Mike + Jessi - San Diego LDS Temple

I never thought the day would come that I, as a photographer, would be entrusted with someone's wedding day.  From the very moment I bought my first DSLR camera, it was instant love.  BUT, I always said that I would never take pictures for other people.  The mere thought made my stomach churn with nerves.  Then people asked and I couldn't refuse.  (I'm terrible at saying NO)  I found out I actually liked it.  Loved it, really.

When Jessi first e-mailed me about shooting her wedding, I broke out into a cold sweat.  Not because I didn't think I could do it, but the pressure of only having ONE day to take perfect pictures made me jittery.  I said yes.  I am so glad that I did, and I hope she is too!

Congratulations to the new couple!

Aren't they gorgeous?

ch-ch-ch-change will do you good.

I am such a lazy blogger right now, but that doesn't mean my head isn't swirling with blog ideas and to-do's.  I have so much to say and so little time to say it/blog it.

At any rate, I thought I should document a recent change in our lives.

It's actually been over a month since we moved.  We didn't go far.  We are still in the same neighborhood, in the same city, in the same ward (mormon lingo for congregation), and as happy as ever...though that last one seemed a little unsure for me for a while.

Let me explain.

I loved our house.  Like...really loved!  Not because it was the BEST house, or the cutest house, or in the most awesome location, but because it was our FIRST house.  It had memories.

When we decided to buy a house it was the most exciting thing EVER.  We drove out religiously from Dana Point every Sunday to check on its progress. We took pictures with it.  We walked around and assessed its progress.  We brought friends out to see it.  We just couldn't contain our excitement to be homeowners.  And the day we moved in was almost as exciting as the day our first child arrived.  

Then our first child arrived.  Shortly followed by the second.  And life just kept getting better.  In our house, our first house, we added our own personal touches.  Troy added the most beautiful woodwork to the walls.  We painted our kitchen cupboards white and never looked back!  We put photos on the walls and landscaping in the yard.  We planted a garden.  We decorated the rooms just the way we wanted.  We lived, and played, shared, laughed, grew closer together, built traditions and loved in that house.  But the day came that we knew we had to do something with it.

Troy's job has been in jeopardy for some time.  His company filed for bankruptcy last year and basically all the employees left are riding a sinking titanic.  We have NO idea how long we will be employed.  We have no idea what the company may or may not turn into.  And we have no guarantee for employment once the bankruptcy is settled.  And having seen many friends and family who have lost jobs and been unemployed for months in this economy, we decided we needed to put ourselves in a position where we could look for employment nationwide and have the flexibility to move anywhere if need be.

So, we decided the best way to have more flexibility was to rent until life is more certain.  So with a lot of tears (for me, especially) we said goodbye to our house.  It was very hard for me in the early stages of moving.  Each thing I took down or dismantled represented something to me.  But as the house got more empty and each box was hauled out, I looked around and thought...you know, this house is JUST a house.  What made it a home was US. 

 So now, without hesitation, I can say that we are enjoying our new HOME with US in it!  

So please come for a visit!  We would love to have you!

I will be sending out our address to my facebook friends, but if you need it otherwise, send me an e-mail at alidegraff@yahoo.com.

I leave you with pictures from our last pizza night in the house on Overboard.

(troy likes to take his shirt off when performing manly tasks such as dough tossing)

(actually he had just gone swimming)

God be with you till we meet again

My grandpa passed away last week in Laguna Beach Hospital.

I feel so blessed to have been able to spend one short hour by his bedside a few days before he passed.

He was heavily sedated and could not respond, but the love and peace felt in his room was overwhelming.  It made me so grateful to know that we will be seeing each other again, and that family members in heaven were most definitely anxiously awaiting his return home.   That is the beautiful thing about God's Plan...we know we can be with our families eternally.

Marc Harvey Sessions

Born: October 3, 1914

Died:  November 2, 2009

Memories of Grandpa:

* His dapper appearance - always wearing a bowtie and beret.

* As a Harvard grad, he put a lot of emphasis on education.

*  His commitment to his religion, but acceptance of others.

*  His love for my grandma.

*  His playfulness with his grandchildren...always having the neatest contraptions (push scooters, a garage hideaway, playhouses)

*  His entrepreneurial spirit - finding a way to squeeze in a business deal with anyone he met.

*  Going to stay with him and my grandma in their Catalina house.  (driving a golf cart around was any kids dream)

*Having dinners with him in his rest home.

*Introducing my kids to him.

*  Singing fun songs and hearing him play the piano.

