Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Portrait of a Weekend

IMG_4542

IMG_4536

IMG_4535

Listening to our friends Matt and Joey play music at Aubergine in Sebastopol on a Saturday afternoon. A functioning disco ball and wall of hearts in the bathroom, blocks at the bar... my kind of establishment! Not to mention, this bar/cafe/music venue, also happens to be a vintage emporium. Seriously. I'm not making this up.

IMG_4746

IMG_4769

Followed by a jaunt out to our friends, Jeff and Lily's, property for a fun-filled BBQ. We got to enjoy some gorgeous west county views before that big wall of coastal fog enveloped us completely.

IMG_4743

IMG_4547

Their beautiful property came with a funky little A-frame house in need of much TLC. With the help of skilled friends, it's now gutted and on its way to becoming a magical little home for them and their sweet baby girl. So excited to see how it all turns out!

IMG_4783-1

Sunday lovely Sunday, in a little white dress I thrifted some time back. I think a simple white dress with just enough subtle detail can make for the perfect summer uniform.

IMG_4570

IMG_4577

With Clover and her buddy Finn packed in their strollers, my friend Angelina (who is also conveniently my next door neighbor) and I set off on a short walk to a lovely little backyard concert around the way.

IMG_4579

IMG_4601-1

With festive cloth buntings overhead, fresh straw underfoot, and cold beer in our cups, some of Santa Rosa's finest local musicians wove sweet melodies through the sun-dappled garden. Heavenly.

IMG_4599

IMG_4581

♥♥♥

IMG_4607

IMG_4608

IMG_4584

The kiddos had a blast too :)


Loved these ladies and Clover's little happy dance about 25 seconds in.

IMG_4756

IMG_4712

Later that evening at our friend Erin's going away party. Soon to be off gallivanting through Europe for 9 months or something crazy like that. Lucky girl, we wish you many happy adventures!

IMG_4634

IMG_4729

Luis, Joey, and Mike supplied the tunes and, as you can see, there were some tiny dancers, as well.

IMG_4714

IMG_4745

Shiny happy people laughing :)

IMG_4781

As the sun descended, I took a walk out into the field beyond the gate.

IMG_4647

Where I paid a visit to some very friendly goat neighbors.

IMG_4659-1

Field of feathery grasses and delicate wildflowers + golden hour = photoshoot time! Julia is just one of those people. It's pretty much impossible to take a bad picture of her.

IMG_4707

IMG_4691

I got so many wonderful shots of Lily and her daughter Mesa too. The one above where Mesa is looking into the camera is my favorite, so precious!

IMG_4676

IMG_4679

I really love the hemline of this dress, and my Violet Folklore moccs too!

IMG_4682

Swooning over my new Lost Boys and Lovers crystal bullet necklace from the beautiful and talented Miss Sadie Rose!

Sadie and I did a package swap and I was so excited to find this gorgeous piece tucked inside... needless to say, since its arrival, this necklace has been spending some serious time around my neck.

IMG_4668-1

This particular weekend was the weekend before last. Last weekend was pretty mellow, giving us time to chill out around the homestead and recharge, for there lies another crazy weekend ahead!

A friend playing music Friday night, the Petaluma Rivertown Revival on Saturday (you may recall last year's event), possibly more live art and music Saturday night, and then the Sonoma County fair with friends on Sunday... oh man, I'm getting tired just thinking about it...

IMG_4670

IMG_4614

Luckily, I'll have my crystal bullet to keep me feeling calm and grounded through it all ;)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Scenes from San Pancho (Mexico Trip, Part 1)

IMG_3845

Ok people, we’re gonna take a little trip. Finally!

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Would you believe our plane pulled up looking like this. Ha! Much to the delight of a certain three-year old awaiting her very first flight :D

IMG_3849

Appropriate reading material… check. The reason for the trip? Our good friends Luis and Julianne's wedding, yay!

IMG_3851

We happened to leave on the very morning the weather at home took a major turn for the worse. While waiting for take-off, the first raindrops began to fall. This was the beginning of what us Californians would come to call the June gloom. So the timing of our departure was perfect.

IMG_3449

We escaped just in time, to the beautiful warm sandy beaches of San Pancho, Mexico!

IMG_3456
Enjoying the first of a week's worth of spectacular sunsets.

IMG_3469

The view of our outdoor kitchen from the pool. The bride and groom so generously provided the compound where we stayed with a group of friends for the wedding. We were all pretty blown away by how awesome it was!

IMG_3476

IMG_3485

There were 8 bedrooms and each set of bedrooms had a palapa-covered kitchen/lounge area and a bathroom in the middle.

