huffmania

reflections

2009-12-03T16:29:00.004-06:00

inspired by my friends shari and charlotte, i've been doing some looking back on the year. spending time thinking about all the good things in life, instead of getting bogged down by current stress. shari pointed me to this challenge by gwen bell to do just this very thing. i'm a bit behind, and i might not answer all of them, but i sure do like the thought. so here it goes, after what has proved to be a long hard day, let's put some good thoughts to work.

#1 - what was your best trip in 2009?
getting the chance to visit dear friends in portland for a third time. i feel so lucky to have made incredible friendships on the internet, and even luckier to turn those into real life, flesh and blood relationships. the only thing that could have made that trip better was if i could have brought david and the kids and all my other online friends too, to have one big super bbq with kids, cameras, laughing and general awesomeness.

#2 - best restaurant experience in 2009
i've been doing a lot of travel for work again, which has it's ups and downs. sometimes, if i'm really lucky, i can work something fun for myself into a trip. while i was in new hampshire, i was able to spend an evening in vermont with shari. she treated me to a wonderful dinner, but honestly i could have been eating cardboard for all i care, it was a lovely dinner because of my company. the fact that the food was amazing was the cherry on top.

one of the added bonuses of reflecting on good things is that you start to remember exponentially. because now i'm thinking of our last trip to see david's grandparents in arkansas. nothing particularly amazing about the trip itself, but it was one of those occasions when everyone was in a good mood. the kids were wonderful and we all had fun, even out to dinner. see how that works? give it a shot people. it's worth it.

good habits

2009-12-01T15:55:00.002-06:00

well, it's official. december. my brain is confused because it's sunny and 60 degrees outside. go figure. speaking of the month of december, molly & emily have come up with a brilliant idea. to celebrate a year at habit, they have invited all their guests back to post for the month. i'm so excited to see this year close out through the eyes of so many people. please come have a look.

random randomness

2009-11-29T20:17:00.003-06:00

so yeah, there went thanksgiving. and you know what's next. crazy huh? i'd ask where this year went, but i've been saying it so much lately i'm even annoying myself with the question. instead i'll just post a bunch of random stuff that has been rolling around in my head lately. first up, i'd like to wish my friend john a happy birthday. a man of style and taste, who knows how to throw a good party and has a most excellent wife. heck of a friend. what's not to like there? second, a big fat thank you to my dad for creating yet another delicious thanksgiving dinner. i was so full and sleepy that not once did i touch my camera. i used what little brain power i had to think about my camera, but couldn't make my body move to get it. oh well. you know. third, and perhaps most random, i was thinking a lot about the past today. let me get there. i took a long, round about way to drive to my parents house to pick up the kids this afternoon. i even stopped and did a little grocery shopping. the whole time i had this strange feeling that i was going to run into someone i know, but i never did. as i finished up my shopping it finally dawned on me that i haven't lived in that town for about 15 years. in my head it is frozen in time. i drove down roads that were once just pastures and farms, and now it's just sub division after subdivision. it was just such a strange feeling. i had all these high school memories bumping around in my head. i told you this was random. so bear with me. fourth and final random thought (that i put here anyway) do you think pride & prejudice would work if the roles were switched? i mean, if elizabeth was high society, had a huge fortune, and darcy were some witty, down and out country gentleman? maybe? i've been consuming p&p again like crazy. i have no idea why. ok. so there you have it.

better, much better

2009-11-15T19:34:00.002-06:00

i'm not one to shy away from clichés. so when i say better late then never, i mean it. much much better. here is the thing. you might not have noticed, but david and i haven't posted a 1000 words for november yet. shocking? maybe. reality, yes. because here i sit, in the "business center" at the holiday inn express (yes, fancy, i know) and i just laughed out loud two times. actually three, the first was more like a snicker, but i'm going to count it anyway. david just emailed me the story for this month, and it's good. real good. perhaps my favorite yet. don't hold me to that, not quite anyway. actually, why don't you go decide for yourself. i'm not sure when we will be posting again, given the endless string of fieldwork i see before me, and the large amount that david has on his plate right now. maybe we will take a little hiatus for the holidays. maybe. i'll keep you posted. if i ever go back home that is.

