here are sonia and george... oh and little jazzy too. :)

anyway, this week is an extra special start as i spent my weekend in phoenix for...

1. girl time.

let me say this; i have an amazing husband whom is truly my best friend (well..... most days) *wink* and two amazing kids i cannot live without *cough* (ok. again, most days) but when it comes to female relationships in my life, i cannot stress enough the importance of these bonds. i have been so blessed as i have aged with some real astonishing women and this sadly has not always been the case in my life. but what i can say is the wait has been above and beyond worth it to have such incredible women as friends now. i came home yesterday with one overly full heart. thank you ruby! :)

holy hecklesticks. this weekend we browsed an asian supermarket (my first time) and i think i died and went to heaven for a short while. it was huge! i saw vegetables i had no idea even existed. aisles and aisles of newness to feast my eyes on. i left with some amazing items and have already begun my feasting.

3. new little people.

i became an aunt to a new little guy this week. my sister-in-law and brother-in-law had a their baby, walter david doublin on friday. yay for newbie doublins! so exciting, just the thought of a whole new person experiencing life for the first time. i have seen so many past clients and friends as well share their exciting news of baby announcements and births that it has been a bit overwhelming but in the most wonderful way. ahhhh. 

4. heated seats.

so i rented this car for my road trip and i totally splurged on one that had heated seats. i twitch a little admitting this but im a sucker for those things. i rode probably the entire way with it on. here's to happy rumps!

5. radiolab.

i am a pretty hardcore this american life fan. i am even pretty convinced that my soul could shrivel up and die without this show. yeah. so radiolab is really giving it a run for its money. fan-flippin-tastic show! highly recommend! 

6. trader joe's pumpernickel pretzel sticks.

i just discovered these and i might need therapy. 

song of the week: 

plus the cherry on top was i got to work with steffer pants. thanks so much for being not only a great friend but a killer photographer to have by my side too. <3

photographer: amanda doublin

coordination: prima events

florist: jenny b

decorations: diy by adrienne and jed!

catering: 24 carrots

dj: vive entertainment

make-up: bride/adrienne

bride's hair: champions salon (michelle lattuca)

bridesmaid's hair: dolled up (sara fenn)

dress: BHLDN

shoes: vera wang

1. good deeds / paying it forward.

the older i get the more and more prevalent it is for me to do things for others. aside from sounding ridiculously cliche by stating how great it feels to do these things it really just screams out to me that it's what we should be doing. part of life. i like win/wins and this is nothing but full of pure this.

2. aquarians.

birthdays are pretty cool no? well not only did my husband gain another year in age but two brother-in-laws and a mother-in-law and a mom up next. i have a thing for aquarians.

3. boston baked beans.

well i have to put a stipulation on this one. IF they are fresh, they pretty much rock your world. 

4. gardening / farming.

so i have this deep soul desire to be a farmer. its true its true. don't laugh. i bought a homestead book, a seed sprouter, a butt load (technical term) of organic, non-gmo seeds and i have a growing list of desires. chickens, goats, a greenhouse ... yeah. now i need land. minor details. lol.

5. dorking out. 

i really stand by this. the other night i was told, "whoa, you really just let your dork fly out." damn right!!!!!! 

6. moments like these:

my daughter swears she knows how to shuffle as in .... "everyday i'm shufflin!" i say really? we refer to you tube to verify. next thing i know lmfao is shakin our butts. although i swear shufflin is just a glorified or not-so-glorified version of the running man (80's people am i right?)

ok song of the week!!!! i am dying to post this one. i have listened to it an embarrassingly amount of times in a row. enjoy!!! 

thanks michelle and justin for such a fun day!

so here's what i have for this monday:

2. documentaries.

um. i have an addiction to these. ask danny. he will even do an amazing eyeroll for you when i get the remote control in my hands. 

3. nature.

honestly i don't think there is anything that makes me smile from the depths of me that doesn't involve nature somehow. i think the absolute most joyous things in life involve being in nature. i vow to make more of this happen in my life. we have been walking our neighborhood at night with the dog and rolling our son in his new car and those few moments really make a huge difference in our well-being. feeling the breeze, seeing the stars, napping in the grass, listening to the birds .... all of it. so easily accessible too. 

4. hiking.

ok so it's a rip off of number 3 but whatcha gonna do? this is from my hike today:

5. sense of smell.

ok now obviously some smells are not as welcome as others. but the other day, i walked past a house and you know when someone's dryer has been going and you smell their dryer sheets and it wafts outside. holy crap, i LOVE that smell! oh and last night someone's steak was going on the grill. that stuff nearly alters all your dinner plans!

6. my car.

i'd have to say if i couldn't drive it would be like cutting off my right arm. it's my lifeline to my sanity. i can spend hours driving aimlessly in complete bliss. 

this monday funday's song is a great driving song. get in the car, turn this up and smile.

1. animals.

we had the opportunity to hang out with a family friend of ours at the zoo this past week. what a serious joy. even amidst sitting in the 5 traffic on a friday (omg, not the brightest idea) on the way there AND back, mind you, we strolled the place with our own animals and somehow still managed to have 2 magical hours at the zoo prior to it closing. it was cool, nearly desolate and all the animals were out and about. i've never had a better experience. we saw two baby tigers wrestling around with their mom and each other, chimpanzees being their always-funny selves and the towering giraffes.... seriously every habitat we walked up to pretty much was rummaging with the animals you were supposed to see in there AND they were actually doing more than imitating logs. how often does that happen?! it felt pretty magical. 

