Let’s just start off with a photo that shows you how photogenic they are. I could have picked ANY image to satisfy this point, by the way:

Favorite!

The light was downright perfect that afternoon:

When I asked Kate + Evan to describe their relationship, a lot of what they talked about was their anticipation of their future together. This is my interpretation of that idea, so it shouldn’t surprise you that this is a favorite. ;)

This. This photo. Bingo. :D

I wasn’t joking about the wine thing, guys. They even brought with them a bottle of wine they bought on their engagement trip to France. The woman at the vineyard was insistent that they not drink this wine until 2013, and they thought their engagement session was as good a time as any to finally open it. It was delicious. :) Also, 1) Evan in a suit? And, 2) Kate’s hair? Perfection, both.

They also brought their customized wine glasses. (KAKERA are their initials; the design is their wedding logo. Orange is also their wedding color, and I happen to carry an orange blanket in the trunk of my car. I’m going to claim it was on purpose, but that’s mostly a lie. :D)

Who loves fields? I do! :D

Mmmm…

Ending with a favorite, as usual. ;)

Kate + Evan, I hope you love these photos. Thanks for spending an evening tromping through fields and breaching property lines with me. I am so looking forward to your wedding next month—I know it will be beautiful. I also hope you enjoyed the rest of that bottle of wine once you made it home! See you soon, pals. :D

Normally on the first of the month, I post my goals and some musing about life. But this month? I’m taking a break.

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday, which in many (most) ways excites me, but has also thrown me into a state of self-evaluation that I need some more private time to explore. I’ll be back in June with more specific goals. For this month, however, I plan only to enjoy the warmth of spring (which, because of where I live, often confuses itself for the heat of summer), to continue to ruminate about my life and trajectory and—as always—to keep practicing the piano.

Until June!

Photo time!

The cherry blossoms have come and very nearly gone, so we snuck into the last remaining grove (along with about ten other photographers!) to use up what was left. :) Worth it!

Let’s discuss how awesome Brian’s shoes are, shall we?

I LOVED the back of Erin’s sweater. I also love sunset in Golden Gate Park.

Absolute, complete and total favorite times a million. True happiness is nothing to shake a stick at, guys.

Brian is a big baseball fan (coaching, umpiring AND spectating), and they wanted to incorporate something of the game into their session. I think this is fitting. :D

An image like this was one of Erin’s only requests. Happy to oblige!

Favorite!

Lookers-on clapped for them after we walked away from this fountain. :D

And two more favorites in a row to round out this post!

Hi. I love this.

Erin + Brian, individually, you two are something special and you have found something equally special in each other. Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of photographing your love and the beginning of your second chance. Your joy is contagious and in our short time together, you transferred so much of it to me. I am excited for your wedding, to meet your families and to see what you’ve put together with Laurel. It will be a day to remember. :D I hope you love these photos! And Erin, you WILL get that sweater back! ;)

Before I start shooting, I like to ask couples to describe their relationship in five words so I can make sure I cover their connection as they see it. Of the words R+A gave me, those that stood out most were: Goofy, giggly and full of desire / intimacy. I think we did a dang good job showing all three of these (although the goofiest of the photos are staying off the blog! :D). This pair has a genuineness that shines through their smiles, their eyes, their embraces. But I can show you better than I can tell you, so on with the photos! :D

By the way, Alejandro is a long name to say, so I’m officially nicknaming him “DroDro.” He said he was fine with it. This is why I like him. :)

Starting with favorite #1. P.S. I took this photo in an outhouse (toilet’s off to the left, y’all), because good light can be found anywhere!

Ryan + Alejandro, let’s talk about how cute you are. I’ll go first: You’re SUPER cute. :D

And let’s talk about how much you love each other: A LOT. :D

Oh boy, favorite #2. Kind of can’t stop smiling when I look at this. Also, can we please mention how adorable their outfits are? I don’t know quite why, but that puffer vest and that necklace just do it for me. Yeah, totally.

Alejandro acquired this car about a month ago and has been spending his spare time fixing it up. First of all, it’s my favorite color, and second of all, it’s important to him, so why not take some photos with it? And hey, Ryan? HOT LEGS.

“Put your handaloons riiiiight here.” :D :D :D (By the way, R+A, my husband couldn’t believe I let that one slip! He hopes you’ve incorporated it into your own speech.)

Favorite #3!

Hey, guys? Be a little happier, okay? You’re not happy enough. ;)

The park where we took photos was just a few blocks from Ryan’s childhood home. She wanted to come here because she spent a lot of afternoons playing in the park when she was younger. Specifically, she remembered this bench beneath an oak tree at the top of the hill. Bingo, pals.

Favorite #4!

Using every last little bit of sunlight available.

Be still my heart, DroDro. Could your smile be any more disarming?

