almost to the coast.

"On soft spring nights I'll stand in the yard under the stars - Something good will come out of all things yet - And it will be golden and eternal just like that - There's no need to say another word."

-Big Sur, Jack Kerouac

Sometimes I think I had things better figured out at 14 than I do now (though I'm certain I have a dozen family members who will assure you that's just not true). In either case, I'm delving back into my roots of Kerouac, Thoreau and, ahem, Incubus. Driving through Big Sur in September brought Kerouac's novel, named for the stunning coastline, to my mind. His writing is so organic, so alive. If you've never read On the Road, pick it up and experience my adolescent handbook (read: my personal Twilight).

We camped at Half Moon Bay on our way out of San Francisco, and our night went eerily well. We pulled up to our campsite, set up our tent and were roasting marshmallows within less than ten minutes. We slept like babies, woke up to a beautiful sunrise and some cookies saved from Tartine Bakery for breakfast, and began the drive down the coast. 

And it was gorgeous. All of it. Miles and winding miles of cliffs and blue ocean and sky.

To once again borrow the words of Jack Kerouac, I felt

"Happy. Just in my swim shorts, barefooted, wild-haired, in the red fire dark, singing, swigging wine, spitting, jumping, running--that's the way to live. All alone and free in the soft sands of the beach by the sigh of the sea out there."

I am landlocked in Utah and feeling homesick for the sea (I guess that's seasick for you). I've never craved salt water and salty skin as badly as I do now. 

I could write a book of love letters to the ocean.

ROB + CARISSA

I met Rob my junior year of high school, in gym class. Because of this, I will forever picture Rob wearing obscenely short shorts and a terry sweatband. Turns out we've both grown up; Rob is now studying finance at BYU and is engaged to the beautiful Carissa, also a BYU student. I was lucky enough to photograph the happy couple this weekend! I brought my own love along as my assistant, but Chase quickly told me he felt awkward because of all the kissing. I thought it was adorable. 

I remember so vividly what it feels like to be engaged-- such a sweet time. We're coming up on our own first anniversary next month :) And our best friends Skee + Roxy got engaged over the weekend! WOOT WOOT! Chase and Skee are friends for life, so I'm pretty stoked he's marrying such a rad girl who loves surfing and the sun as much as we do.

DANNA + ERNESTO

I had the opportunity to photograph Danna, Ernesto and their adorable daughters this weekend in downtown SLC. The hardest part of this shoot was catching 18-month old Sophia without a Dorito in her mouth :) I'm sure if you look closely you can spot some cheesy remains on her lips. Her older sister Aaliyah, on the other hand, seems fated to be a model by the way she was throwing her hands up on her hips. Danna + Ernesto, you have a beautiful family and I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to snap a few pictures of you!

cold wind blowing.

Mark Twain wrote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Couldn't count the number of times I heard these words once Chase and I decided to make the drive up north. Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but September in San Francisco was nippy (It really doesn't compare to the October in Utah that I'm now experiencing, but at the time there was definitely some whining going on).

But even with temperatures in the low 60s, we soldiered on.

First things first, we ate dim sum in Chinatown. I've blocked out most of the experience from my memory, but I recall enough to tell you: mistake.

We took the ferry to Alcatraz, which was really interesting. I think we were the only guests there who opted against the 45-minute audio tour; instead we ran around like ghosts in a world full of people with headphones on, yelling out only because we could. We created our own self-directed tour, in which we took turns fabricating stories about the island's notorious prisoners and creative attempts at escape. And when we disembarked from our ferry ride, we dropped 30 bones on a 5x7" photo of the two of us in front of a green screen (not really).

That night we met up with our friend Patrick, ate some pretty darn good seafood and got our Ghiradelli on. We also drove down Lombard street for the fourth time that day. Pat let us sleep on the floor of his hotel room that night, which led to Chase experiencing what he repeatedly referred to as "the best hotel breakfast he has ever had." Think Yoplait, mini boxes of corn flakes, and the game changer -- a waffle maker. I love my sweet husband and his low expectations.

We spent the next morning at the Sutro Baths on the coast. The "Baths" were actually a giant complex of seven swimming pools constructed by the mayor of San Francisco in 1896. The pools were built right on the water and were filled up by the ocean. The structure burnt down in the 60s, and the ruins eerily look like something from ancient Rome (that second picture is of the Baths).

We ate lunch at the famous Tartine Bakery, and were not disappointed. We got there at a good time and didn't wait in much of a line, but once we sat down outside, the place exploded. As we were leaving a bearded, vested, glasses-wearing man asked us in disbelief if our table was really going to be free. Four minutes after sitting down, he was still nervously grinning (and slightly shaking). A table outside Tartine Bakery at lunch time? On a Thursday?

After lunch we hit up Bi-Rite Creamery. Absolute bliss. Brown sugar, strawberry balsamic, honey graham, salted caramel... so many perfect ice cream flavors in one place. Really makes choosing one difficult.

And of course we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and spent the evening in Sausalito, marveling at the floating houses and peeking in cutesy shop windows. Crossing the bridge lands you in a much quieter part of the city, a perfect spot to unwind after receiving an $80 parking ticket earlier in the day (for parking in a tow-away zone.. but it had a meter? I still don't get it.)

All in all, San Francisco treated us well. I'd go back just for the ice cream.

cars and telephones.

Spent Monday in Boston. And fell in love.

My past with the city includes elementary school field trips to the Museum of Science and a duck boat tour (one hell of a ride!). Mow that I've matured, the better part of my time in any new city is spent seeking out the best food. Chase counts on me to do enough research to lead us to the good spots, and I (almost) always pull through.

His faith was recently shaken, however, after a horrific dim sum encounter involving room temperature deep-fried shrimp balls in San Francisco (though I think the problem was not with my judgment call, but with dim sum entirely). But I won it all back in boston. We ate pastries at Mike's--an espresso cannoli and a neapolitan with the most delightful pastry cream--and filled our bellies at Giacomo's in Little Italy. Words cannot express the way I feel about their butternut squash ravioli. Or their olive bread. Or scallops (from anywhere.. but Giacomo's did 'em right). 

The food alone was enough to win me over. . . but the city is gorgeous. The buildings are thoughtfully designed, with so much history left intact. The North End is overrun with weathered brick and impressive flora. The streets are clean, the sea so near.

And the city on a hill made a hero out of me. While walking through a park, Chase pointed out a loose scottie dog trailing its leash behind it and nudged me to return it to its owner. My attempt to catch it quickly spiraled into a dramatic dog chase across the park, ending only when I victoriously stomped on his leash and jerked him to a halt. I walked proudly, albeit a bit winded, towards his elderly owner to watch their sweet reunion. And she laughed and had me set the leash down so he could run free. And I went red. No idea why I listen to that boy sometimes.

We also visited the Boston LDS temple. It was closed since it was a Monday, but it's always a sweet feeling just to walk around temple grounds. 

I could really cozy up to Boston.