* His somewhat unorthodox way of saying a prayer at my brother's missionary farewell (very characteristic of his unique personality)

*  His thumb that was cut off as a child.

* His birthday letters that were usually written in some kind of code (u R gr-8...he would have been a texting wizard!)

*  His jovial and cheery disposition.

* Words like, "Carry On"  "marvelous" "A++"

We will miss you Grandpa....until we meet again!

My last goodbye.

out with the old, in with the new

Goodbye Halloween.  

and a GOOD bye it is.

We loved every minute of our October festivities...

candy, pumpkins, decorating, costumes, more candy, more costumes, music, more candy, etc. 

But now it's off to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yahoo!

(this time of year is the BEST!)

Christmas photos in the OC

Because we have been so busy with moving (more on that later) and I am scheduled to shoot my first wedding next week (whoo-hoo!), I have turned away so many people for Christmas pictures.

It is KILLING me!

I love doing this and wish I had more time this season. At any rate, I do have a last minute opening for this Friday in ORANGE COUNTY.

Location:

I will be shooting at Soka University.

It's a pretty location with some archways, columns, a gazebo, some natural scenery, etc.

Time:

3:30-4:30 pm

Price:

$100 for the session which includes ONE (1) digital image on CD for printing/Christmas card use.

The entire collection of images from the session is $200 if you choose to buy that, or you can purchase prints individually.

If you are interested, email me at alidegraff@yahoo.com

I will leave you with some photos from a session that never got posted and should have!

There were so many good ones, it's too hard to choose!

Yabba Dabba Doo

who knew Fred could sew?

I didn't.
He didn't.

But he does.
Every last stitch of these costumes (minus dino) was sewn by my man.

The costumes I was going to attempt would have included a lot more hot glue, staples, possibly scotch tape and would have looked prehistoric, for sure!

Great job T-roy!

sleeves, really?
homemade bloomers for Pebbles, seriously?
and pleats and tucks in my dress, who does that?

Yes, I might be a little, just a tad bit, teensy weensy jealous of my spouses skills.

So here we are:
The Flintstone Family

Possibly the last year of our family-themed costumes as some members of our family are starting to develop opinions of their own on Halloween cosutmes. Imagine that!

Pebbles

Dino

Dino in need of a chiropractor.

Happy Halloween!

post script

Can a set of these be included in the Ragnar fees for next year?

please?

sorry amy, I couldn't resist.

I paid for that?

There are a lot of things I could do with $100 bucks.  

I could hire a housekeeper (much needed).

I could have a date night with my husband (always wanted).

I could buy myself 1 pinkberry yogurt every month for the next year (delish).

I could get a few pedicures for my hopeless feet (can you say snaggletoes?).

You get the picture.

If you had told me that for $100 bucks I could:

be sleepless for 32-ish hours

run 13.5 miles of a 171 mile course

smell like something ripe with 6 other people crammed in a van

lose a couple toenails

run through the Nevada desert in 90 degree heat

catch "catnaps" in places only a cat could fit

use only toilet paper-less outhouses for two full days

and 

survive off foods with words like Goo, Electrolytes, and Power 

(oh and maybe a few dark chocolate M&M's with peanuts)...

...I would have thought you were CRAZY!

But the truth is...

The Las Vegas Ragnar Relay

was a 100 bucks well-spent!

It bought me all that AND more!

Like the company of 11 amazing people whose determination, optimism and amazing displays of athleticism were inspiring!

Like new goldenrod sweatbands that I have always wanted to sport.

Like beautiful vistas that you may not expect from the Nevada desert.

Like playtime on the redrock.

Like cheering on teammates and feeling like the cheerleader I always knew I could be. 

 Lots of spirit fingers.

Like experiencing running at all times of the day and night.  Never knew a 4 am run could be so invigorating?!?

Like dance parties in the street and trying to look as super cute and groovy as Marsha!

Like running with my old running partner again.  She really is amazing.  

Thanks "team mom".

And finally...learning some new running techniques for my next Ragnar!

This girl has skillz that pay the billz!

You guys were all amazing!

Thanks for the experience.

Final Day in Oregon...sniff, sniff

You need to know that our friends, the Cannons, will always represent a chapter in our lives.

  We were all best friends after we were newly married and starting our lives in sunny So. California.  No kids.  Careers.  Apartment living.  Free weekends.  Long beach days.  BBQ's.

We spent many nights out to dinner and a movie with these guys.  Oh the days...

We were all still working out the kinks of marriage.  We have witnessed each others' marital tiffs and squabbles.  We have celebrated each others' successes.  We have even managed to synchronize pregnancies.

