The Great Minnesota Get Together

Allan Peters found via Twig and Thistle

I spent the first 18 years of my life in Minnesota, and while there are many things I miss about growing up there, it is the State Fair that I miss the most. Our house was within walking distance to the fair grounds which meant that for the last two weeks of summer my nights consisted of corn on the cob, strawberry milk shakes, rides on the big green and yellow slide and hanging out with friends in the midway.  I saw my first concert of my life there (Peter Paul and Mary), stuck my hand into the side of a cow to feel its stomachs, watched Princess Kay of the Milky Way get her likeness carved into a block of butter, and got the living daylights scared out of me in the haunted house. I haven't been to the fair since I went away to college, but I saw this poster and couldn't help but miss the cheese curds, giant hogs, tractor pulls, pickles on a stick and nightly fireworks displays of my youth. I really am still a midwest girl at heart!

The Haiti Poster Project and a Graduation

On Friday my husband graduated medical school with honors and I have never felt so proud in my life! 

In light of his achievement, I thought I would share some posters from The Haiti Poster Project to benefit Doctors Without Borders. Check out some of my faves:

A World United to Rebuild Haiti by Andy Mangold

Hope for Haiti by Jason Dean

Waves of Hope by Corina Bermudez

All of these designs and many, many more are available for purchase from The Haiti Poster Project. All profits benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Happy Mother's Day

This year my sister-in-law became a mother, and she has done a great job raising these two little buddies:

Potamus and The Bear (this is his serious face), 9 months

If I have vicariously learned anything from her experience, it is that being a mother requires super-human amounts of patients, love, and laundry detergent. So Alexis, if you are reading this, Happy Mother's Day. I am in awe of how easy you make it look. Thank you for being such a good mommy!

Clinic at an elementary school- Gualán, Guatemala

My favorite day in Guatemala was Wednesday. The temperature dropped to a comfortable 90 degrees, and we set up clinic outside of the elementary school in Gualán.  I let my husband get his clinic station set up and took a few minutes to photograph the school children and their families.  I plan on sending prints of the kids back to the school.

The students quickly realized that they had visitors

and ran to the wrought iron bars that separated their classrooms from the open air.

This young man stood still and stared at me while I snapped away.

They patiently waited in line for their turn to have their teeth varnished with fluoride and to learn how to properly brush.

Girls stood in one line, acting far more mature than their seven years

While the boys did their best to entertain the guests!

The adults chatted in another area while they waited for the numbers to be handed out.

Stickers always help break up the wait.

Delicious fried bread with hot sauce will also do the trick.

I loved taking pictures of the kids in their uniforms.

And their great grandparents as well.

The cute kids were abundant...

and that was my Wednesday with the studious, vivacious, and lovely people of Gualán.


For more about my Guatemala adventures, check out my post on a day in the medical clinic here

A day at the medical clinic - Zacapa, Guatemala

You arrive and there are people waiting, for some this is the first time they have seen a doctor. 

The doctors, pharmacists and helpers start unloading the medicine and organizing their stations

The dentists prepare their tools, and find a somewhat private area to pull teeth

You start to realize that their are dogs everywhere, but nobody is petting them. You let the nice ones sit under your chair while you see patients.

You see little kids with sore throats and allergies...

and mothers who could really just use some tylenol.

You see men who work hard in the melon fields even though they have crippling arthritis. You give them something to alleviate the pain, but it will only last for a month.

Sometimes you have to tell a person to eat less salt, but keep the fact that they are in heart failure to yourself because there is nothing to be done without proper testing and medication; something we weren't prepared to do and she can't afford.

Sometimes the only thing you can offer people is a lollipop, and they are grateful.

Sometimes there are emergencies...

...and other times it is purely fun. 

And sometimes a person comes in because they cant see...

...and if you are really lucky, you can actually help them...

...and you thank this woman for giving you the opportunity to give opportunities to someone else.

Home!

Escuela Primaria Gualan,Guatemala

We returned from our week long trip to Guatemala last night, which is always bittersweet. Every time we come back it really makes us take stock of what we have and to be grateful for: education, a roof over our heads, water when we are thirsty, or aspirin when our heads hurt. It makes us realize how much we consume, how much we judge, and how truly lucky we are to have our basic needs met. I hope you don't mind if I spend a part of the next few weeks sharing some of my experiences with you. To be honest, it is incredibly difficult to think about weddings and shopping and design for a couple of days after returning from a place where people struggle to feed their children. I promise to continue to bring you more design as well, but I think you will find my adventures to be inspirational (and quite unconventional).

RedRedOrange on Oh So Beautiful Paper!

In case you don't know, Beautiful Paper is the most amazing site, filled with invitations and other gorgeous paper treats. I started visiting Nole's blog pretty much the day it started, after seeing pictures of her own lilac filled wedding..  She continues to amaze me with the jaw-dropping inspiration her site is famous for, so when she posted my wedding invitations and Save the Dates today, I seriously almost had a heart attack. In a good way.

Thank you again to Nole, and to read about more of the inspiration behind the designs as well as more photos, please visit here and here. I am off to eat cake!

Wedding Recap- Part 3

After our "first look" we ventured out around our South Philadelphia neighborhood and had a blast taking pictures. I was stressed out in the days leading up to the wedding that I hadn't put enough thought into where we would go, but our photographer was amazing and made even the most ordinary backdrops look extraordinary. 

We live in an area filled with really cool mosaic murals and went to a little alley that was covered in them.

All pictures taken by the wonderful  Alyssa Maloof

For more pictures from our wedding, check out the first two posts here and here.

Friday Photo-Zacapa, Guatemala

Gallo Corriendo 

In two weeks, my husband and I are returning to Guatemala for our second medical service trip* and I can't wait. Last time we went we had this really old Nikon from the '70s that had a broken counter and inaccurate light meter, but it took the best pictures. I am sad that we cant fit him into our luggage this time.

* I of course will not be seeing any patients, even though I am quite good at diagnosing parasites and chicken pox! My job is to translate for the doctors, and to play with super cute kidlets.

First signs of spring

It is snowing today. Again. For the three hundred millionth time this year. Growing up in Minnesota a lot of times spring would come none too soon and tiny crocuses would pop up from right underneath the snow! It was always so nice to be reminded that it would soon be time for short sleeves. This beautiful photo is giving me hope that warm weather and sunshine are on their way.

Crocus Print by Maria Kallin

Treats for your Sweets

My husband loves three things; snowboarding, ice cream and surprises (in that order). This week he was lucky enough to get to enjoy all of them! Due to the crazy blizzards here in Philadelphia, he had to stay an extra day in Colorado (poor boy), so I planned a little surprise for his arrival home. You remember this post about M&M cookies? I took it to the next level... with ice cream!

Easy to make, delicious to eat. 

To make them, I started with Paper Seed's Vanishing Oatmeal M&M Cookie recipe (which is according to her, the recipe found on the inside lid of Quaker Oats). I had bought a 1.5" heart shaped cookie cutter from the local kitchen shop, so I made them a bit bigger than tablespoon each just to make sure there would be enough cookie to cut from.

Bake cookies and cool

Press hard to create hearts, eat scraps

Admire your work

Spoon softened ice cream onto one heart. Put the other heart on top and pop the finished sandwiches into the freezer to harden. I left them in there for about half an hour.

Enjoy!