I freely admit it. The older I get, the more emotional I have become, and it’s not rare for me to cry while watching a touching movie. But as the movie The Drop Box ended, and I thought I had wiped away the last tear for the night, it was the testimony of the director, Brian Ivie, that had me choked up again!
When Brian went to South Korea to make this movie, his goal was fame and fortune. Little did he know the impact that these people would have on his life. I really don’t want to spoil the film for you, so I’ll leave it at this. Life is precious. And every child deserves the chance to experience it!
To learn more about this fight for life and to become involved, check out Kindred Image, the organization that was created to come alongside Pastor Lee to help change the culture!
Can we say almost caught up? Yay! It’s funny though. For being my favorite season of the year, I took the least amount of personal pictures. Probably because while wedding season was pretty much over, there were so many events that I felt like I was either shooting or editing at the computer!
– photographing the LivingWell Medical Clinic’s annual gala
– bought this Indian cookbook for my sister’s birthday. don’t think she minds that I not-s0-secretly wanted to use it myself!
– in love with my official sign at The Studio Collective!
– a little afternoon snack when editing like a pro
– a jcrew necklace and dior lipgloss is always the perfect touch for bridal shows!
– starting a new creative endeavor this year with bridal beauty! so excited to work alongside Angela Nunnink, hair and makeup artistry!
– love when my friends come up to visit and we can just pick back up where we left off!
– #dosgatos really have the life
– a fun discovery as I perused the Nevada County Gold magazine, two of my pictures are featured in the wedding section!
– celebrating my 30th with a couple of my oldest and dearest friends
– the five of us all together again!
– Saturday morning waffle brunch with friends
– it has been years, but now I have my official LU alumni ID!
– adventuring in the woods for these Ghidotti high school senior portraits
– ice skating at Northstar with the #lydiaintern
– my other favorite type of shooting, without a camera
– trying out P.F. Chang’s for the first time with the fam. the hype about the lettuce wraps is true!
– #bluecollar and #fortunapuppy snuggling next to the fire
So much done in so little time! I had a hard time picking which pictures to share, not just for blog readers but even for myself in the future as this is my “scrapbook” of sorts!
-catching up with a dear friend reliving our glory days by scrapbooking
-spent the afternoon with Polish and Pout and her cute Pit Bull, Luna
-one of dos gatos snoozing away
-my #lydiaintern!
-heading down to San Francisco to shoot a wedding and stopping in Berkeley for a little work
-so excited to be able to shoot a wedding at city hall
-enjoyed the city for the rest of the day with my #lydiaintern
-to avoid traffic we hiked around Muir Woods
-ate the best bbq in the Bay Area, Kinders BBQ, in Hercules
-drinking coffee and enjoying the last rays of light as we headed home from an amazing day
-an early morning soccer game and some iced coffee to start the 4th of July off right
-found the perfect compliment to my Simplified Planner, Pilot G-2 pens with an ultra fine .38 point tip
-dicing and chopping
-plums from our own tree
-friends came up to Tahoe to visit during our #crosswayfellowship camping trip
-watching the storm roll in across the lake
-while cooking is not my favorite thing to do, I enjoyed trying out new recipes I’d collected on Pinterest and from P-Dub
-how I start every morning, even if it’s delayed by a workout
-first photoshoot at the new studio
-visiting the awesome Polish and Pout studio
-quick photoshoot at the Nevada County fair to help out LivingWell Medical Clinic
-from the backyard of Courtyard Suites in downtown Grass Valley–I think I live in one of the most beautiful places
-annual family trip meant a road trip to Oregon, starting with the best donuts ever
-Davis Austen garden rose at the International Test Rose Garden in Portland, can I just have one of each for my backyard?
-state capitol in Salem, with a tour and history lesson–#familytradition
-driving down the coast, stopping on the side of the road to capture this cute lighthouse
-aquarium visit and tour of this cute Yaquina Bay lighthouse which I wanted for myself
-sand dune kite flying
-vintage, gold pineapple glasses I picked up for the studio at Value Village–need me one of those stores in California!
-an “I’m thinking of you” gift from a dear friend. perfect, no?
-lemon flavored lip balm? yes!
-returned the favor by visiting our friends while they camped at Lake Francis. ice cream was just a bonus.
-just a few of my favorite moments captured in prints for my amazing #lydiabride and groom
-eye check done? check! now for some espresso!
-fence in the backyard of the studio covered with the prettiest vines and berries
-my back going out meant I carried this bag around loaded with “essentials”
-in the midst of the pain life went on, and Good Day Sacramento came down to shoot a segment on the studio and Roots Reclaimed
-privileged to have been able to capture a sweet couple’s anniversary party at The Foothills Event Center
-first party at the studio for photographer friends
-party, party time, this time for 31 Bits
From winter weather finally arriving to the first wedding of the season. Looking back I love the combination of spending time with friends, family, shooting for fun, and being able to capture memories for an amazing couple!
-a couple of my friends came down to visit, and couldn’t help pretending they were Nevada County natives with a sign that just happened to be laying around
-a beautiful rainbow that came out during my wildflower fashion shoot
-cookies made by my lovely friend and fellow photographer, Kris
-winter wonderland at the house
-so, so thankful for these Bean Boots when tromping through the snow and rain
-taking time to write down what I’m grateful for at the end of the day in my Simplified Planner
-the view of my front porch the week leading up to the bridal show
-doughnut holes, fire baked pizza, and frozen yogurt–sustenance to see my crew through the long hours of building, painting, and planning
-a sneak peek of the beautiful handmade heirloom boxes available to my brides and grooms to keep their special treasures from their wedding day
-my own personal touch for the day of the bridal show–a floral crown
-the cutest burro at Indian Hill Ranch
-meditating on Isaiah 53 on the week leading up to Easter
-spending time with my wonderful friend, Angela, and getting my hair did
-sneak peek of a night bridal shoot in the middle of a storm!
-just love when seniors think to invite me to their graduations parties and seeing how they use their pictures to personalize their announcements
-breakfast in bed for special mommy!
-working with Hair and Makeup by Angela and Peak and Pine Social for a promo shoot for Indian Hill Ranch
-babysitting the chillins
-a wonderful breakfast provided by a past bride and friend after shooting her brother’s wedding the day before
-hard to paddle out when the boat is still tied–daddy decathalon
-can’t go wrong with jcrew!
-don’t leave your smoothie down low or our critters might help themselves
I’ve loved the heart behind 31 Bits jewelry ever since I first heard of the company years ago. It’s not just about selling pretty paper bead jewelry from Africa. It’s about teaching women skills that can change their lives. Fashion for good as they say! So when my friend Angela decided to host a bits party, I was excited to jump in and help out!
It was so much fun to see as the bright colors and fun designs they had for fall! Which reminds me that I need to check out what’s coming out for Christmas–they make great presents!
Back when I hosted a 31 Bits party, they were still figuring out how best to use the beads for earrings. It was exciting to see what they had finally designed!
And to make the party complete, Angela literally whipped up a few treats to go along with the lavender infused lemonade!
One of the neatest parts was getting to hear from Kristin, the former direction of Operations for 31 Bits in Gulu, Uganda. She was able to share about what goes on behind the scenes to go into making each piece of jewelry as well as stories about the women who made them! It really is an amazing, inspiring company!
