Urban Aztec.

Recently, I've been obsessed with the resurrection of the tribal-inspired print cardigan. Not only is it cozy and forgiving {hello, week-after-Thanksgiving-obesity detox}, I feel like when paired with the right accessories, it the perfect combination of earthy & hipster for a fall/winter San Francisco look. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, this is my vision:

Urban Aztec by katelyn-davidson featuring a printed cardigan

Because lately I refuse to pay full price for almost anything, I found this Aztec-y tribal-ish cardigan by Willow & Clay at TJ Maxx. Although I'm not supposed to be buying clothes right now {med school budget}, it was over 50% off, and it aligned with my dreams, so come on, I had to have it. And Jack said it was cute. I even tried not to buy it, but I went back three days later and it was still there. So, $34.99 later, sold.

I completed the outfit with a pair of chocolate Enzo Angiolini boots and a Louis Vuitton bag. 

 Because let's be honest, that gorgeously honeyed Louis Vuitton goes with everything. 

And a special thank you to the hubster for the fantastic, impromptu self-indulgent photo shoot in our apartment courtyard with several neighbors watching. I have no shame.

Zucchini Jack.

I woke up really happy this morning, and really in love with my husband. I wanted to make something for breakfast for him that would make him extra happy. I was browsing my Rave Reviews cookbook from my Gramma Ilene and found the perfect recipe.

I always make a few changes, depending on what I have on hand. I halved the recipe overall {partly because I didn't have enough Zucchini and partly because this would have fed an entire army}, and made a few other changes noted above. The rainy fall morning called for something rich and carb-o-licious...cue cheese & buttered seasoned breadcrumbs.

If you know Jack, you'll know he loves zucchini. He is a squash monster. I think it reminds him of home and his Mother's amazing cooking. If I ever I ask him what veggie he wants for dinner, his first choice is always squash.  Among his other favorite breakfast foods are eggs {check}, cheddar cheese {check}, and salsa verde {check}.

Since I didn't have chopped green chiles on hand, it was a perfect opportunity to substitute salsa verde.

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl except melted butter & breadcrumbs. Spread in greased casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb & butter mixture over the top. Bake at 350 uncovered for 45 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before enjoying.

It was a fun cozy brunch to enjoy to the rain with hot coffee, and Jack liked. it. I would serve it with hot sauce. PS: Behind the casserole is my stained glass peacock lamp, a keepsake from Jack's Grandmother's house. We love having it glow in the kitchen, as it always reminds us of her and how much she loves to cook.

Vacation.

I have been on stay-cation for the last week and a half. My mental breakdown was timed perfectly with a scheduled holiday from work. When I say "vacation," I mean time to focus on my job here as CEO of Davidson Enterprises. That's my favorite stuff.

Mostly, for the first four days, I did laundry, stared at the ceiling, drooled, and stared some more.

“He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in his own existence and found it splendid.” 

― Patrick Süskind

Am I the only one that needs to do this sometimes?

Well, by the end of those four days, I started to really get into being home. Jack was studying, and I went through drawers, organized, started Thanksgiving baking, serviced the car, and conquered the world.

I started living again. You know how I know? Instead of functioning in auto-pilot survival mode, I started noticing things like this:

{Vintage Lamppost in the fall spotted on a walk around Lake Merritt, Oakland, California.}

I passed by this when I was walking in the rain to snap a few photos of Davidson Way. I dropped the car off at Acura on a Tuesday morning at 8am. I was outside. In public. On a weekday. Just living. It was fabulous.

Another few snapshots I got while strolling like an aimless transient around the lake:

{Look at these fall colors. I am in love with the architecture of this area, too.}

{End of the lake after the fall morning rain.}

{Lake architecture in the fall.}

Here is Davidson Way, a street that I came across when I was parking one day in Oakland. When I first happened upon it, I didn't have my fabulous new camera yet, so I originally took a picture with my iPhone. One of my vacation missions was to go back with my good camera and capture the cute alleyway officially:

{As you can see, I used a rendition of this photo as my blog header. I am in love with this mural.}

{AND a kitty lives on Davidson Way. See him in the window? Are you kidding me? The combined color, style, and presence within this alley, especially after the fresh rain, is the epitome of who I am.}

ANYWAY...

I've really enjoyed this chance to regroup. I feel refreshed. I had a chance to talk/vent/catch-up with some of the wives here, my dear mother in law, and Jack, about everything happening (the good, the bad, and the ugly). It feels good knowing I am not alone. That we all have our own struggles, and it is how we approach them. I know hubby and I are exactly where we need to be, and I am THANKFUL for the opportunity to get to struggle through this experience, if that makes sense. Not a lot of people are forded the opportunity that Jack and I have been offered here in the Bay area. Bring it on, world!

DSLR.

One of the things I've been wanting to learn is how to take my own professional quality pictures. I quickly found out that this would start with a new camera. The ol' point and shoot would no longer be cutting it. My hubby and my credit card company were almost as excited as me about this new revelation! Helloooo air-miles.

I ended up finding a fantastic deal on a perfect entry level DSLR camera online: The Canon EOS Rebel T3 using Woot. It was over $100 off...take that, Visa! It is not the most fabulous camera on the planet, but for the price, it is great for my level, and I'm having a blast with it! My goal is not to make money or do this for a living...so fear not, my fellow photographers. I more aspire to the level of the crazy soccer mom, spitting on my thumb to wipe chocolate off my kids' faces and nagging them to stay still for three seconds so I can get the perfect group shot. Or the frantic wife at Christmas that is forcing the whole fam damily to take a break from opening gifts or eating dinner because NOW is the TIME we HAVE to get a family picture. Yep, that's me.

