our psa...

we open the psa, but it's quick...don't blink!!  and our hands appear again at the end!  guess which ones are ours!  pass it along...

xox

another sad day for california...

some inspiring words from harvey milk on another sad day for california.  the california supreme court ruled to uphold prop 8 and uphold the marriages performed.  so i'm still married but no one else can get married...ridiculous.

happy friday

happy friday!  i'm so excited for the long weekend.  patty & i are actually taking the weekend *off*, meaning no dogs.  kind of crazy, really.  we're going to drive to desert hot springs to see her mom and hang out in the pool...so excited.

sorry for the lack of posts, i've been pulled away by work....but next week i am posting the wedding of two of my favorite people in the world: david and todd.  they officiated our wedding, and they got married three times {more on that in the post}...

just like my wedding...

ha ha...my wedding was just like this.  not really, but it sure is funny.  i did have some of my production folks involved in the wedding & i sure treated the wedding day like a production!!

is this dress too "white" to wear to a wedding?

ok, i need your advice.  i know a wedding guest is *never* supposed to wear white to a wedding, but is champagne ok??  i bought this dress from armour sans anquish on etsy, and i *love* it, so i'm sure i can wear it another time, but is it ok to wear to a wedding?  thoughts?  i bought the cute headband from fascinating creations on etsy.

and how much do we love the upcycled fashions of armour sans anquish?  if you don't know about them, they are awesome, they take existing clothing and upcycle them into fab new fashions.  they have a blog, too.

{photo credit 1 & 2: armour sans anguish, photo 3: fascinating creations}

back in los angeles...

well, i'm back from a few days in toronto and so grateful to be home.  every time i leave los angeles, i'm reminded of how much i love it here.  coming from northern california, i *never* thought i'd say that...

anyway, i went to toronto for my great aunt's funeral.  she was married to my favorite uncle leo.  leo died last year and i was unable to make his funeral, so when she passed and i was able to go, i thought it would be really nice to show support to my cousins.  uncle leo was actually my dad's uncle, but leo was the *much* younger sister of my grandma, so he was closer in age to my dad than my grandma.  

leo and his family lived in canada {my grandmother's family immigrated from italy to canada}, so i didn't get the opportunity to spend much time with them.  i was able to get to know leo and joyce as they often traveled to california to visit my grandma.  anyway, i knew some of my cousins, but not very well.  leo and joyce had four kids and one i keep in touch with, two i've only met a few times and one i just met on this last trip.  although i went for a funeral, a very sad occasion indeed, i'm so glad i went and i had such a lovely time.  

it really was nice to see that part of the family and spend some time with them.  it got me thinking about those life "events" such as weddings and funerals, when family really gets together.  those occasions are so important to renew family bonds and visit with each other.  i had invited leo and joyce to my wedding, but leo passed the month before our wedding. at joyce's funeral i really had an opportunity to spend time with the family and show my support to them.  i also met my dad there {it's his side of the family} and i think it was important to him that i showed up and was able to be a support.  especially after my wedding, where i felt he really stepped up and was more open & accepting of us, i wanted to "return the favor" in way.  we also spent time looking at our family tree on ancestry.com, and filling in some blanks and talking about our relatives who immigrated from italy.

funerals are really for the living, a time to honor and acknowledge those who passed before us, and an opportunity to sow the seeds of continuing familial relationships.

{photo credit:  simona santoro on flickr}

happy friday

happy friday...i'm working all weekend, but i'd much rather curl up in bed.  i want to read a really good book and drink tea and digestives.  however, i am grateful that i have a job.

my great aunt joyce died this morning, so i may be gone sometime next week in toronto for the service.  i'm grateful i had her & my uncle leo in my life.  and i'm grateful that the job i do have allows for me to pick up and go across the country.

no matter what is going on, it always brightens my day when i think of all the things i have to be grateful for...

have a wonderful weekend!!

{photo credit:  threadbare on flickr}