09-21T12:40:00.003-07:00

today is the last day of summer and just like always i'm missing the heat and sunshine, already looking through the long dark tunnel of winter to when i can next enjoy those things. kansas city is giving a taste of fall today, with grey dreary skies, rain and a crisp feeling in the air. i had grand plans of putting together a lovely little summer zine but life and work came front and center the last few months or so, leaving me little time or energy for such things. and what time i did have i chose to squander it watching studio 60 on hulu with david. and i have zero guilt about laying in bed, watching excellent tv with my husband. so here we go, only three more seasons until summer again! i'm counting down the days.

late summer

2009-09-16T06:52:00.003-07:00

listening to cicadas, enjoying the late afternoon on the porch, eating the last of the cherry tomatoes straight off the plant, pulling on a cardigan after the sun goes down, turning off the attic fan because it's just a little too cool, but leaving the windows open nonetheless, daydreaming about tights and soup, waiting for the mayor of fall to usher in the change. late summer i will miss you, but i will savor every day you give me.

portrait of a three year old ennui

2009-09-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

i am

2009-09-11T18:11:00.003-07:00

i had a revelation today. this may come as a surprise to you, but today i realized i am a photographer. what? i know. why today? let me back up a bit. remember last week how i was so excited to find out that my friend prentiss is a photographer? and how i talked his ear off about lights, and studio space, and all kinds of other nerdy photography things. well, as what usually happens when i start talking about cameras and whatnot, i get "the question". you know the question. everyone get's it. "oh! so are you a (fill in the blank)?". some lady overheard us talking and sure enough, she asked the question. and i hemmed and hawed like i usually do. oh, not really. well, yeah kind of. i do it on the side, i really like photography etc etc. she looked at me like i had a camera growing out of my forehead, and i somewhat awkwardly returned to my conversation with prentiss. we talked some more, and i said something about having been published in a polaroid book. see! he said, don't do that. don't do what, i said? don't answer the question like that, you are a photographer. oh, i said. i stewed on it for a while, and a few days later had another one of my reoccurring conversations with david, you know the "what am i even doing?" one. i get so worked up about defining myself or my style or my work or whatever that i forget one very important piece of the puzzle. nobody, and i mean nobody is defined by one single, solitary thing. i am a million things. i am a mother. i am a wife. i am an archaeologist. i am petite. i am sassy. i am a klutz. we all are a million things. to be defined by one thing would be almost nonhuman. not to mention boring. so where am i going with all of this? well, today this arrived. i opened it up, squealed a little, and then turned over my card and saw this.

can you read that? it says image copyright © by Hannah Huffman. that's right. it's me. it hit me like a ton of bricks. and if jenifer altman lived in kansas city, i would have run right over to her house, screamed in her ear, jumped in her lap, and given her the biggest hug ever. thank you jen so much for including me in your brain child. for asking me twice! for encouraging me when i was skeptical that i could do it. and of course, i have to thank david for giving me the kick in the pants i need when i get all wishy washy. last summer when john asked me if i wanted to have my first show, my head was spinning. what?? yes, but how?? and david ever so dryly says, stop freaking out and just do it. oh. ok. he's like my own personal tim gunn. so will i be the next annie leibovitz? no. i doubt it. will i take photographs for the rest of my life for fun? yes. will i take photographs for other people who want to pay me? hopefully. why? because i am a photographer. and a million other things.

today

2009-09-10T13:37:00.003-07:00

is david's birthday. i love this man for many reasons, but most of all he has an amazing mind up there in that head of his. he wrote a new story for today. on top of the million things he has on his plate, he finds time to be an amazing father and do creative things with me. what a keeper. happy birthday david. you are my favorite.

toby & maureen

2009-09-08T14:25:00.002-07:00

toby you are the best person i know, so it makes perfect sense that you would find the best woman possible to be your wife. congratulations my friends, all huffmans love you very very much.

