BBQ's

The quintessential pastime of American summers.  Gather up some folks, make a trip to Costco for the food, and find a great backyard. Oh, and throw in some cigars too.  Easily one of my favorite nights this summer.

California on my Mind

The thought had crossed my mind before, but I never thought California was a place I could see myself at.  It felt just too comfortable to live there compared to New York; there's no screeching of subway cars, no wind tunnels down 6th avenue, no smell of drunken urine on the sidewalks (although LA would probably have their share of those).

But after visiting recently, my view's changed. Going back as a photographer, I realized that the quality of light there is so much better than New York City.  Maybe it's because the sun sets on their side, but they seem to have golden hours, and not just that precious hour we search after here on the east coast.  And this weather, these golden hours, are there all year long, not like the pockets of great days we have here (couples are usually hoping against hope that the weather is nice the weekend of their wedding).

But I still love New York City, and the charm of it's shadowed sunlight by all the skyscrapers.  I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, but the warm and gorgeous light that California is blessed with will always be in the back of my mind.

PS. