I keep pinching myself, wondering if this is all a dream…because the people I get to work with are simply remarkable. Case in point – Danny and Monica. They are…THE. Nicest. People. Ever. We got along swimmingly. I just said swimmingly, which I have been trying to interject somewhere and I don’t think is working… but, I keep trying…

Anyway… Monica is bubbly, beautiful and shares my love for fashion and perusing Forever 21 for great buys. Which, Monica, call me the next time you go, I am so in!

Danny is a fire fighter… great sense of humor and is head over heels in love with his girl. Which just shines through whenever he looks at her.

We started off our shoot in Downtown Chico at The Banshee where Danny and Monica first met. A big thank you to The Banshee for letting me photograph inside their awesome pub. If you’ve never been I highly recommend it, it’s a great place to grab a beer, relax and definitely try the food. The food is delicious…What’s my favorite, oh…everything on their menu

As we were ending the session, Monica hands this adorable blue gift bag. Inside, was a gift certificate to me and one for Sammie & Olive. HOW SWEET IS THAT!!!??! Lets just say I teared up…

Thank you Monica and Danny for choosing me to capture this special moment in your lives!

When I first met Eric and Molly over Skype we just ‘clicked.’ They are the happiest people… Are foodies (ughhhh I LOVE THAT!) I think the first time we chatted I died at the fact they have a boutique cook book store near them in Seattle…Anyway…They love life, each other and good food – so automatically we were instant best friends Eric is also a photographer, you can check out some of his work on his website – here. One of his photos made it into Time magazine – how cool is that! As you can see I could go on and on about how much I love these two

Downtown Chico is special to Eric and Molly for many reasons. Molly grew up here, her family’s amazing stores Zucchine & Vine and Magna Carta are located here and Shubert’s Ice Cream is where Eric proposed. So, we started off the shoot at Shubert’s – except there was a minor major problem…it was closed So we improvised and stopped at Jon & Bon’s for a couple cones. I highly recommend starting off a photo shoot with ice cream

As we were wrapping things up, saying our goodbyes…Molly and Eric surprised me with a gift! As soon as I got home I unwrapped it and found inside beautiful, olive oil and almond toffee. So, very, very thoughtful.

Eric and Molly – thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU…for being the amazing people you are I so wished you lived closer, but anytime you are in town, I so look forward to meeting up with you for some good food I can’t wait to photograph your wedding this Summer!!

Kira and Luke are charming, sweet, intelligent and stylish people. They have a deep shared love of music and all things San Francisco. And I totally bonded with Kira over our obsession with Anthropologie and shoes! But what I love about them most is their passion for life and their strength in chasing down their dreams – together.

We started off the day at Kira and Luke’s beautiful home decorated with music posters from their favorite concerts they have seen together. I LOVED the orange chair Kira and Luke are lounging in!! Actually I loved everything about the decor of their home…modern, fun, with pops of bright colors. They also spoiled me with making delicious turkey wraps, fresh strawberries and pumpkin brownies for lunch! How sweet is that!!

After leaving their gorgeous home we shifted gears for a little urban look.

I think I Ooohh’d and Ahhh’d over every pair of Kira’s shoes!!

Then we headed for Bidwell park to capture the gorgeous fall colors.

We ended our shoot out in one of my favorite fields.

Kira you are so unbelievably stunning!

Thank you Kira and Luke for being the amazing people you are. I am so grateful to work with people like you. Cheers to you and your love for each other

Michelle is one of my dearest and most bestest (it’s not a word, but I’m okay with that…) friend in the whole wide world. It is rare for me to meet a person more genuine, down-to-earth, beautiful and down right funny than Michelle. Although, Casey gives Michelle a run for her money in the comedy department…So, when she asked me to photograph her wedding next June, I think I yelled, OH MY GOSH, YES!!!!!! OF COURSE!!

I simply adore Michelle and Casey. And, as with all my clients I really wanted their session to be personal…to truly reflect who they are and the love they have for each other. Michelle and Casey are sweet, loving and….well, really goofy And I love that about them. They also have a deep love for their hometown of Red Bluff, Ca and rustic environments. We started the shoot at Michelle and Casey’s home up in the foothills of Red Bluff, which could not have been more fitting. The rolling hills, oak trees and tall golden grass were perfect Oh, and they have a BARN!

love Love LOVE the colors of Michelle’s boots, dress and scarf. A very balanced color harmony…No surprise as Michelle is a talented graphic designer…and this is also the color palette of their wedding.

And then we made our way to the local Starbucks, which supplied us with ceramic mugs. I had no idea that they did that…So, if you are enjoying your black and white peppermint mocha at Starbucks, you can ask for a mug

Michelle you are so beautiful

Michelle and Casey it is truly an honor to have you as friends. I am so looking forward to the wedding!!

