And now ….. (drumroll please) …… my photos of Katie and Joe’s wedding ….
Yes, I was IN the wedding, but in between my ‘job’ and with the help of Andrew (and Daniel) I was able to get some FUN fun photos of K&J’s wedding ….

(photo below by Andrew)

(photo below by Andrew)

(photo below by Edmund)

Love you guys!!!

Andrew and I are in love.
And people who are in love get photos taken together.
We’ve decided to get a professional portrait session done every 5 years (or more often if we can afford it).
SO! Since our 5th wedding anniversary is in November, and since Jamie Delaine was in town to photograph Kaitlin’s wedding ….
Last week Andrew and I got all gussied up and drove down to the LA Central Library to get pictures taken ….
And I LOVE them….
For reals, y’all.
I don’t often like photos of me, but I feel really …

Happy wedding day to Kaitlin and Joe!

Getting married this afternoon at 4p …. photos to come!

Ok, not *technically* the Beatles ….
Although, they DID perform at the Hollywood Bowl (waaay back in 1964-5 I think) …. And recorded an album (The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl)
(video below … blame the poor sound quality on the legions of crazy fans)

Last Saturday, we ALSO saw the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl – or, rather, a Beatles tribute concert ….
My parents, grandmother and great-aunt all came out from Phoenix for the weekend to attend the Hollywood Bowl. Also along for the ride, my uncle/aunt/kids who live in Santa Clarita …

It’s no big secret that I love musicals.
With all my heart.
Last year I got to go to 2 (TWO) musicals at Pantages — because Julie wanted to go and needed a date, I guess
Then, for Christmas she gave me a gift certificate for the Pantages.
And I hyperventilated a little bit…..
And then strategically planned how I was going to get to see one of my top choices on a weekend (since I work nights) that Andrew could also go.
No small feat, I assure you.

But !!  We did it!
In the …

I lived in Santa Clarita for something like 16 or 17 years and I never ever went to the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival (formerly the ‘Cowboy Poetry Festival’) …. but as soon as we move to Encino, there we were. back in SCV!
Every April for a full weekend the city of Santa Clarita puts on their Cowboy Festival.
It reminded me of the Renaissance Faire … but for the ‘old west’ ….
For the last decade or so, the festival has been held at Melody Ranch, an old movie studio deep in …

I am so excited to announce the launch of my newest website and venture : Lemon and Raspberry!
Lemon and Raspberry is a website/blog that will be updated regularly (daily, possibly) on a variety of topics that fall under the umbrella of arts, crafts, inspiration and photography.
I have a lot of fun things planned – included DIY projects, photography lessons, online chats, blogging resources and maybe even an etsy site with some handmade creations.
I’d love if you joined me over there every day and your feedback is most welcome….
ALSO :
In honor …

The Sistine Chapel was …. sigh. Just fantastic.
Seriously.
We watched Angels and Demons recently … and all I could think about afterward was “I can’t believe I’ve been there”
One of the stories – as told to us by Jimmy, our incredibly adorable Angel Tours guide – is that in the early early 1900s there was a little boy who wanted to be an artist. He had heard about the Sistine Chapel and lived his whole life waiting to see it. Learning about Michelangelo’s amazing work is what helped spur this …

In a word : awe-inspiring
St. Peter’s square is basically the home of the Vatican. Roughly.
This is the street leading into the Vatican city, with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica directly ahead …

Also – lots of nuns !!

me! in St. Peter’s Square!

From Rick Steves:

St. Peter’s Square, with its ring of columns, symbolizes the arms of the church welcoming everyone – believers and non-believers – with its motherly embrace. Numbers first : 284 columns, 56 feet high, in stern Doric style. Topping them are Bernini’s 140 favorite saints, each 10 feet …

Are you tired of hearing about Rick Steves? Sorry. This post is about how we got to see Rick Steves speak for 2 hours at the L.A. Times Travel Show.
Here’s what I love about Rick Steves:

He’s smart.
He’s opinionated.
He’s not afraid to say what he REALLY thinks (even if it offends potential customers) {which actually makes good business sense}

Love it.
I’ve listened to a couple years of archives of his weekly podcasts (until tragedy struck), so I’m familiar with a lot of his talking points.
But that sure doesn’t compare to seeing him …

You turn the corner, and walk into the hallway where you know he is.
Your expectations are high, but you try to temper your excitement so you’re not too let down. Just in case.
You try to avoid looking up to save the moment as long as possible but it’s too hard.
You know that the place is packed all because of him. You’re elbow to elbow with other camera-toting-but-not-allowed-to-take-pictures tourists all facing and moving toward one end of the room.
Finally, unable to postpone the moment you look up. Past all the heads. …

Um – in case I didn’t make it clear – the ENTIRE reason we were able to go to Italy last October was because a certain special best-friend-of-mine got MARRIED and wanted me to be there.
Ok, wanted me to photograph. Only a slight difference.
The amazing thing for me about shooting this wedding (you know, besides the fact that the bride was someone I have been friends with for something ridiculous like over a decade) was that we were all staying in the same bed and breakfast.
That means breakfast together, that …

One of my absolutely FAVORITE parts of our whole Italy trip was this lunch – arranged by Accidental Tourist as part of our day-long Tuscany excursion.
Homemade lunch. In a Tuscan private home. In the kitchen/dining area where this sweet woman entertains her own friends and family.
It was magical ….
A couple shots below of the home ….. the steps lead up to the main floor (I think the floor below is where the same company hosts cooking classes)

I couldn’t even tell you all the different dishes we were served ….
But we …

(I know it seems like a long time ago, but when we left off on our Italy trip, it was the middle of Tuesday, we were at Villa Gondi learning how they make olive oil and now wine) ….
Yes, in addition to learning about how they make olive oil, we toured the facilities of how/where they make wine. In Tuscany. Italy.
*swoon*
After learning about the olive oil equipment and steps … we ended up on the ground floor, and Steve opened this (big) door to lead us back to where the …