Thank you for spending an afternoon playing with me, guys. And thank you for trudging up that giant hill (in wedges), and putting up with me when I wanted just oooooone more photo (and then one more, and then another one more). Your relationship and your interactions are a joy to watch. Plus, you’re just plain fun to be around. I hope you love these images as much as I do and they make you smile like I’ve been grinning at my computer all day. I can’t wait for your wedding; it’s going to be a blast. :D

xo, M

P.S. Transistor. ;)

Sherman is both my biggest fan and my toughest critic. I am proud to say that I have diligently practiced the piano for at least an hour nearly every day since I started taking lessons. Sherman is always sitting near me while I play. However, there are times (as shown above) that he disapproves of the piano receiving more attention than he does, which he expresses by shoving himself bodily between myself and the keys. It’s effective. And adorable.

In accordance with my thoughts being scattered, so too was my goal completion. I lost my fitbit for most of the month; it weaseled its way to the bottom of my closet. Then I found it, and somehow managed to explode it into about ten pieces. Then I put it back together (it worked!), and promptly lost it again. All of this to say, it’s finally back in my possession, but my steps suffered last month. I also couldn’t find a flat 10k that worked well with my schedule, so I’m just going to run my own on April 24th. I also totally failed at reading enough. Time to get back on track.

Oh, by the way. I went back and looked at my old receipts. It turns out I haven’t purchased a piece of clothing since August of last year—eight whole months. That’s sort of nuts to me, but to honor it, I’m going to try to make a shirt this month. Let’s see how that goes.

This was super boring to read. My sincerest apologies. How about goals for April?:

• Continue practicing the piano, one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays
• Sign up for my summer piano course
• Post temporary galleries to this site
• Read What The Dog Saw and The 4-Hour Workweek
• Walk 10,500 steps each day
• Perfect a sourdough bread recipe
• Run a 10k on April 24th
• Sign up for a half marathon in May
• Sew a shirt

Completed March goals:

• Start our taxes!
• Make my IRA contribution :)
• Make wedding “Best Of 2012″ post
• Start planning a garden

Have any plans this month? Share them with me in the comments! Hopefully they’re more organized than mine. :)

A great photo allows you to see life as art.

All of these photos say something to me. Some scream; others whisper. But each shows me a moment in another’s life—from the simplicity to the chaos—as a piece of art. And guys, that’s one heck of a gift.

So, while these images are “in order,” and while I don’t actually have children, I feel like I can say that organizing them was a bit like ranking my kids: totally impossible. And super rude, to boot. But here are my best efforts, which I sincerely hope you enjoy. Oh! And stay tuned all the way to the end, because someone’s going to win a GIANT canvas print with your help.

As always: ENOUGH OF MY TALKING! Photos, ahoy! Welcome to the best of 2012, folks! :D :D :D

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I overflow with gratitude when I look at this round up of last year. I am proud of the work I did, but were it not for each and every person pictured here, my efforts would have been fruitless. Rarely do I find myself without words, yet here I sit unable to clearly express how thankful I am for my 2012 clients. What marvelous partners in crime you were. What marks you left on my soul. Thank you, really truly honestly, for finding me, for trusting me, for being downright foolish with me. You are why I do this job. You are why this post exists. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And to really say thank you, how about a contest? All of these lovely images are in an album on my facebook page. Head on over there, and vote for your favorite image (or images!) by liking them. Voting will be open from this morning through 5 p.m. PDT next Thursday, March 29th. The image that receives the most likes will win a 30″x40″ canvas print of their choosing. So head on over to the Facebook album, get liking, and tell your friends!

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. For the past few months, it’s been weight-of-the-world type stuff (things that are too complicated for me to ever fully understand, let alone change). I mean, really, we’re talking big ticket items: Political and financial corruption, the sorry state of the American food system, rampant materialism, chemical pollution, overpopulation, the ingrained  need for attention and self promotion present in my generation (and yes, I include myself here—I am writing this on my own blog that I expect / hope others will read and respond to, after all). There are some days when I drill so far down into this list that I struggle to think about anything else, and the State Of Things hangs over me like an oppressive fog. No big surprise, but these days usually get me nowhere.

There are other days when I bring this thinking closer to home, to my own actions, wants and motivations. These days are more exciting, because I find myself beginning to plan and dream of ways to change myself, to change the ways I categorize and satisfy my needs, to increase the positivity I leave behind and lessen my negative impact. They’re also scary days, because I start to do the difficult work of differentiating between true needs and mere wants masquerading as needs. Let’s be honest: It’s hard to admit that things you like and want aren’t actually important. Confronting your own hidden (or not-so-hidden) vanity, gluttony and greed is demoralizing before it’s liberating.

