This entry is long overdue! :)

I shot Paul and Lan's first engagement in Orange County, which you can find here.  For their second shoot, we headed up to downtown Los Angeles.  Union Station is a gorgeous, moody space with a lot of architectural details.



By the second time around, I barely had to tell them anything, they did everything all on their own.

Paul and Laurel got married on a lovely, sunny day in downtown Los Angeles.  They opted for two tea ceremonies in lieu of a wedding ceremony, with a big reception to follow.  I arrived at Laurel's house in the morning to find everything festively decorated and bustling with activity.  I love big family celebrations because of the way it pulls everyone together, and this wedding was no exception.





Even dogs get a little love on the wedding day, in the form of a matching purple lei.



Paul arrived to find a small army of Laurel's relatives blocking his entry.





He eventually managed to buy entry with a song and dance (well, maybe just a dance and a few helpful red envelopes).













Though I couldn't understand much of what was said, the sentiment was loud and clear.





The jokes also translated pretty well.

As I write this entry I am currently seated cross legged on the floor of a very empty room.  And no, it's not because we don't have furniture (nor am I neat enough to be a minimalist), but because we are moving... again.  Four moves in less than a year and a half gives a person a hearty appreciation of the concept of home.  But thankfully my current activities allow me to be blessedly mobile (now if only Tony had a job offer in Hawaii..).

I have many other images to put up soon, but in the meantime, here is one from Puerto Vallarta. 

The final leg of our trip was to Portland, Oregon.  The ride was quick and scenic, a slight detour takes you to the Mt. St. Helen's visitor center, but the volcano was shrouded in heavy fog during our visit.






Our first stop was at the lively Saturday market, one of the largest open-air crafts market in the US.  "Elephant ears" are massive, flat pieces of fried dough, ours was slathered with apple butter and cinnamon.



Yes, the weather would alternate between heavy wind, sunshine, and rain.  Hardy Portland natives just rolled with it, whereas I was constantly adding and removing layers of clothing.



That night we ate at Jake's Crawfish, which had the fattest, tastiest mussels I had ever eaten.  So often we eagerly pry open those black shells only to find tiny, wizened mussels clinging to the inside.  But it was certainly not the case this time.  I'm getting a little hungry just thinking about it.



My morning wakeup call in the form of an almond croissant and a mocha from Stumptown coffee. 



A few shots of Pittock Mansion, a chateau built by the Oregonian mogul Henry Pittock on the west hills of Portland.  Not a huge place, but richly detailed with lovely views downtown.  I saw an engagement session and a bridal shoot during the brief time I was there.  Popular. :)





I'm not quite sure if the toiletries are in keeping with the era, but I would greatly appreciate having some "fairy soap" that is "daintily scented."









Afterward, we entertained ourselves at Finnegans for some time.  Don't we look cool?





I was very tempted to buy this.



We really liked Portland City Grill for two reasons: (1) happy hour and (2) amazing views of the city.  We had the papaya, avocado, and cucumber stack, the dungeness crab & bay shrimp bruschetta, and the calamari (devoured too quickly and thus not pictured).



And for a snack?  As if we hadn't eaten enough, we stopped by a quirky little landmark, Voodoo doughnut, frequented by tourists and locals alike.  Previously I thought sweet and salty should be separate flavors, and never the twain shall meet.  But their bacon and maple doughnut cured me of that notion.





Three excellent reasons why I like OSHU (from left to right): (1) wonderful facilities, (2) amazing views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, and (3) they have their very own farmer's market.



In case you wanted to go to the Great Wall of China, this helpful post will point you the right way.  Or perhaps you'd like to go to Timbuktu?  Only 6,726 miles away...



Heading back home

My Portland entry will have to wait a little, as I wanted to upload a few pics from Paul & Lan's engagement before I went MIA for a week.

Paul and Lan are adorable, goofy people, and it was so fun to hang out with them.  We were definitely racing a bit with the sun, which set a lot more quickly than any of us expected.  But I think it was also because we got a little caught up in chatting as well. :)  Even California summers can't last forever (though it certainly feels like this heat can!).