San Francisco Pier 39 in the Spring
a letter to my son | may edition
Dear Noah-
Is it possible that you turned 6 years old last month? Is it possible that you are no longer a baby that I can cradle in my arms, a toddler that I can pick up and shift from hip to hip, or smother with a thousand kisses? Time with you has gone by too quickly and I want to freeze each moment when I see your beautiful smile, watch your feet that never touch the ground, or stroke away the hair from your forehead as you sleep a deep slumber.
But you are 6 years old. And I am so proud at the person that God is molding and shaping you to be. You are such a kind boy. You always have nice words about your friends, your teachers, your sister. Your kindness bubbles over into your excited temperament and fills our house with activity, laughter, and most of all fun. This year, I’ve watched you navigate kindergarten with confidence, and with joy for all of the learning, the activities, and the new experiences. At 6 years old you can read just about anything, you have written your numbers well past 3000, you understand fractions, time, money, your know your colors and numbers in Spanish, and you can easily easily beat me in chess. Obviously, I am not a strategist.
Oh, and how you have grown physically in the last couple of months. Your hands your feet are almost the same size as mine. We wear the same size hat…this is because you’ve got such a ginormous brain. You come home from school covered in grime and dirt. Your hands are black and your fingernails dirty. I ask what it is you do to get so dirty and you simply tell me that you are learning to play basketball, and teaming up with friends at recess to play soccer. You are still my bouncing Tigger, never keeping more than one foot on the ground at any one time. Never walking anywhere, but running. Always running. This energy you have, this physicality you have that enables you to run like a gazelle, and play your favorite sports with ease is an amazing gift that you are enjoying.
I watch you now, as you prepare for end of year projects, graduation solos, and performances, needing, wanting everything to be just right. Perfect. Your are a hard worker. At 6 years old you already have a high bar for yourself and for others. I can see sometimes that need for things to be just right, and I wince inside knowing how you feel. But, I just have to say, you will need to learn when it is o.k. to say ‘good enough’ and when it is right to keep trying and to set that bar even higher. I want you to know that it is o.k. to let go and be you. I know you know this, as you are running up and down the hall right now screaming about Star Wars, giggling with your sister. Oy! Balance, my young padawan. It’s all about balance.
With summer just around the corner, I am looking forward to a slower pace. More time with you in the mornings, camps, games, the horsing around, letting go, and being FREE. I love you Boo with all my heart! I love you to the moon and back. I love you this much. And you say, “Momma you love me too much”
“Never!”
Love, Mommy.
Joining me this month, writing personal letters to our childrenn is Elaine Melko of Elaine Melko Photography
a day in HMB
Sometimes I just get stir crazy. Like I can’t stand to stay inside the house another minute. I just need to go, to get out, to do SOMETHING. This weekend, this Sunday was one of those days. Nate knows these days with me. He doesn’t understand them. But he knows it is good for me to go, to get out when I am having a day like this. Today he took us to HMB for lunch. I find these days come when I have a lot of creative stuff brewing inside my head. The thoughts, the ideas they just want to bubble out, but my day to day responsibilities take priority over letting the creative side of me have the reign. I feel a little better having gotten out, but still need feel the need to be creative, to create.
The kitchen is calling…
HMB Brewery. Cinco de Mayo
the inspired plate | april edition
Phew….the month of April just flew by. I mean flew by. And here we are for this months, The Inspired Plate assignment. The food stylist and food photographers that share this project are pretty amazing. Not only do they share their passion for food and photography, but they also share a camaraderie for everything that happens in-between. This months assignment is featuring Snacks. I decided that I would focus on what I would like to call, Adult snacks. For me, the month of April was filled with childrens birthday parties, filled to the brim with store bought cakes, pizzas, and apple juice, and I could use a little bit of adult food. And because I believe that life, love, and good friendships meet in the middle around good food, you will also see a few friendly peeps in my feature today.
