^ at one of the wineries we stopped at






my mom came to visit this week! it was so fun spending time with her. one of the days she was here we drove out to the wine country to visit sonoma and napa valley. the vineyards were so beautiful and the drive out and back was scenic. i must say, when you don't drink wine, it's not as entertaining to visit the wineries but we enjoyed our time walking around and buying a postcard :) this was one of those trips where i'd say "it was about the journey, not the destination." especially when we stopped in davis on our way to grab ourselves some delicious crepes and breakfast from crepeville. i highly recommend going there! sooo delicious. 

after church and enjoying a lovely lunch date with friends, we decided to take a sunday drive. we started at the river and found an awesome spot to watch all the people on boats and jet skis (now we totally want to rent one and go out together!) it was so hot outside and it doesn't help that our AC in the car is broken (!!!) but we drove around with the windows down and enjoyed exploring. we somehow made our way to the capitol building and walked around there...

we're almost to our 1st anniversary (next month!) and i'm still learning so much about kevin. i love that! people are always changing so it's a great experience that we can grow and learn together. the other night while waiting for kevin to get home from work, i started watching the movie, back to the future. i hadn't seen it in years. when kevin came home, he said "this was one of my favorite movies growing up!" then last night we finished the movie together and that's when i also learned that because of that movie, when the main character plays guitar and sings at the dance, that is when kevin was inspired to play guitar and sing. how cool is that? i've always known about his hobbies, but it was so fun seeing a little bit of his childhood and how a dream was inspired.

from that little experience, it has inspired me to always be looking for more ways to get to know my husband. this makes me thrilled to visit poland next month and learn more about his life when he spent 2 years living there -- learning polish, teaching people about Christ, creating memories and touching peoples' lives. 

last weekend we finally took a little trip to the drive-in! our first attempt to the drive-in a few weeks ago ended up with us turning right around since the freeway exit was so backed up because of how busy it was (!!!) this time we made sure to arrive extra early to grab ourselves a good spot. we went with some friends of ours. i must say, the getting there early part really helped out! we got a great view of the screen, second row back. and you know what movie we watched? despicable me 2! kevin isn't a huge fan of animated movies, he'd rather not pay to see one in theaters. me on the other hand? i love animated movies! our friends next to us could hear me laughing the whole time from inside their car... :)  

lately i've been doing some styled photo shoots on the side to really to expand my portfolio and not have the stress of a paid shoot. getting creative and making a photo a piece of art is what photography is all about! when i do styled shoots, i keep in mind the details and i plan ahead the style and mood i am going for.

here's some tips from the top of my head to help you out --

1. find a model that fits the style you are going for. this is crucial! get out there and ask friends of friends if you have to. for the most part, people are flattered to be asked to model and are more than willing to help.
2. network with others (ex: florists, hair stylists, photographers, etc.) remember to credit their work when you feature your images. doing a styled shoot together through networking is also a great way to get yourself out there, as always.
3. plan ahead + define the style. i brainstorm some ideas of photos i want based on the location, model and style. you have to know what kind of style you are going for... it's a styled photo shoot! inform your model of the style so they are prepared. ask if they have any clothes that match that style as well. if not, usually i have something in my wardrobe that fits and i'll use that if needed.

happy friday!

-- if you have any more questions about doing a styled photo shoot, i will gladly respond in the comments below!

we celebrated the 4th of july swimming in the 100+ degree heat, stuffing our faces with delicious food and spending time with all our friends. simply put-- it was a very fun holiday spent! the photos say it all. i hope everyone enjoyed time with their family and friends and their day off.

p.s. it's the last week to enter the mid-summer giveaway!!

and i couldn't resist snapping a few photos of us on the instax! note to self: buy more film.
 
since kevin is incredibly busy every day leading his sales team and out knocking doors until 9pm every night, we rarely get time for us during the week. so finally, a date night happened on saturday! we went out to dinner at chili's (honestly, not my favorite and don't think i'll be going there again). we talked about our future and what's in store. we reminisced about our very first date almost 2 years ago and shared our first impressions we had about each other. (our first date was at a haunted house and our second date he took me out to red robin for my birthday!)
our date night was quick since he got off work late, so after dinner we decided to go home, sit in bed and eat ice cream. :) i shared with him my new favorite ben&jerry's ice cream called the Americone Dream. you gotta try it!