It was so good to reconnect with these guys!

On our last day in Portland, we met Chad at work down in the coolest part of Portland.  Well, there are a lot of cool parts, but the Pearl District definitely ranks high on the list.  In between delicious Mexican food and an urban splashpark, we managed to fit in a family photo shoot.

I love how they turned out!

Immediately after the photo shoot and lunch, we made our way up to Multnomah Falls.  An Oregon landmark that should not be left unseen!

These pics are all out of order, but oh well.

I loved the mossy trees.

Does Jack's head look like it's falling off?

Fern-picker

A cool bridge

the falls

That concludes the Oregon tour.   Our friends are now moving to Utah for a new job, so stay tuned for next year's travelogue in the Beehive State.

Heritage Apple Farms - Day 4.5 (yes, are still on the oregon topic)

If this was 5 minutes away from your house, wouldn't you go every day?

I am still BLOWN AWAY by the scenery and beauty of Oregon! 

Not to mention they have the crunchiest, juiciest apples my teeth have ever sunk in to!

Downtown Date - Days 3.5 & 4

(This post is dedicated to Amy, who sacrificed her sanity for 1 night and 1 day to watch our kids while we galavanted around Portland. She's a saint. Not many people would come out alive after watching 4 kids under three, but she was a champion!)

Every couple needs a get-away.  Really.

Don't you daydream about it?  We do.  We try to think of all the fun activities we would go do without the ball and chain of children.  (and I do say that most lovingly)

One time we went here and did this.  It was SOOOO worth it.

Another time we went to a waterpark all alone.  We felt like teenagers again running from slide to slide.

This time we decided to explore Portland - specifically, the food in Portland.

Months previous to this vacation, we had been watching the show Diners, Drive-ins & Dives.

 Haven't seen it?  START. 

 

It's about a guy named Guy who travels around to small mom n' pop type restaurants sampling their best menu items.  Well it turns out that Portland has the largest number of restaurants per capita in the nation...and some real gems, at that!

We had been salivating for weeks over the potential food that Portland had to offer.

So we did what any person with a brain and lovehandles would do, we mapped out a breakfast, lunch and dinner route.

First Stop - Pok Pok

This is a tiny Thai restaurant with a ton of local flavor.  It received reviews from every foodie and newspaper in the West.  Some of the dishes were a little spicy for my liking, but overall the blends of flavors were uniquely delicious!

As we were driving to our hotel we came upon a little street corner with this gem.  A portable Crepe trailor.  The crowd was interesting, to say the least.  I don't think I was bohemian (or high) enough to fit in.  Somehow my bleach blonde hair and Billabong jacket made me stick out like a sore thumb.  

Mmmm....a warm crepe with lingonberries, lemon curd, and chevre (goat cheese)

Come to find out goat cheese makes me gag, but the other parts were delicious!

After we were sufficiently stuffed, we drove to our hotel. We pulled up to "valet parking only" and I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. We don't have a very good history with valet parking. Once we drove our Subaru Justy to Troy's first company Christmas party in the heart of Orange County. Our muffler was dangling off the back and had started to melt into the bumper. The inside of the trusty justy felt and sounded like you were driving in a pepsi can.  We sheepishly slithered out of the car and handed our keys to the Four Seasons valet.  We listened to him sputter away right behind the BMW, Mercedes Benz and Jaguar.  So embarrassing!

Well, this time our car was loaded from front to back with vacation/kids/fastfood/beach CRAP!  My feet were actually resting on trash and junk in the passenger seat.  As I got out, a piece of trash blew out the door and when I stuffed it back in the car I even noticed a dirty diaper.  Yeah.  It was THAT BAD!  When he offered to grab our luggage, he opened the trunk only to find an open suitcase with clothes still strewn about.  I hurried to stuff in loose items like the blowdryer, computer, shoes, etc.  all while he was standing there.  I was all shades of red.

But once that ordeal was over, we walked into this....

Pretty much the sweetest hotel we've ever been privy too!  It was awesome and actually quite affordable for such a cool place.

You could see we were as giddy as school kids.

Troy busted out some sexy poses in the complimentary robe.  

I did a tribute to Sheena and jumped on the bed a few times.  I never was a cheerleader or a gymnast, but you'd never know it from these pictures!

We got plenty of rest in our feather beds so that we could build up the stamina for day 2 of our Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives - inspired food tour.

We even managed to burn a few calories on a morning run through the city.  We ran to this sky tram that gave us a great view of the city plus Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens.

Then off to breakfast!

