photography blog

I just got back from a 3 week visit to Southern California (where all of these images were taken) I spent the majority of the time with my good friends Carrie Sandoval and Brittany Woodall but on my last weekend there, Carrie and her girls drove me to Orange County to spend the weekend with the amazing Leah Zawadzki and her family. Carrie and the girls stayed and hung out that first day and we had the best time! Although we do not have many photos to prove it! The kids were far too busy swimming, playing, roasting marshmallows and eating ice cream to let us take any (and we were too busy chatting!!)

I had such a great time with Leah and crew that weekend.  We went to see her oldest sing at church and then to a yummy bbq place that had the best side dishes: blueberry cornbread, sweet potato fries, fried pickles etc. I totally forgot my camera (like a dummy) so I have no documentation of that either! BUT, that night we headed to Laguna Beach to visit with friends of the Zawadzki family and that is where I captured these next images. Such a great time with great people and yummy food! Pretty cute kids too I might add

This next image is the only one we have from that day of all of the kids together. I overlooked it at first, or dismissed I should say.  It is flawed, not perfectly focused, no eye contact…but I love it all the same.  I am learning to accept the imperfections in life, in me, in my photographs.

And  that is what this image is, perfectly imperfect.

Leah and crew: I had a wonderfully amazing time with you and I hope to visit much more often on my next trips out west. xoxo

I took these photos back in February as a special Mother’s Day surprise for my sweet, sweet mom. These are all 4 of her grandchildren. The first shot is pretty much one of the only shots we have of the 4 of them together and she was absolutely overjoyed when we presented her with a 24×36 canvas of it.  There were tears, big ones. It made my day that I could do that for her.  She means so very much to me. I really have no words to express how much.  But a picture is worth 1000 words, right? So…Happy Mother’s Day mom. Enjoy my 4000 words!!!!

As I am writing this post that includes the last photos from my California trip, I am SO excited to announce that I am headed back to CA for a whole month starting next week!!!! SO awesome! I had no idea I would be back for another visit so soon!!! So, you know what that means don’t you?  Lots more pics to come in the next few weeks I hope!

I am back in California after 5 long months of being away. Granted, I am only here for a short 2 week stay but I will take what I can get Lily was so good to me the other day and let me take lots of pretty pictures of her. It only cost me one after dinner lollipop  I have really missed my friends and this beautiful California weather.  Hopefully, I will be back here one day…for good!