soda pop, picnics, and cousins

I was so excited when Haylie contacted me to take photos for her and her cousins who were coming out from North Carolina for a few weeks during the summer. In the course of the shoot I was reminded of why I love shooting families because of how much fun they have together. It's so easy to capture every one being themselves. We headed down pacific coast highway to one of the most breath-taking beaches I have been to in California. Little did I know that the hike down to the beach was quite arduous and so there was no way in carrying my larger props down the dozens of stair. But thats okay because, as you can tell, the climbing was absolutely worth it for the props that did make it. Haylie, Zach, Josh, and their grandparents were simply stunning :)

three cheers for the red, white, and blue!

I know, I know, I'm a week late, but I still thought I would post a few pictures from the Fourth of July party. As we waited for the sun to go down in anticipation of the bright lights that would soon fill the night sky, we all played a few games of snake golf and bocce ball. Oh, and of course the holiday weekend is a good excuse to fill yourself with delectable foods, so we didn't hold back from snacking all day. Because this was my family's first time to host an Independence Day party at Windward we didn't quite know what to expect fireworks-wise but we ended up watching about 45 minutes of the shining explosions. The first set was from a distance in the skies of Stevenson Ranch. The second was the largest-the mall's show. The parents were too relaxed to leave the lawn chairs and so stayed in the yard, whether they liked the view or not. The view from the backyard was good, but not quite like that from the bridge. I have seen my fair share of firework shows (actually, I used to avoid them at all costs as a wee little one because I would scream and run away from the loud noises), but I haven't seen a firework show over a lake that reflected on the water so beautifully. The show was almost magical, it just needed patriotic music in the background. Sorry I was too lazy to take pictures of the fireworks!

I would have to say the first Fourth party was a success :)

the joy of summer evenings

During the long, hot summer days I most look forward to the evenings. I love getting creative with barbecue dinners while sitting outside enjoying the cooled-down nights. For quite some time I've been wanting to get mason jars to use as lemonade glasses and finally got around to it this week. As I was looking at another blog I noticed she tied cute ribbon around her jars and couldn't resist doing the same. I made a garlic-basil grilled chicken with salsa (recipe courtesy of Sunset magazine), homemade ultimate guacamole, grilled vegetables, and baked beans. Of course Kobe was on lookout to make sure no strangers intruded on our dinner (not that we would mind...) and Scooter was chewing on a little something he found in the backyard. Once the sun sets it's time to turn on the pretty lights and eat home-made ice cream for dessert. I can't wait to make more yummy food for the fourth tomorrow! I am currently working on the cupcakes. One day I want to have a neighborhood block party like The Sandlot.

I would like to host more dinner parties so please tell me if you'd like to join :)

charmed jewelry ii

Some of you may remember my post from Charmed jewelry a few months ago. Last weekend I had another opportunity to photograph the hand-crafted necklaces, earrings, bracelts,and rings. I absolutely enjoy taking pictures for designer Sue Tyssee not only because I get to see all of her beautiful pieces but because I know I am going spend my time with wonderful people. As you can see, her two children, Aidan and Chelsea, tagged along for the shoots. I documented the whole weekend starting at the beach on Friday. On Saturday we went to the pier with the intent to get cheese dogs from none other than “Hot Dog On A Stick.” Although Stacey was disgusted by thought, it sounded pretty good to me. I didn’t even like corn dogs as a child, but these cheese dogs looked so enticing I had to try one. With warm, melty cheese inside and a sweet, thick crust on the outside I couldn’t help but easily share one with Chelsea. It is now officially a classic pier tradition. On Sunday Charmed Jewelry set up her booth at the cheery Farmers Market in Palos Verdes. Aidan and I basically scarfed a whole bag of Kettle corn, found a sweet banjo player, and tasted some of the most scrumptious cake ever. EVER. Seriously, this stuff was delicious. Thank you Aidan for introducing it to me.

It’s always sad to leave such a beautiful town.

Enjoy the photos :)