number 33

number 33 off the list and I still can't believe I had a show. er, am having a show (built like this is still up at arkay workshop in san francisco and will be through december 31st).

'tis a strange thing to publicly show your work. furthermore, to invite people to come look at this work. to say HEY, I TOOK THESE PHOTOGRAPHS AND THEY MEAN SOMETHING. PLEASE COME LOOK AT THEM. I don't know if I've ever felt more vulnerable. or more excited. the whole thing is all sort of a lovely blur now-- not unlike a wedding day. all the planning and anticipation and nervousness and then the whole thing is over in a flash. and afterwards, the elation and head spinning and you're just so glad you did it but what actually happened? who was there? was the show even any good? did you look okay? did you sound okay? did you talk to everyone? did you thank everyone? and did someone remember to take pictures?



I did not actually remember to take pictures. I mean, I took a few pictures but they're mostly crap. except for maybe this one of ava and the cupcakes. I really love that my family was there, that my kids were there. ezra may not remember it twenty years from now but ava will. and I love that my husband was there to keep my head from spinning out of control, to help hang the show, to remember little things-- things like setting aside a cupcake for me for afterwards. a red velvet cupcake, at that. I really sort of love that guy.



there are a few random pictures but nothing that comes close to capturing what the night actually was. all the people that came out, the lovely lovely people. I would have been over the moon had a handful showed up but for two solid hours, the place was packed-- with more people than I could wrap my brain around. close friends and online folks, a sweet someone from high school who I had not seen in 21 years, people from the neighborhood who wandered in from off the street. and what a street it was-- 24th in the mission is fully alive and electric with color and character. the whole show is about sense of place and I could not think of a better place for this show to be, I could not think of a better street, a better neighborhood, I could not.



thank you, everyone-- for everything. thanks to mati, the magic person who made it happen, to rachel and arkay workshop for lending the walls and making the opening extra awesome. thanks for all the kind words and encouragement that were left here or sent my way, thanks to jan and victoria and everyone else for spreading the word. thanks to all who came out to the show, who braved friday night traffic and parking (and whatever else) to be there, to all who wanted to be there but for whatever reason, could not. thanks to all who bought a print or two, to kristine for the fresh flowers and to jen for the sweet handmade loveliness. thanks to leslie and riley for their general awesomeness. and extra special thanks to ward and ava and ezra for getting in the car and driving down to san francisco with me to do this thing. and for holding my hand the entire time.

it was a good night. a really really good night.

number 34

number 34 off the list and you should know that the super epic rainbow cake was totally the inspiration for ava's super epic rainbow birthday sleepover.



something else you should know: I did not bake this cake from scratch. I mean, that was my original plan but sometimes things just do not go according to plan. and so two white cake mixes and one box of assorted gel food coloring later and voila: super epic rainbow cake. my version, anyway.



it's a very tall cake. therefore, precarious.



also, once the frosting is on, it's completely unassuming. we decided early on to keep the whole rainbow thing a secret and did not tell the guests about the cake beforehand. you know, for maximum effect.



so when I finally cut into the cake, it was sort of like when oprah gave out brand new cars on her show and the women in the audience lost their minds.



for a second, I was oprah. except with a gaggle of nine year-old girls and a six layer rainbow cake. let me tell you, that moment alone was totally worth all the hard work.

totally.

(photos from the super epic rainbow party coming soon)

number 2: ride the ferris wheel

and we did. about a month ago, when the carnival was in town, we rode the big ferris wheel. all eight of us in one car: me, ward, ava, ezra, my brother, my sister-in-law and my two nieces. did you know that there are no seat belts in those things? that they are totally open air? that if you move your body just the right way the whole car will sway back and forth? PEOPLE, I DID NOT KNOW THIS. I rode the ferris wheel when I was a kid but I do not remember any of this. I remember the whole experience very differently. this time, I could barely stand to open my eyes. at least not until we'd made it around a couple of times. and it's possible I died. two, three, maybe four times. it's possible I had a tiny panic attack. and I'm pretty sure it wasn't good for the kids to see me in such a terrified state but I'm going to be honest here and say that I wasn't really thinking about the kids. though eventually, I did manage to pull myself together. eventually, I opened my eyes my like a normal person and looked out over the city of portland. and I took a few breaths and I took a few photographs but I'm telling you, I did not look down.

despite the terror, it's possible I enjoyed myself. just a tiny bit.

