Beautiful Food in Hollywood

Last weekend we had the great opportunity to go to CA with our good friends, Mark and Camille to attend the Gone with the Film Festival. Mark's film, "Baby Boomerang" was entered and won Best Documentary. The film festival was held in the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre atop Olive Hill in Hollywood in the Barnsdall Art Park complex. I'm actually going to post photos from the film festival in another post. I got kind of excited when we arrived because I saw tables set up with beautiful food and thought, "Wow, this food is a bonus to the festival! Classy!" I'm glad I asked around before I helped myself. It was a private birthday party. Sheesh! That could've been very awkward. I couldn't help myself, I had to take a few photos and then the caterer asked if she could have a few, so that opened the door for me to take lots. The caterer's name is Chef Cathy Shambley Baer. Her food was all organic. There was a small band playing music from the early 20th century. The picnic had a Great Gatsby feel with family and friends gathered on mismatched blankets underneath muslin canopies. Music was great. Food was beautiful to look at. I also thought it was the perfect event to showcase new blogger templates that I just got from mcp actions.

Simon's Graduation

Simon graduated from Mountain View High School Thursday, the 21st of May. He was one of 809 graduates. It rained, which made the weather cooler, which was fine with most of us. Better than the heat at Jon-Erik's graduation 2 years ago. There were 8 of us in our little Simon fan club, including my parents. We had 1 raincoat, 2 ponchos, 3 towels, 1 little blanket and, thanks to my mom, 5 umbrellas. Emma was the non-happy camper.She kept informing us over the course of the evening how she was freezing...but she survived. I reminded her that she is the girl who likes to put on her bathing suit and run around outside when it rains. She told me she hated the rain. I'll have to show her this picture to refresh her memory. :-)

This was our view during the graduation. ( I used Simon's camera at the graduation and even then sparingly...a point and shoot that I didn't know how to turn the flash off on. I didn't want to get mine wet. I had to use photoshop to fix them afterwards, but not too bad.)

This is what the field looked like afterwards. It didn't take too long to find Simon. He was lucky and got to sit under the BIG tent because he played in the orchestra and sang with the choir.

Adam finally joins us under the tent. He's wearing Jon-Erik's jacket and it's bulging. He opens it up only to send about 18 graduation caps tumbling to the ground...our little scavenger. So, if you know someone who couldn't find their cap afterward the ceremony, it's probably at our house. Sorry, no tassles, though, and the caps are only a little water damaged.)

Here we are demo-ing the said caps. We look a little like drowned rats, don't we??

It's been a crazy month leading up to graduation, with end of the year activities for 5 kids in 4 different schools. Here's just a snippet of what Simon was up to just last week, including a "before" pic before his haircut. Simon got to do a lot of the things that he loves to do: Sing, Dance, Act, play in the orchestra among other things. It's been so much fun watching him grow these past few years. We're going to miss not having someone at Mountain View next year. He's headed up to NAU in Flagstaff in the fall. We're excited for him. We both went to NAU and have fond memories of our time spent there.

Did I mention how much I'm enjoying these new templates from mcpactions.com? Here's another one with some of Simon's graduation pics.

Hooray for Graduation! Congrats, Simon and the rest of the graduates out there.

( Now that it's summer, I"m going to spend some time catching up on blogging)

Tessa and her mom

The day I realized that photography and I were going to have a "thing" is still very clear in my mind. I was looking at old photographs in an L.A. art museum. Suddenly, I got a lump in my throat, and tears started rolling down my cheeks. That was it. I knew then that it was a connector. I felt it. It allows us to glimpse the wonders of humanity. I got to experience that emotion again as I took pictures of Tessa and her mom, Suzanne and her grandma, Camille last week. Suzanne is a first time mom. Camille is a first time grandma and everything is a first for Tessa. I loved being able to do this photo shoot so close to Mother's Day. I felt like I got to be a fly on the wall to see generational love in action. I was reminded of how wonderful it is to be a mother in viewing this 3 generation trio. Camille has always been such a loving, giving wife and mother and to see Camille watching Suzanne carry on the tradition was very moving for me. There was such joy in their relationships.

Camille makes being a grandmother look like the most heavenly calling on earth.

I think "yummy" is a good word to describe babies. They're so gobbliscious.

I love baby yawns...so cute.

And last , but not least are those baby kisses...I had forgotten what they were like...those wet little puckerless lips. There will be so many hugs and kisses exchanged over the years.

Suzanne and Tessa will form the same strong bond that I see Camille have with all of her girls. This is one of those times when it's good to see history repeating itself.

About my mom: She came over the other day to visit and help me out around the house. She brought over one of my favorite candies, just for me and did my laundry and I told her that even at my age, she still spoils me. She's the complete package for me: she's my friend, my sister and my mother. I am so lucky. 

Movie: Is Anybody There?

Check out this movie. Brian and I saw it last week at Camelview Harkins, where they show movies that are a little off the beaten path. Our kind of movie. It stayed with me. The ending was so satisfying. I don't think that's a spoiler alert. It just made me think of a saying that a good friend told us some years ago, "It will all be o.k. in the end, if it's not o.k., then it's not the end." Love that. 

Alexandra Adams: Senior 2009

Alex is one of those teenagers who make you feel hopeful about the future. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. The first time I saw Alex was a few years ago, when she was dancing in Dance Barn's end of the year recital. Her mom, Kristin, owns and runs the Mesa dance studio. Alex really sparkles on stage and she sparkled in front of the camera.

Here's she is:

Alex does these awesome spins that just go on and on and on AND she doesn't even begin to look like she's tipping over, so I asked her to do some for me and I just loved the hair, the movement, the joy of just being in this one:

And finally, just as I was falling asleep the other night, I figured out what I wanted to call these and I decided on Personality Portraits. (I loved learning how to do this a couple of semesters ago.)

You go get 'em, Alex!