simple gifts & the best birthday yet

thank you all for such wonderful birthday wishes. love.

i love gifts...giving and receiving. i love how thoughtful people are.
ceej definitely knows my little heart,
as do so many in my small group of family & friends...
am in love with these little bits of stationary ceej helped me pick out
at bellocchio in san francisco over the weekend
{this is also where i got this beautiful letter...was hoping to get another one but turns out the owner of the shop has to pick them up by hand in paris...sigh}.
so now i have a few pieces of pretty paper to write very special
hand-written letters to people i love.

i really am so grateful to people who thought of everything:
something to read, something to listen to, something to make, something to keep me warm,
something to practice & learn...all so perfect. thank you!

and, i must tell you about dinner last night...
we went to one of those small little places where you can
eat on the patio with twinkle lights
and all the food is local and seasonal...
the kind of place we've been saving up for for weeks...
our waiter placed our menus gently in front of us as soon as
we were seated...and there, at the top of the menu, was printed:
"happy birthday ann!"
how fun is that?!
the food, of course, melted easily and slowly in our mouths.
my house-made butternut squash ravioli was, well, beyond
my taste-buds' experience.
we agonized over what to order for dessert
and finally made our fateful choice:
the "ding dong"...with chocolate moose and ganache
along with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.
oh my.
we were indeed happy.
and, one of my favorite parts,
the waiters bring you your check in an antique book
in which you can make a little note and draw a little picture
recording your visit there...
love that.

the day was filled with perfect details...
thank you everyone for such a memorable and wonderfully simple birthday.

thank you, beautiful pia

was sitting in the dentist's waiting room
when marie texted me that
pia graciously featured some of my
photography on her blog today.
i'm always so honored by these wonderful kindnesses.


the photos she highlighted are from two of
my project film posts.
one HERE, and one HERE.

a most wonderful package from a most generous woman...straight from paris

do you remember zina? she is one amazing woman.
we made a little swap...
but i think i came out with the better end of the bargain.
for sure.

i sent her a print of one of my photos
and she sent me this package of treasures
from her recent visit to france...
ooh la la!!

she sent me the sweetest note...
it's as if my own mother wrote it:
so encouraging and oozing with kindness.

she sent me this rose tea from the oldest herbologist in paris,
{it's absolutely lovely...and, as zina promised, is like drinking a bouquet}
an antique handwritten postcard {!!!!!!}
and a book, exuberance, that i can't wait to devour.

i think i might have found something to "collect."
these handwritten notes melt my entire soul.
remember this handwritten note that ceej gave me for valentine's day?
it was the prettiest gift ever given,
and now i add this note to its company.
!!!!!!

this wonderful package from a wonderful woman from a wonderful place
has reminded me that when i some day visit paris it will be in the spring.
i have been listening to amelie-les-crayon since the blossoms stretched their arms,
and now i drink my rose tea, try to decipher the hand-written note,
and pretend i am in that beautiful city.

thank you, dear zina!!!!
{p.s. she and her sisters have started a fantastic cooking blog...what a treat!}

{pssst....}

just wanted to say thank you! for all the reminders that it's okay to be human.
feeling much better.
also, i think we need to start a california chapter of kate's mediocre club. brilliant.

can't wait for this concert tomorrow night. should be dreamy.
i also wanted to urge you all to watch this documentary on martin luther king, jr.
airing on pbs on wednesday.

this is a photo of the best peanut butter chocolate easter egg i've ever eaten.
we have been nibbling on it for the past couple of days...
trying to make it last as long as possible.

okay...now i'm off to finish packing.
see you next monday!

welcome dear failure, change, success, and gratitude...

thank you all for such kind and encouraging words...
hooray for empathy and solidarity!
my day really opened me up.
i danced. i sang. i walked. i talked. i listened.

i listened to ms. chapman over and over again {while dancing and singing}
and i also listened to ms. rowling speak about the benefits of failure.
if you want to listen to that wonderful speech, click here.
i also suggest peeking at ms. chapman's website...
"our bright future"
so so beautiful.

for about the hundredth time
i am picking myself up,
and running full speed ahead
willing to trip and get up yet again
until, well, i have a feeling this is a forever cycle:
falling and getting up over and over and over...
i'm not convinced you ever get "there."

am happy to embrace it all.
thank you all for your support!

i'll be back later today...
after i dance, sing, and write.

by the way...
i will change.
happily.

oh, thank you!