very very smart people

2009-10-31T15:47:00.003-05:00

i'm lucky enough to know some very very smart people. i'm even luckier to call them my friends. so when someone i really like comes up with a brilliant idea involving food, well i'm pretty much a goner. folks, let me tell you what my friend gina has gone and done. prepare yourselves. she has started her very own gourmet whoopie pie business. YES. you read correctly. whoopie pies people. but not just any whoopie pies, flavors like pumpkin spice, and bananatella which i was so eager to sample. gina dropped some by the house so that we could hold an official taste test, and just imagine, five out of five huffman's were delighted with them! david was a dead ringer for the pumpkin spice. he's all about the pumpkin pie and this was like taking a pumpkin pie and jamming between two soft, spiced cookies. uh yum. eliot was also strongly in favor of this pie. myself and the girls on the other hand were quite partial to the bananatella. i mean, really in my opinion there is no way to go wrong with nutella. i used to think my favorite way to eat it was dipping sourdough pretzels straight into the jar. no longer. now all i want to do is have a slab of nutella goodness in between two banana cake like cookies. yes please. there are more flavors to try, and i am going to make it my personal mission to try them all. of course you are all wondering where you can get your hands on these delicious whoopie pies. right now what you need to do is head on down to hammerpress on first fridays where gina her cute self will be selling them this friday, november 6th. and i would guess, that if you beg and plead enough, someday soon, they would be available all over kansas city, and who knows, maybe even all over the world. yes. let's dream big. go gina go!!

remember that?

2009-10-20T22:26:00.002-05:00

yeah me too. it's funny how my adult brain is saying to me, man if i jump in those leaves, i'm going to get all dusty, have leaf bits in my shirt and mouth, it will be a pain to get them out of my hair etc etc... and yet i see no evidence in the slightest that they are thinking anything of the sort. i need to remind my adult brain to shut up every now and then.

tables that were turned

2009-10-12T09:20:00.008-05:00

a few weeks ago david caught me by surprise by sending me some interview questions for our 1000 words project. things got really busy for me at work, so it took me a while to get to them, but i did so here you go, a little more insight for any one interested in our work.

-how long have you been taking photographs?
i've been snapping away for fun since i was 12 or 13 and hamming it up for photos even earlier than that. remember when 110 film was cool? i think my parents still have their old vivitar somewhere. but i'd say i've been shooting purposefully for the last two and a half years.

- what makes you decide to go digital or film (in general)?
this is such a hard question for me. before i bought my dslr (a nikon D80) i would have said film hands down. i love film for so many reasons, one of which is it just sounds so great, hearing that shutter go kerplunk. but having a better digital camera that i can manipulate things like aperture and shutter speed, makes me feel really great about digital as well. that being said i would never ever give up on film. ever. i'll have that pentax k1000 with me until it dies or i do.

- what have you used for the 1k project, and why?
looking back at all the posts for 1k, they are very digital heavy. it might be a cop-out to say it, but i feel like it's mostly due to time constraints. since we have to work about a month ahead of time (which reminds me i need to get you november's photo soon!), finding the time to set up a photo shoot on film, have it processed and then look through the photos to decide on one, makes me a little nervous. not to mention the fact, what if i take all that time, and don't get anything i'm happy with? i'd like to shoot more film for this project, but finding the time makes it hard. especially moving into the winter months, since i only use natural light with my film camera. yeah, it's a total cop-out. sorry folks.

- what is your process for composing an image for this project?
i'm finding that it's certainly more purposeful than i thought it would be when we started. it's hard for me not to think about the fact that the next post will be in november. since i have to shoot what is around me (no out of town location shoots in the near future), for me seasonality plays a huge roll. some of the past photos i had an extremely specific image in my mind that i wanted to create, such as july's 1k story. we went out to my parents house because i was looking for a creek and i really wanted to find a big frog. as you can see, we did. that image is pretty much exactly what i had in my head. the images for the earlier stories were certainly more off the cuff, i guess because i was getting settled into the project. i always having ideas floating around for images i want, but making them happen has proved more difficult than i would have guessed.

- which story do you feel best connects to, or represents, the image you provided?
i'd have to say april 1k. there is this haze in the picture that for me directly connects to the haze that gene has been living under. his character is so much the pack mule, he has basically put his head down and worked hard for more years than he can count, only to finally look up and realize so much has passed him by. all this time he was doing what he thought was so important, when really his family wanted more than a pack mule, they wanted a father in their life. that story kills me, and the photo is right in the wheel-house too.

- which story was the biggest surprise, based on the photo you provided?
february 1k. maybe because it was our first, maybe because the story takes such a huge twist three fourths of the way through, for whatever reason, that story knocked me flat off my feet. i had no idea what was coming, but the thing that is so great about this project is that even though the story was such a surprise to me, looking back, the image still fits. fits snugly if i do say so myself.

