spring pleasures*

andrea_walking.jpg
Me, taken by the talented Vivienne McMaster, Canon Digital Rebel XSi

*This photo above was taken by the lovely Vivienne McMaster in the Edible Schoolyard here in Berkeley. This is an incredible program where middle school kids get to grow, cook and eat their own food.

Other spring pleasures include…
Going to see Michael Pollan and Novella Carpenter (author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer) in conversation this Thursday.
My new, most comfortable shoes ever (like walking on clouds)
Kiehls Grapefruit Essence Oil by Kiehl’s.
Learning to cook from the talented Heidi Swanson… Her book, Super Natural Cooking is my new fave and her website is endlessly delicious. It also helps that she is an incredible photographer!
Deciding between seeing David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield tomorrow night. Feel free to weigh in!
LOVING these books by Marisa de los Santos. (Love Walked In and Belong to Me: A Novel
The hope of growing my own tomatoes.

What are your spring pleasures?

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Hi, I’m Andrea

On this blog you’ll be learning with me how to use our voices, share our creative superpowers and live life in full color.

As an artist, photographer, life coach + mentor, I’m redefining what it means to be a SUPERHERO — ‘cause in my world, it’s got nothing to do with capes, spandex or sidekicks and everything to do with tenderness, intuition & baby steps of bravery.

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42 Comments

  1. samin

    you’re gonna love veller’s book!!

  2. samin

    you’re gonna love veller’s book!!

  3. Catherine

    You look RADIANT.
    Love your list.
    Spring Pleasures?
    1. Watching my baby learn about his hands
    2. Watching my baby smile and laugh
    3. Getting more comfortable in my mama role
    4. seeking out parks to walk in, lay around in , and have picnics in.
    5. being consistent with my friends so that I keep them!
    6. Deepening my relationship with my husband by watching my judgement and making new choices based more in love than fear.
    7. not cooking, not cleaning much, and not worrying about it.
    8. planning mini vacations.
    9. Tall double decaf cappuccino with nonfat milk.

  4. lola

    I had the opportunity to attend a David Sedaris reading recently and LOVED it! Hearing him read his essays was endearing and, as you would expect, so incredibly funny! He also chats with each person who comes up for a book signing and writes a thoughtful little passage in your new book based on your conversation. I was touched by his genuine kindness.

  5. linda

    Where will Jack Kornfield be tomorrow night?

  6. cori

    Definitely David Sedaris.

  7. deezee

    without a doubt, David Sedaris. I’ve seen him for the last 7 years (yes, really), and the laughter does the soul and spirit so very good! (and I’ve written about a few encounters with him, if you are curious…)

  8. Marina

    Hi Andrea, my spring pleasures are the breeze coming in from the window every morning at breakfast, light evenings stretching late, strawberries, a new song by Conor Oberst (Nikorette), an engrossing novel, and falling in love (again) 🙂 a big hug from far away

  9. m-c

    You are looking gorgeous Andrea, full of life, happy in the mist of all your questions.
    Be happy!
    m-c xx

  10. andrea

    ohhhhhhh spring pleasures 🙂
    mine are:
    open windows!!! i love fresh air in the house.
    watching my garden grow
    my first trip of the year to the beach – bliss

  11. Puanani

    Uuh, first, your sweater. So cute! Also, cool mornings in the garden. My love jokes that he will come home one day and I will have rototilled the entire backyard and turned it into a real farm. Any day now, any day now.

  12. erica

    I had the pleasure of visiting the Edible Schoolyard many years ago….such a magical place of transformation.
    Some of my spring pleasures:
    -Cleaning out and making space in my life (physical, mental, emotional)
    -Feeling my new baby kick and kick and kick in my belly
    -Early morning sunrises that shine into my bedroom window and tease me awake
    -Mourning doves that have moved into my neighbourhood and coo at various times through the day
    -Riding my bike!

