E-session: Chad + Danielle

Danielle and Chad are such a funny and loving couple! They met 7 years ago and have been inseparable, it is so sweet to see them together, they compliment each other so well and what is even more special is that Danielle and Chad are getting married on their 8th anniversary in September and I'm so excited to be a part of their special day!

I have known Danielle since we were kiddos back in elementary school, we grew up in a tight-knit, farming and dairy community in California and I got to know Chad during our session. They have such a lovely engagement story, Chad took Danielle to Catalina Island a couple of months back and proposed at the top of mountain during the sunset!!

We had so much fun during our session, laughed a ton, Chad brought his guitar to include in the session (which was my favorite part!) and he was also our background music guy. Below are my faves from the session, looking forward to your wedding Chad and Danielle!

College Days: James Graduates!

I am so excited to share this blog post with you!  A few weeks back I took a trip to Southern California to attend James' graduation from Whittier College and it was such a fun-filled weekend! James is dating my lovely sister Andy and he invited us to join him for his graduation. We went to Downtown Disney, since we were so close, spent time with James and his family, met his wonderful grandparents who flew in from New Mexico and just had a really great time celebrating his accomplishments!

A litttle about James: He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics (which I think is really awesome because I am not too great in that department), he is super witty, is passionate about growing as a Christian, loves his family and Andy, is an extremely gifted student and football player, oh and did I mention he is my birthday twin?? Major awesome points right there, haha! It has been so great getting to know James over the past year, traveling with him, cracking jokes whenever we all get together and enjoying lots of great food (it's all about the food with us).

On our last day in Whittier, after helping James pack his things to move back home, he gave us a really special tour of his college, he showed us where he studied and tutored fellow peers, where students lived on campus, and various other spots that hold a special place in his heart. For me, as a first time visitor, Whittier has such a rich history and culture that makes me reminisce my days in college and how passionate I am about higher education. It is a private liberal arts college, much different than the state college I attended, yet retained its original values of "knowledge and academic innovation" rooted back to its Quaker founder John Greenleaf.

James told us a little about the college as we strolled through the grassy knolls, Whittier is the sister college to Princeton University, former President Richard Nixon was a student there, the gym on campus was used in the film trilogy "Back to the Future", their rival school is Occidental College, and how diversity has helped perpetuate the school's mission.

We had such a fun time on our tour of Whittier College, congratulations James on your accomplishments thus far, I know you are destined for success in the future!














Center of Academic Success, where James spent many hours studying and tutoring




Gym where Back to Future was filmed, this building is now the Art Department


Murals on one of the dorm walls





The Whittier College Student Center

One last shot of us on the campus

Some snaps from the graduation the morning prior, so proud of James!

Cris + Sam

A couple of weeks back, Cris, Sam and myself traveled to Monterey for a special shoot. They were celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a photo session because they have never had pictures done together, they have candids or individuals of each other, so this was a special time for them.

I have known Cris and Sam for many years, Cris and I are a part of our church music/praise team together (she is a fantastic singer!!) and we've gotten to know each other through various bible studies. She has such a heart for people and God, it's inspiring and she loves her husband to pieces! It's so awesome! Sam is a wonderful guy, very caring, funny and he is totally in love with Cris and it is so sweet how they are when they spend time together. Their love for each definitely showed throughout their shoot, I loved it!

We had a blast, laughed A LOT, talked about food, ate a fabulous lunch together and enjoyed the gorgeous day in Monterey! Enjoy my faves from the day!