A N D S T U F F

Hi everyone!

A few random thoughts...

I love RED and COLOR so much right now. I am tired of neutrals and being such a dull, grey, beige and blue blob all the time. I find the above Chloé outfits pretty darn inspiring. My wardrobe is so sad. As is my bank account.

Speaking of red, my friend Caety spoiled me with a beautiful red Chanel lipstick (coromandel) yesterday. It is amazing - I've never owned a Chanel lip color before. It lasts forever. I will never buy any other brand of lipstick ever again. I applied it before catching the bus to school today, which was at 2pm. Eight hours later - even after eating dinner - it's still there. So great!

I LOVE SCHOOL.

I still have so much catching up to do with my Europe adventure photos. I'm so sorry for holding out. I've had a really hard time with focusing on anything other than my homework, my internet classes, the news and political blogs/newspapers. Who have I become?! It's very strange... But I like it. My brain feels so good!

Anyway. I will try to be more present here!

Ps. This ol' blog needs a makeover. I'll work on that, too.

C H A N G E S

I returned on Saturday from ten days at my uncle's house in Yakima, Washington. Ashley and I spent every day relaxing, enjoying the peace and quiet, swimming and playing pool volleyball. We had the most amazing time. Both of us were whining and dragging our feet like spoiled children on our last day there. It literally felt heartbreaking to leave. It may sound funny, but those ten days changed my life! Of course it was a combination of my experiences traveling in Europe, but without that time to be still, reflect and process everything without the distractions of friends, family and every day life, I believe I never would have come to the decision that I did.

What I realized is that all I really want to be doing right now is learning. When I got home, I found that I have a thirst for knowledge that wasn't present in the same way before. A lot of my time in Yakima was spent sitting in front of the computer, learning. There are so many resources online where you can enroll in courses from top schools around the world for free. It's amazing! I am taking a class on Health Policy & The Affordable Care Act at U Penn (via coursera.org) and it's been so interesting. I kept wishing I were there in the classroom so I could engage with the professor and students. So, shocking friends family alike, I rather suddenly decided to go back to school - which is something I haven't done in a real way for ten years/ever (since high school). I scrambled to get my application in, register and pick up my books only four days before the quarter started.

Today is my first day and I am excited and nervous. If I decide to stick with the path I think I want to go down, my life is going to look very different from how I have always envisioned it. Instead of struggling to make a career out of art or photography, I am going to study political science and Spanish. I am sure I sound naive and idealistic, but I want to do what I can to make the world a little bit better. I think everyone knows we need more people to be doing that right now!

My need for creative expression won't go away, I'm sure - so Marmunia will be sticking around. In fact I am excited to see how I can use all of these skills to benefit each other. Maybe I'll become a political journalist, or a photo journalist - I can use my blog to explore that a little bit, if you don't mind. Or, maybe I'll be the future President of the United States.

JUST KIDDING!

M O M E N T S

While tidying up my inbox today, I found some notes I'd saved away in my draft folder, little moments and memories I didn't want to forget sharing with Kai. They're so precious, they'll make your heat melt.

August 4th, 2011

Today I spread my hands a little and said, "Hmm, what do you think? Do I love you this much?"

"No."

I spread them a little more, "Do I love you this much?"

"Ye- hmm... No."

I spread my arms really big, "Do I love you THIS much??"

"Yeah! A lot!"

Then he said, "I love you this much, Ah-yee," and threw his arms around me. While still holding me in a hug he said, "This is how I love you."

August 3, 2011

"Kai, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

He responded without any hesitation and pointed at me, "You'll be a spider," then pointed at himself, "I'll be a man."

July 25, 2011

Kai woke up from his nap, making the usual cranky cries. I went into is room and snuggled up behind him in bed. After a few minutes, he rolled over and smiled at me. Then he settled back and whispered, "I love you, Ah-yee." Such a sweetheart boy.

