The Farm Report

Category: Wendy

  • 48 hours with the girls

    48 hours with the girls

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    Some time ago Anne called and said she needed to get away before she closed in on her third trimester. So we consulted calendars and picked a weekend. Beth, Carole, and Becky jumped on board as well.

    I lugged my camera around all weekend, but the only good pictures I took were of this weird car at the hotel which was immaculately cared for except for the naked Barbie duct taped to the hood. Beth took this picture of Anne and I. (Am I really that short?)

    48 hours rolls by quickly, but it was great. Shopping, massage, good food, and great friends. I even got out on the bike both days.

    Special thanks to Tom and all the husbands for child care. Thanks to Beth and Dave for all the hospitality. Thanks to Dave for playing the part of our butler.

    Speaking of which, where is that butler? My drink needs to be freshened up…

  • Yoga in the canyon

    Yoga in the canyon

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    If you cannot find your zen here, it is likely you may not be able to find it anywhere. Namaste.

  • Bryce Canyon

    Bryce Canyon

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    We spent the day hiking Bryce Canyon. I was a little doubtful when I heard about the three hour drive there and back, but I kept hearing from people that it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of things. So I signed up.

    Funny how a three hour drive doesn't seem so long when no one is asking you for a snack, sippy cups, and that one thing over there in the corner of the car you can't reach but I need it now…now…NOW!

    And it was spectacular. Vistas far as the eye can see. The reminder of how small you are and how vast and glorious the world is. I loved the moment where I realized we were so high in elevation that the shadows on the trees were from the clouds directly above them, almost like reflections.

    Evenings so far have been full of wine and chocolate and moms sitting, a bit dazed, having just returned from a spa appointment instead of cleaning up dinner and putting kids to bed.

    I think we all needed this.

  • The view

    The view

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    Off to Utah on a girls' trip, finding my zen.

  • Shades of myself

    Shades of myself

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    Sometimes I see things out of the corner of my eye and it looks like something I've done, but then I realize it's not. Today I rounded the corner and spied this arrangement.

    "I made this cake!" Neko announced.

    And then we sat down to eat cake, carefully divided by color. I adore this kid.

  • Wanted: One Family

    As the day approaches where I'll be hanging out my virtual photography shingle, I'm trying to flush out a few things. To that end, I'm in search of a family who would let me come photograph them in their home. You'll receive a disc of 20-30 images in return for your time and flexibility.

    There a just a few catches:

    1. You need to be comfortable with me using the images for promotional purposes.

    2. The shoot would need to occur between 10am and 4pm on either April 1st or 8th, and will take anywhere between 1-3 hours. (My apologies to all the working parents.) The whole family doesn't have to be present, just one parent and some kids. I realize it's a work day for most folks.

    3. I'll probably troll my way through your house, possibly shooting in bedrooms or bathrooms. We might paint, cook, have your kids take a bath, or take a walk, so I'm looking for someone who is flexible with how we spend our time. You don't have to clean, as I am perfectly willing to look past the dust bunnies if you are.

    4. This will be more of a "morning/afternoon in the life" sort of shoot rather than posed portraits, so keep that in mind. I'm not saying we won't get some portrait-ish shots, but that won't be our focus.

    5. The parent who is home will be part of the shoot as well, so you need to be comfortable being in front of the camera as well. I will be kind. I promise.

    6. If you pick April 1st, there will be no April Fool's jokes. Zip. None. Nada.

    Interested? Drop me a line or leave me a comment.

  • Valentine’s Day: Part 4

    Valentine’s Day: Part 4

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    We're really not Valentine's Day people. I know you can't tell, but up until recently, we'd kind of chalked it up to a Hallmark holiday.

    But as our kids get older, I'm becoming more of a fan. Not for chocolates and bouquets of roses, but the whole idea that there's a holiday that celebrates love.