prentiss

2009-09-02T18:11:00.002-07:00

this is prentiss. he is pretty awesome, for many reasons, but when i found out that he is a photographer, i practically pounced on him. i picked his brain, asked tons of questions and gushed over lenses. because that's what photographers do, right? oh. maybe that's just me. anyway...

so here is the great news - prentiss is having his first gallery show this first friday. what makes it even better is he has turned it into a charity event to benefit the healthy kids initiative of rosedale. see, i told you he was awesome. please, come on down. the show is at 2012 main from 6 to 9 pm, this friday, september 4th. you can read all kinds of details on the event page. they are going to be shooting street style portraits for goodness sake! david, eliot and i will totally be doing this. and yes, i will totally post it here.

things

2009-08-26T09:52:00.001-07:00

so many cool things on the internets right now. a partial list:
vintage eyeglasses on etsy (see david's in action above)
shari's spiderwebs (amazing)
cup & saucer collective (two lovely ladies making beautiful things)
kate miss (i want a necklace)
speaking of necklaces, i want this one from habitat too.
if we're talking about habitat, i want these too
a pizza from delancey, dessert too.
photo walks are always a good thing in my book
sart is right, i can feel the transition coming
and last, but certainly not least, remembering senator kennedy
i am certainly no political junkie, but i have a long standing soft spot for the kennedy family. years ago i watched the ken burns documentary and cried and cried for what could have been and i am not much of a crier either. so today i feel a sadness again for what could have been.

first kindergarten, second and one not pictured

2009-08-24T13:44:00.002-07:00

last week was our first week of the new school year. it was a long week. we all had to adjust to new bedtimes and getting up early. myself included. collette's favorite things about kindergarten are:
seeing her best friend margot everyday
seeing eliot on the playground

and that's all we can get out of her. well, today david managed to get her to say what she liked about school besides seeing margot. apparently it was reading a book. i'll take these all as good signs. she's not crying and she doesn't refuse to go. if she doesn't want to talk about it, eah. her decision. i'll pump the teacher for information at back to school night.

eliot is already loving second grade. we are looking forward to this year, because they get to "travel" around the world and study different cultures, food, languages. it's a good year.

and arlo. well that sweet arlo. she's doing just fine too. more than fine really. as a third child, she is taking full advantage of having time to herself in the best way possible. that's right, laying full length on the couch. because you third borns out there know, you never get the whole couch to yourself, you have to fight for your portion tooth and nail. when we leave in the morning, david says she lays out and luxuriates in all the space. smart girl. very smart.

fleeting

2009-08-12T08:46:00.002-07:00

i saw it yesterday. just a flash, but i knew it just the same. we were at the doctor's office for collette's five year check up. he had just finished up and we were waiting for the nurse to come in to give collette her two shots. she was sitting on the table, and i was standing next to her. there was a brief conversation, do you want to hold my hand? yes. do you want your shots in the arm or the leg? arm. do you want to watch or do you want to put your head on my shoulder? watch. the nurse came in and stood by us. and that's when i saw it. collette sat up straight, squared her jaw and got ready for the shots. and the expression on her face. it was fleeting yes, but in that instant i realized it was an expression she will use her whole life long. every time she squares that jaw to take on something, it will be there. the same one at five years, 25 years, and lord help me 85 years. and it was heartbreaking and fantastic all at once. and i felt five myself and 25 and 85. and i squared my jaw and held her little tanned hand.