(number 2 from 39 things)

number 22

on the first day of summer, we built a tiny snowman. 'tis true. number 22 off the list and crater lake is one of those places in the world that needs to be seen to be believed. wide open skies and water so miraculously blue it does not seem real. I must admit, I was not expecting the snow. and I was not expecting warm summer weather on top of all the snow, but that's exactly how it was. feet buried deep in snow, bare arms warmed by summer sun.



I'll tell you, there's no better way to start the summer off than with a road trip.



we like the driving, the seeing. also, hotels with swimming pools? we are big fans.



dear oregonians, do not miss petersen rock gardens. because when an immigrant farmer devotes eighteen years of his life to building castles and bridges and miniature houses out of stones, you sort of need to see it.



four acres of things built with stones! also, there were peacocks. live peacocks roaming the grounds, calling out to one another in that high-pitched loon-like way. it's possible there were more peacocks than people.



roadside america? FULL OF WIN.



honestly, it felt as if we fit five days worth of road trip into two, like we hit some sort of road trip jackpot. summer 2010, we are not kidding around about you. summer 2010, we are serious about making you awesome.

number 16

please do not judge me when I tell you how long I waited to unravel the surprise ball. because, look at it. I mean really. prettiest. ball. ever. color so bright you can practically taste it. gina (surprise ball maker extraordinaire) kindly sent one my way and once I received it, here's what I did: I tucked it away someplace safe. and I did not touch it for two years. I KNOW. people, do not judge. I could not help myself. I was saving it for a rainy day, I was waiting for emergency circumstances. ultimately, I was forced to put it on the list. according to gina, I am not the only one. there have been others-- all of them reluctant to unravel, all of them women. I don't know what that says about us.

anyway.

but one bleak january day I broke down and I'll tell you, I could not have picked a better day.



you know what the hardest part was? breaking that seal.



in case you're wondering, this is how the surprise ball works: you unravel it. and as you unravel it, sweet little vintage trinkets are revealed. no one was more excited about than this than ava, designated unraveler.



once the paper confetti came spilling out, the party was totally on. then came the paper balloons, brilliantly buried in layer after layer of crepe paper, flattened and ready to blow up.



I may or may not have squealed when I first saw the vintage swimming goggles.



actually, I'm pretty sure there was squealing.



lots and lots of squealing.



dear baby crayon, I love you.



and little bluebird candle holder, I will probably have to bake a special cake. just for you.



the end would have been devastating had we not been so taken with the sweet old jacob's ladder toy we found at the center.



truth be told, it was the pile of leftover crepe paper that sort of stole my heart. it sat on my desk for weeks and weeks afterwards. I could not bear to throw it away.



one of a kind vintage trinkets from all over the world. swoon worthy, yes? we are in love with every last little thing. and we are still fighting over stuff. though the vintage goggles are mine. THEY'RE MINE. gina, we thank you. a thousand times over, we thank you. your awesomeness cannot adequately be put into words.

(number 16 off the list and you can find gina's extraordinary surprise balls over at kiosk)

number 29

number 29 off the list and why don't I rearrange the furniture more often? a push of the side tables here, a slide of the bed there and voila. brand new bedroom. if the room could could talk, I think it would thank me.

39 things to do before I turn 40

1. own a bright-colored coat.
2. ride the ferris wheel.
3. label the polaroids.
4. make paper hats.
5. ride my bike downtown.
6. introduce ava to the xanadu album.
7. construct an elaborate indoor fort.
8. get lost at the arboretum.
9. transform the found paper collection.
10. make sock puppets with ezra.
11. sample dishes from ten portland food carts.
12. attach a decade worth of charms to one bracelet.
13. create the quintessential prince mix.
14. take twenty dance classes.
15. travel down the 101.
16. unravel the ball of surprises. done
17. make a photo book.
18. throw a backyard party.
19. take the kids to the drive-in.
20. experiment with pinhole photography.
21. make fifty-two lists. (in process)
22. see crater lake. done
23. collaborate with ava.
24. type out a manifesto.
25. drink chocolate.
26. see the city from above.
27. make one hundred paper snowflakes.
28. leave paper snowflakes in unlikely places.
29. rearrange the bedroom furniture. done
30. have dinner at delancey.
31. blow bubbles off the broadway bridge.
32. make garlands.
33. have a show.done
34. bake the super epic rainbow cake. done
35. wear the dress with the pink and red flowers. outside the house.
36. collect paint chips.
37. make fortune cookies.
38. expand the record album collection.
39. begin work on The Big Project.