Katie DiSimone :: San Luis Obispo Wedding Photographer, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and beyond :: BLOG

Anna hasn’t napped for a two years now.  She just started to take showers on her own (instead of baths with her sister).  She still can’t tie her own shoelaces, but that is my fault for not teaching her yet.  She rides her bike like a daredevil.  She hosts a restaurant called “Anna’s place” on our side yard and it includes a tip jar for fake tips.  She told me last night that she wants “to be an artist just like Picasso” and that she was “copying one of his painting in school yesterday”.  Can you tell I’m feeling really nostalgic that my baby girl is growing up?

But when I told her that some people get to watch over animals FOR A LIVING, she absolutely grinned.  There’s nothing she wants more than to overrun our house with animals.  Hamsters, cats, birds, fish, dogs, bunnies, chinchillas, horses, squirrels, toads, and kangaroos have all been requests at one time or another.  Finally, at long last, our cats have let her into their personal space.  Chief lets her carry him around like a doll.  And she loves him for it.

I already know that Dina and Mark are fun at weddings.  We had a BLAST at Stacy and Sean’s wedding last year, where Dina was a bridesmaid.  This year it is their turn to get married and I can’t wait!  It will be at the Mission San Luis Obispo…one of my favorite venues.  We went all over the back roads of SLOtown for this session and it was so beautiful.  Definitely a great time of year for outdoor sessions, so much green and lush.  And in a note of personal confession and public congrats…Mark just finished the half-marathon that I flaked on.  LOL, I never got around to finishing my training for it.  I did have someone pick-up the registration goodies bag though.  Although, I doubt you will ever see me wearing the shirt.  Something seems really wrong about wearing a shirt from an athletic event that you didn’t participate in, huh?  Anyone out there finish the Carlsbad marathon and want a t-shirt?

Shhh, the blog’s been alseep for a good long while.  I gratefully took a lot of time during the off season to cleanup my office, computer, papers, and several other nooks and crannies.  Especially great was spending some extra time with my family.  I’m sitting on some cool sessions that need to be blogged soon…but first we will ease back into blogging with a video of Holly. 

All Holly asked for at Christmas was a mini-video camera (like my flip).  There was no way we were going to get her an expensive camera, so Jason scanned the black friday ads in search of a cheap alternative.  We scored a deal with a $25 video camera that operates on a single AA battery with an internal small hard drive.  PERFECT.

I’m pretty sure Holly was inspired to ask for this gift based on the show iCarly.  If you don’t know iCarly it is because you don’t have kids between the ages of 4 and 12 and you’ve been watching cool shows like Dexter and Weeds.  (Lucky!)  Anyways, the show is about a girl named Carly who makes a web-tv show about all things kid.  Without any delay…here’s Holly’s version. 

By the way, Holly made this all by herself in secret.  We heard her talking to herself in the corner of the living room while we were all busy doing other things.  When asked, she shared her video with us and said I could “webcast” it for her here.  YEAH!  (and she’s talking about “passing out lollipops at school” in case you can’t understand that part of the video)

Anna and Steve have been dating 7 years now.  But, “they” almost didn’t happen.  They were both living in some cold State (any state east of California and north of Florida, right?) and Steve was leaving for school in California.  He’d known Anna as the cute girl he admired from afar, but never had the nerve to ask out.  So, when he knew that he was leaving soon and wouldn’t be seeing her again, it gave him the courage to finally offer up the “I like you” hints to her.  He figured he didn’t have anything to lose, right?  Anna took a bold step and gave him Phone Number.  Little did they know that would lead to a summer 2010 wedding! 

Thanks for braving the brutally cold weather this weekend, Anna and Steve.  I think you’ll find the trip was worth it.  I knew 2009 still had some amazing photos left, and this is proof.

It’s like looking into a mirror.  Audrey and Kyle have a lot in common with Jason and I.

1.  They love the Boston Celtics.  Kyle even got monogrammed green kicks for all his groomsmen and new fathers-in-law.  It sent shivers down my spine.  The good shivers.

2.  They love photography.  Kyle got Audrey the Canon 50D for her wedding gift and her excitement was another shivery moment for me.  She gave him an underwater camera for their honeymoon.  SO good.  SO very good.

3.  They played water polo in high school.  If you’ve read about how I got started in photography, you’ll know that water polo played a HUGE part in my career and it’s how I met Jason.

4.  They love to quote movies and have a wicked sense of humor.  Oh yes…the same here.

5.  They had a spectacular wedding!

Their wedding was held at Pomar Junction Winery just outside Paso Robles.  And…can I just rave for a second about this place?  Apparently, this was the first wedding they’d had here…but it didn’t show.  The staff had everything running smooth as silk.  The scenery was stunning.  I intend to highlight this venue in a separate blog post…because if you are looking for a place to get married…I highly recommend checking this venue out.  Super cool vineyards, train cars, oak trees, great tasting room, a separate house for getting ready, and awesome details everywhere.  I believe this is going to be quite a popular place to get married next season.

**just a couple of slideshows left to blog…but I am officially done shooting weddings for 2009.  a big special thanks and hugs to all my wonderful clients this year!  May your anniversaries next year be celebrated with the same love and enthusiasm as your wedding day.  I look forward to seeing you soon!**

Mackenzie and Adam are getting married in 2010 at Holland Ranch.  I loved lots of parts of “their story” together but here’s how one little part went:

Me: So, how did you two meet?
Them: A blind date.
Me: SHUT UP!  NO WAY!   (yes, i speak in exclamations a lot)
Them: Yup, really.  A blind date!
Me: Who set you up?
Mackenzie: My old roommate.
Me: I can’t wait to see her at the wedding.  She should be giving a good speech! All gloating about how she set you two up, blah, blah blah.
Them: Ummm, no we haven’t seen in years.  She disappeared with Mackenzie’s couch mysteriously and we’ve not heard from her since.

LMAO!!!  A random couch-snatching roommate story!  I’ve had those before, too!  I had one sublet my room without telling me one summer…I walked into my room to find someone sleeping in my bed, just like Goldilocks.  I suppose I’ll forgive the couch-taking girl…after all, she brought these two together.  Which also provided me with an awesome opportunity to meet them too!

Michelle and Dave went to Phish for their honeymoon.  The bride wore flowers in her hair and hula-hooped during the reception.  There were three beards and two ponytails in groom’s group.  I think every one of the groomsmen must have played in a band.  So with all that organic love…Still Waters Vineyards was the perfect backdrop for their wedding.  Incredible oak trees, panoramic vineyard views, and rustic log cabin onsite.  Michelle and Dave brought family in from all parts of the country, including a large contingent from New York and New Jersey.  I’m so glad we could show them all a little Central California good time!  Thanks for sharing your time with me!