I have come to fall  head over heels in love with our new little life in Sacramento this past year…I never thought I could ever feel more at home…or at peace with life, until we made this move. Everything from our new community, our amazing amazing little church, the incredible neighbors/friends that have become family to us…and…icing on the cake…the most BEAUTIFUL place to take photos within a 5 minute drive from my house, that is NOT private property….this has NEVER been the case for us!!:) We normally have to drive back to the Bay Area for all of our sessions, since most of our clients live there…but we totally lucked out that Erin and Dan are local…AND, to be paraphrased…. are completely captivating!!. Erin and I went to highschool together..she was in my little brothers grade..along with a handful of other girls that we have been so blessed to photograph over the years… I was SOO bummed that we were already booked for her wedding date…but our insanely talented friend Shanni will be shooting their wedding…they are SOO fortunate to have snagged her for their wedding..she it truly, truly killer at what she does.

Erin & Dan…thank you for venturing into my new favorite spot along the river with me!! Have an utterly incredible wedding!! XOXO

Since I have only met Dan 2 times…this story is going to be a little bit more about my love story with Tracy…haha…Sorry Dan! You will get a whole paragraph after the wedding, I promise!!:)

When I was a senior in highschool..we were assigned to a “little sister” in the Freshmen class at the beginning of the year. A little sister we could somewhat “look out for”..take under our wing….send cute little notes to throughout the year..and overall…just “be” there for them if they ever needed anything. It was kind of a draw of a hat who you would get..you literally reached in….picked a scribbled name on a tiny piece of paper..and just HOPED that it wasnt an immensely awkward match..and that there was at least SOMETHING you could have in common with them. I remember so vividly that day. I drew a name…whispered it out loud, and within seconds, had other senior girls flock around me. We were suddenly in first grade again…they were like “ahhh..NO FAIR!!!!!” You got TRACY GEORGES!”…”LUCKY!”…. Had I just won the lottery?? At the time, I did not know who Tracy Georges was..but apparently she was the sweetest little freshmen girl on the block:) Other girls tried to “trade” me…but I clung tightly to my tiny 2 inch scrap of paper, like it was gold…and decided that I just landed  a gem. After meeting Tracy…I realized a gem was a a TOTAL understatement:)

Each freshmen girl had to write down what their favorite food or “snack” was, in their “little sister bio” that we were later given…Tracy said that hers was “graham crackers and frosting”…so the day we were grouped up at lunch to meet our “buddies”…I brought some graham crackers and frosting to feast on for lunch..and the second I saw her, I hugged her…like a ridiculously big hug….and instantly knew all the hype about little tracy was true:) She is, to this day…STILL the sweetest person I have ever met. Needless to say..it was such an honor being her “big” sister that year…and since in real life, I have only 3 brothers….I always secretly wished she would marry my little brother so we could have her in our family forever. But for REALS…my family plotted…and plotted about how we could make this happen:) Fast forward to present day…I have been so blessed to have seen Tracy grow up over the years..to photograph her as a bridesmaid in one of her BFF’s wedding…and or course….to finally meet the cute boy she met at Wheaton College….who officially took her off the market:)

Dan is such a good match for my little Tracy..he is kind of a “Tom Brady” to me. That all american guy that every mom hopes her daughter would marry:) He is incredible humorous and playful with Tracy…and makes her smile more than I though was remotely possible:) For those of you who know Tracy..you know..that her SMILE is her best feature. She doesnt ever stop smiling:) Trust me..I tried..I tried to make her do a serious face for the pics…and apparently that is actually how you MAKE her smile even more! Seriously just love these two..and cannot wait to see my little sis walk down that aisle!! XOXO

Scott met Jamie’s Dad 2 years prior to meeting Jamie. They crossed paths on a horse trail in Camp Pendleton, where Jamie’s dad invited Scott and his brother, Tim, on his annual horse drive. The invite came only after her dad saw Scott and Tim’s superb riding abilities (It was in fact, Scott’s first time on a horse). That year, Scott and Tim attended their first horse drive and luckily got the invite back for a second year. Unfortunately, Jamie  was unable to attend that first year. Little did she know…she was narrowly missing meeting her future husband.

The following year, at the the ritual stop on the way up to Bishop (In-N-Out burger in Rancho Cucamonga), Jamie first laid her eyes on Scott. She was of course fully done up in makeup, hair extensions and looking very stylish, which ultimately would be the last time she looked like that on the trip.