  13. Sarah

    I saw David Sedaris a couple years ago, and he was fantastic! He’s a happymaker.
    And spring pleasures (makes me smile just thinking of them):
    * cool morning walks
    * new waves of flower color popping up every couple of weeks
    * longer days
    * the ushering in of community festival season
    * periwinkle skies or, alternately, soft gray days with fragrant rain
    * people out and about
    Glad that you’re enjoying spring, too! 🙂

  14. stef

    Love Jack Kornfield, would love to see him….but David Sedaris…it’s a toss up!
    The Marisa books are delicious aren’t they?!!
    xo

  15. Mike Robbins

    Great post and blog!
    I love your spring pleasures…
    Some of mine right now are:
    – Cuddling with my cute girls (Samantha – 3, and Annarose, 9 months)
    – Listening to Rev. Michael Beckwith and the Agape choir
    – Dancing in our living room with my beautiful bride Michelle and our amazing girls
    – Meditating in our family room before anyone else wakes up
    – Going on weekend adventures like we did to the Harmony Festival this past weekend.
    And so much more…
    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield – you can’t really go wrong either way!
    Blessings,
    Mike

  16. Mike Robbins

    Great post and blog!
    I love your spring pleasures…
    Some of mine right now are:
    – Cuddling with my cute girls (Samantha – 3, and Annarose, 9 months)
    – Listening to Rev. Michael Beckwith and the Agape choir
    – Dancing in our living room with my beautiful bride Michelle and our amazing girls
    – Meditating in our family room before anyone else wakes up
    – Going on weekend adventures like we did to the Harmony Festival this past weekend.
    And so much more…
    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield – you can’t really go wrong either way!
    Blessings,
    Mike

  17. liz elayne

    i am wearing those shoes in celery. right. now! they are my favorite favorite favorite because they are so comfortable and so cute. (have them in red too)
    this photo of you is gorgeous! you look so very at ease and happy.
    looking forward to checking out the cookbook and other books.
    i think i might list my spring pleasures in a blog post this week…thanks for the invitation.
    sending big hugs and moments of peace…

  18. erin

    Some Spring pleasures:
    Weekend Sewing with girlfriends(with Heather Ross’s beautiful patterns)
    Lying on a blanket in the grass feeling the breeze.
    Watching my Morning Glories wrap themselves around the porch banister, inch by inch
    Snails that seem to come out at dusk
    Flip-flops and better yet, bare feet.
    ~Erin

  19. Caroline

    ooo, i love those shoes – SO CUTE!! Go see David Sedaris – I always enjoy him. xo C

  20. Susan

    I love these shoes, too!
    My spring pleasures:
    Working in the freshly turned dirt of my flower and vegetable gardens
    Watching Matthew learn to blow bubbles
    Swinging in the backyard after dinner
    The music of the ice cream truck as it nears the house and the stampede of the children as they try to meet it at the curb
    Susan

  21. Andi

    Sounds like spring has blessed you with a lot of beautiful experiences! Enjoy. 🙂

  22. KT

    SEDARIS!!! A pleasure in any season …

  23. dharmamama

    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield…
    If this were my dilema (not usually the case here in good ol’ Harrisburg, PA) I would see how my mood is and what it was I think my soul needed most.
    Do you need to laugh out loud or do you need to get quiet within?
    Or you can flip a coin and leave it to fate!

  24. dharmamama

    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield…
    If this were my dilema (not usually the case here in good ol’ Harrisburg, PA) I would see how my mood is and what it was I think my soul needed most.
    Do you need to laugh out loud or do you need to get quiet within?
    Or you can flip a coin and leave it to fate!

  25. dharmamama

    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield…
    If this were my dilema (not usually the case here in good ol’ Harrisburg, PA) I would see how my mood is and what it was I think my soul needed most.
    Do you need to laugh out loud or do you need to get quiet within?
    Or you can flip a coin and leave it to fate!

  26. dharmamama

    David Sedaris or Jack Kornfield…
    If this were my dilema (not usually the case here in good ol’ Harrisburg, PA) I would see how my mood is and what it was I think my soul needed most.
    Do you need to laugh out loud or do you need to get quiet within?
    Or you can flip a coin and leave it to fate!