- when you cook, why don't you try following the recipe, just once?
i can't help it. i'm a fiddler. what can i say? at least your wife is a good cook. for the most part. i'll fully admit that there are times when my fiddling makes some disgusting food.

- name two of your favorite photos and explain why.
may 1k. this was one of those purposeful, shot on film, set up waaay ahead of time, image that was created. it was so great, two people i had never met before in person let me into their home, took off some of their clothes (not all of them!) and let me take pictures of them. the best part was that it was totally fun and awesome, not awkward at all. i'd like to do more of these types of shoots, the purposeful kind, not the take off your clothes kind.

june 1k is also a favorite of mine. the photo is very personal (it's my sister) and the setting is also personal (i used that clothing line for most of my childhood), elements which i think david channeled into the story. i had a good idea of what image i wanted to get, and the story goes so well with it that it's hard not to be a favorite.

- why are you doing this with me?
well, you are certainly the best writer i know personally. collaborating with other creative people is such a great feeling. now take that feeling and multiply it by a thousand when you collaborate with someone you love, kind of makes it a no-brainer really.

- out of all of the images you have on Flickr, pick two that you think best represents you as an artist.
man. wrap it up with an easy question why don't you. sheesh.

this is a photo that i love for so many reasons, personal and technical. the light came out just the way i wanted it to. the space brings back so many strong memories. pretty much everything about it does things for me. i think if i had my way, my photos would be much more along these lines, more moody. but because it's hard for me to spend time alone, away from home shooting, i feel like these happen less often.

that being said, if i could take pictures of people having fun, preferably enjoying the summer, for the rest of my life, i would do it in a heartbeat. to capture a moment of joy, or love, or even pain, those are the kinds of photos i love to take. that i keep striving for.

in case you missed it, a new story for october is up. so there you have it folks.

home to

2009-10-08T16:04:00.004-05:00

hugs
kisses
giggles
more hugs
macaroni and cheese
rain
coloring and new markers
some whining
some tears
some complaining (it wouldn't be real life without them)
good mail
boring mail
tivo
the couch
my down throw
more rain
snuggles
more kisses (wink wink)

for you

2009-09-25T19:00:00.003-05:00

as sad as i am to see summer go, i'm ready for a change of clothes. granted if i had my way, it would never ever get any colder than 50 degrees. the perfect temperature for cute sweaters, blazers, and even a nice little jacket. not nearly cold enough for things like down coats and frozen fingertips & toes. this fall i'm building my wardrobe around the christian dior boys wool blazer i found thrifting. yeah, you read that right, christian dior. i won't get that lucky for at least another three years, as i am the world's worst thrifter. but enough about clothes, because as far as i'm concerned clothes are just an excuse to pick out a pair of SHOES. i'm on the hunt for a pair of oxfords this fall. i've got my eye on the rachel comey derringer at habitat. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the size 6 is a small 6. very very small. but let's talk about sexy. because i've been tapping into my sexy shoe side. i was in habitat a few weeks ago and they had just gotten in the heel you see in the photos above, it's the odanak from coclico. people. first let me tell you that it is a genius mix of heel & bootie, second let me tell you that the leather that wraps around your ankle feels like BUTTER. seriously, it's the softest leather i've ever felt, i wanted to sit there and pet it. and here is the best part yet, besides this shoe being ridiculously sexy, it was also incredibly comfortable. so where am i going with all this? well today through sunday you can shop online and get 20% off new shoes, boots and handbags, just enter the code newfall20 and that my friends, is how this is for you. woot!!

last first

2009-09-21T14:40:00.003-05:00

today is the last day of summer and just like always i'm missing the heat and sunshine, already looking through the long dark tunnel of winter to when i can next enjoy those things. kansas city is giving a taste of fall today, with grey dreary skies, rain and a crisp feeling in the air. i had grand plans of putting together a lovely little summer zine but life and work came front and center the last few months or so, leaving me little time or energy for such things. and what time i did have i chose to squander it watching studio 60 on hulu with david. and i have zero guilt about laying in bed, watching excellent tv with my husband. so here we go, only three more seasons until summer again! i'm counting down the days.