this is our last week of summer vacation. eliot starts school on monday and collette marches right on into kindergarten on wednesday. they are ready. they are more than ready, and here i find myself dragging my feet. kicking the dirt, listening to cicadas not wanting to let the time go. and i know now that a huge portion of my love of summer is my love of childhood. of the magic of summer. of the laziness and heat and sweat and boredom and joy of summer. last week i was in oklahoma for work, and tuesday evening i was roaming around a borders books looking for something. i was poking around the bargain table and found a book of greek mythology and i was whipped back in time to my 11 year old self. that summer i found a big book of mythology and i devoured it. i laid in my bed and read it cover to cover then started back at the beginning again. oh sure, i know zeus likes to dabble with pretty young ladies and do all these crazy things, but those were not the stories that held me. my favorites always were the stories that took something we know and found a different way to explain it. i love persephone the best. i love that greeks decided that the reason we have a winter is because she ate those six little pomegranate seeds, and for six months of the year her mother roams the earth in sadness, missing her daughter and the world goes cold because of it. how lovely is that? how much more fascinating is that than talk of axis and climate and seasons? and really isn't it the secret of childhood? that time when we are on the cusp of becoming adults and learning how the world really works, but we still have the stories. the bright explanations that make us laugh and clap our hands? don't get the idea that i live in a dream world. i very much live in the real world, with a real life and a real family. but there are times when i like to take a small retreat. and i indulge more so in the summer. and i love it. so i find myself sad that this is our last week. but what can i do but square my jaw and face it? if collette can, certainly i shall too.

(i've been reading a lot of steinbeck, can you tell?)

eleven

2009-08-08T18:57:00.002-07:00

today i have been married to david huffman for eleven years. today is a very good day.

wealthy

2009-07-28T13:25:00.004-07:00

you want to know what isn't in recession? friends. that's right. cheesy but true. i have so many people, really good people, that i feel strongly for, and feel glad that they are a part of my life that it's a little silly really. here's the kicker, some of them i've never even met face to face. what you say? how can you know someone that way? well you just can. i'm not naive enough to say that there aren't flukes when it comes to this kind of thing, but for the most part, you can. and comfortable friends, the kind you see two, maybe three times a week. the kind you can just say hey, i'm bringing over chips and salsa and they respond with, cool the front door is unlocked. that's a good kind too. maybe you have a friend who is just like you. you laugh at the same thing, your mothers drive you crazy in the same way, and you could literally laugh and talk for hours and hours. or what about those friends that you only see every few years, but it's like riding a bike. you just pick right back up where you left off. and sure you wonder why you don't see each other more, but you know that it's ok. maybe there will be a time in your life where your lives will intersect, and maybe not. either way, they're still great. what i'm trying to say here is that if your feeling crappy, or down, or pinched or whatever your feeling, just take a minute to think about the people you love. i guarantee it will put a smile on your face, make you feel rich.

good idea/bad idea

2009-07-17T15:10:00.002-07:00

in a fit of internet motivation, i created a fan page for 1000 words on facebook. yes. that's right. facebook. i kind of hate facebook. i mean, i have a facebook page, if we are going for things like full disclosure, but i'm just not that into it. until now. which is where the good idea/bad idea thing comes into play. because i find myself checking facebook with frightening regularity. i don't want to like it. i already have an online love. how could i cheat on flickr? i won't. i'll just keep up with 1000 words. that's it. i promise. oh and in case you missed it, we posted july's story last week. hope you like it. i'm stepping away from the computer to enjoy the CRAZY nice weather and the weekend.

a party involving

2009-07-13T18:14:00.003-07:00

lots of ladies, makeup, a magician (ok not really, but she is magic), drinks, and a few appetizers. which equals complete success if you ask me. thank you so much gina for pouring forth your knowledge of all things makeup and wonderful. i met gina last summer when i did the wiksten shoot for jenny. she had just moved to kansas city from los angeles the year before where she had been working as a makeup artist for years. of course i thought she was cool, but when i ran into her again a few months later, to my great surprise i found out that she was married to a friend of mine from grade school!! crazy coincidence. so crazy. i mean who could resist such a cute family? not me. so not only did this woman agree to celebrate a triple birthday party by giving us the best makeup tricks and techniques ever, she did it after driving 8 straight hours from chicago. you are insane lady. and awesome. thank you a million times over gina for saturday night.

oh and if you are in kansas city and in need of a makeup artist or a fashion consultant you are in total luck because gina freelances!! weddings, events, consultations, whatever, she can do it all. i am serious. shoot me an email if you would like her contact info. yay yay!!

