a day in the city

These are some photos from a day in San Francisco I spent with some friends earlier in the summer. I can't wait 'til the boys are a little older so that we can venture into the city more on weekends. There's seriously so much more good food up there. On this particular trip we hit up a couple of good old stand-bys - Pizzeria Delphina, Tartine (they ran out morning buns just before we got to the front of the very long line!) and Bi-rite Creamery. We also (finally!) got to visit Heath Ceramics, which was as stunning as I had expected. I've been really enjoying taking photographs in non-pressure situations, and find that I'm most interested in capturing a mood, or scenes that aren't set up or people who aren't posing.

more paris snapshots

Here are the last of the Instagrams from Paris. We're back now, and there's much we're missing about our time there, but it's so good to be home too. I felt the time pressure during our last week there, and wished we had just one more week to check everything off my list. I was happy though that we made it to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to enjoy the view of Paris sprawled out before us. If it weren't for the cold and a fussy baby I would've wanted to linger up there longer. I was seriously afraid I was going to drop my iPhone over the edge trying to get that last shot with cold hands and a squirmy baby strapped to my chest! I must say that I really, really love traveling this way - being in one place and taking things in slowly, wandering around making your own discoveries, and going back again and again to get your favorite pastry or cup of hot chocolate.

bonjour!

Bonjour friends, we are in Paris! We're here for a few weeks and are really enjoying ourselves so far. Paris really does not disappoint. This is our second time here, though this time we're here for longer and have two little ones in tow. It took us nearly a week to get over jetlag and settle in, and we've been taking it slow for the most part. We're probably out and about for no more than a couple of hours a day due to naps, the cold, and just tiredness from lugging the boys around. We also eat in most of the time because it's just easier. We're staying in an apartment in the lively Rue Montorgueil area and love that everything we need is just steps away. We also can't get enough of all the amazing bakeries right on our street and have been eating a lot of pastries and baguettes with butter (why is the butter here so much better?). It's great not feeling rushed in trying to squeeze in a bunch of touristy activities and be able to just enjoy life here. Above are a few snapshots from my Instagram feed, follow along @dozidesign if you'd like!

maine (part 2)

We've been taking it pretty easy, but we managed to make a brief trip to the beach where Oscar had a ton of fun and got quite dirty. We went during low tide so the beach was not so much sandy as muddy and heard from our friends who stayed later that the beach is much cleaner during high tide. We also had some amazing baked goods at The Standard Baking Co, and a great dinner at Duckfat, where much of the food was made with -- yup, you guessed it -- duck fat.

maine

We rented a waterfront house in Maine for a week-long vacation with some good friends. It's so lush and beautiful here on the east coast. We took Oscar to a nearby farm today and had some really good ice cream. I think we might be going back there everyday.

weekend away

We spent this past weekend down by the coast with some good friends. Part of it was spent going out and about, but most of the time we just bummed around the house we rented and ate lots of good food. Definitely my kind of vacation.

I've been working on my 2011 pocket planners, which I hope to have in the shop by the end of the month. And believe it or not, Oscar will be turning one in about a month, so I've also been working on his birthday invites. It feels like this year has flown by without me doing much with my shop or creative pursuits, but I'm okay with that since a lot has happened. Parenthood is a pretty big life-changer and I guess I'm giving myself time to adapt and work things out.

Oh, and I have a few new holiday photo cards up at Cardstore.com and Snapfish too.

blueberries

A couple of weekends ago we went to Michigan and met up with my good college friends and their families. One of the highlights was going blueberry picking at a nearby farm. Besides eating lots of blueberries while picking bucketfuls, I had the best grilled cheese sandwich ever. I'm wishing now that I got more pictures of the rest of the trip, but I guess I was too busy having a good time. It was so good seeing these friends and doing what we do best: cooking and eating together.

a teeny trip up to the city

We drove up to San Francisco with Oscar a couple of weekends ago and walked around Hayes Valley after lunch at Frjtz. We stopped for some French macarons at Paulette, but we ate them all before I could get some pictures. Maybe next time I'll have more self-control! Of course, I had to stop by Miette as well to admire all the beautiful packaging. So inspiring! It was a short trip since we went in between Oscar's morning and afternoon naps, but it was great to get out and walk around.

last of france

Oops, I guess I lost steam there with posting France photos! I have a few more, but I think I'll just end with these last 2 night shots. We actually didn't go inside the Louvre at all and went to d'Orsay instead because we wanted something a bit more manageable. But since this was my first time in Paris, I still wanted to at least see the outside of the Louvre. We ended up taking stroll on our last night in the area and it was so beautiful. The buildings were all lit up and it was nice and quiet. There were some musicians playing classical music off to the side and just a few other people walking around. A perfect way to end the trip.






Sorry for the sparse posts lately! I'll be back on Monday with some exciting news, so stay tuned..

paris

We spent out last three and a half days in France in Paris. I definitely wish we could've spend more time there so that I can take my time and really soak everything in and enjoy more of the non-touristy areas.




One thing I love about Paris is all the brasseries and cafes with outdoor seating. We found people sitting outside and enjoying a meal or a cup of coffee even when it was cold and rainy.






The buildings in Paris have such character, and I love the surprising jolts of color you find just walking around.

france part 2: brittany and the loire valley

We spent the next couple of nights in St. Malo, Brittany - a beautiful, walled medieval town on the water, and then one night in a chateau in the Loire valley.

A stop on the way to St. Malo.




We walked around most of the St. Malo city wall at night. I loved the old town feel.




View from the our window in the chateau.




On the outside wall of the chateau.




See more pictures here.