Brothers and Sisters

There is nothing more special than the relationship between a brother and a sister.  My mom always said that she wanted to have a boy first so I would have an older brother to protect me.  Unfortunately I was the oldest and she ended up with two girls instead! But, I think I do a pretty good job of looking out for my little sister.  Although, I am currently trying to convince her to jump out of a plane with me next month...

This little girl is lucky to have an older brother who adores her.  I recently had the opportunity to photograph them both at their beautiful home.

Even though she was getting sleepy, her facial expressions came to life when her mom turned on the musical mobile above her bed.  She was completely captivated by the little animals.

There is a great rope swing in their front yard!  He was just like a little Tarzan.

Quote for the day:

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."

-Marc Brown

The Dead...reunited AND on tour!

I'm trying to contain myself...but I'm just so freaking excited!!  I just found out that The Grateful Dead (minus Jerry Garcia, of course) is planning a tour in 2009!  Ok, now for the best part....they are making the very last stop of the tour right in Mountain View, CA!

I have a list of bands that I want to see before I (or they) die.  The bands on this list are older classic rock bands that were waaaaaay before my time.  But, some of them do still perform from time to time and I have been lucky enough to see a few of them in concert. The Grateful Dead is on that list and I had given up all hope of ever seeing them in concert.  Until now!  

You can go to their website to see if they are playing in a city near you.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.  I know you are as excited as I am :) 

Now, if I can just get my hands on a pair of those tickets.  It would be a miracle.

*This image was taken from the Grateful Dead tour information page on their website.*

Welcome to 2009 baby!

The New Year has finally arrived in all of its balloon dropping, confetti tossing, champagne toasting, kissing at midnight glory!  I love when the new year arrives.  It brings a feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start to another year of your life.  For me its a time reflect on the last year and make the appropriate changes in my life. Its a time to make new resolutions and re-commit to the old ones.  I look at the upcoming year as a blank slate.  Anything can happen and the idea of that is very exciting to me!

This year I decided that the best way to kick off 2009 was with a road trip!  I had everything all planned out, then I found out that it was supposed to rain the WHOLE TIME!  I was bummed, but plans were adjusted and John and I set out on our journey anyway.

We finally arrived at the Sheraton in Petaluma, CA. Which, by the way, was FABULOUS! Its right on the river.  I would highly recommend staying there if you are ever in Petaluma.

After dinner we arrived at the Mystic Theater in downtown Petaluma to see the Tommy Castro Band.  They are an awesome blues band.  If you are in to the blues, you should check them out.

The Tommy Castro Band.

Tommy jammin'

We headed up Highway 101 and stopped in the most adorable historic towns. We took a break in this park next to a river along the way.  It had the most beautiful, fall-colored trees.

This was the bridge over the river.  Then we headed through the woods and to the coast.

The beginning of day 3. It was MUCH colder on the coast.

We went to Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA.  The beach is covered in sea glass. It really is an amazing site to see.

We made a pit stop in Elk, CA.  This was the coolest toilet.  It even had skylights.  I was impressed.

We decided about 1/4 of the way down the hill just to take a look over the edge instead.

Luckily it didn't rain nearly as much as we thought it would and we had a great time!  I really want to post all of the pictures we took along the way, so maybe I'll throw some more in another post soon.  Of course I took TONS of pictures along the way!  Keep your eyes peeled, many of the new prints will be available in my Etsy shop soon.  I have a lot of new products in the works that will be for sale throughout 2009.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2009 brings you all hope, happiness, and all of the great things that you want in your lives.

Quote for the day:

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

- Oprah Winfrey

Road Trip!

New Print Available!  

I came across this pink-striped building when John and I were on a mini-road trip up the California coast.  Isn't it the cutest? Whenever I finally buy a house, I want to paint it exactly like this!

Chew On This

Speaking of road trips, I am planning (and I use that term loosely) a little New Year's road trip around northern California next week. I want to see Redwoods, lighthouses, beautiful coastlines, the whole sha-bang!  If anyone has suggestions for interesting places to stop, please let me know.  I am open to any and all suggestions.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I Fly!

I went to the vertical wind tunnel last night! It was SO MUCH FUN!  I'm planning on going skydiving in February for my birthday and I wanted to get a little idea of what it would be like.  That wind tunnel is incredibly powerful! The staff was so nice, and my instructor, Matt, was fabulous!

I got two turns to fly, but on my second turn my goggles came loose, so I got to go in a third time.  After everyone in my group got their turns, our instructor did a little demonstration of what you can do in there when you are really experienced.  The acrobatics were great! He put on a really good show. It definitely made me want to go back and do it again!

Carousel

This is the most beautiful, dreamy carousel. I love the texture and soft colors in this image. The lights and the mirrors are so lovely. 

My "Merry-Go-Round" print is panoramic shaped.  The image is 4"x 17" printed on 7"x 20" paper. This would look so beautiful displayed in a little girl's room. 

You can find my "Merry-Go-Round" print for sale in my Etsy shop. This print is also available in smaller sizes, just email me for pricing.