This post was especially awesome, since I had the opportunity to share it with my good friend Tara Coakley. She is transplant foodie from Nova Scotia, she is trained in the culinary arts, and has a true passion for making good eat for friends and family. She is starting her own food styling and food photography journey, and what better way for her and I to share the afternoon. While our husbands chased the kids around, BBQ’d the black bean burgers, and sneaked wine and cheese from our set up, we happily photographed away. Notice how the bread offerings gets smaller and smaller through the shoot. This just means that not only were these snacks a blast to style and photograph, but they were some delicious eats too.
Joining me this month featuring her take on Snacks is the very talented, Sabrina Wong | Perth Food Photographer. Continue along to see what waistline stretching snack will make our mouths water for the rest of the day.
Enjoy my friends.
snippets | april 2013
snippets from my garden.
film fridays | april edition
Film Fridays. Shoot a roll, share a few. Pretty simple. Joining me in her explorations in shooting analog is my friend Cara Richardson.
It is that time of year. The crack of a bat, the chatter of boys. The digging and kicking up of dirt in the dugouts. The friends, the parents watching on the sidelines. Cheering on their little sluggers.
Shot on my F100, using my 70- 200 lens.
Film stock: Kodak Gold Ultramax 400 (the consumer stuff)
Develop/Scan: Aria at the FIND Lab
Metered: ISO set to 200, metered off the grass for neutral.
me and mine | april edition
It feels like its been ages since I posted. Our family life is busy, but busy with the right kind of day-to-day activities. I’ve intentionally slowed down, so that I can take in the our lives, in deep breaths each day. Taking moments like these, to sit together, be together, share a hug, a tickle, a quiet moment. These are my treasures.
This is us, my true love. We are simple, in the best kind of way. I cherish these photos of us and I love seeing how we’ve grown together in our marriage and how I still fit perfectly on his lap, wedged into his shoulder, arms wrapped perfectly around us.
This is me and my love.
Taken by my son using my film camera. I love seeing how controlled and deliberate he is when he takes a picture. Such talent.
Joining me this month for Me and Mine is my friend Misty Setzler | Lubbock Texas Family Photographer .
happy birthday daddy
this year you had to share your birthday with Easter Sunday. if there was a holiday for you to share it with, this one is a good one.
you are our glue and we love so much.
happy 38th birthday Mr. Franklin
film fridays | march edition
Film Fridays. Shoot a roll, share what you got. Learn. Grow. Explore. Repeat! Joining me this month, sharing her adventures in film, is Nancy Lary. And did you know Film is not Dead! 2 more months and counting!
This month I am sharing images taken at my new favorite store. This store has enabled me to eat vegetarian for almost a year and I’ve loved every single minute of that decision.
Crystal Springs Produce.
This little gem is located on the bottom or De Anza in San Mateo, CA. The store is filled 90% with fresh organic produce, has one delicase for any meat, cheese, and perishables, and one and a half aisles for dry/box goods. Since shopping at Crystal Springs Produce, I have very little to shop for at Trader Joes. This store reminds me so much of the neighborhood produce stores Nate and I shopped in Paris. The owners are the sweetest people, and boy do they work HARD! Everyday, they are working with local growers to bring in the freshest produce, very little of the fruits and vegetables are grown outside of California. And if that wasn’t enough, the owner knows most of his customers by name, or recognizes enough of his local shoppers to stop and chat with you, offer the kids a banana and a chocolate. Often times he will stop you mid way through shopping and say, “Oh Oh Oh, I have the best concord pears, or blood oranges, oh you must try”. He will run into the back and grab them because he has just purchased them that morning. And no joke, they are best you’ve EVER eaten. My family loves this store. It is small, about the size of two holes in a wall. I am thankful to have found this little place. It has introduced my family to eating for the most part a plant based diet, filled with whole nourishing foods.
If you live on the San Francisco Peninsula…you must check it out!
