Wake up!

The only good thing about not having summer vacation, is not having a date that summer ends. Going back to school was always the end of summer, even if the weather was still hot. For the time being in my life, summer ends when it will. And although we haven’t done much traveling this summer, or this year for that matter, we have had a welcome stream of visitors filling our tiny apartment with good company and breaking us free from the normal routines. And to me, going out of the norm is the most important part of summer.

My mom was our most recent visitor. She was here for 10 days and we spent our afternoons together doing projects, walking the dog, and baking, just like we would if we weren’t separated by 2,800 miles. On this afternoon, we went to Half Moon Bay and did the afternoon stroll and shopping essential to every mother daughter visit.

When we got to the beach, there was no one around to take our picture, so this is what we got.

The fixin’s for a fabulous birthday cake for my very old brother.

But first comes the birthday dinner.

And then the cake. He at least seems amused by the glow of so many birthday candles. I wouldn’t be.

And just like that, 10 days were over, and everything is back to being normal, if not a little lonely.

To describe Debbie as happy on her wedding day would be an understatement; Debbie was glowing. However, after seeing how her friends and family adore her, I think it’s fair to say that Debbie has an inner light that shines bright every day. I had the privilege of second shooting this beautiful celebration with my good friend and talented photographer Jill Doherty. Please visit Jill’s blog to see her photographs from this blissful wedding day.

It’s so sweet when both mom and dad get to walk the bride down the aisle.

Cheers to a long and happy life together!

Everyone, meet Brian. I know it’s easy to get distracted by his good looks and that almost visible sparkle beaming from his smile, but spend just one minute in Brian’s company and you will quickly learn that his best quality is his charming personality. The short time we spent together was long enough to discover that Brian is an intelligent, funny, and talented guy. He is a real estate agent and definitely the person I’d like to have on my side while blundering through the potentially intimidating feat of buying a home (especially in the Bay area). It was a pleasure to meet Brian and get him a few photos to use for his advertising.

If you do happen to be house hunting in this neck of the woods, check out his website here or his Facebook page here.