just hanging out

2009-07-08T18:33:00.003-07:00

aside from some fireworks, and an unpleasant episode with some thorns in the bottom of eliot's foot, things have been right on track for summer. hot dogs. lots of hot dogs lately. and lemonade. and ice cream. because really, why not? it was all i could do to muster dinner tonight. uh. hot dogs. yeah. and chips. oh and a freshly made smoothie. so that makes up for the other part. in my mind anyway. i can't stop eating peaches. i really can't. like two or three a day. pretty soon i'll be hiding in the closet again, because i'm not so good a sharing when it comes to peaches. at least i recognize my weaknesses.

in other non-produce related news, i've finally gotten some creative oomph back in my life. i've got two exciting collaborations in the works. like really good ones. with really talented ladies. don't worry, i'll tell you about it when i can. i've been working on a little something to commemorate my love of summer. that should be ready soon. and i've been thinking a lot about sewing. i know! i've got a few projects (a quilt!) that i am really looking forward to starting. just staring at my piles of fabric has been theraputic in a way. so yeah. that's that mattress man.

well july

2009-07-02T15:12:00.003-07:00

you can't be all that bad. i mean it still is summer after all. june is my favorite, no doubt about it, but good things happen in july too. for instance, lots of bunting and balloons out and about to celebrate the holiday. always nice. i will forever remember my first attempt at homemade ice cream. today i fell in love with dulce de leche ice cream with toasted pecans. fell hard. like i wouldn't share if i didn't absoultely have to (friends are coming to dinner). and today is super great for another reason, a better one. yes one that tops homemade ice cream. today is my friend kristen's birthday. i mean she's a super cool lady, and with amazing taste in shoes, hence she owns a shoe store. but i love her because we are so alike it's kind of scary. only three days separtate our birthdays. we both are quite lax on cleaning and the like, food saftey? who needs it. and yes we love our mothers to death, but they equally (and more often than not, in the exact same ways) drive us insane. i don't know what would happen if we actually had a disagreement. neither one of us would back down. fact cop. i think the world might break in half. it's a good thing we like each other, because i think the only other option might be to hate one another. so yes, kristen i am super happy glad that i love you! happy birthday dear friend. you mean the world to me.

in aestas speramus

2009-06-30T17:12:00.003-07:00

did june just vanish? it must have. that's the only explanation i can think of to account for the fact that today is the last day. the last day of my favorite month. i can say though that it was a good june. the perfect balance of lazy and productive. started off lovely and breezy, got blazing hot in the middle, and ended on another gentle, cooler note. i'm well aware that i have plenty more summer ahead of me, but june is like eating your cake first and then having to face all the yucky stuff you pushed around your plate trying to ignore. ah well. brian declared me the mayor of summer, a title with which i heartily agree. to that effect, i have a few little fun things up my sleeve. so here we go mrs. july, what say you?

3:05 or 3:10

2009-06-29T14:33:00.006-07:00

it's kind of up in the air. my mom called this morning to wish me a happy birthday and said she will always remember that i was born at 3:05 because she thought that was my weight and nearly had a heart attack (please, i was a whopping 5lbs 6oz). then dad called this afternoon a little after three and said, well i remember it clearly, it was 3:10 we nearly had a heart attack... you get the picture. either way, today i am 33. and it has been the best day. text messages, phone calls, flickr photos, emails and wishes from facebook have been pouring in literally all day long. david and the kids surprised me with GOLD SHOES. gold people. i love them. then i came home to surprise flowers from around the world, my favorite little hamster was invovled, i'm sure of it. and even a second trip to the auto repair shop can't get me down today. no it can not. so off i go (in gold shoes of course) to dinner & a movie with david, because my brother gifted me with some babysitting. a very smart gift indeed. thank you so everyone for all the love. it's truly done a girl good.

