Saturday, January 7, 2012

best of 2011 __________ version

themes are overrated. 
here's a random best of, culled from this year's photos:

best stop off while driving the 101:
 enjoy cupcakes in los olivos. it is about 2 minutes of the freeway; the only tragic thing is when you stop off at, oh, around 9:58 am and they don't open until 11 am. just maybe that happened last week. 

best secret yurt get away:
 treebones in big sur. 
husband earned a bazillion gold stars for orchestrating this surprise trip (including childcare & a massage for me- yay yay yay)

best yurt view:


 best 20th anniversary shot in the head party for my brother johnny:
 that would be this one. 
yes, my brothers, mom & sister are rad.
i don't think i ever ended up blogging about this one, but it was one fun party, 
marking 20 years of life since my brother was shot & survived.

best $10 vacation activity:
 *daddy daughter canoe action on lake tahoe

best everyone-is-happy lunch spot for $3 a pop:
*gioia pizza in berkeley.
when in doubt or indecision? we head for gioia!

best messy while supercute faces:

best incorporation of a bowtie & beanie into wedding attire:
 *brother aaron rocked this look at our friends' wedding this summer. well done, little brother.

best new tradition:
*matt & i call them art dinners. we'd talked about it for a while, but in january we hosted a big meal for some of my friends from grad school, and now there is a bi-monthly rotating meal. love these meals: good friends, good artists, good food, good drinks, good times. 

best shirley temple action:
 (notice m has mastered keeping her hair out of her beverage)
 (as well as double straw goodness)

best wedding dance party:
*peter & connie's wedding/dance fest this summer. this wedding also tied for the wedding in which my family had the most roles, since m was a flower girl, i sang, and matt officiated.)

 (how do you like these awesome moves?)

best big sister award:
 *maybe she borders on bossy, but m is also quick to pass on a lot of lovin' to ruby. love hearing their laughter, chatter and silliness in the morning, when m climbs into ruby's crib. 

best vacation spot:
 * san diego, i don't like how far away you are, and that getting to you involves a really long drive, but once we are there? goodness all around.

best hair award:
 *ruby steals the show & gets a little staticky

 best show-stopping cake:


it's a tie! 

 *surprise heart cake gifted by brother
*the awesome (and delicious) rainbow cake i made for m's hearing birthday party

best temporary backyard:
 *for matt's study leave in february we stayed out in the country, cows & all. so peaceful! so much sky! so different from our daily grind.

best pseudo sister award:
 lily & m are both deaf and both have implants. they've gone to school together since they were itty bitty & they share a lot in common: they are both strong-willed, chatty big sisters with a penchant for fancy sparklyness, drama & treats! they go around declaring that they are sisters. melts my heart every time, i tell you!

best deaf victory:
* this summer we mastered waterproofing & keeping one of m's implants on when she swims. oh for the love, it was painful and not a fun journey (i'll spare you the details, but it was really one of my least favorite deaf moments), but we survived! now m can hear us in the water: she's happy and so are we.


best captured sunset watching moment:
 *ruby & daddy

best u2 concert seats:
 *front row ones, naturally

best bouquet from husband:
* valentine's day ranunculas. love.

admittedly this was a super random best of. 
thanks for humoring me.
any random best moments you'd like to share?

9 comments:

  1. Love this post! Love the rainbow cake & best deaf victory. Wish we lived in Cali too... Oh to dream! Those cupcakes look awesome, and oh to be nearer to the coast! Happy 2012!

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  2. i need to know about the waterproofing!

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  3. Great post! I must be a pretty faithful blog friend, because I recognize a number of those from blog posts over the last year. My faves are probably the Matt-Ruby sunset watching one and the M-Lily sisters one.

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  4. we are going to try our hand at the rainbow cake for Ish's bday on Wednesday. Also, Q loved going through this post one photo at a time and asking all about when we are going to visit next.

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  5. a. the rainbow cake is totally worth the effort, everyone.
    b. waterproofing? i will give you a tutorial nicole!!
    c. julia- why yes, you are ;)
    d. q, please come. no more teasing...for reals! (daph, did you notice the strawberry face is from your visit?)

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  6. Love all of it and cracked up a bit at the "deaf victory" comment because I have had those moments too. :) Your husband is amazing, for the record....

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  7. such beautiful photos and moments.
    xo

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