city by the bay

This post has been a long time coming -- almost two months now -- which is crazy in and of itself. Time is a silent little bugger, moving sneakily through our lives in minutes and hours and days, until it speeds up so fast it's impossible to remember all our yesterdays...or so I've found, but maybe it's just me.

Either way, I think it was a good thing for me to take some time before coming back these photos from my April trip to San Francisco with Mum, since the memories that came flooding back once I did were almost sharper, and definitely more bittersweet. Isn't it funny how life can seem so normal in one place, and in another, even one not that far away, life can seem vastly different. Everything changes. The colors seem sharper, the smells more intense, the buildings more haunting, the people more interesting, and the pace of life is just more. Of everything. I can still feel the balmy wind slicing through my hair as we descended the infamous hills on a rather sketchy give-and-go trolley, and the sense of curiosity that made my eyes try to go everywhere at once -- need I say -- City Lights Books, the beautiful golden bridge (yes that one) the ferries, handmade ice cream cones, and beaches for miles and miles. At it's finest, San Francisco is beautiful; and it is a place that I will always carry in my heart.

(I love you Mum, thank you for everything)

songs to soothe

When I went home last I got the opportunity to see The Avett Brothers live. Which was a beautiful experience to say the least. I love the way that music can fill you up - so full -  until you almost can't bear it any longer, and you have to laugh, or cry, or wave your arms above your head in a frenzy (this may or may not have happened). There's something that is so captivating about an experience that so many strangers share, bound together by the lights and the rhythms and the spotlight on stage. It's poetic in the most human way.

(one of my most played, enjoy)

a breath of home

I wanted to share a bit of home. While admittedly this post is almost a week late, it's funny how I already miss it. My time was spent in rejoicing in puppy cuddles, pulling over on the sides of roads to take pictures of glorious trees (I'm that girl), seeing my nearest and dearest, messing up leaf piles (sorry not sorry), sister laughs, pumpkin donuts, and the beauty of my very own home-land hill. The next time I go back I'm sure the ground will be frosted and I'll be able to see my breath in the air - so it was a good time to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted.

back to the coop

This week I'm going home! Home to sunshine. Sunshine that falls on yellow-orange-red-everything-in-between-beautiful-leaves. There, fall is glorious. For a brief second between the fading glow of summer, and the approaching stillness of winter, there's a burst of vivacity - of bustle and hustle - the kind that means (still piping hot) pumpkin donuts in the morning that my dad goes to get. I'm so happy.

I put out all my favorite things I'm taking on my trip this weekend. Comfy sweaters to snuggle in. Brogues to walk over crunchy leaves. Books to read for school. Magazines to give me break when I'm tired of reading for school, ha. Rainbow pens to write with. Trail mix and Lara bars to snack on. A beautiful red purse to match the red leaves. My favorite necklace. And of course, lipstick to help me feel my prettiest at all times.

Have a beautiful weekend.

fridays in black and white

Seattle has been rather grey lately, the sunshine of a late summer has passed, and we're left with sprinkles of rain and a cool wind that shakes the colorful leaves from all the trees. Still, there's plenty of beauty left in the coolness,  to be found in the soft blue light of a window, the relief in a warm drink, and the simplicity of the unadorned. I love the way adventures begin, with an idea, a contagion, and a togetherness.