clam beach.

We spent the first night in California camped out at Clam Beach, just outside of McKinleyville. Our little Kelty was dwarfed by all of the huge RVs and big-as-a-house tents and canopies. But, it was perfect for us. We arrived in the night, so I had no idea where we were until I peaked my head out the next morning.

The early morning fog was heavy and figures were moving slowly along the beach, multiplied twice by their reflections in the wet sand. Clammers, digging for clams . We fell quietly in line behind and began to watch them work. Each had different tools and tactics, but each had bags and baskets of clams resting against their hips. They walk with their faces watching the sand, until suddenly a man in knee high rubber boots begins running and stamping, his knees almost hitting his chest. He stops, and cranes his neck up and down the strip of sand looking for air bubbles. When a tiny volcano appears in the wet sand, he takes his shovel and begins digging and digging until he can plunge his arm in the hole, up to his shoulder. The clam surfaces in his rough hand and is dropped into a bag, clicking against the others.

It was amazing to watch them, and Sam and I began to make friends. A father and son team took the time to dump out their clams on the sand. The father had about 15 clams, the fleshy parts reaching out into the open air. The son held his bag upside down, and a single clam tumbled on to the sand as he grinned up at us. An older couple stopped for a quick picture, the woman sitting in her hip posing with her tools of the trade. And the father and his two young daughters, looking damp and windblown. It seemed like the girls spent most of the morning perched on the handle of their small shovels wedged into the sand, but their father reassured me that they are quick and bring in a good handful themselves.

Clam Beach was a perfect introduction to Humboldt County. The people seemed humble and hard-working. They were so willing to stop and say hello, show us their bounty, or let Sam snap a picture. Sam took this series of portraits. He has always loved portraits of tradespeople, like Irving Penn's Small Trades.

We look forward to posting more pictures from our trip, so stay tuned!

northern california.

Rox and I just got back fom our week-long trip to northern California to celebrate our first anniversary. We had so much fun and it was a much needed break. Here is a little sneak peak of the trip courtesy of my phone. More pictures to come later.

mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you.
(Mom minus three boys, Redwood City, 1985)

mama.

Isn't she pretty?

Mama, I love you.

road trip.

Sam and I are finally heading off to California today! We will be gone for about a week, or whatever suits our fancy. We have been planning this trip for awhile, as a celebration of my graduation and our first anniversary. I use the word "planning" quite loosely: Sam marks a few destinations on a map, we pack up the CRV, and wing it. It's great.

We're covering northern California, mostly around Humboldt County. This is the area where Sam served his mission for our church, and it's the first time he has been back to visit. He's been sending me pictures of the redwoods and the coast for weeks now, and I am excited to finally see it all. We are also excited to try out our brand new Kelty tent. Sam had to do some convincing for me to let him buy it, but I have to admit, sealing our first year of marriage with the purchase of a two-man tent feels like the real deal.

We are so excited to get on the road, see you later!

curls.

I have curly hair, in case you haven't noticed.

When I was growing up, the stick-straight-curtain-of-hair-down-your-back was the only way to wear your hair. Thank you, Britney Spears. My friends were comparing Chi straighteners when we were ten years old. I was at an unfortunate disadvantage.

If I used gel, they would stay put, but the result looked something like crunchy ramen. If I used mousse, the Texas humidity would pump up the volume until I resembled a Chia pet. From ages 10-14, my hair was in two permanent french braids because I had no idea what to do with the mess. Yes, I attempted to straighten my hair a few times--but, it usually took about 3 hours and plenty of restraint when the smell of burning hair filled the room. When I realized that the more I straightened my hair, the less it would curl after a rewash, I was devastated. I knew that I loved my hair, I just needed to figure out what to do with it. I spent the next ten years learning by cause and effect.

The last time I got my hair cut at a salon, the women straightened it with a flat iron, cut it, thinned it, and then re-curled it with a curling iron. Yes, that is a true story. That was about nine years ago. Since then, my mom or friends would cut my hair, and when I went to college I learned to cut my own hair. I didn't feel like it was worth taking my tresses to a salon and getting that same look, "What do I do with this mess?" I had heard of salons that specialized in curly hair, but they were in New York and cost $200 a cut. I was content with pulling a trash can under my chin in front of my bathroom mirror.

My sister, Desi, also has curly hair. She found this salon, and surprised me for my graduation by flying me down to Arizona primarily to get my hair cut. Curls Gone Wild is a salon in Gilbert, AZ that specializes in curly hair, for an affordable price. My stylist was Priscilla, a cute, curly-haired guru with red lipstick and a red flower in her hair. She exuded confidence, and was so willing to share her knowledge. At this salon, they use the Deva Curl products, and the techniques found in Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl: The Handbook.

It was my first visit, and so I got the whole package. She taught me how to wash, apply product, dry, and style my curls. And, she gave me the cutest cut, even if I was biting my lip the entire time. It was the first time I felt like a stylist knew more about my hair than I knew myself. She taught me how to get my hair to curl at the roots, instead of allowing the weight of my locks give me the "flat top" or "triangle head." The products they use have no detergents, so they don't strip your hair of the natural oils. She also taught me how to use a diffuser. I have never trusted a blow dryer with my frizz, so this is a big step for me. You can find all of these techniques in Massey's book, but it was so great to have someone walk me through it.

