Thomas and I recently hit our one year anniversary with our full time jobs and we were itching to take some time off and relax. Of course, we needed a little push to actually take time off – you never know when you’re going to need vacation days (especially with Friday weddings… 😉 )

I saw that one of my favorite photographers was hosting a photography workshop in California…and that was the push that I needed.

Thomas and I packed our bags, left our pups in good hands (thanks Melissa, Sara, and Kristen) and took off.

We arrived in San Francisco at 10:30 in the morning and I spent some time with my grandparents in Palo Alto to start off the trip. Thomas and I then headed south to Carmel Valley. We stopped at two regional parks along the way. We were both stunned by the beauty around us.

We arrived at the Holman Ranch at 9:30 and headed to bed – exhausted from a long day.

The next day I spent 10 hours at the photography workshop – read more about my experience here.

After the workshop, Thomas picked me up (he spent the day on trails and driving along route 1) and we headed to Lake Tahoe. It was a five hour drive…and we thankfully made it safely despite the fact that we missed a few turns and didn’t arrive until after 1 in the morning. For those of you who know me – you know that’s unheard of. We woke up five hours later – excited to see Lake Tahoe.

We took a 6 hour tour with Lake Tahoe Photographic Tours. Mike, our tour guide, was great. He crushed my spirits a bit when he told me I’ve been mispronouncing Nevada my whole life (ha). On a positive side, he was kind enough to snap some photos of Thomas and I.

After our tour, Thomas and I enjoyed dinner and s’mores followed by a beautiful sunset.

The next morning, we hiked for a few hours. It was nearly impossible to keep going. I wanted to stop every few steps and just soak the beauty in . The water was so blue. I hope you have the opportunity to see it.

After our hike, we drove to Oakland to have our photos taken by Danielle. It was a nice change to be on the other side of the camera and it was wonderful to see Danielle in action.

After our shoot, we trucked over the Bayside Bridge and received the biggest hugs from Brielle.

Brielle has been a best friend for so long and we were so thrilled to see her in her new city!

Over the next few days we took plenty of photos, enjoyed delicious food, walked for miles, saw sweet puppies and indulged in ice cream.

We were sad to leave…and I know Thomas is itching to get back. Significant discounts for any weddings out in California….! 😉

Hugs!