An image I designed for the latest Through the Lens of Worship post.  Head on over there to see more!

In November 2010, Adam and I decided we needed to get away and visit the Central Coast of California.  I found a super cheap hotel room and we got in touch with our friends who live in San Luis Obispo to see if they'd be around that weekend.  Upon our arrival to SLO we checked into our room.  Which was bad.  I was not sure I wanted to sleep there, but didn't have a really valid excuse for getting my 30ish bucks back.  We headed over to A & E's place which was actually right around the corner and we could have walked over there, no problem! 

Our group took a trip to Avila Valley Barn, which neither Adam or I had ever been to.  It was fantastic!  I loved absolutely everything about the place!  Most of the photos below show only a glimpse into the glorious things that await their visitors.

We followed that up with a walk in Avila Beach, going into shops, running into a couple who were freshly married on the beach, and taking A & E's Christmas photos.  After the sun was gone we hit Downtown San Luis Obispo for a great tapas dinner.  Our evening came to a close with a rousing game of Settlers of Catan at our friends' place.  We didn't end up going back to our crazy hotel room, but opted instead to curl up on A & E's couches!  All in all, a great quick getaway.

This is the final installment of the Canadian Invasion!  It only took me 3 months to get all 3 up.  The end of 2010 was crazy and I plan to tell you all about that very soon.  But in the mean time... please enjoy the Bay Area portion of the Canadian Invasion. 

This part of the visit was so much fun.  The last days were filled with family, love, fake mustaches, a pumpkin named Horatio (who is still going strong by the way) as well as some amazingly fun touristy goodness in San Francisco.  For example:  My cousin, her son, my husband and myself ran down Lombard Street!  There is some hilarious video footage in my cousin's possession that shows me trying to keep my pants up and my lenses in my camera bag!

Enjoy the show!

The family =) I <3 them all!

The mustaches!  My Aunt's Camaro and a pumpkin got in on the tacky goodness.  I still have the pumpkin...his name is Horatio. 

The lovely Lombard Street.  It was beautiful with hydrangeas and other green growing things.  The First Church was on the way, not sure if it was actually on Lombard.  The asian lady's shirt says "Tripping pace a walk a walk". Huh?! She didn't know either, we asked!

Armed and dangerous... they will photograph you if you aren't careful. 

The DeYoung Museum.  Such a cool place!  We went to the top of the right building and got some amazing shots of the panaramic SF views!  I loved how the light hit the museum in the twilight.

A little bit of what I saw from the observation tower at DeYoung.  So amazing!

The End...

I hope you enjoyed my little recaps of the visit from my Momma and brother.  They are some of my favorite people and we got to hang out with most of my other favorite people so it was definitely an amazing time.  This year we are hoping to make it to Canada for a little Can-Am holiday fun.  Stayed tuned for the next episode as I have a lot of exciting stuff to share!

God bless!

If I may share a little of my heart with you at the beginning of this Christmas season...

This year I have decided that it is my desire to do all I can to ensure that Christmas is focused on the coming of Christ.  I am a Christ-follower and am thankful for the salvation He came to bring, but I confess that I get very wrapped up in the trappings of gift-giving and consumerism that America uses to celebrate this holiday.  I don't want that anymore.  I don't want to be so stressed out and pressured to be the best gift giver! 

In thinking and praying about how to do more in my home and personal life to have a Christ-centered Christmas, I began looking into Advent.  At church we always observe Advent, lighting the candles each week and discussing what each candle represents.  But honestly, I've never been able to recall any of it!  I found a resource that provides daily suggested readings to coincide with each candle lit for the four Sundays prior to Advent.  Today is the first day of Advent and I am doing my readings in Isaiah this week as it represents the prophecies regarding the coming of Christ into the world.  Isaiah has so many amazing things to share about Jesus, including the often quote Isaiah 9:6-7.  I found in the following scriptures a brief and exciting picture of Christ and read it with the wonder of what it would be like to look forward to the birth of this man.

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,

And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesses,

Who shall stand as a banner to the people;

For the Gentiles shall seek Him,

And His resting place shall be glorious."

Isaiah 11:1-2, 10

It goes on to say that God is going to gather the outcasts and those who have been oppressed and scattered all over the world.  God loves people and could not stand to see Himself separated from those who seek Him by the law anymore...enter Jesus, the Savior of the world!  What an awesome gift! 

I hope you find meaning and beauty in the season that is before us,  that you take time to be present with your loved ones and enjoy the time you have together.  This season is so special and even if you don't celebrate it to honor Jesus's birth, I hope that you find more value in relationships than in a material item that will not last.  You are special and have much to offer and I pray this Christmas you give and receive the best gift of all... love!

Part of this entry will also be posted this week on Through the Lens of Worship.

During the visit from the Canadians (my Momma and brother Tony) we took a day trip to Oakhurst to visit my Aunt Leatrice & Uncle Ray for a lovely breakfast and then on up to Yosemite.  The weather was pretty strange, we had lots of fog and clouds, we even hit some snow on the way to Yosemite Valley!  The following are some of my favorites from the trip.

September 30th - October 10th 2010 became what I have dubbed "The Canadian Invasion."  So you weren't aware that the Canadians had planned to invade the U.S.?  Well that's probably because they sent the smallest gang possible --a band of 2-- to carry out the invasion.  Actually, there was technically one Canadian and one American who is still on the fence about becoming Canadian after 10 years of residency!  Truth is, my Momma and brother Tony came for a visit.  They formatted their trip in such a way as to see Southern California, Yosemite and the Bay Area while in California.  That being said, I have formatted my posts into 3 parts.  Shall we start in Los Angeles?  Mom and Tony flew into to LAX where a lifelong friend picked them up and let them --as well as my aunt and myself later-- stay for a brief visit.  They had done so much to their home since the last time I was there nearly 7 years ago!  I have featured my favorites in this post, so scroll down to check it out!

These adorable little critters belong to our friends the Mehls with whom we stayed while in Southern California.  They have one more very shy guinea pig.  Mr. Fred on the right speaks pretty well when in a good mood.  I got to hear him say "Whatcha doin'?"

Mr. Mehl has had a lot of fun with junkyard scraps and a welder as is displayed in the remainder of the blog.  These are one of many clusters of birdhouses hanging on the patio out back.

I didn't get a photo of the whole of this awesome wind chime.  It's made from shotgun shells!  The thing was longer than I am tall.  Isn't this a great idea?  I absolutely love repurposing old things and this was a really great use of resources.

Here is another cluster of birdhouses.  There are a couple made with cylinders.

Last but not least is my favorite feature of their fantastic backyard.  This crazy contraption is a water fountain!  I absolutely loved how it was lit at night.  I had to wait until morning to really capture some of the details.  The colors and layout are so great! 

Well that's all I have for you this time around!  Allow me to add that I am so blessed to know the Mehl family, they are very loving people with two beautiful daughters.  I am determined not to allow another 7 years to go by before my next visit! 

I hope you enjoyed these and maybe even found yourself inspired to breathe new life into something old!  I know I have.    God bless you!

Welcome to my new and much improved PHOTOBLOG!  I am so excited for you to be here!  Thank you so much for dropping by... I hope you do so often as I have big plans to keep you well up-to-date on Adam + Sarah Photography, Through the Lens of Worship and all other photography-related happenings.  I will also be updating you on my makeup artistry portfolio as it will be up soon!  If you followed my previous photoblog you know the basic structure of how I did things... well be prepared for something new!  This revamping of the photoblog is very timely in that my purpose is somewhat changed, and for the better!  See the About Me section to learn more.

Thanks again for coming and I do hope you check back often.

God bless you!

Sarah