As you read this I plan to be on a plane. I've said goodbye to KY and am saying hello to UT.
All my UT peeps - drop me a line, I'll be in town for a while and am dying to catch up with you. It's been a long, long year (or 5.) This will be the longest stretch I've had at home since I moved away in 2002 and I plan to make the most of it, so let's get together so you can fill me in on all of your adventures.
Here's the deal - saying goodbye is taking more time than I thought, and since I want to enjoy the time I have left here, I'm going to put them emphasis on living life, not blogging. Thus the short post, with one of my favorite photos from the past few months and a song I love.
I was the VERY lucky winner of a $30 gift certificate to Gaby Burger Design's Shop thanks to Kirsten at 6th Street Design. Both Kirsten and Gaby are insanely talented, so I'm feeling very lucky indeed. I think I'm going with the earrings pictured above, but there are so many great things to chose from I'm having a hard time making up my mind. I'm also dreaming of giving Kirsten a call for some of her design expertise in my master bath. I'm totally stumped and could use a bit of her design genius.
I also received a lovely award from the oh, so talented Tezzie, the mastermind behind the lovely Not Always Picture Perfect blog. Regardless of the title of her blog, her photos are nearly always perfect , I love checking in on her photos of her life in Finland. Its like a mini escape each day. Thanks Tezzie for thinking of me, I'm honored.
The event I've been in Kentucky working on ended Sunday. We are thrilled it went well and exhausted after months of planning and at least 6 weeks of operations (without a weekend.)
To commemorate our success and to make sure we had a reminder of a group we loved working with, we got together for a photo op, on 10-10-10 at 10:10. What a great way to celebrate, with a team that ranks a 10 in my book. I'm going to miss them.
Maegan couldn't have picked a more perfect prompt for me this week. This is my last full week in Kentucky and as I wrap up the project I've been working on, pack and close up my apartment I've been filled with nostalgia. I've loved living here this year. I've met some incredible people and been charmed by the beauty of the surrounding area.
I'm posting two of my favorite photos of the Kentucky Horse Park after I've spent some time editing them. I'm loving the use of actions and textures, it gives me the ability to take my photos in fun new directions and makes me feel even more like an artist. (For those of you who care, I used Pioneer Woman's Heartland Action and Kim Klassen's Extreme Grunge texture.)
One of my favorite artists from Kentucky - Dawn Landes (thanks Cindy for the introduction to her music.)
Recently I was given tickets to a $300/plate dinner catered by chef's selected by the James Beard Foundation. I don't run with the society set, so a fancy dinner isn't part of my normal life, but when something like that drops in your lap, you can't say no.
I threw on a dress (and after a month of nothing but khaki's, tennies and a work polo shift, I felt like a new woman) and headed to the dinner. We started with cocktail hour which included a wine tasting and a signature cocktail, none of which I tried (I'm a non-drinker) but soon the hors d'oeuvres came out and I was in food heaven, check out this list:
Smoked Pepper Polenta, Sweet Corn Relish and Chile-Maker's Mark Bourbon Glaze
Tesa wrapped Kentucky Blue Brawns, Henkle Farms Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho and Chile Oil
Potato Chip with Scallop and Caviar (I missed out on this one, but I was ready to give caviar a try for the first time)
Each bite was amazing. I could barely wait for dinner to begin, but while we were outside for the reception I did manage to catch a shot of the amazing sunset that night. Then it was on to a five course dinner.
First Course: Tower of Yellow Fin Tuna, Herb Salad, Yuzu Granite
Second Course: Parsnips Agnolotti, roasted Pumpkin and Heirloom Apple, Parmesan-Parsley Jus
Third Course: Sous vide Venison Loin, Candied Yams, Red-Eye Jus
Fourth Course: Braised Alltech Angus Short Rib of Beef, Field Bean Succotash, Confit Musrooms and Tomatoes
Fifth Course: Roasted Fig and Dark Chocolate in Phyllo, Brandied Cherries and Muscadine Syrup.
As a non-red-meat eater the third and fourth courses weren't my usual cup of tea, but everything else was AMAZING! Not sure I'd be willing to shell out $300 for any meal, but I've proven to myself that my taste buds have matured enough to appreciate true dining perfection.
Any foodies out there? I loved the second course (parsnip pasta with shredded apples) so much I'd love a recipe for something similar.
Saw this song on Glee a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't left my head. If I was a billionaire I'd add a few more dining experiences like this to my life.
It's Thursday, so don't forgot to click over to Inspiration Studio for my weekly post, I'd love to hear your suggestions for next week's playlist
Today's post started when I watched last week's episode of Private Practice (don't judge me, I couldn't sleep and it was on.) I was half-heartedly watching when a song playing in the background caught me attention. I knew it and yet I didn't. I kept listening until I placed it and realized it was a cover version of a song by a band I LOVED back in the day, a-ha.
Now I know that for most folks in the US they were pretty much a one hit wonder, but I fell in love with them and even had a German friend who would send me cassette taped recordings of their European hits since I couldn't find their music in the US. While I was in grad school I was checking out the offerings at a used music store and found an imported CD of their greatest hits. I snachted it up and loved it.
A few years later I pulled it out to load it into iTunes but the disc wasn't in the case. I was convinced I'd lost it to a roommate in one of my many moves. I was sad, since finding it again wouldn't be easy, but I also didn't spend a lot of time looking. A few months later my lovely sister surprised me at Christmas, she'd tracked down a copy of the import and got it for me.
I tell this story for a couple of reason - to prove how great my sister is, to share what sometimes geeky music taste I have and to introduce an awesome cover version of their one big US hit, "Take On Me." If you like interesting covers - check out Runar Eff's other stuff on YouTube, kind of great!
I know I'm the five millionth person to post photos of the lovely colors of fall, but I just can't resist doing it. The colors are amazing. I love the photo above because the leaves are perfect, they are spotted with age.
I've been having fun experimenting with Textures, especially those from Kim Klassen. I think the use of her nutmeg texture turns this average photo of some fall leaves into something a little more. The texture adds such warmth. A huge thanks to Kim for her talent and generosity for keeping us in textures.
A little Eva Cassidy really does make every day a little more beautiful, her "Autumn Leaves" is the only choice for this post.
Today I'm sending huge birthday wishes to one of my favorite people in the world, my sister N. We are far enough apart in age that we never went to the same school and didn't share a lot of friends. This meant we led separate lives growing up, but we were lucky enough to live together for a couple of years after she finished college. Those two years were an incredible gift for me, I got to know her better and we became not just siblings, but friends. The very best kind of friend, the one you can share every win with and the one who will cry with you then cheer you up.
N - I wish I was there to celebrate with you, but I promise to help you celebrate again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, here's a song that was written for another baby sister, the first line is perfect, "What good is a dollar without your baby sister." You're the best.
When I saw Sunday's prompt, a line from a song immediately got lodged firmly in my head and it didn't go anywhere all week. I found myself singing this song all week, which since it is such a great song isn't such a bad thing.
I decided to go with the lyric and attempt to photograph it, but I cheated a bit because they sky was so much more interesting to photograph with a few clouds around.
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