Sometimes my thinking is especially grandiose and downright fanciful: Let’s sell our house and our possessions, buy a plot of land, throw away our technology and become suburban subsistence farmers! (Except, wait! Don’t throw away that technology yet! I just need to quickly google, “How to become a subsistence farmer” first. THEN throw it away!) Or: Let’s sell everything and move to a communal housing development in Denmark! No big surprise, but these ideas also usually get me nowhere. (Although, I did once google “How to move to Demark.” It wasn’t super helpful.)

So when I’m not crushed by the weight of human failings, and have come down from soaring with my head in European clouds, I try to think about what I can actually do—and do today—that might mean something. Even if it’s only a very little something. Because some days, that’s the only way I can seem to lift the fog.

I’m toying with the idea of going a year without buying any new clothing and instead sewing what I need (I’m already accidentally three months into this challenge and I foresee a summer of drawstring maxi skirts), and of cultivating a garden and trying to grow at least a good portion of all the food we eat. I already started making my own almond milk, a move in response to which my own mother (lovingly) called me a hippie.

I guess what I’m trying to say in sort is that I’m becoming that person. That usually very annoying person. Except with two caveats: 1) I won’t tell anyone else how to live and, 2) I’m not giving up shaving my armpits.

By the way, the book Einstein’s Dreams was wonderful and I highly recommend it. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was garbage and little more than an overstuffed advertisement for the author’s pricey private seminars. The only worthwhile bit is an early chapter activity about writing your own obituary to help you understand how you want to be remembered so you can translate that into your current actions. Otherwise? Avoid, avoid, avoid.

So, with all that philosophical nonsense aside, here’s what I plan to do in March:

• Continue practicing the piano, one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays  – I can play something like 15 songs now!
• Post temporary galleries to this site
• Read What The Dog Saw and The 4-Hour Workweek
• Make my IRA contribution :)
• Start our taxes!
• Make wedding “Best Of 2012″ post
• Start planning a garden
• Walk 10,500 steps each day
• Perfect a sourdough bread recipe
• Find and sign up for a flat 10k (i.e., no elevation change—hills and I are not friends)
• Start half marathon training

And here’s what I finished in February:

• Continue practicing the piano, one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays
• Get my new brand and website under contract (ugh, finally!)
• Read Einstein’s Dreams and finish The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• Perfect a minestrone recipe — I’m checking this off, but I’m still not totally satisfied with the results I got
• Burn archive image DVDs and delete extra copies from my computer
• Run a 10k
• Walk 10,500 steps each day this month
• Go camping!

Am I the only person who gets regularly crushed by the weight of the world? Please tell me I’m not alone here.

Ready for a little photo overload, friends? I present to you my top 45 engagement, family and fun images from last year! (Oh, and I’m going to quiz you at the end, so… keep scrolling!)

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Aaaaaaaaaaand…

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(Are you making a drumroll noise?)

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(Because I’d appreciate if you were.)

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(I am.)

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1:1:

I’ll get into this sentiment a little more in my Best Of Weddings post next week, but I am so grateful to all of the people in these images. I am nothing without your trust, love and friendship. Thank you to each and every one of you for letting me document an important part of your lives. YOU make me love this job. :D

So, did I pick right? Which image(s) would you put at number one?

Heeeey, February! Well, a week into it, but still! :D

Considering what I set myself up for, I basically crushed January. Seriously, if you could have tasted my Pho, you would have died—it was that delicious (and based off this recipe if you’re interested in making your own!). I also signed up for a piano class that meets twice a week at a local community college (Nineteen weeks of instruction for $52—so economical!). This is my current skill level, which is to say not super impressive, and yet quite impressive when you know I started from absolutely nothing three weeks ago. :D

One of the things I didn’t finish in January is the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And honestly? I would go so far as to say this book is awful. Not in terms of its message—in fact, I think the principles it espouses are sound, for the most part. But the book is so bloated with jargon, adspeak and unnecessary (and not terribly elucidating) anecdotes that it takes me ages to make any progress. But I’m not a quitter, so despite spilling a cup of water on it yesterday, I’ll finish the dang thing. Ishmael, on the other hand, was wonderful and highly recommended. I won’t tell you what it’s about, though; it sounds too weird to be worth it. But it planted a seed in my mind that I haven’t been able to stop mulling over (watering?) since. Worth it.

This month is tax prep, race running and house cleaning. So, here’s my plan…

Goals for February:

• Continue practicing the piano, one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays
• Get my new brand and website under contract (ugh, finally!)
• Post temporary galleries to this site for the meanwhile
• Read Einstein’s Dreams and finish The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• Perfect a minestrone recipe
• Burn archive image DVDs and delete extra copies from my computer
• Make my IRA contribution :)
• Make “Best Of 2012″ posts next week
• Run a 10k
• Walk 10,500 steps each day this month
• Go camping!