sunday

2009-06-28T20:24:00.005-07:00

out for breakfast
the picking and eating of the one ripe tomato (she had to wait SO LONG)
smoothie popsicles (brian i couldn't eat all the fruit, had to do something)
presents
dropping in on friends
new game for the wii (boom blox!)
night church
fire pit, smores and more friends

another fine fine day, with a bonus temperature drop! the weather was gorgeous today. the windows are all open and the attic fan is whirring. good sleep tonight.

saturday

2009-06-27T18:32:00.003-07:00

farmer's market
afternoon naps
pizza (cheese, pepperoni, sausage w/ green peppers & red onions)
blackberry lavender snow cone

a home run i'd say.

the end

2009-06-26T14:50:00.002-07:00

to a brimming week. good things (that concert i can't stop thinking about) and not so good things (new timing belt & water pump for the car). i have to say i am ready for a nice quiet friday. and that's exactly what i'm going to get. david is off camping with eliot. collette and arlo are napping. i say dinner is whenever the choose to show their sweaty, sheet wrinkled faces. a movie, some popcorn, bedtime and then free time for me. perhaps i'll continue my endevour to eat all the fruit that somehow got super ripe, super fast.

music & polaroids

2009-06-25T12:57:00.003-07:00

so hey june, i missed a few days blogging, but eah. i was having too much fun. first of all, last night we stood in line for two hours to see a secret free phoenix show. let me tell you, it was so completely and totally worth it. best show ever. and FREE. oh man. if you don't have the new phoenix album, please do get it. you won't be sorry. i promise.

second, and equally as awesome, i have some fantastic polaroid news. remember back when the lovely jen invited me to be a part of the for the love of light project? well, behind the scenes things were cooking. and now they are just about ready. chronicle books is putting out a fantastic set of notecards with our polaroid images!! you can pre-order a set here (looky there, that's my pola on the info page eeeeepppp!). so in summation, go buy the phoenix album and order some polaroid notecards. it's all for you people. i've already got mines.

staycation

2009-06-23T14:33:00.002-07:00

our new favorite word. staycation. we took two days off of work to spend time with family in from out of town. one night at the great wolf lodge, and indoor water park, and another day of family time just for us. there were lego exhibits, ice cream sundaes, onion rings and new books from the book store. a solid win for the staycation. see what happens when you treat your own town like a vistor, go ahead. try it. at least there might be ice cream invovled.

the father's day

2009-06-21T09:17:00.002-07:00

lazy morning, out for breakfast and new socks. what more could a dad ask for, right? i know how badly you want a new iphone david, but i thought ankle socks might hold you over for a bit. yes? happy father's day my dear, you make it look so easy.

friday night

2009-06-20T06:44:00.001-07:00

nothing a little bit of airplane can't solve. right?

the boss

2009-06-19T14:21:00.003-07:00

i don't know if you know this, but being the owner of a small business (uh, like less then 5 employees) is a really hard job. super hard. which is why it is so awesome that john and kristen make it look so easy. and good. really good peoples. last night at habitat was awesome. john was slaying people left and right. there was blood on the floor. i am not lying. way to go buddy.

and i want to say a thank you to so many of you that have listened to me talk on and on (and on and on...) about shoes and habitat. i know for a fact that many of you have clicked over and bought lovely shoes from john and kristen. supporting local business feels good. supporting friends feels good too. friends (from everywhere) supporting friends feels the best. i hope you feel good about it too. now go enjoy the weekend. scoot!

ping pong ding dong

2009-06-18T13:43:00.002-07:00

HEY. don't forget, if you are in kansas city, you best be coming by habitat tonight for the beat the boss ping pong challenge. there will be hot chicks and cars there*. see you there sucka.

