… to be in front of the camera! When my good friend, Jeanne de Polo came along with me to shoot Joel and Laura’s wedding in Twain Harte at the Lazy Z Ranch last October (more images to come from that one soon!), she “made” me agree to go to Yosemite… for my first time ever. Wow, it was spectacular. When we rounded that first bend where you can see El Capitan and Half Dome, well, I just cried. I got out of the car and didn’t bring my camera. I just wanted to feel it all around me instead of looking through a lens. When we didn’t find any deer to photograph (inside joke Stefanie…), we were forced to turn the lens on each other at the Awahnee Hotel (BTW, wouldn’t I love to photograph an Awahnee Wedding sometime!).

Had the pleasure of having dinner with great friends last night… Alex and Deanna and baby Jack. The dinner was superb – freshly made pizza with a great wine and yummy milk and cookies for dessert! It’s so amazing how much Jack has grown. I photographed him for his birth announcements when he was only 5 days old, and now at almost 9 weeks his little face has changed, and he’s even cuter! I am always after my clients to have me photograph their babies when they are newborns, and so far, no one has regretted it! Deanna and I ended up having the same doctor during our pregnancies, and have a funny story we love to tell about how we ran into each other at the medical center and were chatting for a while before we realized we actually knew each other! We are so grateful to have them in our lives!

Over the next few days I want to share some of my favorite weddings from 2007! The first one is Casie & Colin, who married on November 10, 2007 at Sts. Peter & Paul in San Francisco. The church in and of itself is one of the most beautiful in the US, but the flowers and decor designed by Leighsa Smyser, AIFD of Branch Out Flowers, made it spectacular. The reception was held at the world famous Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel on Nob Hill, and Leighsa worked her magic there as well – she is truly amazing with all things floral!! Colin & Casie sure know how to have a good time – they hired Wonderbread 5, and they got us all dancing!! Lilly, Colin’s oldest daughter sang a Journey song with the band, and brought down the house!

Happy New Year!! We have been so busy through the holiday season, and now are enjoying a welcome break! Meeting with new couples about their wedding plans and photographing new babies fill most of the days that I am not hanging out with Josh.

Josh is 10.5 months old, and is growing like a weed! He has his own website!

Speaking of websites, Mill Cottage Photography finally received a much needed update to include some new images from last year! These are a few of my favorites, and there will be more to come! Stay tuned to the blog and the website to see our exciting new portrait products.