Start living your dreams

Growing up, I never really knew what I wanted to be. Sure, I had dream careers - a teacher, an astronaut, and my favorite, a photographer for National Geographic- but when I entered college and had to think seriously about what I wanted to be, I was lost. I majored in international development studies, which allowed me to learn about world through a mix of different classes which I loved, but when I graduated I again felt lost because I didn't know what I wanted to do with that education. I went into nonprofit work, found out that it was not for me, and then jumped around for a bit trying to find myself. That's when I returned back to my originally dream of being a photographer. As I've mentioned approximately one million times on this blog, for the past year and a half I've been developing my professional photography portfolio. I've been offered unbelievable opportunities that have helped shape my view of what I want to do and who I am, and I've continually loved learning about and expanding my skills with photography. All of this to say that I am beyond thrilled to announce that I am now working full time on my photography business. It came to a point that I was overworking myself trying to build my business, plan my wedding, and work during the day, so I had to make the choice to cut something out. Since I was having to turn down photography opportunities because of my day job, it wasn't that hard to decide what to do, so I decided to take the plunge and dedicate myself toward pursuing my dreams. I always knew I wanted to be a photographer, but never thought it would actually happen. There are so many photographers out there and so many things to photograph that it's an incredibly intimidating profession. I thought that maybe when I had a family and more time I'd be able to explore photography deeper and maybe shoot family portraits or something. Never, and I mean never, did I think that I'd have a summer wedding season booked with seven weddings and constant inquiries about family shoots, portraits, interiors, and lifestyle work. It just shows how amazing it is to have a supportive and encouraging network of individuals who want to see you succeed. And I am eternally grateful for all my friends and family that have spread the word about my passion. 

Good Reads 03 // The Circle

You guys, this book. The second I picked it up I could NOT put it down. It so perfectly describes this generation of obsession with technology and social media that you'll squirm and squeal and hide in embarrassment and feel shocked and appalled and terrified with this futuristic view of social media's grasp on our society. It might be that it just hit so close to home since it's based in the Bay Area and about a twenty something woman, but still, I think almost everyone in my generation can relate to it.

Good Reads 02 // Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

When I think of a book I strongly associate the what I was feeling at that time with how I felt about the book. For example, when I think about the Harry Potter series,  I'm reminded of when I was 24 and miserable in my then job and how I used to get home, draw a bath, open a bottle of wine, and spend hours rereading my favorite childhood books, buried deep in a magical world that helped me escape the dreariness of my day. Books transport me to unknown worlds and past places, allowing me to ignite my imagination and create an alternate world with my mind.

As I confessed earlier, I'm obsessed with Mr. Penumbra's 24th-Hour Bookstore. Maybe it's the fact that it's based in San Francisco and makes me realize how cool this city really is, or the fact that it make you thing extremely hard about the relationship between modern day technology and century old written word, but pretty much any person that loves stories and books will enjoy this read. I really can't say any more than I already have because it'll just give it away, but it's a pretty easy read with relatable characters and and intriguing plot, so just do yourself a favor and put the book on hold at your closest library or order it now on amazon. Seriously.

On turning twenty six

As I mentioned in this post, the last year has been a wild and crazy ride. From quitting my job, starting a business, getting engaged, and planning a wedding, my 25th year has been one for the books. The funny thing is, I haven't really felt like a 25 year old for a long time. With starting a business comes a lot of responsibility, and in turn I've grown up and changed my lifestyle so much in the last year. There isn't even a thought in my mind on Friday nights anymore that I'll go out- weekends are booked with shoots and since I've never really been able to deal with hangovers that well, there's no question that I won't be drinking on the weekends anymore. I started taking care of my body- I've been plagued with health issues the past 5+ years and finally accepted the fact that I'm intolerant to gluten, no matter how much I try to deny it when I see an delicious pizza or cookie, and in turn I've felt so much better and have become more in tune with how and what I eat.

Jack and I spent my last day of 25 driving down the coast and exploring. We found this pollen-filled field and frolicked for a bit, enjoying each other's company and making goals for the next year. It was simply perfect.

Growing up is funny. Never in a million years did I think I'd be who or where I am today, but this past year has been such an exciting journey and I can't wait to see what 26 has in store for me.

Engagement Photos by Josh Gruetzmacher

The first thing I did when we got engaged was start reaching out to photographers. As a wedding photographer myself, I had certain requirements and high expectations from our future photographer, and I am SO happy with our decision to go with Josh Gruetzmacher, a film art film photographer based here in San Francisco. I had been following him on Instagram for months and he was so welcoming and easy going that I knew we had to have him. We had an engagement session in January on the most gorgeous day in Marin (seriously, it was 80 and sunny with no fog in sight) and we decided to go back to Mt. Tam to where we got engaged. It was so special being back there and I had a blast being on the other side of the camera for once, even though I was super awkward in the beginning. I can't wait to have Josh photograph our wedding!!

All photos are taken by Josh Gruetzmacher

Good Reads 01 // Why do you love books so much?

