An American Birthday.

I turned the ripe age of 23 last week and it was the best birthday yet.  My parents hosted a BBQ in their backyard complete with their famous ribs, banana cake, and American decor.  Jan + Bill brought a brand new puppy for everyone to play with and little brother Cole had his bandmate play us a few jams. It was quite the perfect summer evening. We went boating the next day and then celebrated the 4th all weekend long.  I think I might be the luckiest 23 year old around, even if I didn't get to keep the puppy.

Thank you dear friends for making the trek up North!

housemates.

if these people weren't living under my same roof, i would:

1. possibly hate provo

2. never have anyone to go get sonic drinks with

3. be really productive

4. not have late night laughing festivals

5. get made fun of because no one would get my jokes

6. not have anyone to walk to campus with

7. feel like i could never make fun of people as frequently as i do

8. never be nominated for roommate of the month

9. never tell stupid, pointless stories and laugh hysterically at them

10. not have a second family of 6 in provo

the looks of home.

herb gardens which will turn into yummy pesto, fresh tomatoes, flower planters, warm temperatures, porch sitting, green grass... i love how my parents make the house look in the summer. and to think... this is what it looked like 6 months ago on christmas eve... i'll take july over december any day.

day 1 of the visit.

the most exciting thing to happen in the past while is JENNI'S visit to huntington beach. when she told me her plane ticket was purchased, i could barely contain my excitement. honestly, this past weekend could not have been better. i picked her up from the airport and we headed to the LA temple and to the santa monica pier, and as you can see jenni danced with random strangers. of course.

tonight...

i had a date with my siblings! aren't they looking good?

can you say excited?

i just booked a flight to go hang out with these two in the big city in august. say hello to re-living the summer kels and i spent there together 3 years ago for a week. cupcakes, fine dining, photoshoots, and quality time with friends made in the brimhall building (shout out to casey and carly). kels even said she would give me cooking lessons if i give her photography tips. sounds like a good deal to me!

emily.

emily is my new photography friend here in HB. we rode our bikes to the beach last week and shot these. it was fun to trade lenses and see what else is out there. the hardest thing about photography is approaching people for advice, so it's nice to have someone to ask technical questions and not feel stupid! her blog here.

abby.

going through old photos, i came across this picture of my darling cousin abby. it just brightened my day so i thought i would share. i love her!

my easter babes.

my cousins are the cutest and i love seeing them every chance i get. it's so nice to get away from an abundance of college students for an afternoon to remember how amazing little kids are. i just wish they would stop growing up so fast.

something new.

from now on, i'll be shooting with the canon 5D and this lens for photo gurus who care to know. i'm so lucky to have such nice equipment to work with. i'm in love with it!

happy heart day.

polaroid rage.

thank you kellee marie for showing me poladroid! take any of your photos and turn them into a polaroid. love it. i love my polaroid but the film is getting expensive so this is a great resort. these pictures make me happy.