engaged! shannon and jud | san diego wedding photographer

it is so awesome when we meet a couple as fun as we are, and as soon as we met shannon and jud, we knew we were going to have a great time. we started out at balboa park for some fun and romantic shots and spent some time enjoying the warm january weather.









next it was onto little italy, where jud proposed to shannon. we started out at one of our favorite wine bars, sogno di vino, and then took a walk around the cute and colorful streets.

shannon rocked it in a sexy black dress and braved the cold night for some cool pics--they celebrated their engagement right here, zia's bistro in little italy...



gorgeous light, right before sunset, i think they belong in a magazine...


we made another stop at the porto vista hotel where we grabbed a drink at the glass door, a very cool bar with a gorgeous view of san diego harbor...


and then it was a race to catch the train and the little italy sign before it got too dark...


shannon and jud, we are so looking forward to your wedding this summer, and james is looking forward to renting an aston martin one of these days :) congrats!!!

vincent

this little guy was so adorable, i couldn't get enough of his chubby cheeks. and his mom's skirt was fabulous, i was in love! we met one early morning at balboa park for some pictures to celebrate vincent's 1 year birthday! here are some of our favorites...

happy birthday vincent, we look forward to seeing you soon!

the most adorable little girls

its not often that you meet someone with whom you become instant friends, and its even more rare that you meet someone with whom you stay friends for many years. i met patrick almost 10 years ago, and he is one of my closest friends, so i was super excited when he told me he and his wife staci were having their second baby. i was even more excited to be able to visit them in appleton, wi earlier this month, since i had been working in chicago. trekking through ice and snow (ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was COLD), i headed up north for the weekend and spent some quality time with the family. welcome baby bella...how cute is she???




patrick's mom made this amazing quilt, to match the purple them in bella's room...




sophie has to be one of the most photogenic little girls i have met, not only is she super cute, but she LOVES taking pictures...usually...



creeping close...

and closer...

and we can't forget about winnie, the most excitable and fun-loving puppy around...

welcome baby karly

i have known kim for what seems like an eternity--we worked together, shared our stories of life and love together, she made my wedding invitations and some of the best sugar cookies i have EVER tasted for my wedding--so i was THRILLED when she told me her and her husband were having a baby. i immediately knew that i had to photograph the little one, and got the chance when karly came home from the hospital. she is absolutely one of the most gorgeous (and bright-eyed) little girls i have met, and she wanted to be awake for virtually every picture. here are some of my faves from the session, congrats kim and gerry, can't wait to watch her grow...



and now for some cute sleepy pics...








a few days later, kim stopped by so we could do some more photos, trying to get the elusive naked baby shot...

my new favorite thing

i already had a very fond relationship with starbucks, with their sugary goodness known as the mocha frappucino and their better-than-i-would-have-thought breakfast sandwiches (try the lowfat turkey bacon, its delish!) and of course when the holidays roll around there is the peppermint white chocolate mocha and the peppermint mocha frap, both of which can turn any day around. so just when i thought it couldn't get any better, i saw this...


what is it you ask? is it just another bottled frappuccino beverage? no, its heaven with a cute blue bottlecap, aka mocha frappuccino light. that's right, for only 100 calories (that's like 4 hershey kisses) you can have 9.5 oz of bliss (brought to you by splenda). enjoy!!!