san francisco DOS.

the more rain/snow/sleet that falls here in utah
and the more routine life gets with finishing my undergrad, lame neurophysiology exams, and work,
the more i find myself wishing that i was back in san francisco.
it bewitched me.
there is so much to explore and i simply must explore it.

people kept telling us to not eat at la boulange,
that there were better bakeries around,
but we did it anyways
and it was goooood.

even the entries to the many homes were lovely. i can't imagine what they looked like inside!
(wait... i can now... because i spent over an hour browsing craigslist for rentals that night. just some... "research".)

we stayed in the marina district,
which was walking/biking distance to many beautiful things
including the exploratorium.
we spent nearly 4 hours there and didn't even see the whole thing.
it's a gem, that one.

being fresh off sensation and perception courses,
the light + perception exhibit was by far my favorite.

plus, the exploratorium had me feeling all sorts of inspired.
a couple of examples below...

we grabbed some juice from pressed juicery and wandered around the streets as the sun went down.
i think that's one of the best parts about being in a new place...
getting down on its level and seeing what it's like when it's not trying to be anything but itself.
you know?
just seeing the way it breathes when no one is looking
so you can really get a feel for what she's all about.

let's end on something of a non sequitur:
umami burger because it's amazing and i would drive back just for that darned burger.
it's just worth mentioning, okay?
that thing was unreal.
we kicked ourselves for getting one to share instead of ordering our own.

my favorite part of san francisco coming soon to end these north cali posts.
i am all too excited to share those ones.

xo.

because we didn't send out a card this year.

here is husband's choice for our christmas card picture this year.

if adam had his way, all of the pictures i ever posted would resemble this one.

too bad that i like seeing your face too much to do that, eh adam?

anyway...

have a very lovely holiday!

a few pro tips, or rather, a few things i need to remind myself to do this holiday:

+ hum christmas songs at every chance. loudly.

+ forget anything anyone has ever told you about calories.

+ give everyone an unforgettable hug. or squeeze people so hard they can't breathe. whatever suits ya.

+ just don't even try to unwrap presents nicely. rip em. get fierce. 

+ remember you don't need mistletoe to get a-kissin'. a good ole kiss on the cheek does a body good, for both parties involved. 

i will be spending the blessed day with these lovely people...

i've got a gut feeling that this might be the best christmas yet,
given that it's a guaranteed white one
and i am married to a wonderful husband
and i have some of the most marvelous people to share the holidays with.

merry merry merry christmas!

xo.

portland: the land of old things + green trees.

wandering aimlessly around pdx was a spectacular experience.

we had a few choice destinations, naturally,

but there is delightful merit in strolling without a defined course.

there seemed to be no end to the list of things to do in portland.

the city had some of the coolest thrift stores i have ever set foot in,

including three penny mercantile, where i scored a scarf, adam scored some ties, and kelli got her hands on those amazing shades, briefly seen here. 

after some browsing, we got hungry and spotted pbjs, a food cart i had once seen on the food network and read extensively about, so i was a little bit starstruck (ok, maybe more than a little).

their food is just inspired.

everything on their menu is some version of a nut butter + a fruit jam/marmalade with little kicks to set 'em off. seriously, look at the menu.

who knew?

it makes me grateful i don't have a nut allergy just so i could eat at this place.

it's that good.

[if kelli's face isn't any indication to the quality of this food, i don't know what is!]

one evening we walked around the rose test garden.
everything was so lush & green!
we were sure it wouldn't have blooming roses in october, but were pleasantly surprised to see bright, blooming ones all around.
city of roses, stand tall.
still,
i'm sure it's absolutely lovely in the spring and summer
but that just might be me making excuses to go back.

xo.

oh, how frequently the SLC sunsets would turn the city into a 70s movie

and how beautiful it was to walk amidst it all.
it felt like a walk through one flew over the cuckoo's nest,
but you know...
not in a mental hospital.

just before we moved (which was saturday!)
adam & i ventured outside on an unexpected night off for us both
and made the delightful decision to head to a burger place on the corner near where we lived.
we might have gone there because i heard a little rumor there were "flavor burst" ice cream cones
and i might have been kicking myself for not heading there earlier
considering we lived right around the corner.

girl eats flavor burst cone on her 13th birthday = girl gets addicted to them for life and relentlessly hunts them down.

it's amazing the way the light can make you fall in love with something all over again.
like, the way the light hits your white bedsheets as the sun is rising
or the way dusk hits the trees on an evening walk.
the silliest part of it is that i now fully comprehend and treasure that good ole idiom "to see in a new light".
it's almost forehead-smack inducing, but i just adore the phrase more than ever.

and those sunsets, man.
those slc sunsets make you regret all the blinking you did as they dazzled the valley
because you just don't want to miss any of it.

i anticipate more city walks as the leaves start turning
because
sunsets + flavor burst cones....

worth the drive, i assure ya.

xo.

this is how cabo san lucas looks on porta 400.

film!
film, glorious film!

my dad got me a huge pack of this stuff for christmas and i was so glad i remembered (on my wedding day!) to stash some away in my suitcase for this trip.

i have a lot to learn about this film stuff...
but looking back on these shots gives me the most spine-tingling feeling of pure euphoria.
like it captured the way my heart felt in that city.

adam also managed to, somehow, dress every single day to perfectly match the cabo san lucas color palette.
that man. i tell ya.

the only way i could afford to continue this film habit
is if i actually sold my canon dslr and used the funds to develop + scan the maybe 10 rolls of film it would pay for.*

but, you know....
honeymoon.
kind of worth it.

in the mean time.
you may find me on road trips for lottery tickets in other states
and selling all of my clothes.

because.... film.....!!!


*exaggeration. i just need to find a more cost effective lab around here.

xo.