Hello June

The year is half over. Every year when I turn the calendar to the month of June, that is my first thought. I always have a visual or feeling for each month in my head, does anyone else do this I wonder? June reminds me of a basket of fresh picked strawberries and a pitcher of cream to go with it. Of course June also reminds me of our wedding and birthdays of many family members, including my husband and daughter. June is the fresh start to summer, and probably the only month in summer that I really enjoy. By mid July, I'm over summer.  I will have to say though, that I have really enjoyed summer living in this house. The best part for me, is when the deer start to come down from the hills to eat the wild plums, and some of the fruit on the side of the house. In the evening we hear them walking on the side of the house, checking out the peaches and plums. Little stinkers though, will eat many of the ones that are within their reach very quickly if you don't pick them quick enough! The other night, they were roaming very close to our bedroom window. David had gone to bed before me, when all of a sudden, he comes into the living room to tell me that they were making a lot of noise by the window. Heavy breathing and flipping rocks in the landscaping. We turned all the lights out and looked out the bedroom window, to see them gingerly walking on the large rocks, and eating what had dropped from the orange tree and wild plum tree. It is always amazing to see these creatures up close.  A few weekends ago, while looking out my kitchen window, to my surprise I saw a wild California brush rabbit hanging out in the flower bed. I've never seen a wild rabbit in all my years in California.  We have a sensor light in the backyard, and it is constantly going off in the evening, because of all the raccoons and other little animals. I keep wounding what goes through their heads when that light trips! Most likely......Run!!!

I meant to post pictures of Brooke and Trevor's wedding that we attended in May, but alas time got away from me again. Better late than never, so I posted just a few from the day. It was a sweet wedding, and the bride looked gorgeous. Brooke had invited several of her childhood friends from elementary school, so it was fun to go down memory lane, as well as celebrate the beautiful couple of course. Hard to believe all the kids are grown up and getting married, when not long ago we were going to girl scouts, and having sleepovers!

I finally got to work on a few baby items for the shop, they were fun quick little projects and hopefully I can get more items in very soon. I think at the end of June, I'll start working on some fall/winter items and this time be somewhat ahead. I say that now of course, when it isn't blistering hot. My studio tends to be the hottest room in the summer, even though there is an AC vent! I'll go in there, and work for a few minutes, then give up after I start to sweat. Hopefully there won't be too many super hot days.

Lots of changes at work. Many have quit from the original crew that opened the store, and we have a whole new batch of people to get to know. This Anthropologie is huge, so sometimes we never see some of the workers for days, and to commit so many names to memory is tough I must say! Our shop manager from BHLDN is moving on. She was such a good manager, and we will all miss her. Hopefully the right person will take her place, as we have such a great team and it would be a shame to upset the balance we have. I have been getting more styling appointments as it has gotten busier. I think my favorite appointments are the accessories and the moms. The moms tend to get lost in the process I feel, and I like to make them feel just as special.

Today they are filming in our little town. The show they are filming is "13 Reasons Why." Not a light hearted show, but still kinda neat that they chose our town to film some scenes for season two. Caitlin and I went downtown and had some coffee and watched all the big Paramount trucks roll in to set up in a building to shoot. We stood out there for a while with mostly teen girls hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the stars. One of the workers, told us we might be bored as all the filming was going to take place inside. We left for a bit, but then returned later, to see them start to leave and pack up. Out walks the character named Tony. He waved to us and he was then whisked away in an SUV.  We also found out that earlier in the morning, they had filmed about a block away from Caitlin and Cyrous' house! It will be fun to watch what it looks like once they air season 2.
On that note, I'll post soon on celebrations and June fun. Take care and enjoy the beginning of summer!

Germany Part 4

Here is a little peek into our friends beautiful flat in Munich. They were so kind to let us stay there after they left for their honeymoon. If apartments and flats looked like this in our area, I would chuck everything in a second and downsize to fit into this lovely space. Everything is thoughtfully laid out and efficient. I love how they decorated it as well, and it really reflects their personalities. The building was built in 1910.  I loved, loved the stairs! The old wood steps have that wonderful sound to them when you walk up them. You can just imagine all the history and the people that would have walked up and down those steps.
While living in Europe, it was always so fun for me to see how architecture changed as you crossed borders into other countries, or within the country itself, because of many influences from other cultures.  I really also loved how light filled it was and the two balconies that it had on both ends. Their neighborhood is really nice and quiet, and you would never know you were in a bigger city.
Many thanks again for letting us stay there Hans-Gerd and Marion, can't wait until we get together again!

