del diablo progress

After cinching up some pretty big projects, we finally moved in to the ranch right before Thanksgiving! As you can see, there is still a ton to be done, but we are really enjoying getting to know the house and making upgrades here and there while planning for the big stuff. I'm finding new challenges that I never thought of much before such as the difficulty of finding the perfect bathroom vanity and how much I care about where a light switch is located and wondering why nice tile has to be so expensive. It's a lot, but it's starting to feel like home. Our furniture fits nicely and we've got big plans for the sparse areas of the house (there are quite a few) that we think we'll grow into nicely. It's also been fun watching the seasons change, it really switches up the feel of the house (visually and temperature-wise)!

We also recently got news that the house right behind us was just sold to a flipper which means we finally get to replace our dilapidated fence and fix the back yard, but also that we get a new neighbor! Hopefully a v cool one! We are always excited to see Eichlers tastefully restored and hope to make lots of progress on ours in the new year. New year, new _____________. (a lot of things could fill that blank lol).

Hope everyone has a great holiday and new year celebration!  

Autumn already?

Man oh man, where has time gone? Between work and life it is hard to keep track of time. This year has gone by in a whirlwind and has been filled with amazing trips and joyous times alongside some pretty serious loss and change. It has really been a rollercoaster and I've had a big hankering for a fresh start, weather it be learning a new skill, going on another vacation (my bank account says no, but my heart says oh yeah in the kool-aid voice), I have even thought about changing location. There's nothing like the unpredictability of life to get you jonesing for something new. Not sure if my timing is quite right for any of those things, but hey, I can daydream and over-pin, right?

I will be visiting Chicago with Paul in October to visit some of our favorite midwestern people and I can't wait for that! Many fun pictures, videos and Chicago dogs to come 🌭. 

To keep me busy, I've been playing around with the new iPhone 7 and fun apps, including motion stills which turns the live photo feature into looping gifs and fun mini-movies. I've also revisited fun with phhhoto, the gif app with the most character!

 

Check out this fun video from a recent beach day with pals & more cool pics from that day below

more cool art

The art in both Norway and Denmark has been incredible to say the least. From Kusama to Turrell to Eliasson, I am grateful to have experienced some epic works by some very influential people. Here are some of my favorite and most colorful encounters: 

Also, this happened, which is very exciting. Check out my attempt at showing off this gorgeous ring and trying to hide my sausage fingers! Woot!

ring by Gillian Conroy.

By default, this makes the Rainbow Panorama in Aarhus my favorite experience of them all. 

YAYOI KUSAMA

I went to Norway (and Denmark) and all I got was an awesome Yayoi Kusama experience. Many selfies, friends!

Forget yourself. Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment.

The exhibit at the HOK in Oslo was sort of a retrospective and featured a spectacular collection of works showcasing her range, evolution and integration into mainstream culture. I really enjoyed her textile/fashion pieces and paintings. All of her works were incredible, but as expected, the infinity rooms were the best feature. 

We also saw the Gleaming Lights of the Souls at the Louisiana in Copenhagen. This one was by far my favorite, the water on the ground really amped up the reflection. You'll have to forgive my blurry pictures and phone covering my face, it's not easy getting a good photo (especially with technology so antiquated as the iPhone 5). I really loved how the panoramas came out, the CPH infinity room is especially cool since you see the whole color spectrum in bands as I moved the camera.

found: oldies

There's something special about looking through pictures from another time. I always felt like I was born in the wrong decade and on the wrong continent, but these images make me a proud Bay Arean (if that's even a word). Get in on the nostalgia and check out these rad old pics by flickr dude Roger W, his Chinatown image is my favorite ._.    

NYUM BAI IN CAMBODIA!

This week Paul and I returned from a two-week long culinary and cultural journey through Cambodia, with our favorite soup slinger and good pal, Nite of Nyum Bai (that means eat rice! in Khmer). We did a big loop from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap to Battambang and finally down to Kep and Kampot. It was fascinating seeing this country developing so rapidly and recovering from a rough history filled with power, colonization, poverty and tragedy. Our experience showcased the Khmers' bright spirit of resilience and joy in every encounter. They are holding on to their prized music, food and cultural traditions, even with the country's accelerated pace of change. Check out our vivid collection of photos, videos and gifs of energetic Phnom Penh, the country side and lots and lots of food on instagram with #nyumbaiincambodia