Chris and Miriam

I had so much fun at this shoot! First off - CONGRATS to Chris and Miriam for their pending nuptials! You two have so much fun together - no wonder you want to spend even more time together!

We got to hike around various spots at Lake Hodges (Escondido, CA)... a place engulfed in flames a short 7 months ago! That's right.... this lush, green, spacious area was engulfed in flames during the Firestorm of 2007 (October). Well, you might see some charred ground popping through in some of these pics... it was just the right mix of beauty and darkness... and on a beautiful day!

Surprise!

Lee - congratulations! You worked so hard for this promotion... and you GOT IT! Surprise! (And I can't believe we pulled it off without you catching on to us!)

Once he finally told me he got the promotion I scurried around to gather up some of his favorite peeps. Then I told him we were meeting PJ for dinner... which wasn't a lie. But we were also meeting a whole slew of others as well.

Great job babe! You were the best candidate for the job... you worked very hard to deserve this and I just know you're going to blow their socks off! Keep up the great work...

We wish you many years of happiness and laughter...

Eddie and Kellye praying over their future... and the food for their wedding shower.



Let's get right to it... time to eat...

And after some scrumptious Greek food, comes the fun presents!

Have you ever seen someone so ecstatic over Pyrex?!?!

Look!!! Even the guys seem to be enjoying themselves!

Let the games begin. Of course at a co-ed wedding shower we had to mix it up a bit. So, Debbie and I had this plan to embarrass the heck out of Eddie. It had to do with buying some lingerie ... and package it up... and make it look like it was a gift from Kellye (aka "Tiny") to Eddie (aka "Bear"). (No - not lingerie for HIM to wear - rather lingerie that he'll get to enjoy her wearing in the near future!)

Our elaborate plan involved wrapping it like she would have, putting "Bear" on the envelope, etc. And boy was he puzzled. No, Kellye wasn't in on it... so watching it unfold (from behind the lens of a camera) was pretty fun! He was immediately embarrassed and wouldn't even take the goods out of the packaging... until his guests demanded to see what he was turning red for... and then he started asking around - "Is this YOU?!" Ahh, good times!

And yes, he eventually figured it out.

So, thanks to Yanni's for hosting us for a great afternoon with friends and family... we sure enjoyed your hospitality, your creative genius on a plate and the atmosphere of your outside patio.