Lisa Taft Photography » Personal

Some Strawberry Picking

Lisa — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:33:46 +0000

This past holiday weekend, my boys and I headed out on the open road. We packed up the car and took a leisurely drive down Highway 1 and made our way towards Santa Cruz. It was such a gorgeous ride. Driving along the coast stopping to watch the waves crash against the shore is an experience not many can have. Along the way, we saw a leading up to a farm where you can go and pick your own organic strawberry. Since the lil man is in LOVEEEE with strawberries, we decided it would be fun to pull over. The Swanton Berry Farm seemed to be a very popular spot. Many already came prepared with their tubberware and baking dishes to load up their goods. After a slight hike to the growing areas, we went down one row of strawberries and showed the lil man how to go about pulling a strawberry off the stem. After a very quick tutorial, he pretty much got the drift. He was off picking and puting them in his basket. We could tell he was in heaven. After he successfully filled up two green cartons of strawberries, we decided to head back and pay for our loot. The nice part about this place was that there was a spot where you can wash them off near the parking lot. It was a good thing to because the strawberries barely made it to the car. He demanded to eat them then and there and so we did. It was such a great experience to see where your fruit is grown, pick them, wash them, eat them and all within 30 minutes!! I would definitely recommend visiting this berry farm. Check out their website to see what other produce they have to offer.

Bright Blue Skies

Lisa — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:10:59 +0000

My lil man and I made our trek to the nearby park. Just couldn’t resist. The sky was blue. Kids were outside riding their bikes. Birds were chirping. Even though the park is fairly close, I brought the stroller. The routine is that he walks a block or two then wants to be carried. I wanted to be prepared. Much to my amazement, he walked the ENTIRE way there! He made a mad dash once he spotted the grassy area and the rest of the kids going down the slide and on the swings. He was in heaven. We made star and fish shapes in the sand. Flew down the slide. Climbed the monkey bars. Unfortunately all good things had to come to an end. I had to break the news and tell him it was time to head home. Here I was thinking he would jump into his stroller after being exhausted from playing around, but NOPE, he wanted to still walk! And walk he did. He walked the entire way back. I just couldn’t believe it! He isn’t this little baby boy anymore. The one who would walk 5 steps and ask to be picked up. He was happy to hold his cars and bucket and complete his journey back home. It’s times like this I have to realize that he gets older each and every day. But he will always be my baby boy.

Weekend Accomplishment

Lisa — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:27:01 +0000

We finally had a free weekend where housework could be completed. The husband was (strangely) happy to get started on installing garage lights and the little man and I were outside cleaning up and exploring the grounds. It was a perfect day for the little man to take his tricycle out for a spin, write on the sidewalk with chalk and chase his four-legged furry little friend around. All and all it was a gorgeous weekend. I love moments like this.

Busy Little Bee

Lisa — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:13:48 +0000

My family and I recently returned from vacation…. yes, a VACATION! My adorable son M visited Mickey Mouse for the very first time; it was soooo cute! He even went on the rides and didn’t even get scared. The weather was gorgeous and surprisingly not that many people. I can’t get over how many rides there are for the little youngin’s. I would also recommend for you to purchase the park-hopper, that way you can also swing on over to California Adventure.

After our Disneyland adventure, we drove over to Santa Monica. Once again, gorgeous weather! We strolled over to the Pier and 3rd Street Promenade. The 3rd Promenade is somewhat similar to Santana Row in San Jose but closed off to cars. Here, there were tons of shops and street performers singing and dancing – what an experience.

Now I am back to the daily grind already day dreaming of our next family outing. But until then, I have a Duathlon and a marathon to train for. Yes, I did not mistype. I have a lovely 18 miles to run this coming Saturday. Honestly, having to run 26.2 miles next month at the Nike marathon hasn’t hit me yet; I still cannot fathom running that long of a distance. At least I’m running with a bunch of cool peeps.

I do realize that it is necessary to carve out some time for my family to just relax.

Where are you going?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training

Lisa — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:05:04 +0000

I did it. I signed up for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training to help raise money to benefit research and patient services for those affected by leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma. I am running in honor of my Uncle Al who I lost in January 2006 to leukemia. I want to help in any way I can and put an end to this terrible disease.

Did you know that leukemia is the number one disease-killer of children under 15 and lymphoma is the leading killer of men and women under 35? Did you know that every five minutes someone in the United States learns that they have leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma? Until I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, neither did I.

As the largest endurance training program in the U.S., Team In Training provides its participants with coaching and training expertise in exchange for raising money towards finding a cure for leukemia and lymphoma. As part of Team in Training, I will be competing in a half-marathon on October 18th in San Francisco, California. The race consists of running 13.1 miles.

You can donate online by going to: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/nikesf09/ltaft

Please remember that your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Also, if your employer matches contributions, the additional support would be greatly appreciated and can be included with your contribution!

If you would like me train and compete in honor of someone you care about, please list their name(s). I will add their name(s) to my training and race shirts and to special honoree bracelets worn throughout the season!

Feel free to email me any questions: info [at] lisataft.com

30th Birthday Preparations

Lisa — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:29:04 +0000

I am preparing for my husband’s 30th birthday. Invitations were purchased from a lovely store Out of the Envelope located in Los Gatos, Ca. I drafted a menu consisting of make-your-own pizza, spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. Next are gifts…. what should Marcus and I buy daddy???