Please!

Update your bookmarks, links, RSS feed readers, etc. This address will still exist for the month of July and in a couple of weeks it will redirect to the new site. After that, it’s dunzo.

Thanks so much for reading along, and I hope you’ll join me at my new address!

Fellow Tweeters and Flickrers already know the exciting news: earlier this week I became the proud owner of a Lensbaby 3G!

As if I haven’t already acquired enough photo toys in the last few months, but I couldn’t resist nabbing the Control Freak my good friend from college was selling (who made sure to let me know it was up for grabs before she put it on eBay. What’re friends for, right? :)

These are all shots I took yesterday while visiting with my Ma-n-Pa-in-law, who were in town for the weekend. I’m still trying to get used to the bending and tilting, but I think I came out with a few quality shots after my initial test drive.

Though I still have lots of learning and experimenting to do, I immediately noticed what a dreamy, almost surreal sort of feeling the Lensbaby can have on almost any scene.

And, while the Control Freak definitely lives up to its name, it’s also entirely possible to shoot fast and loose with it, so long as you keep it in the unlocked position.

Thanks, Brittney, for the stellar matchmaking! :)

The last time I saw Scruffy he was the most well-preserved 9+ year old cat I’d ever seen, but now he’s finally starting to show his age with a bit of wear ‘n’ tear. I think it was an ear-mite infection sometime within the last year that led to the permanent folding of his left ear. The cutest sad thing ever? Yeah, I think so, too.

Happy Caturday!

June 23, 2010

Earrings: Thrifted
Top: Forever21
Jeans: Ross
Shoes: Madden Girl, Kenney
Bag: *emera

Ridiculously greasy hair compliments of a full day of work. ;)

The post from the other week of Lavender and her cousin on the tire swing was but only a small taste of the cuteness I captured during my visit. I’ve known her parents since I was 19, so I’m hoping that makes it at least 1% less creepy that I’m totally obsessed with this child.

Seriously, someone needs to write a children’s book about this cutie!

Speaking of marriage! Chris and I just celebrated our fourth year of being husband and wife. We went out to eat at ¡Oba! in the NW last night, and though I started feeling crummy not even halfway through the dinner, we still managed to have a good time.

Apparently, every Sunday and Monday night, all bottles of wine are half priced with the order of an entree. We took this as an opportunity to try a Tempranillo (Tinto Pesquera 2006, it is delish) since ¡Oba! is a nuevo Latino restaurant. Our server was more than happy to re-cork the half-finished bottle for us to take home, too, which was very nice.

Happy Anniversary, Chris. :)

Lizzie & Eric’s wedding was one of the best I’ve ever been to… And I’m not just saying that because they had a chocolate fountain and a fruit mountain, or because that rhymes, or because “wedding in Redding” rhymes, either.

It was the “we just want everyone to have fun” kind of celebration, complete with opera-themed table arrangements, ridiculously good karaoke (including an opening performance of “Umbrella” by the bride and groom) and, oh yeah– that good ol’ Redding heat!

The family photos were my favorite. In lieu of displaying photos of the bride and groom they had a table full of past generations’ memorable moments. Very sweet.

For a dork like me, the temptation at weddings to take pictures of people taking pictures is absolutely irresistible.

Speaking of irresistible…

Other memorable karaoke performances include Don’t Stop Believin’, Wannabe, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and my personal favorite, Love Shack. The brother to the bride does an unbelievable Fred Schneider impression.

Congrats, you two!

Despite being in the loving arms (and paws) of Chris and Felix, I find myself already missing California! My trip went by way too fast, and now I’m back in the grind of being a second rate barista by day and obsessive photo editor by night.

I still have plenty left to process from the wedding, which I’ll post some highlights from when they’re finished, but I wanted to give a quick taste of another session I can’t wait to share: Jillian and her pup, Sir Didymus, at the Little Yellow Door (which also happens to be the namesake of her Etsy shop!).

Yes, I made friends with a dog. :P

My first day in Redding I went to a baby shower for my former room mate, Christina, who’s less than 2 weeks from her due date. Despite the adults outnumbering the children, there wasn’t a single conversation that wasn’t overshadowed by the rampage of giggles (and Jedi mind tricks) from the little ones.

Lavender is Christina and Jim’s first born. She wins the award for biggest ham of the evening.

And Jim gets the award for best dad / uncle of the evening… Or maybe just the only one with enough stamina to keep up with the kiddos.

One of the best things about staying at my MIL’s is the abundance of cats keeping me company until I can get back to my sweet Felix next week.

This is Tom– I’ve blogged about him before. He yawned more times than I could count (or shoot) when we were hanging out in the back yard yesterday afternoon. Heck, I’d be tired, too, if I was as old as this geezer!

Happy Caturday!