What a roadtrip to Tehachapi looks like

This last week, we braved a fairly long roadtrip down to Tehachapi. While looking through some photography blogs earlier in the week, I was inspired by a project that many of them were participating in: "What _________ looks like." I decided to give it a try & document our roadtrip down to visit Scott's hometown. As it turns out, these ended up being my favorite pictures that I took of the entire trip. It was such a fun project to work on!

We started out with a stop to McDonald's to get Will a "cheese-booger," in other words, a cheeseburger with nothing on it but a bun & cheese - no condiments, & definitely no meat. This kid is seriously the pickiest eater ever!

After a couple of hours of being on the road, we hit a traffic jam. It took us about an hour to drive 7 miles. Thank goodness the kids were asleep, or it would have been Hell.

Every time we drive down Highway 99 or Highway 5, we always pass a bunch of stinky cows. If you don't turn the air on recycle, you will pass out &/or gag for a good 5 minutes. The stench is disgusting.

The sky & landscape were beautiful as we drove past (minus the cows). The vineyards looked like they were glowing in the sun. I just couldn't get over how pretty they were.

After driving about five hours, Ruby finally woke up & wanted a snack. By this point, we were 30 minutes from our destination, so we made it a quick stop & then hurried on our way. 

It's always such a peaceful & relaxing feeling to arrive in Tehachapi. It's so secluded from everything else, & we have many fond memories of the place. We had a dream roadtrip, apart from the earlier traffic jam, & continued to have a wonderful stay with Scott's family throughout the Thanksgiving holiday.

it's already been seven years?

On Saturday, Scott & I celebrated our 7th Anniversary.

We started out the day by meeting up with my mom, so Will could go spend the weekend with Nana & Papa. On our way home, Scott proposed we walk around Old Town Sacramento for a bit. As it turned out, he had really bought us some tickets to take a ride on the "Capitol Hornblower" (nice name, right?). When we got on board, we looked around, & one of the first things out of Scott's mouth was, "Nothing's too good for my woman" while trying to hold in a laugh. Let's just say the boat wasn't the most appealing thing. While the boat was a bit on the cheeseball side, it was still fun to actually go on the river together for the first time since living here. 

After our little river-faring adventure, we went for a walk through Old Town & drooled over all the beautiful architecture, old brick, vines climbing up the buildings . . . It was beautiful. Of course having Ruby along with us made it even more fun. She just sat in her carseat & smiled & cooed a good part of the time. She's seriously the happiest baby.

I wish I would have actually gotten some cool pictures of our walk, but I was too enthralled by everything to even attempt. I just wanted to soak it all up.

When we finished our walk, Scott surprised me with dinner reservations to Ruths Chris Steakhouse. And man is there food delish! It was only made better by Ruby needing to nurse through practically the entire dinner. Talk about romantic! Not only that, but the waiters kept coming over to see how we were doing & kept trying to ignore what I was doing even though it was awkwardly obvious. I can't imagine they see that too often in such a fancy restaurant. It was awesome.

And wouldn't you know this is the only picture of us together on our anniversary. That's what I get for relying on my phone.

Thanks for the fun babe! It's been an incredible seven years, & I hope to have many, many more with you.

a glance at a mini part of our day

Today, we drove up to Auburn to look around town. I got the kids out of the car, & we explored for a few minutes. Seeing Will's curiosity as we walked around reminded me of the importance of seeing beauty & taking pleasure in the small & simple things. Any time we get down on the same level as a child, it can open our eyes to so many seemingly small wonders & joys around us.

 

Hunger Games Trailer - WOW!

Whoa dang!!!! Am I a total nerd that I cried when watching this? I loved this series, & seeing the adaptation of it to a movie just gives me the chills. I am so excited for this one!

Maternity Shoot - Tiffani

Last week, I asked my great friend Tiffani if I could take some maternity photos of her. I'm in the process of building my portfolio before officially starting my photography business.

Tiffani is very photogenic, & I came away from the photo shoot with so many beautiful pictures of her.

Here's a small sample:

my first photo shoot & a nature walk

I have contemplated getting into photography for quite a few years now. I think the huge amount of photographers out there, many who are my friends, has made me question whether or not my own skills (or lack thereof) would really be valuable to anyone. And I was scared of stepping on anyone's toes who thought I could possibly be infringing on their hobby or business.

(I know . . . lame of me to think that.) 

It wasn't until this last week, when I finally decided to brave a photo shoot of my beautiful niece, that I thought I might actually have the determination & courage to put myself out there & start working on this - after all, it's something I love to do, so why let fear get in the way of my trying?

Life's too short for that.

After finishing my photo shoot with Allyssa-Rae, I was on a high & immediately wanted to try again. I asked my great friend, Tiffani, if I could take some maternity pictures of her as well. She said yes, so yesterday, I went on a little excursion to get some ideas for her pictures, & it turned into a beautiful & peaceful nature walk.

Halloween 2011 - a gwragon & a peacwok

On Monday evening, we went to a neighborhood potluck to hang out with friends & celebrate Halloween.

Will loved flying around in his "gwragon" costume while Ruby sat pretty in Scott's or my arms dressed as a "peacwock."

It was so much fun watching Will run around with his little buddies - Jake (the caterpillar) in particular.We practiced saying "trick-or-treat" before heading out, & by the time we finished, Will was a pro.