All the units surrounded a lovely grassy courtyard, perfect for Clover to run around in and a swimming pool! With all our friends inhabiting the rooms, the set-up totally made me think of Melrose Place, haha. Not so much drama though ;)

IMG_3483

Being the only kid in our group, first time in a foreign country, still adjusting to the not always comfortable heat and humidity, and three years old, Clover was pretty whiney and pouty for the first couple of days. Once she figured out how much fun that yellow floaty could be in that sparkling swimming pool though things started to turn around, thank goodness!

Shall we take a peak over that wall behind the pool?…

IMG_3471
Not bad, eh?

IMG_3489

IMG_3493

IMG_3488

My camera and I soaked up some local color while wandering the dusty cobblestone streets of this quiet beach town.

IMG_3487

This scruffy little lady had a bunch of scraggly kittens which promptly scattered and hid as I approached.

IMG_3866

Speaking of scruffy little ladies… as you can see, Clover warmed up to the place :D

IMG_3886
Most of the gang at Maria’s, our favorite breakfast spot.

IMG_3883

Home of the most amazing chocolate chocolate chip pancakes I have ever experienced! Maria must work some kind of crazy pancake magic on these things to make them surprisingly light and fluffy and not at all too sweet despite the way they appear. SO GOOOOOD.

The gang in Mexico

Now on to the BIG DAY! We took this group photo before heading off down the beach to the wedding. Poor Lucas was off on a last minute emergency Desitin run for Clover, ugh, don't ask.

IMG_3499
Not a bad spot to tie the knot, eh?

IMG_3500

IMG_3507

Luis and Julianne’s friends and family milling about in their finery before the ceremony.

IMG_3517

Clover’s finery consisted of this sweet little white dress we found at Skirt Chaser Vintage in Santa Rosa just before the trip. It has flowers and little birdies sitting atop musical notes embroidered on the bib!

IMG_3525

There was a gentle breeze and the sweet sounds of a local man and his guitar as we all gathered for the ceremony to begin.

IMG_3527

Luis was beaming as he and his dear friend Scott, who performed the ceremony, began the procession.

IMG_3531
Followed by the moms, how adorable are they?!

IMG_3535
And then came the lovely sisters and best friend of the bride.

IMG_3542

IMG_3541

Finally… Julianne, the beautiful bride herself, accompanied by her adorable nieces. She looked so radiant and quite frankly, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS in her dress. Not to mention, how amazing is that veil?!

IMG_3562

IMG_3566

IMG_3572

The ceremony was beautiful. So much joy. So much love for and between these two people. Luis and Julianne are a perfect pair. I’m so happy they found each other and so happy that we were able to take part in their special day :)

IMG_3580

IMG_3521
Family picture time! Apparently I was the only one who got the memo about the smiling.

IMG_3584

Lucas took this shot of me and Clover walking over to the reception. It’s one of my favorites. This was also my first time wearing the dress Nicole gifted to me last winter as the sundress it was truly meant to be, no layers required, yay!

IMG_3598
Photo ops before heading up to the restaurant.

IMG_3606
Our friends Ben and Julia,

IMG_3605
and Mike and Lisa. Haha, as you can see, Mike totally rocks.

IMG_3630

The décor inside the restaurant was so lovely! For Juilanne’s hen party, a couple weeks before the trip, some of us girls got together and spent an afternoon chatting, drinking wine, eating yummy food, and crafting paper tea light luminaries for the tables.

We did this at her friend’s beautiful home overlooking the picturesque valleys and rolling hills of the Healdsburg wine country, not a bad way to spend and afternoon!

IMG_3612

IMG_3634

The luminaries looked so pretty all set out on the rustic wooden tables. I loved all the mismatched chairs too. Not to mention those hanging lights which looked so cool later in the evening, just wait, you’ll see.

IMG_3644

IMG_3642

How sweet is this little kiddo table?!

IMG_3661
More beautiful friends… Erin and Wayne :)

IMG_3664

And my beautiful husband. I’m especially proud of this shot, because photos of Lucas are often more likely to result in one of these scenarios…

IMG_3964
At least you get to see one of the luminaries in action.

IMG_3668

IMG_3703

Our friends Nicole and Billy (aka The Dude) on the far side of the table.

IMG_3686

On the outdoor patio looking out at the beach. Ready to grab Clover should she try to climb through the bars, it was a long way down!

IMG_3670
Erin, Julia, and Ben looking tres chic while sipping margaritas.

IMG_3893

The bride and groom show up to join the party, hooray!

IMG_3901

IMG_3933

Sister love!

IMG_3896

IMG_3904

Hi Julianne!

IMG_3920

IMG_3911

IMG_3919

Clover took a special shine to Julia on this trip :)

IMG_3927

IMG_3983

See what I mean about the lights?

IMG_3997-1

IMG_4000-1

The happy couple during their first dance... they looked so in love.

IMG_4014

After which the band started up and it was time to dance the night away in celebration of our two wonderful friends and their future together!

Magic Moment
Oh, and did I mention the fireworks?!?! So magical.