{I'm related to these fools}

I snapped these shots while walking back from Grace Cathedral after the N's funeral. 

We hung out in the park across the street from the apartment for a bit. 

Just chilling, you know-how fools chill. 

{two grandparents, three weeks}

Yesterday, exactly three weeks after Ninie's passing, Grandad passed away. 

It was a long time coming and I'm glad that he went peacefully. 

Hospice was helping out and Mom definitely made a wonderful environment for him at the Veteran's Association Hospital. 

Even though the reality of him moving out here from New York was very, very different from what was imagined of his 'independent' living arrangement, 

I loved getting to know him in the last few months.

The last time I visited him was last Saturday-a week before he passed-after I said my goodbyes he mustered up enough 

energy to blow me three exaggerated kisses just as I was leaving. 

It's the strangest realization walking away from a loved one knowing that that moment will be your last memory of them. 

The Dome was his art studio, and home, back in New York

While he was in the VA nursing home he asked everyone....nurses and doctors...who came into his room to look at his artwork. 

He said that he didn't want anyone

around him who couldn't respect him as an artist and his work... 

he made it clear that he wanted everyone to understand that he more than this fraile man 

trapped in a failing body. 

Mom brought an old photo album- filled with photos of his family and childhood- to look through with him. 

♡

{Cheers to you Love. Part 2}

I went home for nearly a week to attend Ninie's funeral and all that other jazz. 

It was really nice to be with family but eerily bizarre. I was only home for two day's in total and spent the majority of the time in the City at the apartment- 

the first time without Ninie. 

I hadn't been home in May since I was in high school and I was completely surprised to 

see all the irises and daisies that had popped up along the driveway. 

My parents have taken these irises {which originally came from Gayle's house in Palo Alto} with them everywhere they've moved. 

I was also home for Mother's Day, which was a nice treat as I wasn't originally

planning on coming home for that weekend. Both my parents got off 

work and I loved being able to spend time with just the four of us. 

André and I made pancakes and bacon for the traditional "breakfast" in bed. 

The family having dinner the night before the funeral at the Big Four in San Francisco 

across the street from Grace Cathedral. 

Tinie had brought all the roses from Ninie's garden in the country.

{All the white one's were for the burial, and she picked all the colorful

ones for the reception after the funeral} 

Everyone took turns placing the white roses on the casket. 

 Above: My great-Aunt Mary laughing with Firuzeh {Mary's daughter-in law}. 

Below: Mary laughing with her niece {my cousin} Margot. 

Cousins

 The de Limur gals 

André and I got to each say a Psalm in Grace Cathedral- so on the 

bright side, we got to check off speaking in a cathedral off our bucket list.... 

 Champagne in the Blue Room with the family in the evening after the funeral. 

It's the smallest room in the apartment, yet the most used for intimate gatherings. 

The view from the apartment- Grace Cathedral is on the far right. 

♡

{Cheers to you Love}

There have been a lot of big changes in the last few weeks.

Firstly, I turned twenty on April 23rd...

{what, TWENTY...?!?!?!?!}

However, I hardly had time to process my new decade

{sometime soon I hope to actually write something about it...}

when Ninie, our grandmother passed away on April 28th.

The last few weeks have been a really difficult time in all our lives

and continue to bewilder and sadden all of us.

Strangely, I was at school when the sudden news came and it was very bizarre to be so removed from the family and ground zero of activities.

Last week I did go home/San Francisco for her funeral and to be with family.

André wrote the sweetest message on facebook a few weeks ago and I feel that it really captures how I feel.
 {Also, I was completely amazed with
how many of his friends reached out to him in support.}

Ninie, you were an amazing person to us all 

No matter where you are physically, you will always travel with us in our hearts, and always be a subject of our thoughts. My memories of days spent with you were some of my fondest...You are an extraordinary grandmotherCheers to you love.

3/13/1930 - 4/28/2012

The photo above was taken January 2011. The family was dropping me off at UCLA after spending winter break of freshman year in Palm Springs.
We spent the day in Beverly Hills, were she grew up.
This is outside of one of the houses {on Bedford Dr.} that she lived in as a girl. 

♡

{College Night at the Getty}

Back in November I recieved, not one, but two emails 

 about doing an internship for the Getty Center in LA. 

So I thought it must be pretty cool and I put it on my to-do-list for things to check out. 

As it turned out the email was an application to be on one of the student committees to help plan their annual College Night at the Getty. I knew it must be an interesting if I recieved information about it from two different sources. To be honest I came this close {fingers showing just how close} to not even bothering applying.... why? you may ask.... because I didn't want to write the 150 words 

{yes, only 150 words, child's play for a college kid} 

on why I wanted to be on the Content Planning Committee. 

However, the night before the deadline, I sucked it up and wrote the 150.... and lo and behold it turned out to be one of my most cherished college experiences to date. And I was so sad when we had to say goodbye at the end of the fabulous night. 

The theme was LA STYLE featureing the photography of Herb Ritts: LA Style and Portraits of the Reknown. 

Over the course of the internship, we got to have meetings at the Getty and 

were able to see some of the 

inner workings of the Getty. 

I met amazing people, students and staff. 

Clare and Peter were our committee leaders. 

This is our group with Clare, we didn't end up getting a photo with Peter though...

 And of course Liz and Carmella! 

{This is my favorite photo of all of us.... Liz's eyes just make my day}

All the Interns

And of course I had loads of fun hanging out at the Getty for College Night. 

Setting up that afternoon

The Fashion Photoshoot Demonstration: 

{with the albino Elk...}

The Sunset

Milo Greene played and they were great, really set the atmosphere for the evening. 

Friends from B5
{photo cred: Dylan}

Dylan and Ryan
{photo cred: Dylan}

♡