Last Sunday, we were determined to out smart the weather….although I can’t say we outsmarted it, but we braved the cold, wind and mud (more on that later…). I met Carissa and Chad at Book Family Farms in (not so sunny Chico, Ca) for a fun, romantic, rustic chic engagement session. We started off the day in the hay barn with a few unwanted guests… 2 cows who desperately wanted our attention. We ended up calling them ‘creeper cows’ as they would not stop staring at us. I think they were trying to hypnotize or brainwash us into giving them food…

I LOVED all the personal and fun props Carissa brought to the engagement session!

When I was location scouting Book Family Farms before the session I saw this perfect dirt road leading off into the distance and knew it would make for a fantastic photo. And then it rained…and perfect dirt road became evil muddy nightmare. I naively asked Chad and Carissa to follow me out to the road for a photo when…we all sunk into the pit of the stickiest mud I’ve ever encountered. By the time we had walked the 20 yards to where I wanted to photograph, we had all gathered at least 5 inches (no joke) of mud on the bottom of our shoes. It was extremely hard to move in, but made for a really good laugh

Carissa and Chad I had an absolute blast!! Thank you again for being such good sports dealing with the mud I am SO excited and can’t wait to photograph your wedding next June at Cory’s Country Inn.

It’s amazing how fast time goes by. It seems like just yesterday that I was working side by side, photographing high-school seniors, processing film, retouching photographs and laughing the whole time with Mallory.

That was 4 years ago…And now with mortgages, pets, and grown-up careers later, we’ve come back in contact with each other to celebrate – love. This Sunday, I had the best time photographing Mallory with her fiance, Austin at Wine & Roses in Lodi, Ca. But the best part of the day…Was seeing the happiness and love between Austin and Mallory.

This weeks installment of Thank Goodness it’s Foto Friday is on hiatus, but instead I am THRILLED to share that Byrn & Josh’s farmer’s market engagement session has been featured over at Style Me Pretty’s California blog!!!!! You can hop on over there to see the feature – HERE

I first met Kim and Tim via Skype…And let me tell you Skype did not do justice…to Kim’s amazing eyes….the fun that they have with each other and their radiant smiles. Kim and Tim reside in San Diego, but will be coming up to Chico for their wedding at Canyon Oaks Country Club next June, which I could not be more excited about!! Kim gave me a hint of their wedding color scheme and I about died at how sophisticated, yet very fun the color palette is.

We first met up in Chico for a few portraits and then headed off to Orland where Kim’s family has a beautiful olive ranch. Although, the word beautiful alone does not do the ranch justice…it was serene, lush and had the softest light to finish out our shoot.

And then we were off for Orland

As the sun was just perfectly setting in the sky we headed out to the olive orchards. A truck drove by and kicked up a ton of dust in the air – that normally I would not be so happy about…but when it comes to photos dust adds some really soft atmosphere. I had to control myself and not jump up and down I was so happy…for dust. So, a big thank you to Kim and Tim for putting up with the dusty location!

Thank you Kim and Tim for being…you I had the best time and I am soo soo thankful for the gift of wonderful olive oil!!

Dan and Rebekah are bright, happy, fun people, who not only make each other laugh, but me as well. Honestly, I think we laughed the entire time… We first started out at their house where I met, Lucy, their jack russell terrier,  and we bonded over having high energy but very loveable terriers. After taking a look at their backyard I noticed out in the distance an old fence and an open field. It was a perfect location for what I had planned next…. Bubbles Which for some reason were cherry flavored… Which struck me as rather odd… Apparently I missed the memo about bubbles needing to be flavored these days…but I digress

After the field we hopped into Dan’s car for some much needed air conditioning, as it hit 100 degrees in Chico, Ca yesterday…. And we ended up downtown for a little urban scenery.

Rebekah I loveLOVElove the combo of your red heels and red satin top…GORGEOUS!!

Dan & Rebekah I am SO looking forward to your wedding this weekend at Canyon Oaks Country Club, in Chico, California!!

Megan and Kyle are two very smart, sophisticated people that just exude confidence and poise. They are way cooler than I could ever be. And they are just the nicest people…ever.

Brent Holland and myself started off the session at the fabulous Hotel Diamond here in Chico, Ca. A big thank you to the staff at Hotel Diamond for being so wonderful and allowing us to photograph in the hotel.

Megan your shoes are to die for. LOVE THEM!!

Megan you are just so GORGEOUS!! 

After we left the Hotel Diamond we went to one of our favorite outdoor locations. Megan had the fantastic idea of a giant heart balloon bouquet which worked so well in the golden field with her heart dress.

Thank you Megan & Kyle for having Brent and I photograph your engagement session. We can’t wait for the wedding!!