Scenes From The Weekend

I went for a long walk in the rain on Sunday. I unexpectedly had the day free when a client needed to reschedule a shoot. After scrambling to fit in all of the errands and chores on Saturday thinking I'd be in the city all day Sunday, it felt like the loveliest little gift to spend an afternoon doing whatever I pleased.

I took the opportunity to explore corners of our town not yet discovered. I wandered down residential side streets and admired colorful landscaping and porch swings. I passed an independent children's book shop and an ice cream parlor. I warmed up with a cup of soup and a lemon bar in a tiny café around the corner from our apartment.

When I returned home again, I changed into my favorite old faded college t-shirt and coziest sweats before settling into the couch waiting for my cup of tea to steep. The rain continued to fall into the evening and all I kept thinking is how it felt exactly like a Sunday ought to feel.

[Photos represent small pleasure-filled things; a brand new tube of toothpaste, homefries hand-fried by a sweet husband, pink flowers on a gray day, DVR catch-up, and the time to sit and read a new magazine cover to cover].

I Couldn't Think Of A Single Thing To Write

...So you get a picture of a flower in my favorite bud vase. Word up, weekend.

Wednesday Reminder

Made me stop & smile. Also, five [super] random things, because that's how I feel like rollin' today:

1). I would very much like to own a garden gnome. Speaking of, have I ever told you that I once played the role of Happy the Dwarf in a regional theater production of Snow White?

2). A baby goat + a fat pig. Made you smile, yeah?

3). "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill

4). I don't own a hairbrush. (I use a comb).

5). When I was eleven, I earnestly believed I was a witch. I had a spell book and everything.

Your turn.

Rainbows & Unicorns

Me: "You need to make a different choice at another table. I've reminded you three times not to hold those scissors up to your head like that.

Student: "But Ms. Kayla, I'm just being a unicorn!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Mother's Day Weekend

On Friday, my mom drove in from Rhode Island for a mother's day weekend visit. We also hosted a close family friend with a six-month-old baby for brunch on Saturday, and let me just put this out there for all the world to hear: babies are freaking fantastic. I know I'm probably biased towards this one in particular, but she is just the happiest and most delicious little thing. Even Tiho fell in love with her and commented how "smiley and awesome" she is. I basically held and/or made silly faces at her for the entirety of the afternoon.

Emma came over on Saturday night and we all devoured Thai takeout while engaging in a highly competitive game of Bananagrams. Sadly, I lost every round, which means I need to start reading & writing more to restore my once-stellar vocabulary.

Sunday morning--after coffee, omelets and scones--we gifted my mom a DSLR (her first) and then took a long walk around the harbor so she could learn the basics of manual shooting. This is pretty much the last of the blossoms, so I made sure to grab a few shots in honor of my favorite season.

Hope your weekend was sublime.

Flowers & Facades

Just two randoms from the west village last weekend. New York, I love you and your fabulosity.

P.S. I had big plans to reclaim my blogging mojo with this post. Not sure how exactly, but that's besides the point. Back soon.

P.P.S. This site provides endless distraction. Hilarious.

Baby Yumi

 

Meet Yumi. She was one week old when I took her photos and just so snuggly and yummy. I got the biggest kick out of her little leg stretches and amusing facial expressions.

For me, this session reaffirmed how much I love taking pictures of babies, kids, and families. The whole thing is characterized by elation, awe, joy...you can't help but get swept away.

4.5

We're in the home stretch over here. 4.5 weeks until the last day of school. I'm starting to feel that lump in my throat. Both my morning & afternoon groups had this amazing, electrifying energy yesterday. We (kids included) all kept proclaiming it "the best day ever!"

Last week, I spent a morning traveling between all four branches of my school to take promotional photos. The children in every classroom I visited were eager to show me what they were working on and I was equally as eager to see. Because at the end of the day, witnessing the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or the discovery that connecting lines & dots in a specific way creates a representational figure, really and truly amazes them. And that never ceases to amaze me.

Snapshots

April snapshots, as captured with my iPhone. Not sure how in the world it's already May, but hey! May is cool.

From top to bottom, left to right:

1). Blossom explosion, 2). Clean sheets, 3). Lilac season, 4). Red doors,
5). First peony, 6). Spring in the city, 7). View from the couch,
8). Meal-planning, 9). My photos in a printed advertisement (!).

Follow me on instagram @exquisitebanana.

At This Point In Time

Writing has not come easily the past several weeks. Every time I sit down to draft something here, I try desperately to sort what feels like a gazillion jumbled thoughts into something cohesive, meaningful and whole.

And then I accept defeat and close the laptop.

The thing is, I feel happy. It feels as though this season of my life is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now. I'm also acutely aware of its finality. Tiho and I both recognize that this time next year could look very, very different for us. Good different, but different nonetheless.  When I think about becoming a parent,  or relocating somewhere totally new, or buying a house, or taking a leap of faith career-wise, I am excited and terrified. But, these thoughts also cause me to pull inward, like I want to keep everything quiet in fear of altering the universe's plan.

Because lately, I can't seem to define or determine exactly what my plan is, and while that usually makes me anxious, at this moment in time, it feels right.