2. happy clients.

got this awesomeness in my mail box this week! thank you soooo much larisa and nate!!! having couples like you are really what make me love doing my job. serving people and receiving appreciation in return is the most fulfilling reward of doing this work. so thank YOU!!! xoxo

3. board games.

lately our week nights have consisted of playing apples to apples with each other as a family. danny, zoe and i laughing at how our minds work (so differently might i add) over this game is pretty fun time spent all while jax is swimming amongst the remaining cards and boy crashing into them and snow angel-ing belly down.... yep. it takes skill to play the game AND bypass toddler catastrophe which we seem to be perfecting. 

4. inside jokes. 

are these not THE BEST JOKES EVER?! they really make you feel like you have your own inner world with someone that no one else can play in. it's an intimate and fun exchange that you seem to remember in unison forever. i live for these.

5. space.

my son pointed at the sky the other night in total wonder as i explained the "moon" and "stars". these moments are those where my heart beams. not only do i share that cherished moment with my son but i always enjoy realizing how small we really are and how wonderous and grand and incomprehensible the universe really is. i can geek out here but i won't. na na na nana naaaaa! ;)-

6. being truly happy down to your gut for those you love.

i have seen some amazing things happen in the lives of people close to me lately and man it feels so damn great to see them so happy! no envy, no jealousy, no crap. just pure joy and happiness for the good that is with someone you cherish.

happy *cough* *hack* *gag* holidays. lol. kidding. seriously friends, hope you have happy hearts that extend well past the year! :) 

here's my song pick for the week. it always makes my heart happy: 

it isn't over yet. this is what makes my couples extra kick ass! 

1. imagination.

i was driving the other day and remembered being little and full of massive amounts of this stuff.  it seemed to seep from the deepest, silliest places in me. i am not sure if it's a product of having a bunch of time alone as a child or the only child syndrome (pre-brother) or maybe just a super cool imagination gene, i dunno. but anyway, i couldn't just fold clothes and put them away, i had to make an elaborate scenario in my head where laundry folding would somehow become a full blown fabric store (think joanne's) and drinking chocolate milk would have to become more grand as well... it would be some handmade exotic concoction that droves of people would line up and stumble over themselves to get a taste of. as my aunt would say, cutting a sandwich in fourths made it taste better. hey it's the little things i always say. so anyway, among some of my favorite episodes being the universal "hot lava" while jumping from bed to bed i remembered a particular gem... i used to pick the pussywillows from my step-mothers vase in her entryway and pocket my new special friends to send out on secret missions later from our car window. ahhhhh. 

2. the ability to laugh at oneself.

if i didn't possess this particular ability, i would be shriveled up and dead by now. i can think many an instance where crawling under a rock is totally an acceptable response, however, laughing at myself instead has taught me to love those idiotic things in myself that make me human. here enjoy this for example: you know how there are those women that everyone in the world points and laughs at because somehow she managed to drive off with the gas pump still attached to her tank (i know there are images that roam the internet for everyones entertainment on this exact subject). well, apparently i am that girl. oh yes. that was indeed a fun day. i blame it on the wedding i was getting ready to shoot that day. ;)

3. pop rocks.

come on children of the 80's friends... you know they are awesome.

4. sprouts.

i ordered them on my sandwich last night and trust me, finding an establishment that offers these is a hallelujah moment all on its own. 

5. embarrassing my kids.

my dad did it for me and i get the joy and pleasure of passing it on. oh lucky lucky them.

6. hair dye.

thank you god. thank you.

song of the week (enjoy!):

have a great week friends. :)

1. dancing.

my life would without-a-doubt cease to exist if i couldn't partake in this activity. i do it at my desk, as i type this, in the car and in the shower (oh jeez danny walked in on me recently with a full blown, "uhhhhh. what are you doing?!" "um. it's called dancing! mmmn kaaay?! shut the door!" :) it gets me through life. plus i have some serious killer moves, ask zoe. he he he.

2. observation.

another thing i would shrivel up and die without. i too often become overwhelmed and grin with the amazing beauty i get to observe in this life. people's little interactions in public places, gorgeous landscapes that make your heart soar when you feel lucky to be in that moment to see it, that certain look you get from your kids, the whimsical times you get to observe animals in nature (zoe and i saw a coyote driving yesterday and i sorta like to freak out over stuff like that - this includes dramatic pulling over and squealing and pointing and all that.) i too just love to chuckle at us (humans) in general. we're pretty fascinating. 

3. donuts or doughnuts? my mom always preferred dognuts but anyhoo...

danny and the kids just literally brought some home. yeah i'm smiling.

4. synchronicity.

did i say this one already? you ever experience those moments in the life that make you feel like you're in a pretty magical world. not fairies and unicorns magic but the magic of meaning. 

5. book trading.

a friend and i swapped some books to read, now i just need to get caught up and bury into them. i loved getting the package in the mail. <3

6. caffeine.

i wouldn't be smiling at all without this stuff on a regular basis. hahaha.

and song of the week! a long time favorite that makes me sway no matter whats going on when it plays...

thanks deeya and greg for making this such a fun and great session! see you guys at the wedd-ang! :)