Happy 1st birthday, Jake!

Last Friday, Jake turned one year old. As Chris and I were taking pictures of Mike and Charlotte opening the gifts, we commented that we still remembered taking pictures at the baby shower!

After braving through a crazy snowstorm, we arrived to the party a little late, but just in time for cake and presents. Jake's party had a Paul Frank theme...I absolutely loved his hoodie!







After all the guests cleared out, Chris got this shot of one pooped Jake...

I got the sear!

One of my other passions (besides photography, traveling, and anything diabetes related) is cooking. Don't get excited now, I hate spending lots of time in the kitchen, so I appreciate quick, easy recipes. The last thing I want to do when I get home after a full day at work is cook something that takes three hours. No thanks.

Today, I found a simple recipe for scallops and pasta by one of my favorite food bloggers Jaden Hair. I thought I'd give scallops another try, because a few months ago, I made a dish with scallops purchased from the market. The guy lied to me and said they were dry packed, when in fact they were not. I was so disappointed that I gave up on trying again— it was a fairly expensive mistake. The total cost of ingredients that time around was about $20, which is a lot when you're accustomed to paying $5-7 for dinner.

This time around, I decided to go to a high-end market (Di Bruno Bros.) on the way home, pony up the extra dollars, and give it another shot. I got some tips from the seafood guy, who said, and I quote: “Pat it dry, then sear the f*ck out of it.” YESSIR! *salutes*

Imagine my joy when I did exactly what he (and Jaden) told me to do. I got an AWESOME sear (the apartment filled up with smoke, but let's ignore that). I whooped and hollered (literally; I scared Chris) when I flipped over the first scallop.

Chris snapped this while I was plating. For the record, we each had six jumbo scallops, but I only put four on so you could still see the pasta. ;) Total cost of dinner tonight: $25, which includes the scallops, pasta, tomatoes, onions, and other items.

Naya

Naya is my coworker Jess' daughter. She's so full of energy, just like her mom. Naya's dad told Chris and me on our way to their house that she absolutely LOVES taking pictures and that she'll totally ham it up for the camera.

Not only did Naya deliver the cheesiness, she obliged to her mom's request for a more "toned down" smile. After all, these would be going on their Christmas cards this year!


Chris caught this one as she was preparing to smile for me

The Windy City

This year, Chris and I spent Thanksgiving in Chicago with our cousins Jenn and Fred. Jenn is the sister of Charlotte, baby Jake's momma, and Jake's godmother. I explain this relation to friends by saying we were staying with Chris' cousin's wife's sister and her husband. Imagine the weird stares I got!

Chicago was great, as always. It definitely tops my list as one of my favorite cities, and it's right up there with San Diego and San Francisco. There's just so much to do, and no matter how many extended weekends we take (this will be our second), I don't think we'll ever run out of things to discover.

Take, for example, the Sears Tower Skydeck. Or, more specifically, the GLASS BOX OF DOOM. I'm not normally afraid of heights, but there is something about being 103 stories above the ground with nothing but concrete below you. Chris, on the other hand, got light headed when he stepped on. He's not a huge fan of heights.

He is, however, a fan of awesome views, such as this one. This is the view from Jenn and Fred's 15th floor balcony. The sky was crazy cool that night, so I just stood out there with a tripod.



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Vanessa: Boudoir

A few nights ago, our friend Vanessa instant messaged Chris, asking for anniversary gift ideas. She and her boyfriend are celebrating two years together, and she wanted to surprise him.

Chris threw the question at me, and I jokingly yelled out, "BOUDOIR SHOOT!"

One thing you should know about Chris and me is that, when we joke about something, it always comes true in one way or another. Case in point: our trip to Italy, which started off with me sending him the link to Expedia.com's promotion on cheap flights to Rome.

That being said, we totally did not expect Vanessa to think it over and agree (all within about 20 minutes). We warned her it was our first time doing such a shoot, and she said that it was fine, because it was her first time doing one.

For both our first times, I think it turned out pretty well. Here are a couple without getting too risqué!

Jake's Baptism

Last month, Chris and I made our way down to Virginia for Jake's baptism. As you dear readers may remember, we did a maternity shoot with Jake's parents, Charlotte and Mike, and another shoot when Jake was a few weeks old. He's now a growing happy baby, and we were so glad to see him after a few months!

Here are some shots from his baptism over Labor Day weekend.






The poor guy fell asleep before and after the water was poured over his head! So cute.




Knocked out.


The proud parents, Charlotte and Mike.


The proud godparents, Jenn and Fred.


Man of the day!

Jefferson 2013 White Coat Ceremony

Sorry for the semi-long hiatus, folks! We're back with

This past Friday, Chris attended Jefferson University's White Coat Ceremony for the Pharmacy class of 2013. He's in the inaugural class (2012), so last year I was taking his class' photos. This year, however, Chris was behind the lens! Here's a sampler of the reception afterwards...