Presidents' Weekend // Grass Valley

Last weekend we drove up to one of our favorite places to spend some quality time with some of our favorite people. On Saturday (Valentine's Day) I was the third wheel on a boys' fishing trip on the Yuba, but with perfect temperatures and breathtaking surroundings I didn't mind at all. We hiked along Independence Trail and it felt like spring. There were countless varieties of ferns and fungi growing out of the hillside, the first wildflowers were popping, and we spotted salamanders in the creeks running down the mountain. We didn't pack a lunch and only had gum and sunflower seeds to curb our hunger after a 90 minutes of hiking and another hour+ of relaxing by the river, but I was inspired by my surroundings (everything was so green!) and I was happy to have my book and my camera with me. 

On Sunday morning we made crepes and got to hang out with this little lady, who will be a year old the next time we see her! She sure lights up the room.

That afternoon we drove up highway 49 towards Downieville, stopping for some sunshine, fishing, and exercise along the way.

We drove up past Sierra City and got a great view of the Buttes, then the boys did some fishing in Salmon creek while Ranger scared away all the fish.

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That night we barbecued a whole chicken! It's crazy to think that in a matter of months we'll be calling Nevada County home.

Happy Anniversary

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What amazes me is the ability to love someone more each year. Where does that extra love come from? Is it stored in our bones? Or is the heart that powerful a muscle?

We had a gluttonous weekend, starting with dinner out Friday night at Southie in Oakland. We ate crab and pâté, meatballs and carpaccio, and got to feel fancy. On Saturday we watched the 5 o'clock Warriors game at Grand Tavern, which turned out to be much more sit down and less taverny than we had thought and we ended up relinquishing our table to the dinner crowd after polishing off a charcuterie board, a basket of fries and some drinks. We then headed to Penrose for dinner, to spend the gift certificate I received for Christmas from my seriously thoughtful and generous employers. Disappointingly, they were out of the Mount Lassen trout, but we had game hen nuggets that blew our minds, sea scallops on what we later determined to be pillows of fluffed butter, and some seriously memorable butternut squash tempura. On Sunday my grandmother had an art opening in San Francisco (it's on through the end of the month) so we ate bread and cheese for dinner. No complaints there. And then we both had Monday off for the Martin Luther King Jr holiday (thank you Dr. King!), so we walked to Wood Tavern for lunch where we were joined by our good friend Edmund. He pulled a real classy move and ended up treating us (thank you Ed!) and then we got drinks after. (Exhale. Now it's time to eat a kale salad and go for a run.)

We eat out maybe three times a month, so to go out three times in a weekend felt like we were living pretty lavishly. But hey, we've been together for TWELVE YEARS, and we're finally at a point where we can feel good about treating ourselves now and then, and that feels pretty great.

This photo was taken (by our friend Devin) at the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. Our third year of marriage has been the best yet. We got to spend a lot of quality time with friends and we went on a bunch of little adventures together. Professionally we both thrived and all the years of hard work and pinching pennies finally feels like it's paying off. We figured out where we want to be in the next year and how we're going to get there. It really keeps getting better. Even after more than a decade of loving this man, he still surprises me, and as we talk about what's next, I'm excited and grateful to have him by my side.

P.S. Last year I got all mushy and wrote a love letter. Also, photos from our wedding. 

Baby Levi // Berkeley Family Lifestyles Photographer

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This was one of my favorite family sessions of 2014. We stayed home and they went about their routine and I got to be a fly on the wall and make art. It is such a gift, this opportunity to document love. It's the most beautiful thing I know. I particularly love the images of Levi nursing and the ones taken during story time. There is an honesty to them that is difficult to capture anywhere other than at home. As my friend Henna put it, the "day to day, sweet and real moments as a family captured." These are the moments I love documenting, the photos I love making, and I feel grateful for the opportunity.

In 2015 I want to do more of this.

November in Hilo

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It's Saturday evening and the chickens are out for their nightly forage. The neighboring roosters are crowing out of jealousy or hunger or loneliness, chained to their a-frame shelters. Nala girl stares through me, her eyes are bottomless pools of caramel. I think she is the most perfect creature I have ever met. 

It's Sunday and the sky is bright blue and littered with cotton ball clouds. I am surrounded by young coconut palms and I am mesmerized by lines and light and color. Later, mom and I will go for a long ocean swim, out of the reef and into deep water. We will see multiple sea turtles surfing in the waves and we won't know that it's our last sunny day.

It's Wednesday and for the second afternoon in a row I'm tied to a roof documenting a module installation for my dad's company. It's starting to drizzle, and I keep having to wipe the raindrops from my lens.  

It's Thursday and the table is set. There is too much food. We invited three adults and two children to join our table, but failed to tell them how many people there would be, so they brought enough for an army. We will eat leftovers for days.

It's Friday at noon. It's been raining all morning and I had to postpone a photo shoot for the second time. I'm up the road visiting the brand new baby sheep we saw on our Thanksgiving walk. Surprisingly, the mama comes right up to me when I call her, and her little black lamb bounces along beside her. On my walk back home I will find a perfectly ripe avocado on the ground that we will enjoy in our salad for dinner. 