The stylists were great. It was like a support group for curly-haired women. There was a stylist teaching a man what to with the little curls of his 4-year-old daughter, while another stylist was reassuring a woman that she couldn't stress about every little curl. I left with a huge smile on my face. Priscilla told me about naturallycurly.com, where I could find a salon in my area that specializes in curls. She told me to make sure that they do "dry cuts." A dry cut is a cut done dry, of course. Priscilla waited for my hair to dry, and then cut each curl separately. She focused on my specific curl patterns because even though I have curly hair, each section of my hair has different kinds of curls. Many other salons will cut your curls wet, not paying any attention to how it will look once it dries.

So, here is my testimony: Buy the book. Go to the salon. Love your curls.

a double bridal shower.

A couple of weeks ago, Miss Sara Beach threw the cutest double bridal shower at my house. It was one of the best showers I have been to, because I knew everyone there. The girls all looked so pretty in their party dresses.

Jeneca and Kristin are both in my (former) dance company, so we thought it would be fun to have a shower just for their dance friends. And, count on Tricia to bring the best shower games. (We won't even mention what she brought to my bachelorette party.) This first one involved a blindfold, a pair of panties, socks, handcuffs, rubber gloves, and a shower cap. Try and explain that one.

Everyone brought food, including the best sugar cookies made by Anne Marne in pink, yellow, and blue. I even baked a summer berry pie. Sara made all of these pretty paper flowers, and I could kick myself for not getting a good shot of them. I love getting all of these girls together. These are the girls that I have seen every day for the past five years and I already miss them. But, I'm not worried. When you dance with people, you really put yourself out there--it's a vulnerable place to be. But, because of that, you make the most amazing friendships. I feel like as long as we all put in a little effort we will always continue to come back together. I know that there will be many more opportunities to move and create with these girls again.

You threw a beautiful shower, Sara. I wish I could have been at your reception, Jeneca, but Sam and I were feeling pretty lousy this weekend. Kristin, I know yours will be beautiful.

Congratulations, I am so happy for you two!

sick.

Sam and I have been sick. Our house is a mess, and I have eaten nothing but soup and smoothies for the past few days. But, I love soup and smoothies so I am fairly happy. We buy the big bags of frozen fruit from Costco, and we have all but finished off whatever is in the freezer by now. My favorite right now is the Festival Blend bag that has chunks of frozen pineapple, papaya, mango, and strawberries. Throw a handful of those in the Magic Bullet, add a cutie orange, spinach, and some orange juice and you have a smoothie.

We ended up postponing our anniversary trip until after we are both feeling better. For dinner yesterday, Sam made the most beautiful and delicious steak dinner. He is getting so good at using that grill, the steaks were pink perfection. We spent the rest of our anniversary cuddled on the couch, surrounded by tissues, watching Pushing Daisies on Netflix. It was kind of pathetic, but we loved it.

Speaking of pathetic, I spent the rest of the weekend reading the entire Hunger Games trilogy in practically one sitting. I know I'm a little behind, but I tend to view most hugely popular book series with a very wary eye. But, I LOVED them. Ask Sam. I was glued. At the end of each book I would have a mild panic attack until I could get my hands on the next one. I was very impressed by the imaginative, unique characters and world that Suzanne Collins built in the Hunger Games. I highly recommend them. It also made me excited to start my sumer book list. Do you have any recommendations?

Feel free to stop by and say hello! Call me first though, so I can put some clothes on and scoop up the piles of tissues...

one year.

Today is our one-year anniversary. I am sitting here trying to figure out how it is possible that I love my husband more now than I did on my wedding day when I thought I would explode from happiness. I can’t explain what it feels like to know that you will always have this one person by your side, no matter what. It’s beyond happiness, beyond joy—something called love, I guess.

This year has been so beautiful, and I am grateful that I have chosen a companion that makes it so easy. Sam has surprised me in so many ways, and yet I knew it along. Everyone always asks me, “How did you know?” I just knew. They always laugh and say that it’s just because we are perfect for each other—and, I know it’s true.

So, here's to so many more happy years. I love you, Sam Gray.

(photo credit: Alpha Smoot)

sisters, sisters...

(turn off the sound first, it's a little irritating.)

This is one of the greatest things to finally come out of those ridiculously expensive photo booths in the mall. The booth took two dollar bills before we realized that we didn't have enough. I also swiped my debit card to be charged $5 on top of the $2 it already had eaten. After the photo session, the machine spits out two matching photo strips that look like they have been printed off of my own Epson printer a few days before the ink cartridge ran out. But, when you take a little code and enter it online you get this great video of us posing for the pictures. It's so awkward, I love it.

The past couple of days were the greatest. It was so fun to go on such a spontaneous trip without having to worry about classes or work or anything. I love just floating around in this honeymoon phase between school and real world--and, I am in no hurry to snap out of it.

And, did I mention that Desi took me to see Billy Elliot, The Musical? (!) Think 1980s Britain + tap dancing coal miners + cute kids in tutus that curse like sailors. It was such a great show. Desi and I both decided that we loved Michael's character, especially in the "Expressing Yourself" scene. This little ten year old boy is dressed up in his sisters ruffled, pink skirt while giant dresses on hangers are tap dancing around him. It really was such a great show.

The rest of the trip consisted of some great food, an amazing hair appointment (more details later), and a mile long hike through Arizona Mills Mall with Danielle which resulted in the above video.

And, two days later I am back home in Utah like it was all a happy dream. Thank you sisters!

Ps. I'm going to throw these shout outs mostly because Sam and I are huge fans of finding local eats. If you are ever in the area, get lunch at Joe's Real Bar-B-Q in Gilbert. Try the chopped brisket sandwich and mac-n-cheese. They even make their own root beer! Or, try dinner at Oregano's in Tempe. They have huge portions, so Danielle and I split a pasta dinner and my very first pizookie.