late summer

2009-09-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

listening to cicadas, enjoying the late afternoon on the porch, eating the last of the cherry tomatoes straight off the plant, pulling on a cardigan after the sun goes down, turning off the attic fan because it's just a little too cool, but leaving the windows open nonetheless, daydreaming about tights and soup, waiting for the mayor of fall to usher in the change. late summer i will miss you, but i will savor every day you give me.

portrait of a three year old ennui

2009-09-14T12:22:00.001-05:00

i am

2009-09-11T20:11:00.003-05:00

i had a revelation today. this may come as a surprise to you, but today i realized i am a photographer. what? i know. why today? let me back up a bit. remember last week how i was so excited to find out that my friend prentiss is a photographer? and how i talked his ear off about lights, and studio space, and all kinds of other nerdy photography things. well, as what usually happens when i start talking about cameras and whatnot, i get "the question". you know the question. everyone get's it. "oh! so are you a (fill in the blank)?". some lady overheard us talking and sure enough, she asked the question. and i hemmed and hawed like i usually do. oh, not really. well, yeah kind of. i do it on the side, i really like photography etc etc. she looked at me like i had a camera growing out of my forehead, and i somewhat awkwardly returned to my conversation with prentiss. we talked some more, and i said something about having been published in a polaroid book. see! he said, don't do that. don't do what, i said? don't answer the question like that, you are a photographer. oh, i said. i stewed on it for a while, and a few days later had another one of my reoccurring conversations with david, you know the "what am i even doing?" one. i get so worked up about defining myself or my style or my work or whatever that i forget one very important piece of the puzzle. nobody, and i mean nobody is defined by one single, solitary thing. i am a million things. i am a mother. i am a wife. i am an archaeologist. i am petite. i am sassy. i am a klutz. we all are a million things. to be defined by one thing would be almost nonhuman. not to mention boring. so where am i going with all of this? well, today this arrived. i opened it up, squealed a little, and then turned over my card and saw this.

can you read that? it says image copyright © by Hannah Huffman. that's right. it's me. it hit me like a ton of bricks. and if jenifer altman lived in kansas city, i would have run right over to her house, screamed in her ear, jumped in her lap, and given her the biggest hug ever. thank you jen so much for including me in your brain child. for asking me twice! for encouraging me when i was skeptical that i could do it. and of course, i have to thank david for giving me the kick in the pants i need when i get all wishy washy. last summer when john asked me if i wanted to have my first show, my head was spinning. what?? yes, but how?? and david ever so dryly says, stop freaking out and just do it. oh. ok. he's like my own personal tim gunn. so will i be the next annie leibovitz? no. i doubt it. will i take photographs for the rest of my life for fun? yes. will i take photographs for other people who want to pay me? hopefully. why? because i am a photographer. and a million other things.

today

2009-09-10T15:37:00.003-05:00

is david's birthday. i love this man for many reasons, but most of all he has an amazing mind up there in that head of his. he wrote a new story for today. on top of the million things he has on his plate, he finds time to be an amazing father and do creative things with me. what a keeper. happy birthday david. you are my favorite.

toby & maureen

2009-09-08T16:25:00.002-05:00

toby you are the best person i know, so it makes perfect sense that you would find the best woman possible to be your wife. congratulations my friends, all huffmans love you very very much.

prentiss

2009-09-02T20:11:00.002-05:00

this is prentiss. he is pretty awesome, for many reasons, but when i found out that he is a photographer, i practically pounced on him. i picked his brain, asked tons of questions and gushed over lenses. because that's what photographers do, right? oh. maybe that's just me. anyway...

so here is the great news - prentiss is having his first gallery show this first friday. what makes it even better is he has turned it into a charity event to benefit the healthy kids initiative of rosedale. see, i told you he was awesome. please, come on down. the show is at 2012 main from 6 to 9 pm, this friday, september 4th. you can read all kinds of details on the event page. they are going to be shooting street style portraits for goodness sake! david, eliot and i will totally be doing this. and yes, i will totally post it here.

things

2009-08-26T11:52:00.001-05:00

so many cool things on the internets right now. a partial list:
vintage eyeglasses on etsy (see david's in action above)
shari's spiderwebs (amazing)
cup & saucer collective (two lovely ladies making beautiful things)
kate miss (i want a necklace)
speaking of necklaces, i want this one from habitat too.
if we're talking about habitat, i want these too
a pizza from delancey, dessert too.
photo walks are always a good thing in my book
sart is right, i can feel the transition coming
and last, but certainly not least, remembering senator kennedy
i am certainly no political junkie, but i have a long standing soft spot for the kennedy family. years ago i watched the ken burns documentary and cried and cried for what could have been and i am not much of a crier either. so today i feel a sadness again for what could have been.

