lily. 100 days.

in korean tradition, it used to be a pretty big deal to make it to the 100th day of life. this first segment of time was crucial because any number of things could go wrong and lead to a baby's death. to get through the first 100 days symbolized that a child would make it. these days, however, the 100th day is an excuse to get together and eat good food. (at least that's my take.) well i like that excuse. 


for lily's 100th day, after i ate a lot of good food, i snapped a few pictures to capture how delicious she currently is. i simply love her to bits and adore her perfect little self. and since her default face is a frown, i have to say that my ego was stroked when i (effortlessly) made her laugh.* 


*ok, it wasn't effortless. i had to make really weird noises and faces while lifting her up and down.


i think she's bored of being a table decoration. 

don't worry girl, i'd be crying too if i got dressed in that outfit. (no offense sister!)

a new love indeed.

those moments

in a 30 hour trip to & from la, i had the most delightful time being emo ("aunt" in korean) to my sweet lily. she is wonderful and her facial expressions are so her! during her 100th day celebration, she was passed around (more like stolen) from person to person, so the limited time i got to be with her and make her laugh were perfect moments of joy. simple and loving, those moments seem like the true stuff of life.

point reyes | well spent

my friends steph & sei wei came into town from beijing, so we spent four days together in one of our favorite places: point reyes. their good friend jeff also joined us from the east coast to take a few days to relax and to be with. 


the last time i saw s&s, they hadn't yet conceived a small child (because you know, people conceive small children, not embryos) and definitely hadn't given birth to one. and the time before that, it was their wedding day. things change - a lot.


steph and i lived together during one of the toughest years of my life: 2005-2006. she saw me through a year of unraveling. and this past week, we reflected about how much each of us have changed since then. she has become a spontaneous and nurturing mother, kind wife, and light-hearted friend. and i was delighted to still experience her as a curious and adventurous kindred spirit, the quality that first drew my heart to hers, and vice versa.


connecting with s&s was without a doubt, meaningful, fun, and life-giving. sei wei is a good, good man, husband, and father. :) but the real surprise was connecting with jeff. i thoroughly enjoyed hearing his stories, interacting with his quirky nature, and bantering about our major differences. we are entirely different on many superficial levels. he has three higher ed degrees, is a b-school grad who can solve math problems within seconds, lives by his watch and his plans, and always stays at sheraton hotels because of his mileage points! i'm a banana slug who studied anthro (but questions if school was even for me), daydreams about outdoor survival school (but unique schooling experiences are ok), likes to scrap plans, and looks for hostels and/or campgrounds for my travel accommodations. but at the core, i found that we are both in some regard, vagabonds. independent travelers who find our way into strangers' lives and they into ours; we are marked by those encounters. i don't meet very many people who share that quality. so even if just for four days, i felt like i was reunited a long-lost tribemate. i'm thankful for a new friend!


and i haven't forgotten nathan. i'll let the pictures speak for themselves. but one thing i learned about children is that it's both the quality and quantity of consistent time spent with them makes the relationship. it was delightful to see him warm up to me each day... (but my guess is that feeding him ice cream/brownies and behaving like a wild cave woman helped that process move along more quickly.) 


& of course...photos! i find that point reyes draws out some of my most inspired work. my heart is at peace and i am at home. so when in that space, i can give birth to what i love - the spectacularly ordinary joys of life. 

  

finding life in the unexpected... (and sometimes planned).  ;-) 

the fosths // steve, heather, ian, & georgia mae

simply put, the fosths are my family.

we met one very fateful thanksgiving day in 2008 & everything changed. my encounter with the fosths, particularly heather, reminds me that i never know who i might meet and how we may alter the course of each others' lives forever.

if i could offer one word of advice, it's: pay attention to the connections you make & the people you meet.
let yourself be affected.
let yourself be drawn in.
let yourself be changed.






we spent a lovely afternoon at foothill park in the exclusive palo alto residents only hideaway. (the only reason we got in was because there was no park officer guarding the entrance.) it was my first time being out in the beautiful hills since my injury, and i felt full from breathing in soft wafts of nature love. :)





i was especially struck by how georgia mae was completely in her element. she ran ran ran all around the open space & it was clear to me that in this space, she could be the free bird that she was created to be. i loved watching her, when i wasn't taking photos of the rest of the fam.




and ian. my gosh he is photogenic. just look at this handsome boy. he's charming, isn't he? *future heart breaker?


we ended on this amazing note.

i love you guys.
xo,
lizzy