One thing that not many people know about me is that I love books. When I pick up a good book you can bet that you'll find me with my nose buried deep in that story for days until I finish. I can't tell you how many times Jack has come home expecting dinner and a clean apartment to find me snuggled up with a book with my eyes wide with excitement and the apartment in complete disarray.

However, it's not just the stories that drive my love for books. In college when I moved into my first real apartment the one thing I wanted more than anything was a bookshelf in our living room. Of course, my five other roommates were more concerned about throwing parties than displaying pretty books, so they filled my ideal bookshelf spot with a ficus plant (which we might have stolen from a neighboring apartment complex and which we might have named Ziggy because we thought his leaves looked like dreads) because it create a more "welcoming party atmosphere." The next year when I graduated college and moved back into my childhood room, the first thing I did was buy an extra large bookshelf to proudly and properly display my collection of favorite books. And you can bet that every nook and cranny in our tiny apartment now is filled with books (but really, I might have an issue with collecting books...) I've just always loved the feel of having a real book in my hand- the soft, worn paper between my fingers; the dark, contrasting ink against the faded cream paper- and I love that excited jolt of anticipation every time I pick up a book and realize that I'm that much closer to uncovering the answers that have been building up throughout the entire story. I've tried to use a Kindle and iPad, but I just can't get that into a story as well when I can't feel the weight of the pages and feel of the book in my hands. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but to be honest I fall in love with stories because of the whole package- from the intricately woven tales created from someones imagination to the details of the binding of the book- be it frayed and broken or brand new and un-cracked- and I feel like these pieces as a whole display the personality of the story and set the expectations for the adventure ahead.

All this to say I think I've found my favorite book yet, which is also the source for the title of this post (it's the name of the chapter I'm currently reading... as if I couldn't be more obsessed with the book, it also has awesome thought provoking chapter titles like this). I've been in a book slump recently and have been feeling a sort of withdrawal from the imaginary world, but Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan has completely filled that void. Based in modern day San Francisco (which makes it even more exciting), the story mixes modern day technology, the love of old books, and the charm and wit of a very relateable, early twenties, nerdy yet very cool guys named Clay. I'm only 100 pages in, but I already have a huge crush Clay and I'm completely intrigued by where the story is going. To give you a little teaser, Clay was recently fired from his job at a start up and desperately gets a job at a slightly creepy bookstore on Broadway. The store is infrequently visited by a few old, erratic bookworms who borrow books filled with code and Clay is currently the brink of discovering what they're doing with those books and...that's it, I'm not revealing any more! The book challenges the reader to think about the role of technology in today's society and the affect it's having on the written word- between having everything at your fingertips and the ability to shortcut tasks, to the required dedication and hard work to decipher and interpret books and the reward and feeling accomplishment when finishing them. For a book lover like me, I can't wait to see where this story goes and you can bet I'll be sharing a full book review once I'm finished (which will most likely be tomorrow since I can't put it down)!

Have you read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore? I'd love to get your input and hear your thoughts! Also, if you have any recommendations for books I should read send them my way.  I'm always looking for a new good story or author to dive into and love recommendations!

A newfound appreciation for water

Today started off with a bang... literally. A water pipe broke in the street right outside of our apartment, resulting in an early morning wake up and no water for getting ready. It's crazy because the night before I was pouring out our tea kettle to refill with fresh water and I thought about how much water I waste throughout the day. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm not very water conscious, despite being in a drought right now, but it's not something I ever really thing about. I completely take advantage of the fact that I can turn on a faucet and get clean, delicious water to use to bathe, drink, and cook. Many people have to walk miles upon miles just to get buckets full of dirty water, and here I am pouring out perfectly good water that was just sitting in a kettle because I was being picky. I feel like it was a sign that this morning I woke up and had to carefully conserve the water that was left over from my water glass by my bed, and I felt a slight panic as I tried to figure out if I'd have enough water to brush my teeth and take my vitamins (again, two things that I'm so blessed to be able to do and take advantage of everyday). It didn't help that I stayed up working until 2am with the justification that that a hot shower and cups of tea in the morning would wake me up. Needless to say, it was not fun starting the day off in a zombie daze and in dire need of a shower (sorry coworkers).  Anywho, I'm feeling extra fortunate that by 1 pm I'll have ample amounts of water to wash my hands however many times I want and drink by the glassful, but from now on I'm going to try to be extra conscious of the amount of water I'm using and give silent gratitude every day for how lucky I am.

And now to end my rant, here are a few awesome links from around the web that I've been loving this week:

• These old photos show a different side to history and are a perfect example of the power of photography. 
• This Between Two Ferns interview with Obama is hilariously awkward, like they always are. I think it's awesome that Obama went onto the show and I thought he was actually really funny.
• This inspiring video about a brilliant boy from Sierra Leon brought me to tears. Not only has he taught himself how to created amazing technology from garbage (literally), but his outlook on life and how he just wants to provide for his family is so inspiring. Definitely a must watch.