I have spent more days than I care to remember glued to my computer, so this past Saturday Tony and I decided to trek out to Santa Barbara for a little r & r.  The moody weather was a little less than ideal, but Santa Barbara was still lovely.  The wildflower blooming en masse along the highway is a wonderful reminder that its spring.

We lined up early and reaped our rewards at La Super-Rica Taqueria, a modest little Mexican restaurant that was made famous by Julia Child.  I love the handmade tortillas.

We also went along Stearns Pier, and one must admire the sheer tenacity of this pier, which was repeatedly rebuilt despite three fires.

This little family is expecting an addition any minute now.  But in the meantime Georgia wanted to chronicle a little bit about their life before their newest little one joined them.  Our session coincided with another special occurrence, the blooming of the Japanese cherry blossoms in Lake Balboa. 

A few years ago I traveled to Washington D.C. a hair too early to witness the annual cherry blossom festival, so it was a joy to see this heady burst of blossoms all over the lake.  We had a good time tromping around enjoying the ducks (though I don't think the ducks enjoyed it as much) and the scenery.













I love little Joshua's cheerful expression sitting on the toy car.









We were trying to get Joshua to run towards the ducks, but this collected little tyke was content to admire from afar.







These are the baby's new shoes, a little large now, but he'll grow into them soon.













Though they sort of laughed at me, I think it's always good to remember the time when your kid was small enough that he could easily pass through your legs and show up triumphantly on the other side.

I met Katie and Kip about  a year and a half  ago, and they are a fun, cute couple.  I was very honored that they were game enough to be my first engagement session a year ago.  So it was really exciting to be able to witness their lovely, intimate wedding at the chic Belamar Hotel in Manhattan Beach.  Their wedding day kicked off in a way I think every wedding should... with a spa pedicure.  

The only drawback is that sandwiches and manicures don't mix.

The gorgeous couple :)

I love the vibe of the Belamar hotel, it fits their personalities perfectly.

Kip brewed beer and bottled them as favors for the wedding.  Amazing, right?

The adorable flower girl took her job very seriously.

I love their wedding party, such a fun group!

Katie and Kip are diehard USC grads and former members of the marching band, so there was no way that this night would end without a surprise appearance from the Trojan marching band.

Thanks Krissy for helping me capture the event. :)

Congratulations Katie and Kip!

Chris and Jana laugh a lot, which of course made me laugh a lot.  And if ya'll know a little bit about photography, it's really hard to shoot and laugh at the same  time.  But we managed. :)  I met this really cute couple through our mutual friend Diana, and I got to know a little bit about them over milk tea while they wiped the floor with me in a game of pool.  Regardless, they are quite fun and I was very glad for even a brief opportunity to get to hang out with them. 

They wanted to shoot their engagement at Crescent Bay park in Laguna beach, which is where Jana's parents were married.  I am pretty sure that when Jana's parents were here they didn't have these irascible two in tow.  Buster and Noah were running into the surf and were so excited over a new place and for a brief shining moment of doggie freedom (before Diana caught them).  It made shooting a little challenging, but loads of fun. :)

Inquisitive Noah kept eyeing me almost the whole shoot.  So cute.

It was definitely not what I had in mind when I told Chris and Jana to head over towards the life guard tower.  But they definitely made it their own, typical Chris and Jana-style humor. :)

Jana also brought some old albums and we re-created a few images from her parents' wedding.  

Ron and Aileen met at work.  Ron asked her out and Aileen said she didn't date people that she worked with. In about a week, Ron quit his job and started working elsewhere.  Though slightly more complicated than that (but not by much), it's one of those cute stories that make you smile.  It's definitely not hard to see the connection between these two.  They are very cute together, and we had a lot of fun trotting all over Los Angeles.  I love their style and their playfulness. :)

Aileen made these amazing letters herself in their wedding colors.

I love the Colorado street bridge, and apparently Aileen does, too!