If I could make a recommendation for ONE place to eat in Portland, it would be this:

Pine State Biscuits.  hands down.

I think we gained 5 pounds just looking at the sign, then another 5 just walking in the door.

The whole place smelt of buttery goodness and southern sauces, just like Paula Dean would approve of.

Oh and the charm...SO CUTE!

Just looking at these pictures makes me want to lick the screen.  I got a biscuit piled high with fried chicken, an egg, southern sausage gravy, cheese, and bacon.  Good thing I ran.  That should take care of my first bite!

I'm 99% sure this girl thought we were oinkers.

Our final stop on the tour de gluttony was a little diner called Blueplate.  Their specialties are mini sliders and mac n' cheese, but we decided to test out the sweeter side of their menu.  We sampled one of their mixed sodas, a chocolate malt, and maybe an ice cream sundae snuck it's way in too.  I know....we really do have a problem.

I thought I'd borrow the guys camera who was sitting next to me at the counter so that I could look cool, but instead I look like I have a googly eye.  Even my eyeball was gaining weight from all the food we ate!

We felt pretty good about the ground we covered over our short stay downtown.

Goodbye Portland...our bellies will miss you!

(Only 1.5 more days of vacation documentation...almost over.)

Oregon Coast goodbyes- day three

Our time at the coast ended WAY too soon!  Each day we tried to balance activities and sightseeing with relaxation, but it still felt like there was so much of both left undone and unseen.  We never even made it through a late night movie on Chad's rad projector.  We ran out of time to drive up to Astoria or eat at the Pig n' Pancake.  We still wanted to tour the Tillamook cheese factory and ride cool buggy bikes on the sand.

But, we did make the most of the time we had.  And it was a good time.

The day of our departure started out with an early morning trip to the tide pools in front of Haystack Rock.  The weather was perfect.  Crisp and cool, yet just sunny enough to warm you through a light sweater.

The kids loved exploring.

Lucy didn't seem to like the idea of water this early in the morning, so she kept a low-profile on the dry sand inspecting each shell along the way.

Jack, on the other hand, wanted to touch, smell, and probably even taste some of the new sea life he discovered.  Early on, he found the remains of a dead jelly fish (you can see it in his hand) and refused to let it go.

When we returned back to the beach house to pack and tie up loose ends, we discovered Amy and Chad down at the beach having a delightful morning marshmallow roast.  

Who doesn't want roasted marshmallows at 10 am?

We said our goodbyes to the Cape Cottage and set out for a view point on the edge of town.  Appropriately, the Cannon family made a last minute stop in Cannon beach for matching sweatshirts that bore their namesake.  

I sense a photo shoot coming on....

Let's have a family cute-off.  okay...they totally win! 

How can we compete with matching sweatshirts?  That's a total "shoe in"

On our way out of town we stumbled upon 

Bell Buoy's Seafood and Restaurant 

after discovering the BBQ joint in the bright pink trailer home was closed.  

It turned out to be a pleasant mistake.  Troy and I were able to feast on lump crab until we grew claws.  

Such a good way to end a great trip to the Oregon Coast!

{some of these gorgeous photos, like the one directly above, were taken by Amy}

Now back to Portland for more vacation fun!

(just when you thought it was over, right?)

Oregon Coast - day two

This sleepy town of Cannon Beach reminds us of one of our favorite Southern California spots - Laguna Beach.

With a view of the famous haystack rock, you can walk the quaint streets with darling (troy's favorite word) shops and eateries around every corner.

{Haystack Rock - Cannon Beach, OR}

While there, we hit up the candy shop, of course!  Through the windows you can watch fresh saltwater taffy being made.  

Geppetto's Toys, which we wisely avoided entrance for fear our children would beg and whine for toys, then break into an irreversible meltdown upon hearing the word NO.

Up, up and Away Kites

We couldn't come to Oregon without getting a kite for the beach.  So many to choose from, but luckily the pricetags made it an easy decision!

Down to the beach to test out our new kite!

He loved it!  I can't wait for the next windy day at home to go again!

Amy, our sandcastle master, honed in on her sand sculpting skills.  I am pretty sure she'll be ready for this next year.

Everyone pitched in.

But from the beginning of Amy's castle construction, I could see Jack's wheels turning.  All he had in mind was sandcastle DESTRUCTION!  So given the green light, he and Finley had a stompfest!

Tucker (21 mo.) and Lucy (18 mo.)

I love these pictures of Lucy playing all by herself.  She is my little independent soul.

Wait.  I take that back.  This is my favorite.  