  27. Leslie

    OMIGosh I LOVE your new shoes….I always wear my Dansko Professional clogs…suggested to me by the surgeon who replaced my knees last spring. Red shoes…tra la tra la…something fun about red shoes.

  28. KellyA

    I would go for Sedaris!

  29. jessica

    i enjoyed Belong to Me!
    loving a roll-on oil of sandlewood essence, flowers all over my front and back porch, sunshine on my face and days at the library

  30. pixiemama

    I finished Belong to Me when I was in CA, and just started Love Walked In.
    Nothing, NOTHING like a good read.
    love.

  31. pixiemama

    PS
    Also surviving weeks with all four kids at home, and Foster’s ABA therapist in our home 5 hours a day. Ah, well.
    Investing in the kids is a pretty fine investment.

  32. Julia

    Spring pleasures…let’s see…
    I bought new sandals too. I’m loving the Privo line by Clarks. Very comfy and fashionable, and athletic all at the same time.
    My new two-tone purple and brown nubuck fisherman sandals are the bomb!!
    Can you tell I love a new pair of sandals before Summer gets here?
    I’m reading The Intuitive Advisor, By Dr.Mona Lisa Schultz. An amazing read by a brilliant medical doctor who also taps into the mind/body/psychic connection of health.
    I am pouring over every page twice.
    I am also enjoying “June Gloom” here in So.Cal.
    The gloomy, cool, moist air is doing amazing things for all my rose bushes.
    I am so enjoying having to cut roses every day to fill bowls and vases in every room of my little house.
    🙂
    Happy Spring!! Summer will officially be here in a few days.

  33. Mariella

    Oh yes….I cried like a baby reading, Belong to Me. Loved that book! Haven’t read, Loved Walked in. Gonna look for it at my next library visit!! 🙂 xoxo, ~ M.

  34. celisa

    My friend just met Sedaris a week or two ago and she has a fantastic story….i would go for him!

  35. wk

    LOVE those sandals, too. Have 2 pair in different colors 🙂 Also enjoyed reading Marisa de los Santos.

  36. mccabe

    i love this photo of you!
    and i also love when love walked in…
    i got it just because it had a cool cover.
    🙂
    xo
    mccabe

  37. Dori

    Love this picture of you! (also loved “super Ben”) I laughed when I saw your note on Dansko sandals. I have a black pair that I ADORE. And planning to buy more. Every woman should have comfy feet, especially mommies. Best, Dori

  38. Andrea

    too funny! I just bought the same shoes, only wished they had them in red at REI when I bought mine. they ARE like clouds. and good for my toesies. Other spring pleasures….Sitting in our back patio, reading to my husband; spring cleaning…toss toss toss! Clearing space clears my head.

  39. emily ruth

    ‘love walked in’ & ‘belong to me’ are two of my favorite books
    i originally choose ‘love walked in’ because i loved the cover (yep, i judge a book by…)
    i fell in love with it 🙂

  40. Annie Lewis

    Andrea,
    Great to read about your spring pleasures – too late to chime in, but David Sedaris – always. And I live in my Dankso’s!
    Since Solstice is upon us I have been thinking about the last one I spent with you and friends in Santa Barbara – 10 years ago!! Just spoke to someone else who also shared that weekend with us, full moon, dancing at the court house, and of course all the laughing, laughing and more laughing! Oh I miss being in California with all those friends. The one thing remember most fondly is how I told you all I was going home to make a baby and you serenaded me, complete with Jacque’s ukelele on the train platform as I headed back to San Diego. I now have beautiful, vibrant amazing 9 year old Sophie to always remind me of that, because my dream came true!
    While seasons change and life takes many unexpected turns, we are lucky to have so many wonderful things and people and choices in our lives. I know that summer’s’ arrival is stirring something new within me and I hope for you too. I have been following your journey and have been on my own, and at the core there are many similarities. But at the end of the day when I take stock of my life, it all looks pretty good (even amazing in it’s own way). I imagine you can say the same.
    Happy solstice!
    Annie
    Annie

  41. kaylovesvintage

    wondeful photo, you look happy and beautiful

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