It's Friday evening, and I'm outside the fence admiring how the light catches and dances off water droplets. Mochi kitty comes running out to join me. He has proven to be my most challenging subject. Every time I get down at his level he runs to me for loving. I discover that if I put him on the fence it buys me some time. His eyes are the same green as the ginger. 

sunrise from Mauna Kea

It's Sunday morning, 6:20 am and we're up above the clouds at the Mauna Kea summit. At 13,000 feet the horizon is apricot colored fading to blue, both getting brighter as our spot on earth rotates closer to the sun. It's below freezing and the wind is blowing. I can't feel my hands, and the Japanese tourists are hopping around in their orange snowsuits, trying to stay warm. The shadow of the volcano is printed on the candy-colored clouds to the west. I slip into the car and pour myself a mug of Earl Grey hot chocolate and warm my fingers and my lips. We will later go out for pancakes.

It's Sunday afternoon, and mom and I have finished the quilt top to my new quilt. We designed and sewed for four days while it rained and rained and now it's spread out on the dining table full of safety pins waiting to be quilted. Nala is cowering under the table because she knows her days with me around are numbered.

It's Sunday evening and we're taking Nala out for her walk. I have to run back for my camera because the sky is putting on a show. A lot of water has fallen during my visit, but when it isn't raining the sky is doing spectacular things. All that rain makes you appreciate the relief even more, and I revel in its beauty. 

It's Monday morning and my flight leaves in a few hours. I am rejuvenated. I walked Nala every day. I spent quality one on one time with my parents. I photographed four families, I reconnected with an old friend, and I made plans for my next visit. I feel really lucky and happy and grateful and excited for what's to come.

Nelson Family // Hilo, Hawaii

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Maile was the first baby I photographed. And now her baby sister is almost one. This family has become a time marker for me, and I can't believe how quickly they're growing up. I feel lucky I get to see them and photograph their beautiful girls when I'm in Hilo, it's something I look forward to before every trip home. 

Here's our last session, when Kanoe was 11 days old.

Coming Home

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We drive up and I am immediately covered in the softest kisses from my honey-eyed Nala girl. It has been raining all day, so everything is lush and dripping. I am so inspired by this place. After ten months away things have doubled in size, even the dog looks bigger. The light is perfect, the sun retreating behind the volcano, the rain clouds moody and dissipating. I explore with camera in hand. Then I ditch my camera and take Nala for a run, and we are treated to fire in the sky all the way home. 

Prince Family // Tilden Park

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Cookies in pockets! We are not above bribery to get toddler smiles. ;)

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This family has taught me more about life than just about anything. I've been babysitting their girls for nearly two years, have spend countless hours in their home, and am still in awe of all the love. I can't say enough how much I'm enjoyed watching these little girls grow and I feel privileged to be part of their story. They have helped me create some of my favorite art over the years and this session was no different. The colors came together so beautifully, and I was pretty much in heaven.  

To see last year's session, click here.

Michelle & Trevor // Engagement // Jack London State Park

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Michelle & Trevor // Engagement // Jack London State Park

We could not have asked for a more perfect fall day. Jack London State Historic Park is gorgeous. When Michelle and I started talking about an engagement session, she knew exactly where she wanted to do it. It was my first time visiting the park I was a little overwhelmed. It just kept getting better. 

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On Happiness and What's Next

The other day I told a friend, "I think this is the happiest I have ever been." It hadn't really occurred to me until the words came out of my mouth but as soon as I said it I realized it was true. Things are good. Really good. I am surpassing the goals I set for my business in its first full year, I am busy doing what I love, I feel healthy, I feel fulfilled by my relationships, and I am excited for what's to come. 

Jeffery and I are saving to buy a home. We are going to start house hunting in January and hope to move by June. We have decided to relocate to Nevada County. Although we love the Bay Area, we can't get what we want here. We want land and to grow our own food. We want a yard for our dog, a clothesline to dry our clothes, space to grow. Grass Valley is where some of our favorite people are, and every time we leave and come back to Oakland it feels like we're leaving something behind. These are the people we want to have weekly dinners with, to go hiking and on camping trips with, and to raise our kids with. Now I can't imagine settling down anywhere else. 

A while ago I had a conversation with my dad about happiness and it left an impression on me. He told me that the one area he feels lacking in is male friendships. Friends outside of work or soccer or friends that aren't part of a couple that he socializes with with my mom. He doesn't have enough good guys friends he can go get a beer with. Every time my parents have moved, they have moved away from his friends. And men just have a harder time making new ones. I feel really good about moving to a place where Jeffery's best friends live and are established. And it certainly doesn't hurt that they've all married AMAZING women. 

Knowing where we want to be and working towards it together makes everything better. It makes the water damage in our living room better and our broken toilet better. It makes obnoxious neighbors better. We don't know how long it is going to take, but we are ready to enter this new chapter. And I know it's going to be hard. And I know that once we move there will be new challenges, and we may be less happy at first. But the main thing contributing to my current level of happiness is that we have a plan. And I feel really good about it.