Trees by the American River Sacramento, originally uploaded by Ann Marie Whittaker.

whoa! thank you everyone who was oh so willing to help me out. i'm so grateful to all of you. you know how much i love photographing trees, the ocean, and us...but i need to learn how to photograph the rest of your beautiful faces and fine-tune my style.

have a picture-perfect weekend!

{p.s. happy birthday to my sister! favorite things we did this past year: visited grandma & grandpa an innumberable amount of times, saw this movie together--changed my life, and went out to get cupcakes a few times. you're the best!}

thank you!

received this little package in the mail yesterday...
so cute!
made by my dear friend, sarah.
not only can she sew,
but she's a serious rockstar
{you really ought to check out her music}
and she's a loving mother.

love you, sarah!

homemade is always better

she makes it every fall.
the grapes come from the yard,
and grandpa's vines too.

the house fills with that
sweet fragrance
and soaks into the furniture,
and wraps years of memories
into one moment.

yesterday i finally opened up
a bottle my mom gave us
two years ago.
no sweetening necessary.

thank you, mom,
for such a rich and yummy
tradition.

thank you, thank you for letting me have a blue day!!

you've all been so wonderful!
thanks for your kind comments and emails...
it helps oh so much to know i'm not alone.
perhaps this is why we blog, yes?

yesterday i sat in my bad mood.
today i'm ready to go again,
with more umph than before.
i once knew someone who had a family rule:
"be happy."
i hope i never have to be forced to follow that one...
i need a blue day now and again.
it makes me look at things closer,
and motivates me to get moving!
thanks for not forcing me to "be happy."

today i am once again thankful for ms. lamott:
"all good writers write {crappy first drafts}...people tend to look at successful writers, writers who are getting their books published and maybe even doing well financially, and think that they sit down at their desks every morning feeling like a million dollars, feeling great about who they are and how much talent they have and what a great story they have to tell; that they take in a few deep breaths, push back their sleeves, roll their necks a few times to get all the cricks out, and dive in, typing fully formed passages as fast as a court reporter. but this is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. i know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confidant. not one of them writes elegant first drafts. all right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much."

i admit it.
misery loves company.
it's nice to know i'm not the only one struggling.
it's just nice to know we're all human...
we're all breakable.

oh, and what a big thank you i owe ceej...
he loves me even when i'm pathetic
and childish.
he took me for a walk today.
it was quite healing, really.

{can you tell the difference in my new hair color?}
{do you like our panoramic polaroid?}

love you all, dear friends!

.....

thank you dearly and truly for kind words.

feeling better already after some sleep.

have a brave weekend!

{photo by me. november 2009}

pssst

please come see my photo featured here...now i'm off to practice my new-old instrument.

hip, hip, hooray!

i won the little photo contest!
can't believe it.
but i should because
you are all so wonderful, kind, and generous.

thanks to nicole for hosting the contest.
thanks to kind readers/strangers.

thank you, pia!

i was overjoyed when my dear friend, marie,
notified me that pia jane bijerk featured me on her
very lovely blog.
thank you, pia!
i am beyond honored.

i know you like to vote...

now, i know i've been asking a lot of you lately.

but i have one more thing to ask of all of you.

i've been nominated for an award!

{pretty. darn. excited.}

DivineCaroline has nominated me for a

"Love! This Site" award.

Please take a couple minutes to register on their site so that you can vote for me. If you go here to vote for me, it will guide you through a quick registration form to fill out.

it takes about 2 minutes or less,

depending on how fast your fingers can dance.

thank you, DivineCaroline.

flattered.

but even more flattered that friends, family, and generous strangers stop by here daily.

i hope it's always worth it for you.

Thank You!

Thank you, Mom, for the prettiest tea set EVER! The floral pattern reminds me of Celia Jane.

AND it's made in England...the real deal. So Perfect and Pretty.

Thank you, sister Jen, for such pretty glass plates.

We'll bring out these fancy dishes for fancy occassions.

Thank you, John & Diane, for our Nikon D90. How did you know we needed it?! Ha!

Thanks!

Thanks to every one who shared their skincare knowledge...I hope that others will continue to advise. I've scheduled my 2nd-ever facial for tomorrow morning (thanks, Liz). I picked up some Cetaphil and Neutrogena SPF. We'll see how it goes!