What about you?Lunching with  my familia.Blue shirt. Blue stone. Blue nails. Blue jeans. Creamy coffee.Gettin’ work done before vacation; if I don’t have time to swim, I’ll at least write poolside.Just writing about food and Spanish wines.I went to a fun birthday barbecue. Happy Birthday, Monica!I decided to try running again. My body seems to have forgotten how. The sun before the rain.Have a lovely weekend, friends.

Mom spent the early hours in the garden:I made chocolate strawberries (Thanks, Monica! I was so inspired by them at your bbq):Sara loves chasing Sweetie around the water. Sara will only stick her feet in.Polly is our little diver. In and out. In and out. Repeat for hours.I made lemon asparagus cous cous salad. Yum.Sweetie likes to help in the kitchen (aka, pick up anything you drop).Sara girl gets so hot. She’s cursed in the summer as an Aussie-Chow. Groomers won’t cut her hair, and I don’t know what to do. Anyone know how I can help her stay cool in this heat (aside from the water I dump on her)?She’s constantly dirty from digging herself cool holes to sleep in.Dessert. Mmm.

But last week, I went there twice. In one week! And both times were so much fun and I saw a whole new side of Oakland that no one ever talks about (mainly Old and downtown Oakland). I met artists and browsed cute boutiques in Old Town and had greyhounds — vodka and squeezed-in-front-of-me grapefruit — at an eclectic lounge that played Ragtime and vintage Elvis in the background.

So, it makes you wonder: What other gem districts am I missing out on because I’ve listened to the stereotypes? Have you felt this way about a place before?

These are few Hipstamatic iPhone photos from last week. I’ll be back soon to share my Piedmont Avenue, which I think may be my favorite street in Oakland (that I’ve been introduced to).

Speaking of trying to stay on the healthy eating bandwagon, I’m planting a garden with my aunt. Yay! I’m mostly excited for tomatoes, because they are a life saver and just so incredibly tasty. We’re doing bell peppers, too, and squashes and peppers and cucumbers and other stuff to make summer plates so fresh and, you got it, healthy. So far, the only thing we’re actually eating are the lettuce greens and radishes. Hooray for a start.

And now, I’ll start in with the Five Senses. Play along, friends.

Tasting:
A homegrown radish, so spicy and fragrant. Pea shoots in my salad; I don’t know why I love those long little sprouts, but I do.

Hearing:
Harold, a yellow neighborhood cat, going door-to-door for a little lovin.’ Barks of my jealous dogs as they fight for attention when I walk through the door after work every day.

Feeling:
Blessed with new opportunities, but slightly exhausted in its own way. The anticipation of vacation … it always seems like it’s so far away and then it passes so fast once it’s arrived.

Seeing:
My homegrown salad every day.

Smelling:
Herbs for sale, pungent and mouthwatering.

Boxes of tulips at the altar. Out-of-state friends camping out in the distance. Ink and vintage lace. Tears of joy and genuine gazes. A sweet, sweet pooches in the wedding party. Wedding-dress cannonballs into the pool.

It was perfect.

Shooting Nikki and Derrick’s wedding felt like I snuck into a  really good party with really good peeps in the country. They are two beautiful souls who laughed and giggled and sipped mimosas all the way to the wedding altar in their backyard. Here’s a peak into their special day, which my lovely friend Cindy helped me shoot. Enjoy.

Friends get ready for the intimate wedding staged in front of an beautiful old tree:The bride got ready to say “I do” in the comfort of her own home. Her best friends helped along the way.Derrick and the boys got ready in the guest house:Nikki and Derrick decided to have photos done before the ceremony. They cried when they say each other.I’m in love with their dog Guiness. The awesome Rev. She did a four-minute ceremony, guys. Amazing and beautiful.And then, the “I dos.:Time to party (or to continue the party, rather):“My bride, please join me in the outhouse.” Home sweet home:Cake and champagne time.Time to chill out. Cannonball!It was such a lovely day. Thank you, Nikki and Derrick, for welcoming me into your fabulous circle. A bride and groom who jump in together, stay together. Much love.

Howdy, friends. Welcome to Monday. Has it been good so far? I was worried earlier by sleepies and an itchy throat that I was coming down with something and needing to load up on Emergen-C. But now I’ve chugged enough iced coffee that I think it was just the sleepies. Let’s hope. I may still take extra precautions and chug that cold cure.

And now, it’s time for Five Senses Monday, where I reflect on the last few days through the five senses. Play along — it makes it more fun.

Tasting:
Baby greens in my salad that I grew from seed; yay for harvest success (can’t say so much for my first try at radishes). Big, beefy steaks on the grill. Cran-Raspberry juice and champagne = Mmm, yum. Pea shoots in my salad, to make lunch a little more interesting.

Feeling:
Excited for night No. 1 in a new fifth wheel … whoohoo, let the camping/roadtripping season begin! As busy as those honeybees on the pink, pink roses. The cold water of my first backyard swim inching up my spine. So sore after moving two quarts of firewood after a workout with a whole lot of skaters.

Hearing:
The world, oh-so-muffled with clogged ears, after I couldn’t take the cold inching-in any longer and dove straight in. The dogs bark at Polly, the world’s best deep-end diver (they want courage like hers).

Seeing:
Sunlight when we get to bootcamp at 6 a.m.; it’s been oh-so-dark these past few months.

Smelling:
Ribeye steaks sizzling on the barbecue. A new broccoli-cauliflower casserole getting all cheesy-melty in the oven. The old chlorine in my swimsuit, leftover from those summery days in Utah.
I grew lettuce for the first time, and now I have salad. The radishes should be ready in a week or two. Friends, there was steak in my life this week. Big, juicy, yummy steak. Sometimes I think I could go vegetarian, but then someone makes me this and I think not.My aunt dug out last summer’s pail for champagne on ice. Big day. A time to toast the leaves on the trees, the hummingbirds at the feeder and a night for cocktails. At home, summer was all ready to come out to play. Summer weather makes everyone happier. The dogs have been waiting months. Finally, we yelled, “Jump,” and they jumped.Polly is most admired because she’s not scared of the deep-end.This was an accidental sun picture, but I really like it. Hello, little magenta flare.

Last weekend, I went on a little wine-tasting getaway in California’s gold country. The Sierra Nevada foothills are fairly foreign to me, but it didn’t take long for me to promise to return. Next time, I’m going to buy those earrings, those SaltWater sandals and stock up on more of that almond sparkling wine.

Here is a little peak into the relaxed two days we retreated to the hills:

It was a busy weekend, friends. A fun one for visiting new places, like the old gold-mining towns Auburn and Grass Valley. They were enchanting and welcoming and I could have easily extended our one-night getaway.