Looking Back at 2011

A new arrival in 2011, Chee makes it hard for anyone to ignore him. 

It was the year that kind of snuck up on me, I think. I had many hopes, mostly for my new photography business. Honestly, in terms of business the year was good, but maybe not quite as good as I had hoped. But in so many other areas of my life it was just much, much better than anticipated. A few highlights:

-I got engaged. On February 4th. And I never even saw it coming. That alone is a wonderful life change. Evan, I'm still so honored and excited to share it all with you!

-Chee. Chee was a big change - he's got such a strong personality, he knows what he wants and he's going to get it, be it your food, your wine glasses, or a toy. (I literally just put two sping toys in front of the cats - one for each - and he repeatedly stole both from Mouse and wouldn't rest until he was carrying both around in his mouth.) That being said, he's also a real sweetheart. He loves a good nap on my lap when I'm in front of the computer or watching a show with Evan. And his purr is so loud it often wakes me up in the morning.

-We finally got our own place. The construction is drawing to a close after two years! This is big news, people!  It wasn't that bad before, but knowing it's all mine to put back together again is a great feeling. I can't wait to share it all with you - the plates, the glasses, the color schemes! (Honestly, I don't know if anyone will really be interested. But I know I am.) The last step happened just days ago, so we are still putting it all together, but it feels really good.

-I started volunteering as a photographer at San Francisco Animal Care and Control (you know, all those posts with cats on white). I honestly can't say how much I enjoy meeting all the kitties, and I really hope my photos can make a difference. I'd love to continue to find volunteer opportunities with my camera, as long as the causes are good.

-I learned a lot more about photography. I practiced a lot of new techniques. I solidified my vision. I figured out more of who I am as a photographer. This is a process that doesn't really have a definite endpoint. But I definitely am happy with the progress I made this past year.

-I solidified some friendships and made some great new friends. You guys know who you are, and you are all awesome. Thank you so much for putting up with me and being in my life!

It's been a great year. Thanks a million for sharing it with me. 2012 is looking good so far, let's see what happens!

*Come back tomorrow to see my resolutions - and which resolutions I'm not making - for 2012.*

Back with some Cats!

Oh, guys, I've missed you! I never meant to be away for so long, it was just one thing and another, and I stayed away from the computer, then the internet was down, and then I worked on some blog posts and was interrupted and never finished them.

All this to say, life has interfered with blogging. A sad state of affairs, I agree.

But I'm back, with some more adoptable cats. I know that's what you've been wanting, I do. Only the best for you!

I hope you're all looking forward to whatever your New Year's Eve plans are. Evan and I are trying to decide between maybe going to a couple of parties, or maybe staying home and being lame alone together. Popping some bubbly, sitting back on the couch with Mouse and Chee (no bubbly for them, sorry guys!) and just hanging out the two of us.

But we might decide that's just too lame, even for us. We'll see. 

So anyway, have a look at some cats, and then tell me what you're doing tonight. I'd love to hear your plans!

This is Peony. She is super sweet; I almost took her home. She crawled on my lap after about two minutes of introductions. And she's so pretty. I have a weakness for gray kitties.

 And this doll is Shae. She's a little shy, but also really sweet. She likes being held and she appreciates a good head scratch.

This one's appropriately named - Sheba. She's energetic and definitely meant to rule her roost. And she's so beautiful.

 Last but not least is little Karl. He's a spunky kid; he's got so much energy and such a small spot to hang out in at the shelter - I hope he gets picked up soon. He'd make a great pet for someone willing to work through the kitten phase with him.

 How can you resist those eyes?

As always, you can find the ACC cats on Petfinder here. They're having a special - 50% off all adoptions through today. Happy browsing!

Chee's Newest Pastime

I came home today to discover that Chee had pushed two wine glasses into the sink. One glass survived, the other? Not so much. These were glasses that I absolutely fell in LOVE with while I was a poor college student in Montreal. I bought 4 of them, the most that I could afford at the time, and then a friend broke one.

