The French Laundry

While eating this meal the afternoon of our 1st anniversary, we both wondered aloud whether this was better than our actual wedding day....

I won't bore you with every detail of our experience at French Laundry (since I already bombarded you with image overload).....but know this....we had no regrets. It lived up to all the hype.

The service was amazing and we pretty much ate in a private room, next to a huge window overlooking their gardens and vineyards for most of our meal.

They do drink pairings with every course and we requested non-alcoholic, non-carbonated drinks so they just whipped up some amazing juices on the spot for us:

- Juniper Lime Juice - Green Apple, Ginger & Lime Juice - Orange, Vanilla Bean w Cream Juice - Homemade Ice cream Root Beer Float

These drinks were so good...they might have been our favorite part.

We were served about 13 courses and ate for a mere 4 hours. (You can right click on the menu to read every course.)

I can't stop smiling when I think about it. I was in foodie heaven.

Bouchon Bakery or Bread Heaven

(THE Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, CA)

One more confession before I turn you free to the weekend:

Bread. I love it.

I said it! You heard it! I mean it!

Here's to flaky buttery morsels of heaven...and to the weekend (being sick makes you think the week will never end).

I'm shooting a beautiful wedding in Newport Beach tomorrow. Wedding season has begun. AHHHHH!!!

Ad Hoc

We started off our anniversary weekend in Napa by eating our first night at Ad Hoc. It turned out to be one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten (I'm 31. I've eaten a lot of meals). Everything was perfectly seasoned, the meal was so well balanced with sweet, salty, sour...the textures, the smells...a different drink pairing with every entree. We just keep looking at each other wondering how French Laundry the next night would ever live up to this....expectations were high. We were full and happy. A little too happy. When you eat at Ad Hoc, you are proud to be a pig.

The ONLY thing about it..was the fact that we hadn't eaten really any animal products for a couple months...We aren't against eating meat, just all the issues meat eating causes. So we did feel a little conflicted. We aren't perfect so we decided to shove our guilt around to make room for pork cooked 3 ways. Once home we were back to our meatless ways. My conscious makes me confess things I'm sure none of you really care to hear...but my blog, my mindless ramblings, so my confessional.

The menu for March 6, 2010 (they serve one 4 course meal an evening):

Endive & Arugula Salad- maldon flatbread, easter egg, icicle, watermelon radish, smoked trout w/roe, black pepper goat cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin- grilled scallions, savoy cabbage, burnt orange, buttered barley, crisp belly, slow cooked shoulder, steamed broccolini and white kohlrabi Achandinha Dairy Co.'s Capricious- pink lady apples, medjool dates, toasted pine nuts, marshall's farm honey Pineapple Tart- spiced caramel and cinnamon chantilly

It was as good as it sounds.

I wish I was there right now.

The Gibbs Family

Taking photographs of a 2yr old and 8month old is one of the most exhausting and rewarding experiences. If you've photographed a 2yr old, you know what I'm talking about. The energy level of both the kids and parents astounds me. It's the magic of young families.

Color Me Katie

http://www.babelgum.com/embed/3020170 I am a little bit in love with her.

This video made me so happy and inspired. I love making connections with strangers..helping you realize you aren't strangers at all.

I think Katie has inspired me to continue my "strangers on airplanes" portraits (seen here and here). These are the types of interactions with photography that I truly love.

Here's to a weekend of chance encounters and creative ideas.

Paris

All taken with my 330 land camera on 690 iso 100 polaroid film.

I shot right around 100 instant images while across the sea. It was fun. It feels good to hold prints seconds after they're taken.

Volcanos & Stuff

Yesterday we flew from Amsterdam to LA right over Iceland. Part of me wondered if that was the best idea, but KLM wasn't sweating it so neither was I.

Kind of bugged we were able to fly home on our original flight. Being stranded in Europe sounded pretty dramatic and part of me really wanted to take a train to Spain. BUT home we are and I am ready to make up for blog time lost.

I have to admit, I kind of missed you internet.

**(So...I guess I was mistaken and we DIDN'T fly over Iceland. We flew over Greenland which makes way more sense. I was too busy watching movies to pay close enough attention.)

Motion

We are off on our European adventure with a new friend...A Canon 310XL super 8 camera. Grant found this baby and we are excited to test our skills at movie making.

I have pre- blogged and maybe if I'm lucky I'll find time to share some stuff while we are on the road. xo.

Campbell

You know those times when you have to leave a shoot and you seriously consider kidnapping? I mean only one!...or two...OK...three at the most. Lucky for them I walked away empty handed...this time. Be careful if you ever invite me back. When we become parents, somebody please send duplicates of these kids.

Campbell will be pampered, loved and fiercely protected by an army. This I know.

Welcome to the world little one.

Featured on Design Sponge!

I am so honored to have our humble home featured on one of my favorite sites, Design Sponge.

For years I have been bookmarking inspiration I find on their site and in their sneak peak section of artists homes...and somehow our chicken wire found a way in.

Thanks to Amy and the whole Design Sponge team for supporting my photography and for asking the little blue house to grace your royal web space.

Read the article and see more photos here.

What a great start to my week!

Houston

I thought a newborn shoot was a fitting post before Easter weekend. Nothing says "newness" and spring like a week old baby.

He was a gift to shoot. He was sweet and full of innocence. There is no question in my mind that this family was meant to be.

Happy first Easter Houston.

(and thank you for rockin the faux hawk. xo.)