*actually just john in inappropriate shorts and beer.

home home home

2009-06-17T18:53:00.003-07:00

things that happened while i was gone:
eliot learned how to ride his bike
arlo got strep throat
collette sounds louder, but i'm not sure if that is entirely true
david got strep throat
the tomato has started to ripen
we are out of milk

it feels good to be home.

back again

2009-06-16T13:38:00.002-07:00

while i certainly believe in the third time being the charm, i knew a long time ago that i liked this person lots. whole lots. thank you melissa for being you. and letting me roll around on the floor with your children. and feeding me. and making me laugh and bringing me coffee in bed. yeah. she did. that's right. i'll be back. hopefully with peoples in tow.

good peoples

2009-06-14T11:24:00.001-07:00

here i am

2009-06-12T19:07:00.002-07:00

in portland. i know this because i have five frantz peoples, and not an hour in town they stuck me on a bike and made me eat a vegan cookie. and i loved it.

tmi

2009-06-11T12:07:00.002-07:00

thank you for all the kind words yesterday about 1000 words. it was just as fun for me to read david's responses. he's a deep one. with lots to say, but only if you ask. and even then you kinda have to wait for it. all good things are worth a wait, no? someone asked me recently about my camera and lenses, i can't remember if it was here or flickr, but i thought i'd answer that question briefly. most of the photographs around here lately have been with a nikon D80, which i am really happy with. i almost exclusively shoot with the 50mm f1.4 lens. which i am extremely extremely happy with. i have two zoom lenses that i very occasionally use. one is a loaner and it's a 55-200mm DX. it's pretty hot (thank you toby, anytime you need it back, you just holla). i took the zoo pictures with that lens. the other is a 18-70mm DX that i picked up cheap cheap on ebay. i use it for the occasional wide angle shot. for the most part though, it's the 50mm all the time. i prefer shooting with a prime lens because they are sharper. and since my film cameras have no zoom function, i don't miss it with digital. i just move myself. i think this christmas i'm going to keep my eye open for a deal on a prime wide angle. maybe a 20mm or something. i'm giving santa notice right now. anyway. so if you are just dying to know more, nicolle was kind enough to do a little interview with me on her blog. and that's that. i leave for portland tomorrow, so i'm going to try to keep my promise of posting everyday this month, but i'm guessing its going to be mostly pictures of disgustingly cute kids. i'm giving you warning now.

thousands of words

2009-06-10T06:54:00.003-07:00

well, technically we'll hit more than a thousand if you count david's story for 1000 words (which is up by the way). i thought it might be fun to have david do a little interview today, to get a peek at one of the masterminds responsible for 1000 words. so. here we go.

how long have you been writing?

I completed my first feature-length screenplay summer of 1999. So a little longer than that.

i know you have various styles of writing (short stories, prose, plays, scripts etc) is there one you are drawn to more? or do you orient yourself to what you have at hand?

I'm drawn to movie scripts and short stories. My storytelling is cinematic, so my writing leans toward shorter forms. My retirement plan is to write a novel. I have no 401k.

what has been the most surprising aspect of working on the 1K project?

How easy it is to be inspired by your photography. I thought it might be hard to come up with ideas, but the hardest part has been to narrow all of the ideas down for each piece.

do you feel limited by the word count?

Unlike many artists, I presume, I thrive within structure and limitations. This is why I like scripts so much. There are a crap ton of rules, and I love that. And I add my own on top of that. I wasn't there, but I'm told that DaVinci once said, "Only within limitations can genius flourish." I'm no genius, but I dig it.

what do you say to people who want more to the story?

Literally, I say, "Cool." For this interview, I'll expound: One of my own rules is that a character cannot exist just to be in my story or script. The character has to be a real person who exists, and my story is just a bigtime moment in his or her life. That said, there is always more to the story. Hardly anything will actually be "told" about most of us, and I like to think it's the same for the characters I create.

what is your process once you receive the photograph for the month?

