Michelle and Dave live in The Bay Area (aka the place where they don't say "the" in front of their freeway names unlike L.A.). A place where Dave plays bass in a band, and Michelle is his devoted groupie. I love it. It reminds me of college days when I dated a guitar player. The night we first met, I watched him play on stage, swearing that he was looking right at me the whole time. Here I was, swaying to the music, smiling intently at him...certain that when the set break would come...he'd come say hi to me. Instead, a blond chick came pushing around me up to the stage and planted a big ol' kiss on his face. WTF?! He was looking just past me at his girlfriend?! Crushed. It took two years more before he finally got smart and dated me. And that, my friends, was the extent of my musician dating. Anyways...Michelle (being from NJ) had a great joke about New York and New Jersey, which I have been trying to remember since we had our session. I keep getting close to the punchline, but not quite right. And close doesn't cut it when it comes to punchlines. Hopefully, Michelle can type up the joke in the comments here to share. It was a good joke...especially if you know NY or NJ. On to the pictures now...

Brooke and Kevin have been so incredibly kind to me, and I'm really looking forward to their wedding at Zenaida Cellars next summer. I knew they wanted fall colors for our session today, and the time of year is perfect for that. Unfortunately, it just rained yesterday and I was a little concerned whether we'd have a muddy mess in the vineyards. It worked out perfectly though...we did a little mix of downtown Paso Robles and vineyards.

Liam and his 'rents came to me for family photos last year. He continues to be one of my favorite photos from last season. And here he is a year later...and definitely still one of my favorites. This year brings a more grown up version of Liam, one who likes to run away from the camera, hold keys, and draw on paper. I managed to guess all three were his favorite activities. So, let's compare...

2007 Liam

2008 Liam

And, his adorable face is still the same.

2007 Liam

2008 Liam

Sarah and Paul's wedding was in Turlock, CA. Where is that you ask? The quiet part of the country where they grow cotton and food crops. Where BEEF is what's for dinner. Well, actually...not so much anymore. There were a lot of vegetarians at this wedding! I had a wonderful time meeting their families...and this sneak peek is overdue for them...so let's get to some pictures! There were cute kids at the reception... and lots of cameras... And when this happened all I could think was "How do kids know the exact time when a spouse gets anywhere *close* to intimate with the other spouse????" LOL...their timing is uncanny. Some danced the night away... and some took a breather in the back...

Christine and Brian got married at the incredibly beautiful Carmel Mission on a slightly drizzly Monterey weekend. This marks my second wedding in a row with a large Portuguese family presence. Perhaps I should brush up on my Portuguese since the only word I know is "she-she" which means "pee"? I have no idea why I even know that one word...but for some reason it has stuck in my head all these years. I had so much fun listening to people at this wedding...portuguese sounds like a mix between french and spanish, like I could *almost* understand it. For certain I understood all the smiles, laughter, and good natured joking. And, I also now understand about Portuguese cheese. Now, where to buy some myself? Brian gave Christine two rings, one for an engagement ring and one for a bridal ring. LOVE that. {Note to my husband...jewelry is good. i love rings. christmas is coming, sweetie.} Normally, I don't get to see the guys getting ready, since I'm with the bride and her friends. But, this time a couple of the groomsmen got ready at the house with Christine. I really think the guys preparations are the way to go. Seems pretty laid back to me. Eventually, the guys did get ready...but Christine did their ties and cuffs for them. She's so sweet! Christine carried her grandmother's rosary for her something old, borrowed, and blue. The one quiet moment she had before the ceremony started. LOL.

How about some formal portraits for mom and dad?

Christine danced with her dad to a song in portuguese, which sounded like it was sung in a little girl's voice. I imagined she was singing about how she's going to love her daddy forever. At least, that's what Christine's face looked like when she was dancing with her dad. Don't you remember hiding under the tables when you were a kid?