i got an email this morning from my friend, jalayne. (fun little side-story)

this weekend i spent it with her, her boyfriend justin, and one side of her extended family. i have known most of them for over 15 years.

her lovely mom hired me to fly up and photograph the separate groupings of their family in their favorite places.

jalayne and justin: the city of san francisco

her mom and stepfather: their home in carmel, on an AMAZING nature preserve

her brother and sister-in-law: the beaches of monterey

who would have thought i needed a vacation after thailand, but it seems it was just what i needed. this wasnt even a vacation, it was a work trip, but i havent felt more rested all year. i got to hang out with really fun people and take a short road trip while talking the whole entire time about things we were all interested in. i got to sleep in a guest room made up just for me. with a bathtub that my six foot tall body could stretch out in. in the middle of acres upon acres of preserved beautiful natural land. i watched UFC for the first time in my life, and probably the last time, but it was in the theater room. how could i pass that up? not to mention the three sessions for a beautiful group of people that i think are really, really wonderful. i was feeling so thankful to jalayne and her mom this morning for organizing this and bringing this restful feeling (and that bathtub) to my life.

jalayne must have been reflecting about it the same way i was because in her email she said something that made me want to put my finger on my nose and point at her and jump up and down so she knew she had the right answer, she said, “but you were such a light to my life this weekend…like a flashlight that went to all the corners of the good…”

and that’s how i was feeling too.

justin, me, jalayne. just after our photo shoot was done. somewhere in the mission district. dont we all look like happy little flashlights?