Two days ago, I wrote about the pleasure that comes from giving.  This is a little extension of that idea.

If there is any perfect expression of beauty on the earth, it's a bouquet of flowers.  Dazzling colors and sweet scents make for an ideal way to say:

You're stunning...

I'm thinking of you...

You're special to me...

I love you...

Sometimes, blessings come in the form of girls with long legs.  Well, I guess I'm really just thinking of one specific blessing in my life: Dani. 


When I moved home from school last year, I felt rather lost.  Having gone from living with my closest girlfriends in Southern California to living at home without much of a social life... I started longing to make new friends.  That's where Dani comes in. 

For a while, we were merely co-workers, and our relationship consisted of saying "hello" in the copy room.  I don't even really know what happened or what changed... but suddenly we were spending time together - first in a painting group (with two other amazing girls), then on an occasional shopping adventure, and in a weekly yoga session... Before I knew it, Dani and I were real friends.  I am so thankful for her... she is someone I can confide in, seek advice from, and just laugh with.

One of the best parts of a friendship is being able to rejoice with a friend in her happiest moments... and for Dani, this is one of those times.  Sheldon, the love of Dani's life, the man that makes her smile and melt all at the same time has asked her to be his wife!

I just love seeing two people who are in love... don't you?  There's no guesswork here.  You can read it all over their faces.

I believe that a gift is a glorified love letter.  Think about it.  When you write a letter, you are showing so much interest in and trying to please the recipient... but so much of it - the stationary, the color of the ink, the gracefulness of your handwriting - is a reflection of yourself.  Essentially, writing a letter and giving a gift are means of giving part of yourself  with the aim of pleasing another.

I always try to communicate through a gift that I care about the person I'm giving it to -- I want to show her that I've listened to her interests or, even better, understood what she enjoys simply from observation.  But I also want the gift to remind the recipient of me, even in some small, subtle way.  A gift can be a beautiful symbol of the depth of a friendship - of a strong connection between two people. 

And I never let a gift stop at what's inside!  I let the wrapping and the presentation be a gift in itself... crafting it to embellish and enhance the object it contains.  For me, finding the right wrapping can sometimes take as long as finding the present!



Usually, I buy my wrapping from The Paper Source in Berkeley - they sell individual, high quality, unique sheets of wrapping paper so that you can specially customize the look of each gift you give.  It's a beautiful store, filled with cards, stationary, journals, and, most importantly, inspiration.

{Oh and one more thing... some of the best gifts come when there is no special occasion.}

Send love to a friend wrapped in paper & ribbon.

Yes, we often fight.  Yes, we've been horrible to each other at times (me being the leader in that grand total).  Yes, sometimes we just drive one another absolutely crazy.

And no, I wouldn't trade my sisters for the entire world.

There is something so special about the sibling relationship.  It seems there is endless grace, and an endless supply of second chances.  We've seen each other at our worst; our most insane; our lowest and highest... and through it all, even after the yelling and slammed doors and whispered mean things... there is love. 

What would I do without that?  I couldn't live without these two dear ones.  I'm blessed beyond measure to have such beautiful, talented, smart, patient, funny sisters. 

Today I enjoyed a very summer-like evening with two people in love... it was perfect.

Right when we began the shoot, Mandy made sure to let me know that she and Todd "aren't good at posing."  My thoughts:  "Perfect!"  I thrive on people not being able to pose.  I want to capture people being who they are... in natural moments.  I explained to these two that I wanted them to just be.  Relax, cuddle, laugh, talk... and let me worry about capturing those magical shots - the kind that rarely come from a pose... the kind that overflows from the seemingly mundane moments of each day. 

Mandy and Todd totally got it.  They just let go and, literally, started dancing...