Model Parents

I love having my parents in town, and getting to show them my life here in L.A.  It's even better when they let me practice my photog skills on them :)

{Dad}

{Mom}

{stud}

They're pretty awesome models, right?

And one of me and Brian taken by my mom, the original photog of the family :)

We spent the weekend on the West side --

toured around Venice on Saturday,

saw the canals and ate at FEED,

where the healthy bowls were a hit (although it was super noisy that night).

Sunday we rode bikes on the strand,

north toward Malibu.

And stopped along the way to admire the beach views.

We had dinner at Tavern

(one of my all-time L.A. faves),

and my parents headed off for a play at the Geffen.

Having the people I love around me

makes this life in L.A. even more awesome than it already is,

and I miss them already!

Happy Father's Day!

Love you, Dad!

Weekend with the 'Rents

Having my parents here the last two days was such a treat.  We ate, we drank, we strolled, and we did absolutely nothing.  Just the way it should be when your parents come to visit!

 {so much fog on our morning walk}

 

{brunch at Gladstone's in Malibu} 

Love you guys!

Family Time in L.A.!

The last time I visited my parents in SF, it went like this....

Today, they are visiting me in L.A. for the first time!  I can't wait to show them around my new 'hood!

Lunch with Mom + Dad

{taken with film}

Meet My Dad, Onder

Remember when you all got to meet my mom, Anca?  Well today, in honor of Father's Day, I'd like you to meet my dad, Onder.  He grew up in Turkey, spent his last lira on a plane to San Francisco in his teens, and studied at UC Berkeley in the height of the hippie era.  He earned his Ph.D. in structural engineering without a super-powered TI calculator.  He owned a computer when you had to know coding to make it do anything.  So basically, he's seen a few things in his life.

He also happens to be one of a dying breed of men who doesn't need a how-to blog to guide him through manly trials and tribulations.  The kind who fixes your cheap Target sandals with some twine that he just had in the car, who changes the oil in your car without asking whether you had it checked recently, and who sets up the wireless network in your house without calling the cable people.  In an era where we've (arguably) gone overboard in exalting the DIY (case in point: there were too many possibilities to link to there, so I didn't), he truly lives DIY without even knowing what that acronym stands for.  And most importantly to me, he is my biggest fan, and for that, I owe him lots and lots of thank you's.  So here are just a few reasons why I love my dad, Onder:

He loved me even when I was in that stage where I just looked constantly confused.

He took me skiing when I could barely walk and let me throw snowballs at him with no complaints.

He (1) put up with the ridiculous crowds, smelly people and shrieking children at Disneyland on multiple occasions just for me (sorry Disneyland-ers, I'm a hater), and (2) while there, served as my ride when I was too lazy to walk.

{And he wore those socks.  Also what's up with the fake cop car?  So unclear.}

He rocked the mustache before it was ironic or hipster or whatever.

He complied with all of my forms of girly torture.  He even let me paint his face on occasion.

He took me fishing to places where I actually caught fish (this picture is on a boat), grilled up our catches, and taught me not to be afraid to eat a fish served whole (but you can still have the cheek meat if you want it).

Oh, and we look exactly alike.

{You might think we were related.  Just a little.}

Happy Father's Day Dad!

P.S. Dads are the original hipsters.  You must have seen that by now, but in case you've been hiding under a rock (or a BarBri book), click, scroll, and be enlightened.