No matter what your political views, this Tuesday was a historic day in US history. (The November 5th issue of the New York Times is going for 50x its worth on ebay.) After voting, Chris and I opened our house to some election fervor and fun.  Politics and babies really go hand-in-hand, don't they?

---
(clockwise: 1.Election Day in the Bay Area always reminds me of how beautifully multi-cultural my home is. 2.Chris and I would not have gotten through our numerous ballot props without our iPhones. Thanks for taking that shot, Raksha. 3.My paper ballot. 4. Voting sticker! 5.Chris placing his ballot in the ballot box. Paper ballots all the way!)     


The results finalized. And the baby portion of the night. :-)
 

There are so many bonuses to living in the Bay Area: ocean, mountains, diversity, environmentalism, progress...and it's a foodie's dream! Two incredible cupcake bakeries: Sprinkles & Kara's justed opened up in Palo Alto and I'm in heavvven!! It's like a dream come true-- I'm not kidding you. I gladly waited in line at Sprinkles for one full hour to taste the intensity...and then dashed to Kara's for the ultimate, side-by-side taste test. The household conclusion: Kara's: 1, Sprinkles: 1. I'm thinking the Lemon Cupcake will break the tie, which according to Sprinkle's handy Cupcake Chart, is available Mon/Thu/Sun. (Yumm...that's tomorrow...)

This phrase means so many different things to me right now.  First off, it's been one week since I attended Jesh de Rox's moving workshop where he asked us to take a photo entitled: hello, beautiful.  When I presented my photo to the group, I was so overcome with emotion.  I broke down.  Hard.  It was kind of like what Oprah calls her "ugly cry" (but it really should be "gorgeous cry", shouldn't it?).  So that is the first meaning for me these days.  The second meaning is how I feel when I look at my new blog by Into the Darkroom.  Kitty and Brad worked into the night to get the puppy rolling for me.  Thanks guys.  I'm excited to deck it out with goodness.

Hello, beautiful:

I recently returned from a great summer trip to the Rockies. Boulder, Denver, Breckenridge...ah...it was nice being back in the place I called home for awhile. Here's a slice of Breckenridge. Look at that July snow bank!

I'm in Baltimore until Monday evening for a much anticipated wedding!! I will return all calls and emails on Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend! :-)

I'm thrilled to be heading to the Rockies today for the OneLight Workshop and some romping in my old home of Breckenridge. Back on Monday!

Ah, new life. What a wonder...

I woke up yesterday to a group of ducks hanging out in the grass, taking a dip in the pool...basically vacationing. Things did get territorial toward the end of their stay as a demonstrative mallard fought off a suitor. Lots of action for a Tuesday.

My sister was hoping to wield a hammer and drip sweat for Habitat. That dream ended when I got to the top of the ladder in our roofing project and had to return to earth. (Sorry, Ann.) Organizing and painting is very important!

It was great being back in New Orleans and hearing the buzz that is returning to the streets. This City and it's beautiful people are still in great need of any support we can offer.

The closest water source to this home is a mile away yet they were still flooded with ten feet of water. The water line was to the end of the sheetrock.

Lower 9th Ward.

Common opinion of FEMA.

Musicians Village is a Habitat project conceived by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis. These are going to be beautiful homes.

Check out the difference between the two sides of the street. Before and After Habitat.

Each home has a posted bio of the family who will own the home.