My kind of town, Chicago....

Things will wind down today and I'm getting really excited about my visit into the city of Chicago! I've been couped up in this airport hotel for the past few days, and my good friend Laura will be picking me up today for my whirlwind adventure in the city. We're planning on just chillin' today (meeting her friends, drinkin' drinks, makin' food), and I've come up with an itinerary tomorrow:

- ride the L into the city w/ Laura, get some coffee
- bus to the Shedd Aquarium. I had no idea it was the country's (the world's?) largest aquarium. I LOVE aquariums (mostly anything that has to do with penguins)
- deep dish pizza for lunch
- head to the Art Institute of Chicago to see "American Gothic". Definitely some inspiration for Paul and I's wedding shots
-end the day with dinner w/ Laura and her gf. To bed early so I can catch my 5am shuttle to O'Hare!

Engagement sesh

Here are some of our pics. I think they turned out GREAT! Thanks so much, Rich, for coming up to the ranch and making it happen!

Memorial Day wedding prep

Practicing our poses
Paul, George (Paul's brother) and I spent our Memorial Day weekend up at Red Tail Ranch (aka my mom's house/where the wedding will be). On Saturday, the boys dug holes and worked on some plumbing stuff while my mom and I picked wildflowers and counted the number of vases I've been collecting (about 30 so far!) Sunday was another work day - Paul and I shoveled rocks for a while, trying to create a pathway in the backyard. Paul jokes that my mom's favorite form of landscaping is using rocks - and that it better not be mine! All in all it was a very fun and productive weekend (even though I came home with wicked bad allergies and poison oak). Ahh...well!

The ceremony site

Some vases

We did take a break and went on a horseback ride...

B2B

Bay to Breakers is this weekend, and I'm debating on whether to go or not. It seems like an easy decision (of COURSE I'll go, a day of fun? thousands in silly costumes, drinking heavily?) What's to decide?

well...

Paul is coming home this weekend, and though we have seen each other for the past 3 weekends in a row (a new record!), this is the only "free" weekend we have together until AUGUST. Yes, that's right, August. So, I feel like we should take advantage of doing nothing, of hanging out in Alameda and doin' our thang (morning walk to coffee/bagels, stroll to the bookstore, maybe the farmers market and the beach?)

Yeah, I think I've made a decision. For all those going to B2B, have fun for me!

E session inspiration

This is what I'm hoping our engagement photos will look like. We're taking them next week at the Ranch. Maybe with a little less seriousness and more laughter. I just like the grass and her cowboy boots :)




Photos by Danielle Fletcher. She does amazing work!

Chicago

I'm getting pretty excited about my upcoming trip to Chicago (at the end of May). I'm going for a short work meeting, but also staying a few days afterwards with my good friend Laura from college. I've been inside the Chicago airport many a-times (delayed is more the word!) but have never been out into the city itself. I'm not sure what to expect - maybe some good pizza and jazz?

A few shots...

...of John and Angi's wedding this weekend. I realized after the fact that I took, like, zero pictures. At least I got a few of the beautiful decor. Ang did such a great job decorating!

Wildflowers

I've already mentioned that I want wildflowers at my wedding, but I can't exactly grow them myself. Isn't this a great way to display the flowers? I can totally see this at my mom's property, lining the fence on the way up to the house....

from Jutilda's flickr

I know, I know!

I've been super MIA the past few weeks - first, I had an incredible 28th birthday (along with a few festivities with great friends), then a 2 day meeting at the Claremont, and this weekend was John and Angi's FANTASTIC wedding at Camp Lotus! I'll post pics soon, but let's just say that I can only hope that our wedding runs as smoothly as theirs - and that it's just as fun! It was the perfect wedding at the perfect venue...the weather was gorgeous, the food was great, and people just had so much fun! Of course it made me really excited about our wedding, but it also made me sad, because I realized just how fast everything is over - I mean, you plans months and months for this big event, and it's, like, done in 10 minutes! Ahhhh well....

Some inspiration for this Monday morning....


courtesy of Our Labor of Love