currently collecting wine crates...

good morning !

H  O  M  E

so nice to sleep in my own bed! 

LA pictures have surfaced!

i wake up abnormally early most mornings... at the standard in LA they had a rooftop pool and bar which included these pods with waterbeds inside.  a perfect place to drink coffee and wake up while waiting for the other ladies to wake...

more LA pictures here...

getting festive

Went to Capital Nursery on Saturday and picked out our xmas tree (holiday plant) !

Other than ornaments - the only other thing it's missing is that sweet smell of xmas !  Oh well, I'm sure they make a coniferous evergreen candle smell... right?!  They must. 

h o m e

Let me set the scene for you... today is the first day of my last year in my twenties.  It is 845 am and I am writing this from bed.  You see, I have been given strict instructions not to leave the bed just yet.  So far Eli has delivered to my bedside a delicious cup of coffee and a strong and spicy bloody mary.  And I can hear him right now bustling around in the kitchen, I suspect there is more on the way.  Damn I am a lucky girl with a major babe life partner.  It feels so good to be HOME.

After eight days spent with friends and family, I am home.  The trip was amazing.  The Bear to Make a Difference event in Denver was a lovely evening where some 500 people gathered to support, donate, and be part of making this world a better place.  Celebrity teddy bears were auctioned off as part of a the silent auction, as well as many other goods and services. In case you are not familiar with this cause, this story, this foundation, please check it out here.  Every time I leave one of these events I feel inspired to DO MORE.  It's not enough to just talk about how passionate I am about equality and LGBT rights, I need to get my hands in this cause, and I fully intend to.

Zeina & Dom

Me & E

Logan and his girlfriend Marlo Goff, who also happens to be an old dear childhood friend of mine!  How amazing, right!?!  Loved seeing her, catching up, and being back in touch...

I remember attending one of Judy's speeches years ago where she said that her main goal, overall mission, was to not have this foundation anymore because it wasn't needed.  Because equality, tolerance, acceptance, and equal rights existed for all.  Sometimes I feel like we are really getting there, making serious progress, and then you hear about things like the recent bullying and individuals feeling like it's better to take their own lives then be who they are.  It's hard not to feel discouraged but we can't give up this fight.  It breaks my heart.  We need to do more.  I need to do more.

The Jane Lynch teddy bear was quite a hit...

Lt. Dan Choi autographed photograph

Have I mentioned how happy I was that Eli was able to join?!! He looked like a major babe and was being checked out by hot gay men all night... !! 

After Denver, I flew to Minneapolis for 5 days of hanging out with Lana, Scott, Omar and Jad.  It was a perfect week.  More pictures and details to come.

So, breakfast just arrived... hummus, pita, cucumbers, cheese, and a crunchie and flake bar! Woohoo.  Gotta get into this now... xo

sarah barkawi

home

It is tough to return from the most relaxing and amazing 5 day beach vacation.  However, I am finding myself appreciating the little things I missed.

Here are few bits and pieces of my surroundings that are inspiring me.  They are things I see every day -
however, with this new post-vacation perspective, they are making me extra happy...

new digs.

i said goodbye to my sweet apartment on Q street this past monday evening. as much as i bitched about that place, i really truly loved it. so many good memories hanging out there! so many projects created in that kitchen... both art and food! so many amazing conversations on my back patio...

it will forever hold a special place in my heart!!

on saturday morning i got the keys to our new place, and with the help of my supercool friends and amazing bf, the move was a breeze. and i am love love loving the new place.

street view

backyard: left is the detached studio that is now my office and to the right is the garage that eli plans to turn into his workout space. and in the far back is a nice space for gardening!!

and the tree in the middle...

is a meyer's lemon tree!!!

zoe is so stoked about all this grass and all this space, she doesn't know what to do with herself...

neither do i !

inside pictures to come, once everything has a place and we are totally settled in!