first kindergarten, second and one not pictured

2009-08-24T15:44:00.002-05:00

last week was our first week of the new school year. it was a long week. we all had to adjust to new bedtimes and getting up early. myself included. collette's favorite things about kindergarten are:
seeing her best friend margot everyday
seeing eliot on the playground

and that's all we can get out of her. well, today david managed to get her to say what she liked about school besides seeing margot. apparently it was reading a book. i'll take these all as good signs. she's not crying and she doesn't refuse to go. if she doesn't want to talk about it, eah. her decision. i'll pump the teacher for information at back to school night.

eliot is already loving second grade. we are looking forward to this year, because they get to "travel" around the world and study different cultures, food, languages. it's a good year.

and arlo. well that sweet arlo. she's doing just fine too. more than fine really. as a third child, she is taking full advantage of having time to herself in the best way possible. that's right, laying full length on the couch. because you third borns out there know, you never get the whole couch to yourself, you have to fight for your portion tooth and nail. when we leave in the morning, david says she lays out and luxuriates in all the space. smart girl. very smart.

fleeting

2009-08-12T10:46:00.002-05:00

i saw it yesterday. just a flash, but i knew it just the same. we were at the doctor's office for collette's five year check up. he had just finished up and we were waiting for the nurse to come in to give collette her two shots. she was sitting on the table, and i was standing next to her. there was a brief conversation, do you want to hold my hand? yes. do you want your shots in the arm or the leg? arm. do you want to watch or do you want to put your head on my shoulder? watch. the nurse came in and stood by us. and that's when i saw it. collette sat up straight, squared her jaw and got ready for the shots. and the expression on her face. it was fleeting yes, but in that instant i realized it was an expression she will use her whole life long. every time she squares that jaw to take on something, it will be there. the same one at five years, 25 years, and lord help me 85 years. and it was heartbreaking and fantastic all at once. and i felt five myself and 25 and 85. and i squared my jaw and held her little tanned hand.

this is our last week of summer vacation. eliot starts school on monday and collette marches right on into kindergarten on wednesday. they are ready. they are more than ready, and here i find myself dragging my feet. kicking the dirt, listening to cicadas not wanting to let the time go. and i know now that a huge portion of my love of summer is my love of childhood. of the magic of summer. of the laziness and heat and sweat and boredom and joy of summer. last week i was in oklahoma for work, and tuesday evening i was roaming around a borders books looking for something. i was poking around the bargain table and found a book of greek mythology and i was whipped back in time to my 11 year old self. that summer i found a big book of mythology and i devoured it. i laid in my bed and read it cover to cover then started back at the beginning again. oh sure, i know zeus likes to dabble with pretty young ladies and do all these crazy things, but those were not the stories that held me. my favorites always were the stories that took something we know and found a different way to explain it. i love persephone the best. i love that greeks decided that the reason we have a winter is because she ate those six little pomegranate seeds, and for six months of the year her mother roams the earth in sadness, missing her daughter and the world goes cold because of it. how lovely is that? how much more fascinating is that than talk of axis and climate and seasons? and really isn't it the secret of childhood? that time when we are on the cusp of becoming adults and learning how the world really works, but we still have the stories. the bright explanations that make us laugh and clap our hands? don't get the idea that i live in a dream world. i very much live in the real world, with a real life and a real family. but there are times when i like to take a small retreat. and i indulge more so in the summer. and i love it. so i find myself sad that this is our last week. but what can i do but square my jaw and face it? if collette can, certainly i shall too.

(i've been reading a lot of steinbeck, can you tell?)

eleven

2009-08-08T20:57:00.002-05:00

today i have been married to david huffman for eleven years. today is a very good day.

wealthy

2009-07-28T15:25:00.004-05:00

you want to know what isn't in recession? friends. that's right. cheesy but true. i have so many people, really good people, that i feel strongly for, and feel glad that they are a part of my life that it's a little silly really. here's the kicker, some of them i've never even met face to face. what you say? how can you know someone that way? well you just can. i'm not naive enough to say that there aren't flukes when it comes to this kind of thing, but for the most part, you can. and comfortable friends, the kind you see two, maybe three times a week. the kind you can just say hey, i'm bringing over chips and salsa and they respond with, cool the front door is unlocked. that's a good kind too. maybe you have a friend who is just like you. you laugh at the same thing, your mothers drive you crazy in the same way, and you could literally laugh and talk for hours and hours. or what about those friends that you only see every few years, but it's like riding a bike. you just pick right back up where you left off. and sure you wonder why you don't see each other more, but you know that it's ok. maybe there will be a time in your life where your lives will intersect, and maybe not. either way, they're still great. what i'm trying to say here is that if your feeling crappy, or down, or pinched or whatever your feeling, just take a minute to think about the people you love. i guarantee it will put a smile on your face, make you feel rich.

