Grandpa Vern and summers past...

My mom called me today to tell me my grandpa isn't doing very well. They have taken him off his medication and his heart is swelling.... I guess it's kinda ironic to think that he will die for having had too big a heart... my grandpa is an amazing man. It's not that this has come on suddenly, or that his time has come to soon.. he will be 95 on december 24 and he has lived to see a whole world unfold around him... the roaring 20s.. the first cars...the great depression... marrying his college sweetheart.. war war 1, war war 2, the 50's and 4 boys...60's ... 70's and peacefully hippies... the end of the Vietnam war .. the 80's, bad haircuts, men wearing short shorts and grandchildren... the 90's and grandchildren growning up.. a whole new millennium, two great grandbabies and 70 years of marriage.... My grandpa Vern has had a wonderful life. But somehow that doesn't make it any easier. My grandpa is surrounded by all the things I love.. all the memorys of my childhood and innocence... summers past, first loves and lazy days on the lake. My family moved so many times I never had a childhood home... but the one place that always stayed the same no matter what state we moved to, was my grandparents home in upstate New York. They have a little farmhouse that was purchased for $10,000 as a wedding present from Grandpa Wolfor. Since then, other homes have sprung up beside their little place, but the garage is still an old barn filled with treasures... and once when i was little we found buried chicken bones on the hill by the creek .... and thought they were dinosaur bones. Until a few years ago they also had a cottage on silver lake that is my favorite place on earth... this is where the creaky staircase is .. and the fire that smokes... and the cornfeilds and overgrown pastures.. and hidden ponds and leaky boats.... this is a magical place where my grandpa put an extra handle on the wooden screen door down so i could reach it.... this is where i was paid a penny for every pinecone i picked up... where grandpa taught us to play croquet...and where 4th of Julys and lake of fires were always celebrated. My memory's of upstate New York and my wonderful grandparents and Uncle Mark are fondest of all childhood memories... and although I was there two years ago... i always feel like i should go back..one more time... to say goodbye.... I can still feel the early mornings at sixteen... the sneaking down the stairs... the slipping into one of grandpa's old flannel coats... and the stepping out into the early morning sunrise.... when the day is new... the air smells of alfalfa and dairy cows... my barefeet on the dewy grass.... the days possibilitys are endless.... and i soak up the feeling of being free... being home. Since we moved so much, I took to having things and people be home to me.. that way when we moved .. my sense of being home went with us.... my dear grandpa symbolizes my childhood home... my lake and cottage and upstate new york and all its memorys that are so dear to my heart. And now.. I feel as if i will soon lose a peice of myself. and that... is why i may be sad for the next few weeks. I am grieving.

Pumpkins!

Today we got went to a pumpkin patch with Erik and his sister Betty and Shyla and got lots of pretty pumpkins! So, needless to say our day was filled with carving and taking random pictures and baking goodies to sustain us while we carved away... okay, so I really didn't carve that much.. okay.. okay .. at all... but I documented the day and baked the pies.... it was loads of fun!














Eric eating the inside on the pumpkin....



The seeds all toasted up... and already gone...



my pumpkin pies.. photo by shyla...




and the finished product....



and now... to eat those pies... mmmm.....

It looks like rain....

It looks like rain. It smells like rain. The clouds are starting to boil and it's crisp and wet outside. MMmm... a afternoon fall shower? That my friends, makes me extremely, utterly happy. Close, in fact, to a state of bliss. Fall is by far the best season around, but sometimes when I smell winters first snow or lilacs in the spring, when I'm laying by the pool in the california sun with friends or bundled up drinking hot cocoa and eating candy canes, I wonder if, possibly, there could be a better season then fall... but when its fall and its rainy... there is no contest in my mind. And, as if it couldn't get any better... I have the whole day off, and my hubby will be home soon. I'm contemplating cinnamon rolls and oodles of butter. And dark dark coffee. It is going to be a perfect day for so many reasons!

PS The picture above was stollen from my wonderful photography friend Shyla, who took it on her recent adventure to maine. (ummm... yeah little jealous... maine.. in the fall..) You can check out her stuff at Shylasblog.com . And for those of you who don't know.. she's amazzzzing.

Eyes...

I just had to share this eye picture that I adore, but had no place to post...

Ed and Amber

Amber is another one of those amazing people I got to meet and become friends with because of work. We shared many boring happy hour shifts together and always found something to talk about. One thing we both had in common was the fact that both our ex boyfriends were extreamly alike, we were still very much in love with them, and still held on to the hope that someday... someday. Three years after meeting each other I married the man that I was still in love with. And last sunday, surrounded by family and friends, Amber married hers. What can you say but .. love conquers all.




















Ed watching his soon to be wife come down the aisle ... and his brother watching Eds reaction..




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Steph Hu

One of my favorite people, an amazing friend and incredibly fun person. California misses her very much, and hopefully she will be back sooner then planned, because I miss her too. My friend ~ Steph Hu~

Rebekah White... again...

Two days ago I posted about my fabulous session with Rebekah White... here are a few more pictures that I decided to add because I only edited some of Bekah's favorites ... leave comments on these as well! I need as much critique as I can get! xoxo

Rebekah White

Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting an amazing singer/ songwritter and friend, Rebekah White. She is one of those people that you know no matter which way your life had twisted and turned, eventually you would of found each other and became friends. She grew up in VA, just 40 minutes from where I grew up. Her dad was a pastor, and so was mine. She moved to CA a few months before we did and lived just minutes from us. And then three octobers ago my best friend Sarah Pace happened to overhear a conversation about her. "Where is she moving?" she asked Bekah's coworkers. They said they didn't know , but Bekah would be in shortly. Sarah had a few minutes to spare before flying out so she waited around to meet Bekah. They instantly clicked over breaking up with boyfriends and crazy blue eyeshadow. And then, Sarah invited her for thanksgiving at our apartment. The second I met Bekah I loved her. And while I helped her make banana cream pies, I knew we would be good friends. She is an amazing person and the sweetest thing you will ever meet~ Rebekah makes sweet tea seem tart. So, as I was saying, yesterday I dressed her up and together with Shyla we did one of the hottest photoshoots I've done. Not only is Bekah sweet, she is also beautiful from the inside out. ( Cliche I know~ but how can you help saying something that is oh so true? ) Currently she is working on an album with Printz from the black eyed peas and soon, very soon, she will be a house hold name. Ladies and Gentleman... Rebekah White ...

P.s. Also please leave a comment about which # is your favorite and why. xoxo


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Lexi Lou

My Lexi is the most annoying creature ever. If you haven't met her and had her lick you from ear to toes .. be happy. She jumps on you when your sick and whines when your sleeping and all she ever wants is attention! attention! demanding attention! living for attention! She is so stinking smart too that it drives me mad. She knows how to go find her leash and drag it to the door demanding, and insisting to be walked. I love her to death somehow and can't imagine life without her. For all those of you who have yet to meet.. I give you Lexi Lou...

this is her classic...

hey where's my dinner?

look.




hehe.. I woke her from a nap and she was pretty annoyed with me.

The newest Q's reception.. and the party goes on..

Once again.... used the camera a little , but spent more time focusing on having fun. My two favorites of the night...