Completed December Goals:

• Sign up for piano lessons
• Practice piano one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays
• Do a serious file purge and clean up on my desktop
• Set up financial software and budget tracking
• Finish cleaning and organizing my office
• Write a 2012 business retrospective
• Read Ishmael
• Perfect Veggie Pho
• Write and mail a letter to my great aunt and uncle
• Collect and dissect 15 inspirational web designs (10 good, 5 bad) for my rebrand
• Walk 10k steps each day this month

What are your plans for February? If you need encouragement on any of your goals, I’m happy to lend some positivity—just let me know! :D

A surprise Christmas gift that wrote its own resolution. :)

A week before my half birthday last October, I went out for an afternoon walk with my mom. Despite having come off a hectic two months and the end of my wedding season, I was feeling restless and unaccomplished, and it permeated every corner of my attitude. I’d sunk myself quite deeply into a pit of self pity that touched many aspects, but for that moment, my heart was laser-focused on how poorly I’d been treating myself physically. And, as is often the case, I took the opportunity to talk it out with my mom.

I told her what I’d been thinking about—that my 30th birthday was six months away, and I’d still not attained certain goals for which I’d expected to have found the strength long ago. Foremost was becoming a runner. “I’ve always wanted to run,” I said, “but I’ve given up every time I’ve tried. I just don’t know how to do it.”

The simplicity and hilarity of my mom’s response hit me dead between the eyes, in a way that sometimes only her words can. And she laughed a little before she said, “You put on sneakers, you go outside, and you run.”

I don’t know why that was all I needed to hear, and I don’t think I would have heard it had she said it in any other way. Sometimes I just need to be shown how small the roadblocks I’m building for myself truly are—I don’t know how; It’s too hard; I’ve never succeeded at it before—a perspective I have a bad habit of losing. All of the reasons I was giving for my previous failures were euphemisms for something so basic: I stopped putting one foot in front of the other.

The next morning I sat down, pieced together a training plan and signed up for three races. (Putting on my sneakers, going outside and running is only part of it!) And then I told my husband he was doing it, too. (Sorry, Glen!) At the beginning, my bad attitude plagued me—I’m not good at running; my legs are too short; my hips aren’t built for this—and running for even 90 seconds left me winded and downtrodden. But because I had a clear schedule and an end goal, I stuck to it. We woke up before the sun and we ran a little more each day, and a little longer each week. And on December 16th, we ran our first 5k.

Three miles never felt so glorious. :)

Our training continues for our upcoming 10k in February and Half Marathon for my birthday in May.

Stepping back, 2012 was both wonderful and terrible, as full years are wont to be. I started and ended strong in many respects, but let myself languish in the middle because I quit setting regular goals for my time. Day to day, I got done what I needed to, but in greater efforts I treaded water for a lack of direction. I stopped putting one foot in front of the other. And I don’t think I was alone.

As I flipped the calendar for an albeit metaphorical fresh start, I went back and read what I wrote at the beginning of last year. I inspired myself to try again, and having reached my 5k goal in December, I approach this year with the following overall feeling:

Our fallibility knows no bounds. Neither does our capability.

So with that, I’d like to share my plans for 2013.

Goals for 2013

• Continue to grow, nurture and strengthen my personal relationships
• Create a personal financial budget that includes clearer goals for retirement savings and paying off our home early
• Complete one major house remodeling project (I see three on our horizon this year—garage, roof, siding—but home plans often veer off course)
• Finish the rebranding of my business (which will encompass a lot of big changes)
• Implement better systems for organization (financials, files, paperwork, mail)
• Run at least 800 miles, including a 10k and half marathon
• Design and print our wedding album
• Continue to buy local and organic foods and experiment more with vegan and raw recipes
• Choose a travel destination and book tickets (if it’s budgetable, of course)
• Read 12 business and 12 personal books
• Live by a more regimented schedule, including setting aside specific times for: Reading, journaling, exercising, working, blogging, cleaning, etc. (a holdover from last year that I continue to struggle with)
• (This is vague, but…) Be more open and sharing
• Learn to read music and play 15 songs on the piano
• Learn basic metal smithing and stone setting
• Move more (10-12k steps per day, all year—this is tough when your job involves mostly sitting at a computer. Hey, FitBit!)
• Teach a beginning photography workshop
• Get back to posting monthly goal blogs

Goals for December:

• Sign up for piano lessons
• Practice piano one hour per day, Mondays through Saturdays
• Do a serious file purge and clean up on my desktop
• Set up financial software and budget tracking
• Finish cleaning and organizing my office
• Write a 2012 business retrospective
• Read Ishmael and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• Perfect Veggie Pho
• Write and mail a letter to my great aunt and uncle
• Collect and dissect 15 inspirational web designs (10 good, 5 bad) for my rebrand
• Walk 10k steps each day this month

My sneakers are on and I’m ready to go. How about you: What are you planning to do this year? Want to do it with me?