we've loved living in california this summer! i don't know if we'll ever live in california again (but who knows right?!). i've enjoyed getting to know the sacramento area along with oakland / san fransisco. i loved that i could wake up every morning and know that it will be sunny and warm because you don't get that reassuring feeling living in seattle! ;) we're off to our next adventure that just so happens to be GOING TO EUROPE! i've never been, so i seriously cannot wait! i'll definitely be posting many many photos from our trip.

i can't believe a year has passed that i've been married to this wonderful man. i don't know how i got so lucky, but he never ceases to surprise me all the time. we've learned so much about each other over the past year and i can't wait to get to know him even more over the years to come. it's amazing how you think you can love someone so much but it just keeps growing deeper :)

happy one year kevin! i love you with all my heart.

xoxo andrea

i've tried several different face soaps and lotions to help my skin. i've had this constant battle with acne over the years and i've felt like nothing has really helped. this summer i've tried my best to avoid wearing foundation or powder in hopes that my skin would clear up... which didn't really help. on the other hand, in just the short amount of time that i've decided to go natural by changing my make-up to a more "clean" brand and using oils as face cleanser (+ moisturizer!) i've noticed a big difference! the redness in my skin has calmed down and i haven't been totally breaking out lately. hallelujah!
i actually gave away the cetafil face cleanser that i've been using for yearrsss and decided to try out my own homemade face wash. luckily i had 2 of the 3 ingredients at home, so it was an easy task.


  

just letting you know that i'm featured on The Secret Life of Bee blog today for the Read My Lips feature! i've followed Bri's blog for quite some time now and love all the images she posts of her adorable house decor along with her outfit posts.  Check it out here. thanks bri!

while i was visiting home in seattle this past week, my mom recommended the book No More Dirty Looks. it's all about the truth behind beauty products and how you can learn to read the ingredients and choose your products more wisely. just like reading the labels of your food items, we should be doing the same with all the products we use on our body. reading this book has been such an eye-opening experience for me, kind of in a scary way (!!!) about how much we trust the products to be okay for our bodies, when really they are packed full of toxins. shampoos, body wash, all kinds of make-up, you name it! we should especially be aware of the products we use on a daily basis. scary huh? if you're looking for an end-of-the-summer read, i definitely recommend it. disclaimer: be ready to make some lifestyle changes once starting the book. you won't be able to resist.

so, naturally, i picked up my make-up bag and started throwing away the foundation i've used for years and any old make-up as well (it was time for me to clean out my make-up bag anyways). since my parents started using baking soda as their shampoo and apple cider vinegar for their conditioner already, i went cold turkey and started it too. i was so surprised how soft my hair was afterward!! it felt clean and so soft AND i didn't have to wash my hair for a couple days (whatt??) personally, my hair didn't get as greasy fast but it may for some people depending on your hair type.

just like changing your food lifestyle to be healthier and more natural, why not change what you are putting on your face and body? i've decided that it's totally worth making little changes in our lives to live more naturally and it's way easier than you might think. it's especially been on my mind lately thinking about how i want to raise our future children so that they are healthy and happy. which means that it's time to change my habits now!

i think the best time to fly is during "magic hour." on my flight to seattle, we were chasing the sunset the whole way north. luckily i picked a seat by the window (like always) and got to watch the sun slowly set from above. the vibrant warm colors mixed with the purples and blues were breath taking! these photos don't even do justice for how stunning it was. don't you hate that when the photo doesn't quite show how beautiful sunsets really are? especially when you're looking out an airplane window with scratches all over it and the plane's wing is in the way. hmm... maybe flying back i'll get lucky.

last weekend i was in utah for photographing two weddings! it was a hectic but super fun weekend. we road tripped back to california, bringing my best friend keri along with us. we ended her stay here by visiting the beautiful san francisco! because you can't come to sacramento and not go to san fran, duh. (or because conveniently she was flying out of oakland. that too...) so to document our time there, we brought along my instax and took a lot of polaroids!