zak!

On my trip to Minneapolis I visited my most FAVORITE boutique, Patina. They always have the greatest finds, including this lovely red strainer which is perfect for fruits & veggies that are fresh from the garden.
image from Zak!Designs

brand new babe.

Baby G is already a few months old (these were taken just before 2 weeks). The time has flown! She was so teeny tiny.

bulldog.

Today is my first day as Bulldog! I'm not sure yet whether I'm more crazy or excited!

handels.

Is delicious! We're a little addicted. So far I've tried peppermint stick, chocolate raspberry truffle, and turtle. Ice cream goes really well with convertable rides on warm summer evenings!

the generations.

And here are the folks who started it all...with the next generation! I adore my grandparents and LOVE that they were so excited to help plan this reunion weekend with us all. We had a great time participating in a murder mystery dinner, 4th of July parade, St. Joe Bazzaar, and lots and lots of laughing & games. (Click image for larger view)

the youngest.

Remember that stellar photography from the last post? Credit is due to the fatherly figure in this next post! In this family shoot we even snuck in a few senior portraits for my cousin.

mi familia.

It's rare that my family actually gets a picture together since I'm always the one behind the lens. I can't take credit for these since I'm obviously NOT behind the lens...thanks Uncle Mark!

number 2.

You can tell these guys took a LOT of family pictures over the years. Check out the symmetrical arm positions, the tilted heads, and I didn't even TELL them to do that! Even baby E knew the drill!

the eldest.

The next batch of posts is a peek into my own family. I was able to capture some quick family portraits during our reunion over July 4th. This is just part one of many...so here comes the marathon of posts!

It's a MIRACLE we got this shot with such an active little guy, and let's be honest, a bunch of goofy grown ups!

the rest of SF.

Besides the food, we had a great time exploring SF as temporary residents. Our friends J & C came down for the weekend and we explored the wharf and enjoyed the Saturday day morning Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building. We also got together for dinner with N & L!


Some of the highlights include SURPRISE tickets to Wicked and an impromptu trolley ride back from church on Sunday.


Check out this great skyline shot I got on the way home when I flew over LA. The sun was just starting to set, but it was a little smoggy.

foodie.

My friend Bob is a foodie, and I just spent 2 weeks in "his" city (San Francisco) for work. The goal was to never eat at the same restaurant twice. I nearly succeeded, with a few exceptions during the noon hour. The most interesting cuisine featured an actual sea urchin stew served in the shell-it was purple! (Anchor & Hope)


Here's a list of the places we hit.

1. Anchor and Hope
2. The Daily Grill
3. Wipeout Bar & Grill
4. McCormick & Schmick's
5. The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
6. O-Zone Thai Restaurant
7. Don Ramon's
8. Maya Restaurant
9. Boudin Bakery
10. Nova Bar & Restaurant
11. Jillian's
12. Local Kitchen
13. My boss' house (does that count?!).

My one regret, I was steps away from the Giant's stadium and we didn't make it to a game. Next time!

pola.

Need me one of these for my upcoming travels!

image from amazon.com

a perfect summer surprise.

While in Minnesota visiting family, we had some extra time to kill so we hit the Como Zoo. Just moments after we entered the gates, we came across the butterfly tent. Normally I wouldn't splurge on something so frivolous (at the MN State Fair they charge at least $20 a head for those gimmicks) BUT...the wonderful thing about the Como Zoo is that it is FREE! I just had to walk through or I'd never live it down, so we waited in the short line. I was a little nervous because I'm not really a bug person, but my curiosity won out. Boy am I glad we did this! (And for the record, we DID leave a donation. I'm not that cheap!)

There were so many different varieties, and the colors were so vibrant! One landed on my hand, but flew away before I could snap a picture.

guiness book of world records.

Found in the wilds of Indiana!

missing out.

My family is having a mini-reunion this week in MN because my great uncle is in town from Chile (he's the little fella in the picture). I wish I was there!

st. elmo's.

Last night we enjoyed St Elmo's as part of Devour Downtown. We found out it's the oldest restaurant in the city, and with good reason-it was SO delish! We had:

• shrimp cocktail with fire sauce (pictured below) & house salad with blue cheese dressing
• fillet mignon (AMAZING!) & grilled salmon (so tender)
• creme brulee & cheesecake

We are DEFINITELY going back. I'd venture to say it's the best restaurant we've been to in Indy!


image from wouldibuyitagain.com

back on the horse.

So, you've noticed... I stopped blogging! There are many reasons for this. In a nutshell I had other priorities including training for a half marathon, applying to graduate school and studying for the GMAT, and some extra travel for work (and play).

Although I haven't been posting, I actually have been taking pictures. I just wrapped up some fabulous trips to LA, MN, MI, and SF that I am really looking forward to sharing. I also did some portraits of a brand new babe and of my very own extended family.

To get back into the swing of things, here are some lovely peonies that I purchased at the farmer's market for a whopping deal of $5.

happy anniversary...

...dear husby! I'm a bit late-it was 3 years on the 27th of last month. For whatever reason, he loves this picture. I do not, but this post is for him, right?!