As the days wore on, and the bug bites accumulated, Jamie caught Scott staring at her from across the bonfire. Jamie made him a s’more. He was smitten.

On the last day, before leaving, Scott got up enough nerve to ask her out. Strategically (or not?) he forgot his cell phone and instead had to resort to giving her his number.

She called.

And here we are today:) We absolutely fell in love with Jamie and Scott..and were utterly THRILLED they live and breathe cowboy boots and countryside..cuz that is pretty much our love language when it comes to photos:) Big surprise, right?? We are shooting their wedding this summer at our favorite venue in California..(Santa Margarita Ranch)..and we feel soo blessed their amazing coordinator Jenn Hocker of Allure Events Design recommended us to them. Its was a match made in cowgirl heaven:)

“We took the photos at my grandparents’ home in Aptos. It’s a place I hold near and dear to my heart ~ for the many summers I spent learning from my grandma how to properly take care of flowers, listening to the soothing music of wind chimes, making dried apples with my grandpa, Easters as a youngster hunting for those darn eggs, and apple picking in Fall. It was pretty much the only place I could imagine as the backdrop to pictures that represent not only my past, but the incredible future before me”..

Ok..and because I just loved this…here is a little glimpse about where things began with these two…

I like your hair {His Version}

Shannon and I met waaaaay back in the good old ‘Garage Church’ days. Although we had both been going to our previous church – Sanctuary followed by Garage Church, we had never really interacted. I, Ben, finding her amazing and gorgeous and wanting to strike up conversation, walked up to her one night before worship began and awkwardly said “Hey…, I like your hair,” to which Shannon replied “Thanks.” Sooooo awkwardly, after a fully uncomfortable silence, I nodded and meandered away to grab a cookie. That was our first interaction which neither of us will ever forget; a reminder of how much we’ve both grown.

A Guy in a Donut Shirt {Her Version}

Because I’m just the Jane Austen, romantic comedy, Carrie Bradshaw-loving type I always like to say that we fell in love in Paris.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t physically with me in that city of love but our like for each other undoubtedly bloomed there.
After a month of hearing about this boy in the donut shirt {for this I will always love him as much as I love me some fried, glazed dough} inquire about me to my dear friends, we ended up on the dance floor at my Bon Voyage swore. One coffee date, a bad Spongebob flick and a long drive to Capitola later we hugged goodbye and off to Paris I went. We emailed every day until I arrived back home where I had to survive one whole week before he made it official. I was practically bursting for him to sign on the dotted line.
Finally, there we sat on his parents’ couch, late at night, as I anxiously awaited the big moment. He asked me to be his girlfriend and of course I said yes.

Love their own version of “Bride & Groom” signs for the wedding:)
“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
— Dr. Seuss

Kristin and Jacob have this insanely beautiful relationship…that will one day….be retold on porch swings to their kids:) Kristin and Jacob met in the 7th grade. They were always close friends..and shared mutual deeper “feelings” for eachother….yet things never seemed to line up to do anything about it. They went to high school dances together, including senior ball….but it wasn’t until the end of college that Jacob finally decided to go after her- what he REALLY wanted the whole time.  After dating for a short time he knew she was “The One” -the girl he wanted to marry. He just needed to find the right time to propose.  He went to Germany to play soccer…and he knew as soon as he was away from her for a short amount of time…… that he didn’t want to be anymore.  He wanted to propose… SOON. He was planning with their moms how to get her ring from California to Germany. His mom secretly brought the ring with her on their trip to visit him in Germany where he hid it from Kristin for two weeks! He planned for them to go on a romantic trip to Spain because he knew she always wanted to go there. Needless to say… after a romantic dinner with a little Flamenco dancing….they  took a walk on the beach….he proposed….and the rest, is well…you know:)

Kristin..I have known you for a few years now…and I cannot even express what a beauty you are! You are such a woman of integrity…and have this “vivaciousness” about you…that is truly captivating:) I am soo thankful for every teensy second that you and Jacob have  spent with eachother over the years….there is a connection between you that is so beautifully obvious and magnetic…my camera is head over heels for you lovebirds!  I know we have been talking about me shooting your wedding for a long time now..even before there was a groom:)..so I am JUST as elated that the time has come to share this with you!!!!!  XOXO

