Stacie Gets Married!! { Stacie + Jonathan }

She always dreamed of her wedding and this past Saturday was the day. Every detail was perfect. The church was amazing. And Stacie... Stacie was stunning, just stunning. Yes, I cried when I saw her and her dad as they entered the church. The ceremony was lovely and you can just see the joy and love Stacie and Jonathan have for each other. *sigh* I've known her since she was 13 years old. The tall skinny kid with braces grew up and became a gorgeous bride. I've known Jonathan since he was 15. And I have to say, he's just as crazy now as he was then! And handsome too! Here are a few snapshots from that beautiful day.

My daughter, Rachel, and Stacie met in the 8th grade and has been friends ever since. Here is a collage of pictures of the two of them. Can't believe how young they are!

And how beautiful they are now!

Here's a group picture- Rachel, Brian, Stacie, Jonathan, Andrew, and me.

Photographer Get Together { Rabbit Dry Lake }

I always wanted to attend a photographers get together and I got my chance last Thursday. Through a Facebook friend, I was invited to Edmund Prieto's house for a fun afternoon of egg tossing, volleyball playing and bbq. But, the best part was when we all drove over to Rabbit Dry Lake near Lucerne for a photoshoot. I have to admit, I had a blast! Although I consider myself a landscape snaptographer, I always find it a challenge to photograph people. So, I just gave it my best and here are a few snapshots from that afternoon. :)

Special thanks to:
Edmund for hosting the gathering.
Shootsac give away- http://www.shootsac.com/
[b] school membership give away- http://www.thebschool.com/
Hair and make up by the lovely Kaycee Marie- http://www.kayceemarie.com/
Stylist and props- O C Prop Girl http://www.ocpropgirl.com/
And thanks to the handsome Johnny and beautiful Christine Mortimore for being our models.

Kristen Booth posing for us. :)

Mammoth Lakes { Jeep Trip }

I now understand the appeal of Mammoth. Mammoth IS beautiful. Last weekend, Brian and I, along with the Mlakars and Andersons, drove up to Mammoth for a fun jeep adventure. On Friday, we took a 100 mile off road trip. Starting in Mammoth, we drove through the trees, around Mono Lake, and into Nevada to enter Bodie the back way. The views were amazing. On Saturday, we drove around looking at several points of interest: Obsidian Dome, Hot Creek geothermal area, Minaret Vista and a drive around Lake Mary and Twin Lakes. We had a wonderful time. Looking forward to going back to Mammoth.

An Original ghost town from the late 1800's, Bodie is designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park.

Hot Creek geothermal area.
Minaret Vista.
Our Jeep buddies: Marty & Patti Mlakar and Sue & Rick Anderson (with me and Brian).

Katie and Jim { Yuma, AZ }

On Monday, June 28th, Brian and I drove down to Yuma to meet up with our friends, Katie and Jim. They were in Yuma checking out their new winter quarters. We helped them clean and paint their 'casita'. We enjoyed our short visit and the best part was eating breakfast at Arizona Donut. Their breakfast burritos were just yummy! Looking forward to visiting them in January. :)

Here are a few snapshots of Katie and Jim.

Group shot.
On our way home from Yuma, we stopped by SMELLY Salton Sea.
A snapshot of the picnic area.

Emily Graduates from VVC { So proud of her! }

Our lovely daughter, Emily, graduated from Victor Valley College on June 11th with an AA and an AS. We are so very proud of her! Here are a few snapshots from that evening. Congratulations, Emily! We love you so very much!

My favorite snapshot. Here she is waving.
Yeah! She did it!!Emily with Billy.

Very proud parents! Here I am with Brian and Emily.

Wedding Anniversary { 31 years! }

On June 9th, Brian and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. We spent the afternoon walking around Victoria Gardens and had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. A real nice day. Thanks for being a loving and patient husband, Brian! I love you.

Our engagement picture taken at the Mission Inn, Riverside.

We were wed at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Fontana.
Love our silhouette against the stain glass window.

After the reception, we had our formals taken at the Mission Inn.

Our photographer was Brian's brother in law, Richard Burnett (Photography).

Here we are now, 31 years later. :)

Downtown Los Angeles { walking }

On May 22nd, Brian and I met up with our friend, Antonio, for day of walking around L.A. taking snapshots. The day was beautiful- perfect for walking and we had lunch at the famous Clifton's. We had such a great time walking around, Brian and I plan on going back and doing it again. Here are a few of my favorites.

^ Beautiful 'sun purple glass' on a manhole cover.

^ L.A.P.D. building.

City Hall reflects off the L.A.P.D. building.

Disney Concert Hall

A T & T building

Brian reads while he waits for me.

Ruth Penn Retires { I'll miss her! }

Ruth and I worked together at Cottonwood School for 14 years! She is the best of the best. When she told me a year ago that she will be retiring at the end of this school year, I thought I would be able to prepare myself. Wrong. Our last month together was hard- for me. I have been blessed working with someone so caring and kind. We made an awesome 'team'. She was the good cop to my bad cop. She was an outstanding mentor, teacher and friend. I will miss her! Happy retirement, Ruth!

Dad turns 87 { Happy Birthday, Pop! }

On May 13th, my very handsome dad turned 87! We gathered in a restaurant in Fontana to celebrate with dinner and cake. Yum! Lemon- my favorite :) Here's a snapshot of my dad and my beautiful mom. Love you both!!

Christie Orendorff { Senior Snapshoot }

Here is the lovely Christie Orendorff. Christie is Billy's sister. *Billy is Emily's boyfriend. :) Anyway, we were to take Christie's snapshots in Redlands but a backed-up freeway kept us here in the desert. So we headed to the north end of town and got some fabulous snapshots. Here are my favorites. Congratulations, Christie on your graduation from HHS!