I was a little heartbroken. To console me, another friend bought me a replacement glass, and so did my mother. That left me with five, which until recently had been sitting in storage in my mother's garage, waiting patiently for me to have a kitchen of my own, which recently has been in progress. Yay!

Evan, however, wondered what anyone would do with an odd number of wine glasses and so he vehemently suggested that we either get rid of them and replace them completely or that we put one away so it might not offend our delicate sensibilities. I, on the other hand, saw no problem with five and argued that we should just enjoy however many glasses we had and not worry about the symmetry of it all.

Yes. This is what we argue about. Thrilling, isn't it?

Anyway, Chee has made his artistic pronouncement on the side of even numbers of glasses. Only four survive. 

A Helpful Tip

Coffee the way I used to make it: coffee first, milk second. 

Something new I learned: if you want the beautiful, I-just-ordered-this-in-Italy-and-it-tastes-like-heaven gradient from dark to light in your coffee with milk, it's actually fairly simple: just add the milk to the cup first, and then pour the coffee in slowly and carefully. Done!

The way  my coffee looks now. 

Also, this makes sure you won't have the dreaded brown foam problem; your foam will stay white exactly the way you wanted it to.

Oh no! Brown foam! Better drink this one quickly. 

As I'm fairly certain this was a problem that was keeping you up at night, I'll accept your thanks pre-emptively. You're welcome. No more boring monochromatic coffee with brown foam for you! Also, I must take a moment to put in a good word for my new favorite 'coffee mugs' the Bodum Pavina double wall 12 ounce glasses - they're just unreal. Super thin glass, beautifully clear, gorgeous and great insulation to boot. Also fairly fragile, as the reviews state, but I'm just going to enjoy the heck out of them until they break.

In addition, on weekends when I'm feeling all decadent and crazy (ok, just last weekend, but both days, ok?) I've been tipping a few drops of vanilla extract (the real thing) into my latte. And I finally understood why people would drink a vanilla latte! Not that Starbucks powdered mess, but lovely real vanilla. Mmmm. You're welcome again. Now go try it.

What makes you happy?

Can I ask you a question? It's a bit personal.

What is it that honest to god, one hundred percent, makes you happy?

It's not easy, is it? But I bet a few things come to mind. And they might even surprise you.

I had the loveliest day recently. A day where I shirked all obligations (ok, not all but most) and I just hung out with Evan all day. We didn't do anything special. We went grocery shopping, cleaned the house, made dinner together, and  . . . that's it. And it was so amazing. I've realized that I have a tendency to fill up my calendar, and that's great. I love all the things I'm going out and doing, especially if they're photography related. But sometimes it's just perfect to be with the person you love, and no one else. And do nothing special.

Ice cream makes me happy too sometimes. If it's really, really good ice cream.

Tomorrow a whole heap of people are coming to my house to bake cookies and be merry and drink some wine. I'm really looking forward to it, because it will make me happy too. I need both - the time to be a hermit, and then the time to be a social butterfly. And really, don't we all?

Second Shooting - With Kali Kraum

This post is LONG overdue. I was lucky enough to get a chance to second shoot a wedding with Kali Kraum, who is an amazing San Francisco wedding photographer. The only thing is, it was in September. And it's December now. Oops!

But it was a great experience, and it was so wonderful to work alongside Kali. She's an amazing woman, and a fabulous photographer.

I was lucky enough to start the day with the groomsmen. They were a bunch of really wonderful guys.

That's Chris, the groom, in the center. He was great, and seemed just thrilled to marry the love of his life, Teresa. 

They chose the Sir Francis Drake in the middle of downtown San Francisco. It was a great location, and of course, the doorman didn't disappoint!

Got to get some cable car action in SF!

Meanwhile, the girls were getting ready . . .

The flower girls were just precious.

Isn't Teresa gorgeous?

The reception lighting was so fun! A different color every minute. 

And then the dancing got kind of crazy at the end of the night!

Thanks again Kali for letting me come second shoot with you! It was a really great experience.

*To see Kali's blog post about Chris and Teresa's wedding, click here.*