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Jenna&Brandon - married.

As a 15 year old vegetarian, dread-locked, bratty little teenager I thought it be fun to spend a high school year abroad. At first I thought New Zealand would be fun, but when I considered my choice I realized it was mostly because I really, really wanted to see a kiwi bird and I thought maybe that wasn't quite enough to spend a year in said country. So New Zealand was out.

My second choice was Canada. I thought it'd be great to spend a year on some massive lake fishing, after all I had never fished before. Canada it was.

I went through the application process and then I waited. And then I waited some more. About two weeks before my scheduled departure date I still didn't have a family willing to take me in. Blame it on the dreadlocks or the fact that I listed rats as my favorite animals.

Right about that time Debbie got a desperate call from her local exchange program coordinator  in Milk River, AB. Apparently there were a few very nice future exchange students looking for families willing to take them in for a year. They just happen to like rats and things...maybe she'd be open to just take a look at a few and think about it. 

So Debbie brought some applications home, not thinking they would actually take one in. After all the house was full with Debbie and Alan and their own kids Julie and Greg and Jenna. And they had Julie's best friend Kelly already staying with them as well. Except then the application of a vegetarian, dread-locked, bratty little Austrian was in front of them and they paused. Alan's father immigrated from Austria. And while I was in Austria waiting for someone to take me in for just a year, Debbie and Alan and Julie and Greg and Jenna decided to give it a shot - even though I liked rats.

I never got to go fishing on a massive lake, but what I got instead was a new appreciation for steak and another family. Towards the end of my stay in Alberta my parents came to visit, and they gained a few more family members as well.

This weekend Jenna married Brendan and so the family grew bigger again. 

Jenna, you were a beautiful bride and I am beyond thankful to have you and your family in my life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lindsey&Matt's Maternity Session

When Cameron and I have visitors from out of town, we always always take them to Jupiter. And probably also to Cesar.

Lindsey and Matt's visitors get to go to the top of the world, or at least that is what they call it. It's where they go to recharge, wind down and walk their dog. So when it was time to decide where we should go for their maternity shoot, the choice seemed obvious - to the top of their world.

 

 

Priscilla&Joel: A Latin-Indian Wedding

Priscilla and Joel are both teachers, but while Priscilla spends her day with first graders, Joel teaches high school level. Either way, they share compassion for their job as well as a talent for organizing! Seriously, they planned their wedding without much help and Priscilla was so on top of it, she gave me a one-month check-in the day before the actual one-month check in.

They were such a breeze to work with and the wedding nothing short of gorgeous! 

The ceremony took place at St. Mary's College Chapel in Moraga and the reception was held at the Orinda Country Club. 

Thanks to both of you for being such a great couple!

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Kristin&Inti: Part II - The Wedding

When I met Kristin and Inti at their apartment in Berkeley it was about two weeks before their wedding. Kristin was rocking their little daughter Sohni and in talking to them it became clear that this wedding was about love and committing to it.

The love between them is the kind of love that you don't describe but feel. It's the kind of love that has endured. You pick up on it in the subtlest of interactions between them. It's in the comfort they find in each other, and the little looks across a room to find each other. It was there when Kristin's big concern before the ceremony was that she would get to see Inti before everyone else saw them.  And it's apparent in their friends and families - their words, their gestures, their hugs and laughter.

The rest is history - and future - and some of it is in these pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Kristin&Inti: Part I - Rehearsal Dinner

There are people who are meant to find each other and spend the rest of their lives together.

Sometimes we call it love, sometimes we call it friendship. But then there are people who are both to each other: best friend and love of their lives.

Kristin and Inti have known each other for a long time. A really long time. 9 years to be exact. They were lovers for some of that time, but then they called it quits for some time. Quite a long time. 2 years to be exact and both went and did what they needed to do apart from each other.

Eventually they found each other again, and as friends AND lovers they' decided to spend the rest of their lives together - through marriage and through their beautiful little daughter Sohni.

Here is Part I of their wedding weekend: The Rehearsal Dinner

Both Rehearsal Dinner as well as the Wedding were held at Scully Ranch in Napa - A gorgeous private estate with fruit trees and vegetable gardens and cute little details!

 

    

The caterer, Berkeley-based Lucy Aghadjian, used vegetables from the gardens on the estate. The food was superb, to say the least! Seriously, the arugula had me talking for days.

And the best part: I got to enjoy it twice that weekend!!!

These two little men were fantastic helpers.

 

Here's Kristin:

And Inti mingling:

Some shots of baby Sohni and some guests:

 

      

 

Wedding pictures to follow!!

Hsialoei And Scott's Maternity Session

Remember our brief heatwave a few days ago?

When I met Hsiaolei and Scott on Monday evening it was 35 degrees Celsius. Which I am pretty sure is about 211 Fahrenheit.

Hsiaolei suggested we shoot at Picchetti Winery because they have peacocks. And she likes peacocks.

Well, when we arrived the birds where nowhere to be found...go figure.

Despite the heat, these two where real troopers and we had a great time shooting and chatting and hopping from shade to shade. (it was really more of a crawl - heat makes me slow).

Thanks you two!

I think this is a "canvas kind of" picture, seriously, I love it.

 

And just as we called it a day, guess who showed up!

Nice bird, huh?

Camping in Tofino

A few weeks ago we joined Cameron's family for their annual trip to Tofino, British Columbia.

His family has been coming here for over 30 years, and if you've ever been there you understand why they keep coming back.

And if you haven't been there, pack your things now and go!

 


Tofino lies in the Pacific Rim National Park which is a stunning juxtaposition between rainforests and sandy beaches.








I am a "play in tide pools" kinda person, always have been, so if we find ourselves at a beach together, please don't expect me to sit still and watch the sunset. Or the waves. Pretty Please.

I can't, there are critters to explore!



































































 


























We where there for Canada Day (July 1st), so we all gathered on the Tofino waterfront and watched the fireworks.


























 
 





















And the rest of the week we did something like this:





























 


And quite a bit of this:

We had weather close to perfection, and the day we abandoned camp, we woke up to the kind of Pacific fog we know so well in the Bay Area.

Life doesn't get much better.

What's in the Works

I am working on a couple of posts.




One is on camping with this guy

The other is a maternity session with this one:

 

Don't ask, just stay tuned!

Retreating to Tofino/BC/Canada for a week

I am going camping.

I am not actually big on camping while camping but I do like the thought of it. I like the thought of sleeping under stars and smelling the fresh air and listening to nature around me - but then I don't sleep because the romantic noises around me freak me out and the stars don't really keep me warm enough and the air isn 't so fresh anymore when I haven't showered for two days...and when I get back from camping I immediately think I lack practice and experience so I try again...go figure.

So I try again! This time will be different! It will be different because I know more now than I did last time. Like to pack 3times more warm things than I think and that I won't need high heels but will need flip flops.

Wish me luck! And that the bears don't find me.

I'll be back in the office July 7. So have a great week and fun Fourth of July!

Audrey And JoJo's Maternity Session

Last weekend I met Audrey and JoJo at Vasona Park in Los Gatos for a Maternity Session.
Audrey is due on August 1 and they are both very excited to welcome their little Leo! The love and intimacy between them was so obvious and made it such a pleasure to photograph! What great parents to be born to.

It was such a joy spending time with the two of you! Here's a little sneak:

 

 

And here's some B&W -both of you look absolutely stunning and so happy!