I come to you and say, "Wow, thanks for leaving me a whole 10 days to do my end of this project. Why did I ever agree to this?" And then I think about it for a week or so, because you usually, in truth, get the picture to me with much more time than 10 days. Then stories and characters start coming to mind when I least expect it, and I take out my iPhone (holla!) and use the handy "Notes" app to preserve them, because if I don't, someone (usually a child) will come up to me and start talking, and I'll immediately forget my ideas. Then I handwrite the first draft, so I can't count the words as I go. Then I rethink it, type it up, see how much over or under I am, re-rethink it to get it close, then start assassinating words left and right until I get it down to 1000. I actually go, "Pschoo!" like the sound of a sniper rifle when I hit delete. (Not really.)((Okay...really.))

which month so far is your favorite?

I'm not very good at answering "favorite" questions, but what I will do is (briefly) tell you things I particularly like about each one.

FEB - I like how visceral it is and consequently the visceral reaction from readers.
MAR - I like the imagery, specifically when the woman leaves the laundromat a "new" person and she's so empowered that she imagines the cars as toys.
APR - We experience Gene's 40-year emotional journey in about 10 minutes story time and one thousand words. That's killer.
MAY - I'm proud of myself for testing the supernatural waters. Okay, it's more serendipitous than supernatural, but look for more bits of "magic" in future stories.

what is it like to collaborate with such a talented, hot photographer (who is also a fantastic cook)?

"I have no idea," is the answer you're expecting. And it's the answer you would've received had we done this face-to-face, because I don't use emoticons ;-). But since this is an email, here's my answer, which will be shorter than my explanation of the forthcoming answer: It's like making plans with your best friend, who you know will show up no matter what and you'll have a good time with no matter what.

what writers or stories inspire or influence you?

When I was 13, Ray Bradbury transformed me into a reader, and I'm 99% sure I have the largest Bradbury book collection on my street. So I'd have to say he's responsible for it all. Nobody quirky or overly literary or obscure. You know, Steinbeck's WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT, Salinger's FRANNY & ZOOEY, Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD, Asimov's FOUNDATION TRILOGY. I also like the Russians because they're dark and brooding and unapologetic megalomaniacs.

journey

2009-06-09T12:16:00.002-07:00

i took my camera and went to outer space today...

forcasting

2009-06-08T12:45:00.002-07:00

it was always a treat when we were little when our mom would let us play in the rain. so far i can't quite bring myself to let the kids full on play in the rain. but we most certainly stomp around in the river after the showers let up. this week should afford more stomping. and hopefully no tornadoes.

hula hooping huffmans

2009-06-07T12:46:00.002-07:00

we found some

2009-06-06T19:15:00.003-07:00

R.I.P. little lightening bugs. i'm sorry. it's a sad combination of you being fascinating and fragile. you sure are beautiful though...

eat, eating, eaten

2009-06-05T12:30:00.003-07:00

i like my summer food nice and easy. with the least amount of fuss possible. and heat for that matter. if i can put it on the grill, well then it most certainly finds itself there. and if all else fails, make a BLT. sandwiches for dinner, yes please. there is lots of yummy summer food floating around right now. in case you need any inspiration, i give you:
jen's salad
shari's chive vinegar! i can only imagine how yummy that will be in a vinaigrette
brian's corn soup, which i would guess is just as yummy cold. he's also promising some summer cocktails recipes. can't wait for that.
i think this weekend i'll make up a batch of chicken salad. i like mine with grapes, apples and a bit of tarragon, but this looks quite yummy too. whatever you do, just make sure it involves plenty of time for sitting. on a porch if you've got it.

you have two weeks

2009-06-04T12:50:00.002-07:00

to get ready. to have your ~~ass whooped~~ hat handed to you. i'd say something more crass, but you never know who could be reading (hi mom!). seriously though, if anyone means business, it's JOHN MCCLAIN. and he is ready. ready to crush you in the third annual beat the boss ping pong tournament at habitat. read all the details here and weep. two weeks. start training now. and you still probably don't stand a chance. don't say i didn't warn you. suckas....

photo courtesy of james at rw/2 studios, my cousins lyndon & lindsey's studio, and i love it. they are geniuses. it's true.

