Lori and Chris met at a design center while choosing interiors for each of their new individual homes.  Phone numbers were exchanged and three years later, they are engaged and getting married in July.  Thank you Lori and Chris for getting together this weekend for your engagement session.  Can’t wait for your big day in July, just two months away.  You guys were awesome to work with and just an all around great couple!  Thank you for letting me capture these moments.  Here is a “sneak peek” for today.  There are soooooo many more, but it’s pushing midnight, so I better wrap it up for today.  Enjoy!

Jean and Laurel allowed me to capture some mommy / daughter moments up in Benicia, California a few weeks ago, and there are sooooo many more pictures to go through, but I wanted to at least give Jean some “sneak peeks” that are WAY overdue.    Thanks so much for your patience!  You and Laurel were so awesome to work with and Benicia was a nice change of scenery.  Thanks for being such a good friend and I’m so glad that we met.  You are an awesome individual.  Our jobs brought us together several years ago, and I am so blessed for that.

Enjoy!

Ok, for those of you who really know me or venture out to lunch or dinner with me occasionally, then you know my favorite food is mexican. Some of you even joke with me when asking where we are going to eat …. like it should really be a question at all. I could eat Mexican pretty much for every lunch and dinner, EVERY day! But I do sacrifice occasionally and do Italian for my friends and my kids Anyway, took a picture of one of my favorite mexican joints, El Azteca, in Roseville. All the colorful bottles in the bar have always caught my attention and I happened to have my camera in my car, so I busted it out and grabbed this shot.

Keywords:  Roseville, colorful pictures, El Azteca, Kids pictures

I had the opportunity to take some family pictures on Monday evening of Monica and JP, with their daughter Sidney. JP is back in the country from Iraq and is leaving again on Saturday for probably another 6 months, so they wanted to make sure they captured their time together before he leaves. Thanks you guys for being so awesome and working together quickly before the light faded away into night. You are so great together and I’m so proud of you both! I’ll post more when I have time, but here is one of my favorites of Monica and Sid showing off Monica’s VERY cool tatoo “Lucky”.

Keywords: family pictures, Auburn, Auburn photographer, Placer County photographer

Yesterday we had a nice time over at Ancil Hoffman park in Carmichael. My nephew came back from Iraq and my brother flew in from Washington State. Good time! The little girls flew a kite for the first time and the older one actually caught a butterfly in the net! She was thrilled! Here are some pics from the day.

Here are some of my nephew, Andrew, up in a tree. Cool stuff!

Then my brother and my other nephew, Lee, climbing trees taking a moment to let me snap a picture.

Keywords: Carmichael, Sacramento, childrens photographs, childrens pictures

OK, for those of you who don’t know my husband, he is young at heart, which keeps me grounded. He is already 46 years old, but most people think he is around 35 because he is an athlete and likes to surf, and can still show up my nephews when it comes to skateboarding. So here is Joe on the trampoline and I busted out my fisheye on one of the shots because I thought it would look so cool….forgot that when I lay ON the trampoline to get the shots, that i MYSELF would be bounced around on my back….too funny! So there I was, bouncing on my back with my camera, taking pictures of my husband acting like a kid. Enjoy!

Well, we initiated our pool for the year today! Girls didn’t care that it was basically ocean water However about two hours into it, I couldn’t help but pull my little one out because she couldn’t speak anymore due to the shivering lips. She was happy as a lark though. They love this time of year in Northern California. I remember when I used to just love the heat and ask my mom to come out an swim, but she couldn’t handle being that hot. Now I’m finding I’m the same way…. funny how things turn around like that. My kids were doing the same thing I did to my mom, “come on mom!!! Get in!!!” Gotta love California when it comes to kids and family. Always something to do, and it’s nice when it’s in your own back yard

Well, I’m officially going into my late 30’s today….the big #35.  Wow, crazy how time flies.  My 6 year old came in the morning to wish me a happy birthday and started looking at my hair to see if I had any more grey hairs, and said, “at least your not a grandma yet…”.  That was comforting :).  Too funny!  Love my girls!  They were so sweet this morning before heading off to school.  It was one of those times I want to lock away in my mind….they were both rubbing my cheeks and saying they loved me and staring at me right in the eyes, like they were trying to lock it away in their minds too.  The 6 year old continued on to say that when I die she will come talk to me every day….. it was quite emotional to think that someday she will have to experience my departing.   OK, wow, how is that for a Happy Birthday….I’m already in the grave apparently :).  Ha!

Well, I had two surprises today (neither of them from my hubby…..just something that he doesn’t “excel” at, shall we say)…. one was from my friend and photog, Fara Smith.  She brought over the most beautiful orange lillies that really brightened my morning.  Thanks so much, Fara!  What a great start to the day!  Yours is right around the corner!

Then my realtor friend, Lynda Descheemaeker, stopped by and dropped off the most delicious cupcakes from Icing on the Cupcake.  Unbelievable!  Gorgeous colors and scrumptious!  Thanks so much, Lynda!  And here I thought no one would remember my birthday.  :)  What a surprise!  Thanks ladies!  You are great!

Here’s to turning 35!