lately...

i've been dreaming of faraway lands..

le sigh

weekend in austin

this past weekend, mom and I took a trip over to Austin for my UT architecture open house! we stayed in my parents' new-ish house.. I built this chandelier for them for Christmas, and I finally got to see it installed and in action:

saw the idea at an anthropologie store, and decided, hey, I could build that! so I did.
they look a little uneven in this picture, but I fixed it later.

while I was in open houses, mom worked on mosaics..

Ps. open house went pretty well, there are some things that I think it was lacking in their presentation, but that's ok. It will take a LOt of getting used to - big departure from berkeley.

anyway, we looked at a few potential housing options, and then went to goodwill. where I hit the jackpot. Found this taiwanese tea set:

and a sheepies! mug for my growing green mug collection.

and these plates.. "Golden Meadow" by Sheffield. I found out that these plates are worth $10 each! and I got.. a lot for $8. There are also really cute teacups, a teapot, and salt and pepper shakers that go with this line.. maybe I'll acquire those at some other point.

and my favorite picture from the weekend:

a week in the bay area

I just returned from a week out in Berkeley.. and I have to say it was AMAZING!!
We went on campus and pretended to be students. I also got to see a few of my professors, which was both fun and awkward at the same time hah.

On Tuesday, we saw.. SUFJAN! which was pretty epic. I think that's the only word I can use to describe it. and the decor makes the Paramount remain my favorite venue.

But yeah, there are a ton of Sufjan reviews out there for his latest tour, all saying pretty much the same thing. I left the night feeling a bit depressed and concerned for his well-being - this has never happened to me before. I want to write him a letter. hahah He shared some personal stuff but still left everything a little vague. While he played mostly stuff from the most recent LP - Age of Adz, he threw in some acoustic oldies to satiate the fans, and ended the set with John Wayne Gacy, which is a weird song to end the evening with and left me even MORE depressed. oh well. Sufjan, you are a mystery.

Steph and I also got to spend a day in the city, and took a trip to Baker's Beach. it's been a while!

We had a pretty good time until some pretty awkward stuff happened.

Here's Carolyn being sad about this huge tree on the wall in Mulford.

And for all of you missing YoPo :

It was delish!

Also, you guys, I am working on Grad school apps right now and would REALLY appreciate any advice or input or criticism on my portfolio.. here's a link to a recent draft:

portfolio

water camera yay

ok. one water camera down, one to go. here are some selects:

I reaaalllly like kayaking in the early morn, when you don't have to dodge tubers.

Also, MaoBi and I went for a little walk today..

Once she got accustomed to the grass (her first time in grass!) she took off! running through it.. mom asked if it was her first time running... I guess it was.

rio frio

I got back from the Frio River, in Texas Hill Country, on Thursday!

The last time I went with my family was about 9 years ago.. I can't believe it had been that long. BUT Dennis, Carolyn, Linda, Cindy, and I were able to make a stop there 2 years ago on our awesome summer road trip. We should do that again, for sure.

anyway, after driving through miles of nothingness:

we made it to the frio!

We always stay at Seven Bluff Cabins.. named because the campground is at the base of this bluff, can you see the 7?

our 5 day trip was spent relaxing at our swimming hole:

jumping off of rocks and rope swings. watching tubers float by:

We floated the river a few times, and we even rented kayaks.. those pictures to come when i develop the underwater camera.


Kendall and I found a little whirlpool near the bridge..

I miss it already, and definitely did not want to return to work yesterday.

In other news, Mao and I went to the vet on Friday for the junk on 'his' shell... and guess what!
well, 1. the junk is just minor superficial fungus and should be fine after a few applications of jock itch cream. yes.
and 2. Mao is a GIRL! calling him a her is taking some getting used to. I don't know how I feel about this yet. But it makes sense. This is one dramatic turtle we are talking about. hyperventilating when I take her out of the tank.. dancing on the water when she's hungry (which is all the time) and even swimming backwards when she gets too excited. explains a lot.

ps. that pic is really old. like oct 09 old. She's much bigger now. ahh!