give way

2009-06-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

i've realized that i spend most of my winter in a hibernation of sorts. when summer gets here, my days get longer and longer, and give way to night. once all the tasks of life are dealt with, i often find myself shuffling out to the porch at 10:45 or so. it feels so good to just sit and listen to the crickets, watch fireflies, and have a popsicle. it's even better when david joins me. sometimes we giggle. well. ok. i do the giggling, he just laughs a bit. sometimes we process some bit of our day. but mostly it just feels good. and when we finally stretch out our old bones and shuffle back inside, the clock winks at me, 12:07, and i don't even miss the extra sleep.

required dress

2009-06-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

is just that. a dress. floral is preferred, but not required. twirlyness is most certainly necessary.

i probably should have been named june

2009-06-01T13:32:00.005-07:00

i could go on and on about how much i love june. instead i think i'll just show you. i'll post here everyday (whaa!!?) and you can also find me over at habit. lucky lucky me.

ps. i do love june.

today

2009-05-28T19:53:00.002-07:00

is the first day of summer vacation. in honor of such a day, we took our three beasts to the zoo. and we walked and walked and walked and then ate ice cream. and rode the train. pretty much a great day. and a great start. summer i am so ready for you. (and hells yes to not making a lunch tonight for eliot!) now, it's time to dust off the sprinkler (right andrea?), designate some canning jars for fire flies and grill as many food stuffs as possible. oh and porch sit of course. are you ready?

this is a five year old

2009-05-14T09:58:00.004-07:00

it's true. today is the day. this girl is five. FIVE. oh collette. you have been so distinctive from the moment you came into this world. and i can't imagine it's going to be any different the rest of your life. i should have known. i'm pretty sure you winked at me in the hospital the day after you were born. not blinked, winked. looked right at me and just gave me a little wink. like we had a secret. a little thing going that no one else knew about. at the time i thought it was it was because you had little tufts of hair on the tops of your ears, and i wasn't supposed to let anyone know you were part elf. they went away of course, but i'm still not convinced you don't have a little elf or fairy or something darn special about you. its the twinkle. and the hugs. oh my lord, the hugs. fierce, sudden things. you come at me, arms spread open, and you latch on like a leech. the most loving, adorable leech of course. arms and legs wrapped so tightly around me that i don't even need to use my arms to keep you there. i could walk around and do dishes, you hug so tightly. i could tuck a bottle of water into your pocket and wear you around like a backpack. hey, not a bad idea... regardless, you are an unbelievable little girl. and will be a stunning woman. it's a future i have a hard time thinking about, because it's so bright i get a little choked up, and have to squint a bit, and clear my throat. i love you my sweet sweet girl. so very much. even when your 32 and i'm giving you a hard time about keeping your bathroom tidy or buying better cuts of meat, remember how much i love you. ok? ok.

here we are again

2009-05-07T09:46:00.003-07:00

it's polaroid week! again! time just flew by. i had a rough start this go round. i was playing all smooth, like pack film was just going to save the day. but ruined shot after ruined shot i started to feel a little worried. i started to doubt the fuji. i mean, isn't pack film supposed to save us all? what's the deal here? luckily a few kind souls took pity on me and told me to check the batteries on my camera. duh. and here we are, the week almost out. and me doubting pack film, when it never let me down in the first place. it was the damn batteries. i should have known. ah well. go take a looksie in the pool, it's lovely.

drip drop splash

2009-04-30T09:46:00.003-07:00

it's rainy and dreary here in kc, and for once, i'm ok with it. i got back a roll of film from my weekend away at a farmhouse and it was a dreary day there too. it didn't seem right to post these when the sun was blazing away. and i can't stop thinking about tea for some reason. i plan on having a cup as soon as i get home. my own little break. and i need one. tomorrow is may. MAY. i'm not quite sure how that happened, but it is gearing up to be a crazy month. things at work are shifting back to my old life. i've got lots of fieldwork on the horizon and it's a little scary trying to figure out how to make that work in conjunction with family, and david's job. time to buckle down i guess.