Nia & Austin - North Carolina Engagement Photography

I'm wrapping up the blogging for Nia & Austin's engagement session in Lexington, NC. Enjoy the photos from engagement marathon part tres: Country Nia and Austin

(check out part uno / retro, and part dos / grunge.)

i heart ___.

Southern California!

Jonathan and I visited the Los Angeles, CA area for a long 4th of July weekend. We loved it! One of the great parts of the trip was getting a break from NC's weather. We left temperatures in the high nineties and higher humidity for sixties and seventies with very low humidity. It was amazing. We also enjoyed visiting one of Jonathan's friends and his family for a day. We visited some of the cities around Los Angeles, like Beverly Hills and ate supper one evening at a restaurant on the beach in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Here are some of our Southern California favorites:

1. big league baseball. and a ballpark hotdog.

Jonathan and I attended an Angels, Dodgers game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. I was a little confused about which team to cheer for since the Angels are in the same division as the Rangers (my Uncle Johnny plays for the Rangers), but I decided to cheer for the Angels for the following reasons: a. it was ok to cheer for the division in this interleague game, b. my Uncle Jerry played for the Angels in the 80s, and c. it's fun to cheer for the home team. (I put a lot of thought into it.) It was so exciting to go to the game and fun to see a different stadium!!

Now, about that crazy hotdog; I think it is called a Halo Dog. It's a hotdog wrapped with bacon, and topped with chili with beans, jack cheese, and pico de gallo. I ate some of it with a fork because it was huge.

2. Balboa Island and their competing "original frozen banana stands."

Jonathan's friend, Jim, took us to Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA, and it was CROWDED--holiday weekend. The guys got balboa bars from one of the frozen banana stands. I enjoyed seeing the diverse architecture and all the pretty flower gardens.

3. Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA.

This beautiful work of architecture was designed by Frank Gehry. The lobby and garden of this concert hall are open to the public. The actual concert hall is never open to the public because of performances and rehearsals, but we had fun checking out everything that we could. We visited on Sunday, and people were setting up for 2 weddings, and there was a concert going on while we were there.

4. Santa Barbara, CA

Jonathan and I spent a couple days in Santa Barbara. As I mentioned earlier, we loved the weather!! We didn't get the normal Santa Barbara experience (although I'm not entirely sure what that would have included--maybe visiting vineyards and wineries, and some bike riding or kayaking). However we did get the Santa Barbara, 4th of July experience, which was a lot of fun. That included a parade, walking to shops downtown, music on the beach, fireworks, and lots and lots and LOTS of people. Jonathan said early in the trip that CA does nothing in small quantities. The people in Santa Barbara on Monday were no exception. The rest of the photos are from Santa Barbara. . .

5. an ice cream cone during an Independence Day parade.

6. a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting at the whimsical cupcake shop, WhoDelicious.

7. an Air Force jazz band playing música Latina en la playa. 

I can't figure out exactly who these guys are, but I'm guessing they're one of the ensembles from the USAF Band of the Golden West.

8. our view and the best Oysters Rockefeller I've ever had at Brophy Bros. seafood restaurant.

9. watching the fishermen bring in their catch next to the restaurant. 

We understood that those sea urchins were being exported to Japan. Does anyone like uni? I've never tried it, and I'm not sure I will anytime soon.

10. baby seals playing in the water near the beach.

I know this photos is very Loch Ness Monster-esque, but really, who doesn't love baby seals. At least that's what we were told they were. The people looked at us like we were stupid when we asked what the barking noise was, but we don't have seals in NC. We have sharks and jelly fish, neither of which are cute--even baby ones.

i heart ___.

Here are some of my summer favorites:

 1. these ugly beasts. These tomatoes grew in my garden. 

They finally gave up growing bigger and decided to turn red. Jonathan and I recently had some landscaping done in our backyard, which requires some heavy watering, so my garden is drowning. I'm pretty sure that is what is causing all the splitting. That doesn't affect their deliciousness though. Which leads me to:

2. a BLT. 

Bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwiches are a summertime treat. M&M sandwiches are too (maters and mayonnaise). One way I help contribute to a ridiculously low grocery budget is only buying produce when it is in season. Not only does it save money, but I really don't trust fresh tomatoes not grown in NC or SC in the summer. I may be spoiled, or maybe it's just practical. If my tomato plants do well, hopefully I won't have to purchase any tomatoes this year.

3. wild blackberries.

Free fruit is always good. They definitely require a lot of work to pick though; lots to contend with: heat, bugs, thorns. Last year I probably picked 3 quarts to a gallon of blackberries. No joke. I knew when I was picking them last year, they would probably not come as easy this year. And it's true. A lot of the canes got cut down. They've come back, but they missed the flowering and fruit. The fruit that is available is both smaller and some of it, completely impossible to get to. So this year it was more like wild blackberry hunting rather than picking. I'm happy with my quart though. I should be able to make a small cobbler. yummm

4. the farmers market.

I love the farmers market! and Smithfield, NC has their own farmers market this year. Downtown!! I also love the hugeness and awesomeness of the NC State Farmers Market too. I'll have to show you photos of that one another time. I get summer and fall produce that doesn't come out of my own garden at the farmers market. Like:

5. peaches.

I love peaches. Sweet, juicy goodness. Like eating candy.

6. these garden and farming t-shirts from Beryl Lynn.

I yanked these photos from her etsy shop. You can also check out her cute blog. She writes about her baby boy, gardening, sustainability, vegan eating, and other things I can appreciate.

I end up wearing shorts and t-shirts in the summer and jeans and t-shirts, over long sleeve t-shirts in the winter. Sure, I'd love for my style to be a little more cute or dressed up, but this is what seems to work for me since I do a lot of work at home. (or I'm getting down and dirty or hot and sweaty at my outdoor photo shoots). So it turns out I like t-shirts, and I really like these cute ones.