good idea/bad idea

2009-07-17T17:10:00.002-05:00

in a fit of internet motivation, i created a fan page for 1000 words on facebook. yes. that's right. facebook. i kind of hate facebook. i mean, i have a facebook page, if we are going for things like full disclosure, but i'm just not that into it. until now. which is where the good idea/bad idea thing comes into play. because i find myself checking facebook with frightening regularity. i don't want to like it. i already have an online love. how could i cheat on flickr? i won't. i'll just keep up with 1000 words. that's it. i promise. oh and in case you missed it, we posted july's story last week. hope you like it. i'm stepping away from the computer to enjoy the CRAZY nice weather and the weekend.

a party involving

2009-07-13T20:14:00.003-05:00

lots of ladies, makeup, a magician (ok not really, but she is magic), drinks, and a few appetizers. which equals complete success if you ask me. thank you so much gina for pouring forth your knowledge of all things makeup and wonderful. i met gina last summer when i did the wiksten shoot for jenny. she had just moved to kansas city from los angeles the year before where she had been working as a makeup artist for years. of course i thought she was cool, but when i ran into her again a few months later, to my great surprise i found out that she was married to a friend of mine from grade school!! crazy coincidence. so crazy. i mean who could resist such a cute family? not me. so not only did this woman agree to celebrate a triple birthday party by giving us the best makeup tricks and techniques ever, she did it after driving 8 straight hours from chicago. you are insane lady. and awesome. thank you a million times over gina for saturday night.

oh and if you are in kansas city and in need of a makeup artist or a fashion consultant you are in total luck because gina freelances!! weddings, events, consultations, whatever, she can do it all. i am serious. shoot me an email if you would like her contact info. yay yay!!

just hanging out

2009-07-08T20:33:00.003-05:00

aside from some fireworks, and an unpleasant episode with some thorns in the bottom of eliot's foot, things have been right on track for summer. hot dogs. lots of hot dogs lately. and lemonade. and ice cream. because really, why not? it was all i could do to muster dinner tonight. uh. hot dogs. yeah. and chips. oh and a freshly made smoothie. so that makes up for the other part. in my mind anyway. i can't stop eating peaches. i really can't. like two or three a day. pretty soon i'll be hiding in the closet again, because i'm not so good a sharing when it comes to peaches. at least i recognize my weaknesses.

in other non-produce related news, i've finally gotten some creative oomph back in my life. i've got two exciting collaborations in the works. like really good ones. with really talented ladies. don't worry, i'll tell you about it when i can. i've been working on a little something to commemorate my love of summer. that should be ready soon. and i've been thinking a lot about sewing. i know! i've got a few projects (a quilt!) that i am really looking forward to starting. just staring at my piles of fabric has been theraputic in a way. so yeah. that's that mattress man.

well july

2009-07-02T17:12:00.003-05:00

you can't be all that bad. i mean it still is summer after all. june is my favorite, no doubt about it, but good things happen in july too. for instance, lots of bunting and balloons out and about to celebrate the holiday. always nice. i will forever remember my first attempt at homemade ice cream. today i fell in love with dulce de leche ice cream with toasted pecans. fell hard. like i wouldn't share if i didn't absoultely have to (friends are coming to dinner). and today is super great for another reason, a better one. yes one that tops homemade ice cream. today is my friend kristen's birthday. i mean she's a super cool lady, and with amazing taste in shoes, hence she owns a shoe store. but i love her because we are so alike it's kind of scary. only three days separtate our birthdays. we both are quite lax on cleaning and the like, food saftey? who needs it. and yes we love our mothers to death, but they equally (and more often than not, in the exact same ways) drive us insane. i don't know what would happen if we actually had a disagreement. neither one of us would back down. fact cop. i think the world might break in half. it's a good thing we like each other, because i think the only other option might be to hate one another. so yes, kristen i am super happy glad that i love you! happy birthday dear friend. you mean the world to me.