On another note....It is hotter than hades over here and my energy level is very low. I can't seem to motivate to finish anything for the shop, because I start to move around and get so hot and annoyed, even though the AC is on! Every summer it's like this for me, no matter how I try and gear up for it. If and when we get a break in the heat, I sure hope I can get some more things done, because it's making me a bit sad to keep walking by my work space with no motivation to go in there to work!
It's hot the minute I get up, so it isn't even like you can start early and get things done before it gets hot!  Anyone else out there hating the dog days of summer? Sometimes I feel like I'm alone in my loathing of summer :(   Hope you enjoyed a virtual trip to Germany!

Stay cool, if you are in the heat, and if you are living in a cool spot...lucky you!

Hans-Gerd and Marion Get Married! Germany Part 1

This post is mainly for my memory of our dear friends Hans-Gerd and Marion's wedding, that we were fortunate to be able to attend. In Germany and I believe most of Europe, the civil ceremony is the "official" wedding. The couple has the option of then having a separate church wedding if desired. The church wedding alone, like here in the US would not count. We have known Hans-Gerd for 20+ years through David's work, but as years passed a very nice friendship formed. When he would come to the US on business, we would have him to dinner and my girls loved when he came. The referred to him as "the cool German guy." He has two daughters close in age to ours, so we always had stories to share and much in common. The fourth photo is of the happy groom with his daughters. Aren't they pretty?! It was the very first time I got to meet them. The handsome tall boys that are in the third photo down, are Marion's sons. They have got to be close to 7 feet tall! Hans-Gerd is about 6 foot tall, so you can get an idea of their height!!! Very nice guys and to see them all as a family unit was so special. They are one of those families that you want to hang out with because they are so genuine and kind. We first met Marion last September while they came to California on vacation, and we all had so much fun together we hated to see it end! When we found out that they were going to tie the knot, we had to figure out a way to go to Germany! As luck would have it, David had to travel to Munich for work in the same week of the wedding!! We are so happy that we got to be a part of their day, it was so sweet and we couldn't be happier for this wonderful family.   After the ceremony, we walked behind this beautiful building and had some proseco and snacks. Later in the evening we went to the reception which went into the wee hours of the morning! Those guys know how to party, hahaha.  The next day, they drove off to Italy for their honeymoon, and let us stay in their cool flat for the rest of our stay in Munich.   We hope to see them state side next summer!

Dinner With Friends

Monday we had a little dinner party with this beautiful family.
 First you have to know a little back story. David spent a year in Sweden as an exchange student back in 1977 right out of high school, and stayed with the family of the gentleman on the far right, Assar. David has wonderful stories and memories of his time spent with Assar's family. They were such great memories, that he would often tell me that one day we need to go there together, because he just knew I would love it. We had the opportunity to visit Sweden while living in France, back in 2003. He was right! The girls and I truly fell in love with Sweden. There are numerous things we loved about it, and I think I could do a whole post just on Sweden alone, but this post is about these wonderful people.
While living with Assar's family back in 1977, David took his place while he was on his own student exchange adventure, so he never got to meet him in person way back then. Fast forward to today, with connecting on Facebook and a trip to the US to visit his middle daughter, who is studying here in California.
Let me introduce them......starting from the left, is Marta, then Vera, and standing by David is Assar's lovely wife Sofia, then their youngest daughter Alice. Such a warm and friendly family with three very bright and talented daughters. We had such a nice evening chatting and reminiscing.  They really made me want to book a ticket and go back to Sweden for another visit!  We hope they really enjoyed their time in California, and hopefully we will all meet again, this time in Sweden :)

Our Thanksgiving

We had such a beautiful Thanksgiving, from the weather to the company. This year we shared it with some extended family and a new friend. Lots and lots of laughter and fun times. We sure missed Nicole and Pierre, but we did get to skype with Nicole for a little bit. She made her very first Thanksgiving dinner in London, and shared it with a few friends.
Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!