north shore, oahu. nothing but love.
meet the fabulous bake shop blog creator. montage creative does documentaries on random interesting people and caroline's interview just went live on their blog. see/hear.
not only does she bake delicious treats, but she is a talented graphic designer and art director AND one of my best girls. there are only a handful of people you can call at 3am during a crisis, she is one of mine.
love you care! here is to you and the celebrity that you are!
I am a girl who really digs some froth. this drink is a thurston family breakfast staple. orange juice and banana whipped into a frothy delight. I've pretty much been drinking this a lot lately. my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
(photo source)
just watched him be sworn in with tears in my eyes. It just felt so good. I even started the process with a dream last night where I explained my support for him to a car full of family driving up a mountain side.
now, lets see what happens.
I love this idea found on simply photo. one photo moment for every month of the past year. I should do this.
once upon a time I ate the best mac and cheese. It was in NYC and was made by JD. the key ingredient..blue cheese. blue cheese lovers get ready for obsession.
I emailed JD for the recipe, after YEARS of craving and these are the directions he sent me:
"I've got to say you timed this perfectly, I just whipped up some mega mac for my woman's grandmother, who thinks she knows everything about cooking, and I humbly blew her mind.Ya know babe, the problem is that there is no specific recipe, its a balance of strong intuition and spiritual logic. Just focus on what makes the
mac most delicious, and work with that. Take a deep breath in through your nose and imagine the breath as a blue light filling all the dark spaces in your body, then say "creamy mac"...Honestly though, noodles cooked just right, a little al dente, the creamiest
cheese you can find, a mild cheddar is best, if its sharp it tastes weird with the other garbage. Depending on how you feel add some seasoning, fresh basil, and some love. Make that into a traditional mac-n-cheese. Put that shii into a pan, like a brownie pan. Sprinkle the top with a super lite layer of bread crumbs, not too much that it sucks the juices out. Then put some blue cheese on top of that, bake it for like 10 minutes in the oven as hot as you want. Then usually I put some crumbles on it, or if you can find some legit blue cheese dressing put that crap on and wamo kablamo you've made new friends!And if you're looking for love grill some brown sugared peach slices topped with a sweet (just mixed with a little sugar) mascarpone
cheese for dessert. Get creative baby!"
JD, I made it. I added fresh basil...some aged cheddar, blue cheese and lots of enlightenment. the result... a few extra pounds! who cares! g and I are getting fat and happy together! WE LOVE CHEESE!!!!!!
one week last month I walked past my front door and saw this on my front lawn....and then I saw the gathering every day for about week at approx 1pm. um, weird! (photo doesn't really do the creepiness justice).
I didn't make a single post all last week!!! I am ashamed of myself. BUT I do have an excuse, planning a wedding.
Seriously, all I want is a really simple, low key wedding but even with simple, planning logistics takes time. please forgive. post march I should be back to normal with LOADS of new and improved stuff, like a website and blog overhaul, going "green" wedding photography and other budding ideas.
The new year has started off nicely but with most of my focus on march I haven't even had a chance to goal set...but not to worry I am not goal-less.
Until my wintery Utah photos from last week are developed I leave you with bright and beautiful Santa Barbara.
(photo taken from the back porch of my parents house)
we are off on our first road trip of 2009 to this beautiful place. wedding errands, family stuff and possibly sledding are all on the agenda. winter would not be right without some of my utah snow.
some of the best subjects for a photo EVER!
mom's homemade pumpkin pie and one of my favorite pass times, watching through the window.
if you want to print a thanksgiving roll basket wall size, let me know. I understand.
kitchen window. strange things seemed to appear....
baby wright was OBSESSED with being perched on the window, sink sprayer in hand...so close to figuring it out..
faith's adorable place cards. she is so creative. best party director hands down.
family prayer (staged!!!!...they loved waiting for that one)
the perfect bite. one of g's and I's favorite challenges.
faith got the whole family outside playing "shark". tag game with safe spots. I had a good time not trying very hard, but grant was sliding and sweating and tripping kids to get to safe spots. 
have you ever seen sneakers that white?! I'm impressed dad. what is your secret?
saying goodbye can be hard. goodbye thanksgiving. goodbye christmas, BUT saying hello can be very fun. hello 2009. hello getting married. hello photo projects. so many things I am excited to say hello to. It's going to be a good year.
later 2008.
I have always been romanced by the idea of living on the road. being in a different place every night, covering miles of road, playing cards in bed to the sound of crickets. My obsession has been with buying an airstream for quite some time, but then I came across this little beauty on apartment therapy. LOVE! not sure where the bathroom is...minor detail! I WANT!
I am not really into "buy us gifts for our wedding", BUT if anyone wants to buy us this I will humbly accept.
when we were 90 days until the wedding, I had an idea....paper chain!!
neither of us could remember the last time we had made one, but kindergarten was ringing bells. so after the cutting and counting we each took 45 rings and wrote down the reasons why we are excited to marry the other person. I know you are thinking that is the number 1 most cheesy gaga thing to do, because it is....BUT taking turns tearing rings off every night and being reminded why we love each other and why we are choosing to be together has been an amazing exercise in being present and focusing on the most important part of wedding planning...each other.
huzzah!
I almost gave up on christmas this year, when my sponge cake didn't rise, my sweet potatoes just tasted "ok", I couldn't be with ALL my family and the traffic was bad.....but once grant started lip syncing mariah carey's "all I want for christmas is you", I took christmas back. I didn't even last an hour with christmas on the outs.
I know this post isn't very christmasy, but I have been working on this wedding and was excited to final get some of my favorites online.
the ceremony was in an amazing church right on balboa island and the reception at the beautiful balboa bay club in newport beach.
happy christmas eve day!
(due to the request of the bride, I have posted only detail shots)
mark loaned me his underwater casing and boy do I wish I had a photo of the casing! it looked like something suited for spaceships in the 1950's. it was amazing. we headed out into waimea bay and I learned that underwater photography would be much easier if the water wasn't moving. being hit by waves and pointing the space age camera contraption in any direction gave some interesting results. heather was a great sport and as I proceeded to slowly drown her. I love her red hair against the green of the water. wowzas!
I should really buy a underwater casing since I live in beach land. would anybody be up for a underwater shoot? if so email me at rachel@rachelthurston.com
today I had an accessory shoot for eliza magazine. the crew was great and the model was a pro. look for it in their spring issue.
Photographer- Me
Model -Ely with Ford
Makeup- Stephanie with Next Artists
Hair -Alexis with Next Artists
Magazine/Stylist -Heidi Howard
those somebodies are us!
I wish I could tell you how exciting tree lots are for me. I'm not sure if I should feel bad that we chop down SO many trees for a fairly weird tradition of putting pines in our living rooms, but it doesn't stop me from loving every pine lovin needle.
the smell. the silly prickly branches. the crazy high pressure lumberjacks following you around as you hug each tree to see if the fit is right. grant's smile as he frolics around the lot. the santa hat I made him wear. not wanting to do anything all day except sit by the tree, smell the tree and worry if there is enough water for the tree. the other night I even slept on the couch so I could be near the tree. it cures all ailment's too! grant was grumpy from his laptop not working right so I tore off a tiny portion and rubbed it in my hands and held the piney oils up to his face. he cheered right up! I'm serious! try it!
oh, I love christmas.
