11.08.2012

mary's birthday weekend

last friday marianne and i found ourselves heading off to san francisco to celebrate mary's 40th birthday with her. it was babe's first trip on an airplane and i'm glad to report that she did great! it didn't hurt that we sat next a very nice couple who were more than happy to have a baby sitting near them. we had an early flight so i was fortunate to see the sun rising over the mountains. it was a beautiful beginning to a super fun weekend!
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mary and fern greeted us at the airport with smiles and hugs. i had an immediate sense of calm being with mary and after spending a few hours together i felt right at home. mary and jeff are wonderful hosts and really make you feel part of their family when you are with them. their home is amazing and i had to stop myself from photographing ever single nook and cranny! fern's play/sun room is very ideal for a little person. a wide selection of books, toys and crafts are at her disposal. perfect for a growing mind and imagination!
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fern is as adorable in person as she is through photos. she has a wonderful imagination, talks in cute voices, sings clever made up songs, is a master at puzzles and is overall a very creative little girl. she did good dealing with a baby in her home which was a new experience for her.  she was understandably pretty uncertain about it all but i think she got use to marianne by the time we left.
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mary's room/closet (above) is a bohemian dream! we stayed in a housemates room, who was kind enough to offer it to us since she was out of town, at the front of the house. it was peaceful perfection!
mary made one delicious meal after another the whole time i was there. i am definitely inspired to make more vegetarian dishes after spending time with her in the kitchen. i also want to add that she does a very good job of representing her true self on her blog. i chalk that up to her wonderful writing skills and incredible talent of being able to express her thoughts and feelings so perfectly in word. so, while she was surprised by my sassiness ;D i found her to be pretty much how i had imagined her to be. and that's a good thing!

 friday afternoon brought the lovely missa and clover and the dia de los muertos festivities. it was joy to spend time with missa again and get to know her a wee bit better. i wish i had gotten more pictures of this night but sometimes i have a hard time carrying babies, taking pictures and socializing. oh the hard life of a blogger! hahaha!
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mary's outfit was adorable! i wish i had a better picture but she wore a gunne, a red velvet cape, an amazing pair of boots and marigolds behind her ears. hello beautiful!

the next morning brought gifts, yummy coffee (mary got a taste of my love for coffee and beer! this may have been another aspect of me that surprised her!) and tasty berry muffins that our three cute little ladies were ready to fight over.
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milla, our gal from the north country, who was with us in spirit (as was elizabeth who was unable to make it after all), sent us each a sweet package! below are a few of the goodies i recieved. thank you so much milla! i already wore and started using everything you sent and have the charm hanging on my neck as we speak/type.
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mary knew i was in the market for some clogs and she sneakily bought these for me while we were thrifting! thank you SO MUCH, i've worn them everyday since i got home :D

sunday brought brunch and fresh veggie pickin' at bloomfield farms in petaluma.
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jeff and mary are wonderfully attentive, caring and understanding parents. leo and fern are two lucky children indeed! and i can't fail to mention how enjoyable jeff is to be around. he's very easy going and i got a kick out of his honesty when we were discussing this terrifying occurance. you got yourself a winner mary! thank you both for a beautiful visit and if you ever find yourselves in the orange county area our home is open to your family!
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♥anne

13 comments :

  1. Hey Anne! i read your post quickly much earlier today, I've had a rush of a day. I just wanted to say that I can see the love in the photos, and agree, that Mary and Jeff have such a good warmth about them and so does their place right! The house is breathtaking, so much to absorb.... you can see her fams in every little detail. looks like a nice break away from daily life for you. also cool that Missa was able to be there. xo p.s. love the pic on M's blog of you on the flying fox/swing

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  2. terrific photos! so much pretty here, i kind of don't know where to start :-) thanks so much for sharing, and letting us all see the links we've made online bloom in person. some day....
    i am so glad that you had such a lovely weekend!

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  3. anne, WOW!! every single one of the pictures are so good... i especially love the one of mary and fern .. where they are sitting on the grassy hillside looking at each other... but adore ALL of the pictures... they capture the weekend so well.. it is like we can all be, right there, as well.. too, while viewing the pic's.. sweet clogs!!! i know that must have been a wonderful, happy surprise.. :) awesome post

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  4. I'm glad you had fun in San Francisco, it's my home too. Your friend's home looks incredible. I wish I could afford to own!
    XOXO

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    1. annabanana, we don't own! i'm just a long time renter, clinging by the nails. :)

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  5. Wow, you got some really beautiful photos Anne. I love the black and white one of Mary from the back at Bloomfield Farms holding Fern. Looks like y'all had a lovely morning out there!

    You captured Mary, her family and home wonderfully, special people they are.

    Clover and I enjoyed our time with you all as well! Always a joy to see you, and here's to more opportunities for getting to know each other :)

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  6. aw! my life looks so cool through someone else's lens. thank you for sharing how you see us, how this time was for you. i also want to know how i can instamatic my whole world...these pics are all so great, and so is the eye behind them. plus, i really really appreciate the tecate box by the pic of your new shoes. ha! that box saw us through the weekend. i drank the last one in your honor.

    i've already said it, but it bears repeating...we loved having you and it was a truly delicious weekend in your company. i also hope you know that i call you sassy with the highest regard...it's a good thing! to me it's a sign of a keen mind and sharp wit, as well as a knowing of the inner workings of the world. now, get to work on drying that wet towel.

    love to you anne!

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  7. anne! i love love love these photos! you are amazing. what a great trip full of amazing women. thank you for sharing these.

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  8. what a treat, what a place, what light, what magical trinkets and calico beauty! i love love love every bit of this visit together, you ladies made such a perfect trio and the little dandy gals too! thank you for showing these gorgeous photos. i bet it was a delight to fly right away with your tiny sprite.

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  9. this looks like so, so much fun!! and your photos are amazing! this is why i love blogs, for sharing beautiful moments like this.

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  10. How fun!!! Mary's house looks so inviting and charming (awesome wood floors and super high ceilings). And so perfectly decorated to represent them- gorgeous! Sounds like you guys had a great time, and so fun Missa met up too- hooray for blogs yet again :D

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  11. I so enjoyed scrolling through these pictures! What a wonderful trip. And I agree-- those wood floors are to die for. Plus, Leo and Fern? Most perfect names ever to exist.

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  12. Girls! I sure have read through this post more than once, but wanted proper time to comment on how much I love it. I do. It's amazing how strongly I feel like I've been there with you through these pictures and your descriptions of everything. Your eye is awesome, these pics really shine. I love the one of Missa with the wagon in front of the mural, as well as the one of Mary in her farmer overalls, the tractor and the kiddos. More of this. I can't wait to have more hang out time with your sassy self, as well as these lovelies. Oh and I love the fact that we all know use the word LOVELY in quotes, cursive or bold. Self-conscious bloggers...

    Love you.

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thank you so much for stopping by. please feel free to leave a comment! i love reading them :)


anne