She is screaming at the birds at the top of her lungs.

The creation of Arial.

dinner?

We've always wanted to go to the east coast to see the grassy shorelines, but Oregon had it all.  This trip killed two birds with one stone!

I think we filled our family picture quota for the next 4 years.  Thanks Amy for these beautiful pictures.

The bird whisperer back at work.

Running down the sand dunes.  Who has the best form?

*note*  

We made the observation that Oregon beaches are much different than California.  Even on a 75 degree day, Troy noticed he was the only person over toddler age that had his shirt off and suit on.  People were fully clothed and flying kites, reading, riding horses, walking, etc.  Not nearly as many bikinis and artificial endowments, which I found somewhat refreshing.

Oregon Coast - day one

The second day of our vacation started off with a scenic drive down to the Oregon Coast where we planned to spend two glorious, rain-free, days playing and sightseeing to our heart's content.

However, as we know, no heart is truly content unless the belly is content, so 40 minutes into the drive, we had to stop for a bite at Camp 18.  It's been called the "sturdiest restaurant in the west" which Amy must have thought would be PERFECT for her STURDY-ish houseguests.  We've been known to out-eat the best of them and this restaurant did a fine job of letting us showcase our abilities.  btw - food may be a common theme in this trip, so if that bores you....well, you're just plain old weird.

Starting with the giant cinnamon roll that Amy ordered.  We regret to this day that we did not get a picture, but honestly, we had that thing divided up and devoured in lightning speed.  

So, thank you internet for not letting my readers down.  I bring you (drumroll please)....the massive swirl of deliciousness.  And we all know butter makes everything better, so why not slop a little on the top?  and again...if large quantities of butter bothers you, please refer back to my first insult.  weird...just plain weird.

After fully stuffing our faces, we managed to exit out the back and roll downhill to the river lining the property.  Since Amy and I both equally enjoy having a camera as a permanant appendage to our bodies, we agreed to take pictures with each other in them.  Something that doesn't happen very often.

Our Family

Our Portland compadres

Then back on the road again...coast-bound!

When we arrived at the beach house, we quickly laid our stuff down and headed straight for the beach.

You know it was exciting because if Lucy cracked some smiles, it MUST have been good!

Jack showed his usual excitement in sprint intervals and high-pitched screams.

....which leaves only one more celebratory ritual to be performed...

the ROBOT march!!!

*please note* objects (like extremely large paddle hands) may appear larger in picture than actual size.

After exploring the beach by our house, we decided to take a short jaunt up the road to investigate the famous caves and waterfall at Hug Point.

The vistas were breathtaking.  

And by the end of the evening we were all tuckered out and ready for bed (and a tad bit grumpy too)!

Please know, we are only on day TWO of the DeGraff Family Adventures in Oregon.

there's lots more where this came from.  lots.  

don't get too excited.

next stop - beach house at arch cape

We've rented our fair share of houses off of vrbo.com.

We like it because it always has a lot of pictures and comments from previous vacationers.

This one was enticing because one of the comments read,

  "the beach path is close enough that 3 brothers-in-law in their mid-30's could run down to the beach for a sunset dip and back to the backyard hot tub to warm up without keeling over."

Awesome, right?

Well awesome until you get in there and your mind starts to wander and you begin thinking about the 3 brothers-in-law (grossly obese in my daydreams) lying on your bed (maybe even in the buff which you really try not to think about to avoid losing your lunch), still wet from the hot tub, picking at their chest hairs, and eating cheesy nachos and drinking ice cold beers...all on the very place I am about to lay my head for the night.

But once I got over that....

IT WAS AWESOME!

Felt just like home only with the ocean breezes and sounds of crashing waves.  

I'm ready to do it all again!

portland zoo - stop #1

I'll be honest.  I am not usually a fan of the zoo.

For one, I am not much of an animal lover.  don't hate.  I must have gotten burnt out from childhood.  We had all kinds of mangy creatures, usually under-cared for, and almost always could later be found on the family dinner table.  

Not only that, the zoo just doesn't hold much fascination for me.  All the times we've been to the San Diego zoo, I usually get all moody that we have to walk up and down so many hills just to see empty cages because the animals are sleeping or feeding.

But, kids can change a lot of things.  When my kids get excited, the energy is somehow transferred to me and any activity becomes a fun one (even when you drove 16 hours the night before and you really just want to snooze).

I must say, the Portland Zoo was a delight.  Charming (which is always a plus), shady, not too overwhelming, and we could enjoy the company of good friends.

One highlight for me was capturing everyone getting heckled by the goats.