the cake

My Dad turned 60 years old on Halloween. He doesn't act or look like a sixty year-old in my opinion, but I knew he should at least have the kind of cake grand enough for a sixtieth year birthday, so I searched and Deb from Smitten Kitchen as usual had the perfect cake - Chocolate Butter Cake with Raspberry Filling and Bittersweet Brandied Ganache. If your mouth isn't watering already, here are some delicious photos of the baking process and finished highly acclaimed (by birthday party attendees & my Dad himself) finished product, pretty much the best chocolate cake I've tasted in a long time.



I affectionately call this cake dust, which often occurs when you press mix without patting the flour, sugar down a bit. Oops.


The recipe called for a cup of freshly brewed coffee so of course I used it as an excuse to go to Starbucks - a cup for the cake & a cup for me.






So I really wanted to decorate the cake, but I began to run out of time and my attempt to move the cake from my "frosting board" to cake platter wasn't looking too successful so I ended up just decorating the frosting board. Good learning experience?!?

oh my starbucks

And the holiday season has officially begun. Starbucks Christmas cups are out and I was overjoyed when I got mine this morning. Lovely red cup, how I love you. And the theme this year, Wish, is quite bright and nice.

portraiture

My dear photographer friend Lehua lovingly spent an entire day with my family a few weeks ago. It was my grandmere's birthday and I wouldn't dare show you the last portraits my cousin and I took for her (years ago), so we decided upon the perfect gift: cousin portraits for her, new ones where we are not wearing pink, fluffy dresses.

Lehua is not only a wonderful friend to me, but an extremely talented photographer/artist and I'm not going to lie, she had some tough subjects. My cousin is a little camera shy and I'm not exactly photogenic, but Lehua did an amazing job and I know my Grandmere will love the photos. Here are a few, but sneak over to her blog to see more and check out her other work.





we walked around the tide pools for a bit. im really just a kid at heart. i love sea anenomes.







I highly recommend Lehua for any event, wedding or portrait session!

the haunted victorian

Excitement, costumes, crisp air, sweets and becoming someone else. Halloween isn't simply about hallows' eve and ghouls and goblins, it's a day everyone in the world can be whoever they choose. I love almost every holiday, but Halloween always brings so much joy and excitement to me, ironically, considering the holiday should probably evoke fear or eeriness.

A weekend ago, my good friend Nicole invited a few of us to her house transformed into the Haunted Victorian for a night of chic halloween fun. It was a fun night of celebration, spooky in its own right and definitely chic.


Faith lighting the candles. Nicole actually glued the rhinestones onto the pumpkin in a pattern. Talented? Yes.



Ronalynn took the last photo of me, which I subsequently stole from Facebook. (Thank you Ronalynn!) Do I pass for an Audrey Hepburn?

rain

It rained today. Little drops fell from the sky and it made my heart happy. I woke up to the repetitive droplets sounding off in our courtyard pond. My roommates had left for work and I jumped out of bed and opened the curtains. Sigh. 

There is something so comforting by the soft sound the rain makes when you are inside a building letting you know it's still there. And something enrapturing about the loud rhythm the water creates as it hits pavement. 

I couldn't stop smiling today. The rain enclosed my heart and despite the cold, I was very warm. 

*photo from my Maryland trip

boats and boats

Before summer officially ended, there was one last happening needed to be had. The weekend before last, before the official start of Fall, my Dad and I set sails (figuratively, since we no longer sail over) and spent a weekend in Catalina on our boat. 

My first sail trip was before I could walk and it was love at first sight because I still can't get enough - the open sea, smell of salty air and dreamy waves enchant me still. (This is assuming I can remember my first trip when I was merely one.) Here are a few photos of the last strings of summer spent on our boat.

last, but not least, Hermie, who we found on the ocean floor, not the beach.

crisp change

The weather and I became friends again today. After walking outdoors and not feeling as though I needed to strip in the heat California has bore the past months, I figured it was time to make amends. 

The crisp cool air of Fall finally whispered against my skin and I was able to breathe freshly, leave summer behind and let go of unfinished plans. The holiday season is on its way and with it, pumpkin breads, spice cakes and caramel apple cider. And of course, friendly gatherings. 

I'm not one for change. I don't handle it well. However, when the world changes its climate, I'm some how more open to align myself with the winds and accept whatever transition comes. September was full, too full really. It burst with transition. 

Transition at work, home and oh yes, becoming a student again. 

Although, I'm still adjusting to life with homework and friends in other places, the crisp winds of Fall make me feel as though everything will be all right. And there is only joy and peace to come.