We feel SOO blessed that Travis & Andreas wedding coordinator Jennifer Hocker {from Allure Event Designs} referred us to them!!! (We love you Jenn!) We fell in love with these two the second we jumped out of our car to meet them for the session. They even stuck around with us after pictures to eat our favorite roadside burgers in St. Helena….total keepers!! A&T–thank you for being so easy going..and rollin around in the grass for us…beautiful things can happen when you dont mind gettin a little mud on your heels:) Cant wait to see you both again!!..and Andrea..I drink coffee out of my Anthro mug that you gave me..everyday…..you know how to win this girl over:) XOXO

I got quite the geography lesson while I tried to follow all the places that Haneul and Illan charted in their lives leading up until this very day of their engagement session. Its crazy to think that 2 people who were once separated by vast continents….could coincidentally  end up sharing a “negotiations” class together at USC in College. Destiny right? After “negotiating” against eachother in class…and spending a bit of time together…it was pretty clear to both of them…that this “WAS IT”..At the time, Ilan was an exchange student from the Netherlands, where he had then been living..and had to go back after the semester was over. After a few months of visiting eachother back and forth..Haneul decided it was ALL OR NOTHING…and she moved to the Netherlands to finish her Masters at his university there. After a year of being there and graduating, they moved back to California…and each found amazing jobs doing what they love…but unfortunately…Ilans was in London, and Haneul…in San Francisco..and that is where each of them are living these days….While the every day absence of eachother is enough to make any relationship unbearable and crazy at times….these love birds just make it work:) Afterall….they beat incredible odds of even finding eachother in the first place, right? They are truly my hero’s. Nine months of my engagement  to Jason was “long distance” but that was only from San Jose Ca. to Las Vegas….and let me tell you…there were many many days that I just wanted to hop on a plane, elope..and be his wife already so we could be together:) But he was SOO worth the wait…and I know Haneul feels the same about Ilan:) Before they know it..they will getting married in Korea…and will be nestled in a gorgeous little flat in London where they’ll be living together after the wedding..*SWOON* Someone paleeease write a script about this darling duo!!

Haneul and Illan…I feel equally as lucky that you found me in the vast sea of photographers in this world. How do these things happen??Such an incredible blessing meeting you both. What an adventure you two will continue to have!!!….May your love be as full as the pages of your passports:) XOXO

They kinda have a “thing” with stuffed animals..and often sent them to eachtother when they were living worlds apart from the other.

Kelsey wanted to do some of her engagement pics at a Christmas tree farm..which was completely refreshing to shoot somewhere new…during Christmas time…I felt 6 again. Even though our family never cut down our own tree..we did the Home Depot parking lot kinda thing…you still feel like a small child when you are skipping between rows of tall Christmas trees:) We finished their session at a quirky little diner where they met… I loved sitting in the booth across from them…watching them light up over milk shakes, french toast…and EACHOTHER:)

See you LOVEBIRDS soon!!!XOXO

This year..I am thankful for SO many things…but the word that keeps coming to my mind that is stitched to the very fabric of every area in my life is..PATIENCE. I am thankful for Patience. I am thankful that my husband is patient with me when I get so “tunnel visioned” with work and projects that I forget to tell him I love him as much as he deserves to hear it….I’m thankful for my kids who are patient with me when I tell them to wait a few minutes longer to read a book, because I am on the phone… Im thankful to my family and friends who are patient with me, when they have to call me 2 or 3 times before I call them back…because Im in “hibernation” mode trying to plow through editing and emails…I’m thankful to my Lord and Savior for being patient with me…as I am so prone to have a wandering heart…to find other things to fill my time, than to spend a few minutes reading my devotional book, or spending a moment to pray….& the last….I’m thankful for our amazing clients who have been SO PATIENT with us in our busy season. We have been so blessed these last 2 years with such growth in our photography business…but with that, comes growing pains…new expectations…more expectations…more work…less sleep. We are continually learning the balance between work life, and home life…and how to do the best jobs we can in both roles. Its humbling to wake up and realize you  are not superwoman….and that being everything to everyone is really….hard and overwhelming at times. Im so thankful for everyone who has helped give me encouragement to power through those moments when I am feeling I dont have the energy to finish everything on my plate. We are so incredibly blessed for each and every person who has helped support our business..whether it is an encouraging email from an aspiring photographer in Canada..a mother of bride leaving a kind comment on our blog….or one of our darling brides who waits that extra bit of time for her wedding photos. We are so grateful, so immensely THANKFUL for your patience and love for us…

I wanted to post a few “Sneek Peeks” of some of the weddings and sessions we have not been able to blog yet, since we are feverishly trying to edit as many weddings we can before Christmas time…Hope you enjoy them! Happy Thanksgiving!