    Without my knowledge, Tom made reservations for us at our favorite restaurant, the one that takes a simple Brussels sprout and turns it into the food I would request as my last meal. And not just any reservation, but the kitchen seats.

    The restaurant has an open kitchen, in full view of the diners. They've created just enough space on the dividing wall that you can cozy a few chairs up, and watch the chefs at work while you dine. It was like watching an expertly choreographed ballet while we ate.

    I can only imagine how far in advance Tom had to make this reservation. The kitchen seats get snapped up quick, much less on Valentine's Day.

    Lately we've been missing the "us" we had before children. The spontaneous folks who went out on the town and had interests beyond prepping mac & cheese and tracking nap times. For nearly two hours we sat amongst adults, immersed ourselves in the hustle and bustle, and ate fantastic food.

    I can't tell you how refreshing it was.

    Special shout-out to Chele, who watched the kids, which made it all possible.

    (Shep really was with us today. He just never made it in front of the camera. Will make it up to him this week…)

  • New York: Day 3

    New York: Day 3

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    Our last day in New York we had a funny space of time between the inevitable 6:58am wake-up and our 1:30pm flight. Not long enough to go to a museum. And, strangely, not a Broadway show to be found that starts at 9am.

    So we decided to go to FAO Schwarz. I was dreading the chaos and the inevitable melt-down about being in a toy store and not leaving with more than a $5 trinket, but there's just something magical about that store. Upon visiting the Toys 'R Us that has taken over the Times Square location, the uniqueness of the store became even more clear.

    So off we went, braving the freezing wind and holiday crowd. No stores were open yet, so we kept ducking into office buildings to escape the cold and warm our hands. The best stop was Trump tower, where they must be used to visitors. We admires their Christmas tree and took a picture in their reflective walls.

    FAO Schwartz went surprisingly well. The lure of the Webkin lizard that sat at the airport gift shop helped a bit with that. And we soaked in all the festive spirit, because nothing says holiday like a life-size Playmobil Santa.

    In the first hour of this trip, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a good one. On the way to the airport, I told Neko where we were going and that we would be gone for two days. She promptly burst into tears and wailed that she would miss Shep. And then there was the whole earmuff thing. And when she discovered she was going to miss school on Monday, there was more wailing and sobbing.

    At first I was a little sad about Neko's reluctance to leave and her lack of enthusiasm about the trip. But in retrospect it's not a bad thing. She really did enjoy our trip. And I think she loved our time as a twosome. But she missed home, family, and school. In the middle of this great big city of opportunity, what she looked forward to most was going home.

    A much-needed reminder that maybe we're doing just fine, and we're both exactly where we need to be.

  • New York: Day 1

    New York: Day 1

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    Things I know for sure:

    1. Since Neko started school, she and I aren't getting near enough quality time. When she gets home from school, she's tired and cranky and I'm buried under a pile of children and work. We've been trying to make up on weekends, but we were due for some quality one-on-one.

    2. Frequent flier miles + my excellent ability to find a killer hotel rate = time away with Neko. It cost the same to stay local or go urban, so we we went urban. I've always wanted to see New York at the holidays!

    3. Snow falling does not always mean a flight delay. Broken lavatories do.

    4. In conjunction with a stash of markers and paper, modern technology makes a flight with a five-year-old totally doable.

    5. Some of the best things in New York are free—the tree at Rockefeller, puppet shows at the public library, and the breathtaking window displays at Lord & Taylor.

    6. Times Square in the holiday season is my idea of a living hell. Neon as far as the eye can see and sardine-like sidewalks.

    7. I will kiss the person who can tell me how to locate a pair of earmuffs with snowflakes on them (preferably pink) so Neko will stop pestering me about finding them.

    8. I can't wait to turn off the lights and snuggle in with my sleeping daughter. I'm so glad we took the time to get away.

  • Looking for a good seeing-eye dog

    Looking for a good seeing-eye dog

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    As I just spent ten hours editing wedding photos and my eyeballs may soon implode.