Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA lately, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We moved to Chandler, AZ on July 15th, left to go back to CA on the 19th for a friend's wedding, and just got back on the 28th to a hot house with a broken AC. It was 97 degrees in our house when we got home!!!

Drew & I have been sleeping at friends' homes so we can make it through the night. We tried once to sleep at home, but there was no falling asleep when your house is 93 degrees. I laid down with a spray bottle & had to spray myself every five minutes throughout the night to keep cool. After a couple of hours on the bed, I threw my pillow into the bathtub because it was cooler than the bed! It was sooooo uncomfortable, but at least it wasn't as hot as the bed. Finally, I wised up and found the coolest spot in the house- the bathroom floor! Laid down and fell asleep for a couple of hours before having to get up again. What a night!!!

I am happy (very, very HAPPY!!!) to say that the AC is finally working today after the repair guy came out for the 2nd time. :D

So with that long prelude, I can now move onto a much delayed posting of my brother-in-law's wedding that was on June 21st!

Note: I was not the official photographer for the wedding (Drew wanted me to be able to enjoy the wedding & not work -what a sweetie!), so for more official pictures, check out Jason Q. Tran's awesome blog. Without further ado..

The man of the day, Galen Dao!


And his beautiful bride, Leilanie!




I like this image b/c it looks like the Virgin Mary is in the background blessing Lanie.


The ceremony was held at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside.




My in-laws who raised three fantabulous children. They're really a great family & I feel blessed to be a part of the clan. :) (And I'm not just saying that to be nice either people!)




My new sis-in-law, Lanie, beautifully happy on her wedding day.










After the church ceremony, everyone headed back to Irvine where we had the traditional tea ceremony. First, the parents and couple pray to their ancestors and ask for their blessings.

The mother of all incense sticks.




Galen's mom made a heartfelt speech to her son & new daughter-in-law.


She then places gifts of jewelry on Lanie. It was 104 that day & with 100 people crammed into the house, it was HOT. Galen's fulfilling his husband duties here:


The last part of the tea ceremony consists of the couple serving tea to all married relatives & the relatives in turn give them monetary gifts. What a sweet deal!

Ok, only a few more images left because I was enjoying myself too much at the reception with family & friends.

The reception was held at the Marriott in Anaheim- right across from Disneyland!






Yay Lanie & Galen!!! Hope you both are enjoying married life! :D

First, let me preclude everything by saying....I LOOOOOOOVE my new house!!!! It is absolutely perfect! :) Certainly helps make the 115 degree heat a little more bearable when you have a nice house to live in.

Ok, so we found this gem on our last day of searching last time we were out in Chandler-right before we were about to take off & go back to San Diego. Good thing, because it has everything we were looking for & more! Here are just a couple that I snapped before we had to catch our flight up to the Bay Area for our friend's wedding this weekend.

The gorgeous island kitchen - I finally have space to cook & invite people over!



My favorite part of the house - the backyard with its saltwater pool with a streaming waterfall, a fireplace, and an island bbq (not pictured b/c I wanted to focus on my new love: the pool).


Ok, that's it for now. More later when the house gets a little more settled & furnished. Right now we have nothing but a bedroom set! :D

It was a long, hot drive to Chandler, AZ this past Tuesday. We packed our Uhaul to the brim (seriously, that 10 foot truck was bulging!) and put the two kitties into their crates. Apparently cats aren't fans of traveling because they made some wacky noises I had never heard before. Something along the lines of "wweeooaaargh!"

Since there was little room in the front of the truck, I could only carry my little compact with me to snap away. Here's what I got:

The first sign that we have left California and entered Arizona:


The 8 like you've probably never seen it before. Where is everybody?


A couple of not so happy kitties. Tovi was the most freaked out - what a scaredy cat!


Bella: Don't look at me. Don't talk to me.


One of my favorite things to stare at is clouds. Especially the ones of the cotton ball variety. (My 3rd grade teacher would be so sad that I don't remember my cloud types.)


I was so excited when I saw this neverending train. And how lucky was I that every single crate was red? It looked so awesome!


We didn't get there till after sunset. Drew would like me to mention how courageously he handled the drive with the 10 foot truck towing our car. :D


I'm in the Bay Area for the week for a friend's wedding. Good thing because my skin was burning off the past few days while running errands in Phoenix! Will try to post more later on this week!

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to write a quick note to say that I've just arrived in my new hometown of Chandler, AZ a couple of days ago & am still getting settled into my new home. I don't have internet access at the moment, so I'm going to the coffee shop once a day to check email.

I'm hoping to post pictures of my new home in the next few days, but bear with me!

In the meantime, please drop a comment & say hello since I'd love to hear from everyone who's visiting my blog. :D

Thanks & I hope to hear from you all soon!

As promised...

The entourage:










Once again, hotness people.




These girls really got some air!


And had no problem posing for the camera.






Lee made an awesome speech about his bride.










I stole Eleah for a second to do a quick shot next to their getaway car.


Family won't ever let you forget your roots!














Thanks you two for giving me the honor of photographing your wedding day! May your love story continue for years & years to come! Go Horned Frogs!!! :D