sweet tooth.

today was roommate day. keenie and i both had the day off and thought it would be fitting to declare such a day Roommate Day. we opted to sleep-in till 10:30, which was amazing btw, and then cook up some cinnamon rolls and spinach scrambled eggs. we added in the healthy spinach to balance out the not-so-healthy cinnamon rolls of course. we felt good about it. then we headed down to the be-ach to soak up some beautiful santa barbara rays and get our fun readin' on. and we needed some color in our admittedly white skin. we envied the bronze tones of fellow beach goers. we went for a swim, conversed about life, and chuckled at the two over-tanned guys in their speedos. and the girl who was at risk of loosing her bathing suit bottoms due to their inadequate size. two unfortunate and somewhat terrifying sights, yet comical nonetheless. after we were sufficiently sun-burned and salty, we headed back to our "luxury" country club apartment and lounged around a bit and suddenly found ourselves strangely enthralled and too involved in the early 90's flick "Look Whose Talking." you know the one with Kristie Alley and John Travolta with the talking kid. haha.

then the cravings started. but there was nothing sweet in our house. not good. we had been itching for something sweet and decadent for a few days now. the time had come. we acted on our cravings and headed out to the grocery to gather the elements for our delicious creation. we splurged and got slow churned ice cream for our chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. with home made cookies mind you. the cookies were perfectly gooey and chocolaty and the ultimate creation worthy of a photo shoot. so here you have it.

but ultimately, we wanted to collectively inform our friends Liane, Larissa, and Robyn, who are traveling around Southeast Asia, that we too are having the time of our lives and enjoying delicious treats worthy of posts on my blog. take that. and be jealous.

larissa anne.

we met on a bus. during freshman orientation. i told her i was a dancer. she laughed. and right then, she knew we would be friends. so did i. and what do you know, we are friends indeed. i am not really sure why i said i was a dancer. i do love to dance. but a dancer? really jeff? it probably came out wrong. i was awkward back then. and larissa made me nervous. she is gorgeous after all. we joke around that i am only friends with her because she is beautiful. haha. and she is only friends with me because of my charming personality. needless to say, i am not friends with larissa merely because of her dashing good looks. nope. my appreciation and love for her is seeded much deeper. 

larissa is one of those people who is authentic. she is honest and real. she cares deeply for her friends and is never too busy or too far away to be there for them when they need her. she gives without expecting anything in return and serves wholeheartedly in everything thing she does. she is the type of friend who would drive 3 hours in traffic to be at a birthday party for a longtime friend and drive back the same night. no wonder she is always the maid-of-honor. people adore larissa. she lives life with a sort of freedom and appreciation that is uncanny. she always says to me, "Jeff you can sleep when you die" or "you only live once." i like this about her. not only that, but she exudes a sort of confidence and contentment in who she is. she owns it and pushes others to do the same. larissa cares so deeply for the people around her not because she wants to be liked, or have lots of friends, or so they love her back. no, she loves selflessly, humbly, beautifully, honestly, and deeply because she know she is called to. she loves like Jesus. she doesn't judge, condemn, point fingers, or lecture. she embraces, holds, welcomes, and encourages in such a unique, and Christ-like way.

when i think about the ways in which i have learned and grown as a result of larissa, the items on the list are seemingly countless. she has taught me what friendship means and looks like in the purest and most genuine form. how to accept and welcome differences. she has taught me to live and love with reckless abandon. how to laugh. embrace uncertainty. to calmate. be content. she has mellowed me out and has taught me what is important and worth fussing over and what is not. haha. larissa has taught me how to be...me.

so needless to say, i am blessed to have such an incredible friend. pretty cool huh? if you know her, you will know what i am talking about, and if you don't, you will be jealous and wish you knew her. perhaps, if you are lucky enough, you will get the opportunity to meet her. that is a bit of why i love larrissa anne staie. and why i am so grateful to have her in my life.

thinking.

i am thinking again. this is good i suppose. for the last few months i found my mind quieted and not as thoughtful as it normally is. not sure why. but nonetheless, that's the case. but randomly, i started thinking again. reflecting. processing. writing. i think there are several things that spurred this on. namely, liane. she is one of my besties and she is so thoughtful and brilliant. and she writes wonderful reflections and stories on a weekly if not daily basis on her blog. (you should, for sure, check it out here). she has in part revived my thoughts. she does that. 

and then there is lauren. one of my housemates and besties. she and i conversed into the wee morning hours last night. we talked about relationships, changes, frustrations, struggles, growing-up, graduation, work, play, church, romance, singleness, love, belonging, desire, and more. it was a rich and rewarding conversation. and this too reminded me of the need for thought and reflection and really, of thoughtful reflection. and of the importance of writing. and of conversing and having heart-to-hearts as we Westmonters call them.