From my last post, you can see that I've mostly been staring at Jack study since my new little beauty has arrived, but I have had a few chances to get out there.  Here are a few of my favorite shots so far:

{This is the first outdoor shot I ever took. Outside Jupiter in Berkeley on the Patio with my muse, pictured below. No, not the frosty beverages...the human, Jack.} 

{At the same location as above. His & Hers Hefeweizens on our date.}

{I have a small obsession with portraits. I wish to master them.}

{To be fair, maybe my obsession stems from the fact that my muse looks like this...}

{First time using my sunset setting. Alameda, California from our patio.}

{His Highness, Miso Henry. First time messing with ISO & aperture. Yep, technical term.}

{My Miss America, Sushi. Same photo session as above. Same ISO, Aperture settings, which I conveniently don't remember.}

{My Gramma Ilene. I love how this camera can capture joy like this...One of THE motives for this hobby.}

{Hubby & my hike on the Matt Davis Trail through Stinson Beach. Messing with landscape settings. One of the fellow hikers we passed by that day got it right when he called this the Enchanted Forest. I could have died here that day and been perfectly okay with it. That's an exaggeration, but you get my point.}

Just looking at the progression of the above, I can see that I'm getting a little better each time I take my camera out, just with practice alone. I could learn more if I took a class (or four), but for now, I'm self teaching and reading Rebel T3 for Dummies. Every actual photographer reading this probably just cringed. I have no shame. Let's not forget, I am the wife of a medical student {see blog heading}, and the cliche book purchase was better for the budget than enrolling in a class.

I have to say, my biggest motive for learning to take pictures is for my family. There is something priceless about catching moments, expressions, and experiences...through the various stages of life that seem to be gone in an instant. I want to be able to take amazing photos without having to pay for a photographer to follow me around every time I want to have a keepsake...like this:

{Gramma Di & Grampa Curt with their first granddaughter and my niece-y poo , Rylee Roo.}

Oh, and my other motive? I love the noise of the shutter button. Case closed.

News Flash...

...medical school is hard.

Okay. So, I'M not in medical school, but being a wife of someone in medical school is freaking hard, too.

I haven't used my "rant card" yet. Time to be totally brutally honest. I don't want to come off as a complainer or a negative person, but I am only human and am in need an outlet. I can't be an amazing, upbeat, superwoman all the time. {Gasps from afar} I'm sorry to let you down, folks. I promise, this will be the only negative post that I put up here.{Actually, that is a bold faced lie. This place is somewhere for me to be straight-forward and share our happenings...currently, this is my happening.}

And just be warned: Do not continue to read if you were hoping to hear how fabulous life is.

Jack is well into his second year.  My beloved fellow med school wives here were not kidding when they said this year would be the worst.  Well, it is THE worst {so far}. I never imagined that life would be like THIS. Yes, I know it is going to be worth it. I know what it means to work hard. Sometimes I feel more overwhelmed than other times {like this morning}, and I get tired. And freak out...and I can't help but come to the conclusion that working hard ALL the time is just, well, hard.

Life right now during the week goes a little something like this: Katelyn wakes up, makes lunches for both of us (because of my new budget obsession). Says bye to Jack for 0.2 minutes. Gets on bus. Commutes for one hour into the city. Walks uphill for one mile to office. Works 8-10 hours. Walks uphill back to bus {barefoot, in the SNOW--that was a bit of comic relief for you there...HAHA! I'm sooo funny! ...it's really down hill}. Commutes one hour home from the city. Says hi to Jack for 0.5 minutes. Checks his pulse. Makes dinner. Goes to bed. Jack is studying until wee hours of the morning. Get up, repeat until Friday.

Weekends consist of: Katelyn drinks coffee with cats. Goes to grocery store. Watches Jack study. Does laundry. Talks to cats. Thank you God, for these cats. I think I'm going crazy.

Repeat weekday routine until Friday. Repeat weekend routine until Monday. See a pattern here? This has been happening for two years.

I think the hardest thing is to be away from family and friends. We do have a lovely group of friends here. It is hard to get together because we are all so busy and are on different schedules, and I know that most of the other wives are going through something similar to what I'm going through: maintaining life for themselves and another human being {or two!} in a strange, unfamiliar place with little network of support. We are all facing difficult challenges and every one of them are strong, beautiful, inspirational women.

I know what you are thinking..."WAH, why doesn't this broad go make some damn friends? What a pity party!!" I would go find a hobby or something, but I actually want to be home when I can. I do try and keep busy. I work full time, tutor in my spare time, go to the gym {...I should go MORE}, take pictures, love to cook, etc. However, I feel like Jack needs me here when he is studying. I have a feeling that he is just as lonely and tired as I am--actually more so. It is a weird dynamic. Must be because I love the hell out of him and I would rather be staring at him, making sure he has what he needs to get us through this time in our lives than doing anything else. Is that unhealthy? Or am I just disgustingly in love?

I get it, I do have quite a bit to be thankful for: We are both healthy. Yay. We both have the opportunity to be here. Yay. Neither of our lives are in danger. Yay. Jack is doing great in school. YAY. I have a job and an income. Yay. We are not one million miles from family {but may as well be with the amount of things we miss out on}. Yay?

But: having a phantom husband and spending most of my free time with my cats or on a bus commuting to the city still mostly freakin blows. Wah.

Here's to medical school ONE day being over. I mean, residency. I mean fellowship. I mean boards.

Let's try and spin this in a positive direction:

Here's to this whole utopia ONE DAY being over before we are both dead.