Happy birthday to me! As you may know, I have a standing tradition of throwing myself a birthday party to kick off each year. Every time, I ask myself what the specific purpose of my gathering might be, and this time I decided to have an all-day craft day with our closest friends. In the…
The forecasts declared a 100% chance of rain, but just as we arrived in Golden Gate Park for our first look, the rain departed, and it didn’t come back until after our little ceremony in the redwoods. Such was the theme of life both being unpredictable and also going as smoothly as we could have…
Having been a wedding photographer for over fifteen years, I’ve had many people tell me I must have all sorts of specific ideas about my own wedding. But no, I am always telling other people that I believe the best weddings are very personalized, and tailored to them as a couple. So of course I…
What a lovely start to the new year! It’s time to recap our January around the Bay. First, a little outing on the brand new Central Subway, which takes you right into Chinatown! For Japanese American brunch at Cassava. A little walk around North Beach Digging for records And happening upon a lion dance! Happy…
This was such a fun and involved project. Last spring, with a new baseball season upon us, I asked my paint club friends what kind of a project I might be able to do in the ballpark while watching a whole bunch of baseball games. They delivered! My friend Stephanie suggested knitting this awesome puff…
Tahoe between Christmas and New Year’s– I would definitely advise against it! And yet, that’s what worked for Alex and I to be able to take a little trip with my mom, so away we went, into the traffic and lines and crowds. It was lovely once we got past the hour-long standstill traffic to…
A couple weeks after we were married, we went on an impromptu mini honeymoon in Napa! I had booked a photo session in Yountville, so Alex seized the opportunity to turn it into a little staycation while we were up there. What a special privilege to be able to hang out in wine country over…
At the end of November, Alex and I spent two wonderful weeks driving down south, staying in Monterey, Los Alamos, and then Alhambra for a week. First, a little stop in Santa Cruz. There was a cute little street market in downtown Monterey, near our historic hotel where we checked in for two nights. The…
What a whirlwind it’s been since the end of last year. I’m circling back now to recap the last two months of 2022. We start it off with a 100-day celebration for Baby Valente! In November, we had such a beautiful engagement session, and we pulled together all the details for our December ceremony too. …
Let’s take a peek back at October of last year. Better late than never? We started off with a visit to Reeve in Healdsburg. Really enjoyed seeing all the special types of garlic at the Healdsburg Farmers Market. We got two to try, and they did taste different! Little Saint, before it switched over in…
Each year, I collect small gifts along my travels and compile them into a holiday gift set for my wedding clients. It’s my way of sharing a small part of my year with my couples when they’ve shared such an important part of theirs with me. And this year, we had the added distinction of…
2022 was certainly filled with significant milestones. In May, Alex and I got engaged on a hammock overlooking the Mendocino Coast. In December, we got married in a redwood grove, surrounded by our closest family. And in between, we enjoyed so many lovely moments with our friends and family: my fifteen-year business anniversary, two midwest…