i was also reminded of how incredible people are. humans. we are fascinating. aren't we? each of us so complex, so unique, so beautiful. i began to think about the people in my life and how amazing they are in their own unique and profound ways. i appreciate and love them for their uniqueness. i trip out when i think about how incredible they are and how honored and blessed i am to have them in my life. seriously think about that for moment. think of the people around you and the wonderful blessing of sharing your life with them. mind-blowing, eh? we as humans long to be together, to be in community, to share our lives together. it is innate. part of our genes, our fiber, our essence. how cool is that? 

keenie and i were trippin' last night about how we spent four years of our lives with such incredible people right there with us. people who taught us, prayed with us, laughed and cried with us. we are so blessed. immeasurably. so, i thought that each week i would tell you about one of the people in my life. and share with you a piece of their beauty and well, awesomeness. 

steeped with emotion.

so the past few days of editing photos has been amusing and full of laughter. when you see the photos from Jonny and Elisa's wedding you will see why. i smiled and laughed all day during the wedding and laugh every time i watch the slideshow. you see Jonny and Elisa were full of joy, smiles, laughter, song, and love all day long. so was their wedding party. and of course, this contagious sentiment and emotion is steeped into the the images from the day. they bring me back to those precious and irreplaceable moments. Jonny and Elisa reminded me of the reasons i am a photographer and why i love photography so much. it allows me to capture those moments and freeze them in the frame. i love how their wedding was so them. so authentic. so unique. i keep telling everyone how it was one of my favorite weddings of all time. and i have been to quite a few weddings in the last few years. and i can't help but tell people about the wedding and how despite the fact that i was working all day, i still had a blast. i love that i got to spend 12 hours of my life with some of the funnest people ever. seriously, i love my job.

any-who, here is a slideshow of some of my favs from the day. turns out there is 250 images in the show. i just had to show you all of the best faces, smiles, poses, locations and moments. and there were tons. and this is just 10% of the images. haha. of course, i had to use a fun song to go along with the fun photos. turns out jonny, elisa, julia, and monica did a rendition of the O.K. Go video on youTube. it was AMAZING. so i just had to use that song for the show. check it out here

jonny + elisa

wow. i just got back from Jonny & Elisa's wedding...it was absolutely incredible. jonny and elisa met at westmont and fell in love straight away. and now they are hitched. it was an honor, privilege and blast to spend the day with them and their wonderful bridal party and family and friends. thank you Jonny and Elisa. we had way too much fun and we got some amazing shoots. they let me be all sorts of artsy and creative, so i am excited to show them to ya'll in the next few ways. but i am exhausted...12hours later, i am wiped and ready for bed. but here is a few of the incredible bride and groom to hold you over and give you a preview of coming attractions.

one wild and precious life.

i feel like such a grown-up these days. i get excited when the spices are on sale at vons. or when i see a cool piece of furniture. i watch rachel ray on a daily basis and try to glean from her cooking genius and wisdom. it works sometimes. i love the thrill of trying out that new recipe. i walk the aisles of vons as a sort of theraputical retreat after a long day of work. the checkers know me by now. i come home cook dinner, watch rachel ray and then go to bed at 10:30. my friends called me the viejito (the old little man). haha. sometimes i feel like it. the days of back-to-back nights on the town and late nights laughing and chatting are now far and few. i find myself already saying, "those were the days". or "back in my college years." even though back then is only a month ago. its nearness almost gives it a sense of far-ness. distance. and history. i longed to be done, finished. to move-on and get-out. i was itching to grow-up, to become a real live adult.

there is something strangely satisfying about living on my own, and cooking my own dinners, and paying my own bills. i find myself feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. i am making it. and am happy. i like that. yet at the same time this life satisfies, i miss the security and consistency of home, of Westmont, of my family. i enjoyed those college years of playfulness and adventure, of sunburns and dance parties, of study groups and d.c. meals. and now all those times, those memories, seem so far-removed, so...historical, so never-more. those people aren't with me any more. those venues of community and relationship are on the hill. those moments are not daily in the same ways they used to be.

things are different. and i like it. in fact, i find myself loving it. but i can't help but miss the life that was. i guess that is normal. and warranted. i admit it. it is tough. but i suppose this is part of, um, growing-up. we have to face new challenges, develop new friendships, create new moments, and ways to live our lives well.

"tell me, what is it you are going to do with your one wild and precious life?" - mary oliver. well today, mary, i am going to reflect on years bygone and cook aunt lisa's tortilla soup.

p.s. here are those promised photos from graduation.