old dog/new tricks

so, as a thirty-something mother of three, i have decided that i need a new hobby.  i am excited to announce that i now own my very first mountain bike.  it is totally badass.  i however, am not.  but i am trying to learn how to be.  luckily, my sweet husband is patient(ish) and is happy to ride easy trails with me so that i can attempt to get it all figured out. 
we took my new ride out for it's first adventure last weekend.  i think i learned some mtb stuff, and even if i didn't, i had a lot of fun, got some exercise and vitamin d, and had a sweet date with my main dude. 

the views from the trails weren't too shabby...

i think it might be impossible to look sexy in a helmet.  just sayin.

beer tastes even better when you are sweaty and dusty, and your view is totes amaze..  definitely give this place a try if you are in in the neighborhood.

tahoe!

this summer has been an amazingly busy one for me, with far more travel than i usually do, lots of photo jobs, and three busy kids...and i love it!  

it was so much fun to take a quick trip to tahoe (my first time ever!) to shoot a lakeside wedding with one of my besties.  

this place is stunningly beautiful, and i can't wait to go back!  cali 4eva!

beautiful shasta county

i was just recently in redding, california with family, and though this city (town?)might not be at the top of your "places to see" list, there is so much beauty in this hot, dry part of my home state.

the sundial bridge was completed in 2004, and is absolutely stunning.  walking across the sacramento river on this beautiful sculpture was a treat.  when i was there, it was "the golden hour" at the end of the day (and still nearly 100 degrees!) and the light and the warmth in the air, combined with the scale and grace of the structure wooed me, for sure.

 lake shasta is the gem of the northernmost part of california.  it is vast, yet has so many little nooks and crannies that it can feel very private, too.  i walked on the dam for the first time, and loved seeing the lake from this point of view. 
it didn't hurt that the weather was hot and perfect, the oleander was in bloom and the water was the most perfectly inviting shade of turquoise.   sigh.

  i would think that redding is a place that often gets passed by, as people charge down interstate 5 on their way to other parts of the state, but for me, the lake and the bridge were places of beauty and serenity.  thank you, nor-cal!!

11 years of us

this week my partner-in-crime and i went out for an amazing meal and fancy drinks to celebrate our first date ELEVEN years earlier.  the tapas restaurant was totes amaze (and we're not the only ones who think so!), and it was just such a sweet night overall.
we have always celebrated june 17 as an important day in our lives (and hey, why not have two anniversaries each year?!).  it is the day we met in 2003, the day we got engaged in 2004, and a day that we have made into a celebration of us each year since. 
love you, gtk. xoxo

just like a big city

downtown portland looks a little more grown up now, no?

this place caused quite a commotion a couple weeks ago when it opened, and is just another (retail) baby step in portland's evolution from big town to small city.  go, stumptown, go!

gotta love the facial hairs on these portland mac store guys!

photo from oregon live

PQN at home

my favorite margarita from one of my favorite restaurants ever is now available in an adorable take home kit- BRILLIANT!

bend, oregon (aka first mtb of '14)

over memorial day weekend, we spent three warm, sunny days in beautiful bend.  my man rented me a killer bike at hutch's, and we spent our mornings riding the trails, and our afternoons at brewpubs.  exercise followed by indulgence, with a good dose of relaxing in the sunshine=my kind of vacation!

not my best look, but so excited to ride!

 we absolutely loved this brand new cocktail lounge in downtown bend

 rolling trails, pinecones and ponderosas for miles

another new favorite- crux has a full backyard with cornhole, disc golf. a stage and more.  literally the perfect spot to drink beer and people watch on a warm afternoon!

see you again soon, bend!