June 9, 2011

Pre-nap snuggle time with Kai...

"Let me see your teeth, Ah-yee." I show him. "You have big teeth."

"I know, they are pretty big."

"Do you have your molars, Ah-yee?"

"Yes, I have all of my teeth. Well - except, I was born without one molar. See?" I open my mouth, he sticks his fingers in and prods around.

"Oh..." He places his hand on my cheek, a look of concern crosses his face. "Does that make you sad?"

I smile. "No, that doesn't make me sad."

"Really? Are you ok, Ah-yee?"

"Yes, really I'm okay. Thank you, Kai."

He's quiet, and then, "I want to talk about my room."

"Ok, what do you think about your room?"

"It's a square."

"You're right!"

"How did it get here?"

"Somebody built it. Are you interested in shapes and building things?"

"Yes, I am Ah-yee."

"Would you like to build things, like houses, someday?"

"Yes, when I'm older."

"You'd be good at that, Kai."

"Thank you Ah-yee."

"You're welcome. I will support you in whatever you decide to do!"

"When I'm grown up."

"Yes, when you're grown up." He reaches his arm around me, pats my face and kisses my lips. 

"Ohhh, thank you Kai! That was so sweet."

"Yes, I am very sweet to you Ah-yee."

 ♡

P R E T T Y A S A P I C T U R E

A glimpse at a lookbook put together by my girl, Ellie Lonardo. See the complete series, Oh, Honey, at her portfolio site. I just made some fairly huge (or so they feel to me) life changing decisions - which are scary, but good - and make me wish I could escape to a place like the ones in these photos whenever I start to panic.

More details on that later.

C A E T Y

My best friend is singing at The Edgewater Hotel* in Seattle on Friday night. She is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Think Etta James/Billie Holiday/Beyonce/Adele (she'll hate me for saying that).You may wonder why I've never mentioned her/this before, but she's only just started performing live shows lately. You really must be there.


*This happens to be the same hotel that the Beatles stayed at when they visited Seattle in 1964. So that's fun, too.


Poster by Yours Truly.

A S U M M E R N I G H T

- August 6, 2012 -

Sitting in the park at night with my friends, a paper lantern landed on the ground next to us. We relit it with some old lists and receipts I found in my bag and sent it back into the sky. Later we shared a bottle of champagne and made future plans for a motorcycle trip across Italy. We went skinny-dipping in the lake at four o'clock in the morning. I felt happy to be home.

V I E N N A , D A Y T H R E E

More walks, more gardens, more rain and a quick visit to Hotel Sacher for a taste of their famous chocolate torte. Frankly, I've had better - but it was a nice experience. Bianca then took us around the corner and down the street to Demel because she insisted it was better - and she was right. I took so many photos there that I'll be dedicating a post entirely to Demel next.


Ps. Bianca, I miss your face!

V I E N N A , T H E M U M O K

I have to admit that after visiting so many museums, they can become tiring and a bit of a bore. I'd rather wander the streets of the city and watch the people than pace through a room looking at pictures on a wall when there's a whole new world to be exploring just outside. The exhibition at the MUMOK was so refreshing and inspiring, though; a look at fashion throughout the years. There were gouache and watercolor paintings of textile designs, old garments, illustrations, hand painted materials, fashion photography and videography. It was so much fun to wander through each room, a nice surprise around every corner.

S I S T E R & S U N L I G H T

Ashley this evening in Selah, Washington. We'll be spending 10 days there beginning Wednesday to watch over the house (and pool!) while our aunt & uncle are traipsing around Paris (sigghhhh). Plenty of sunshine, beautiful landscapes and probably a horse or two can soon be expected. I'll do some catching up on what's happening in my life now that I've been home for over a month (how did that happen?), as well as finishing up all of the travel photos. Nearly there!

V I E N N A , D A Y T W O

Spying on the neighbor lady, rainy day walks, strolls through the parks and gardens.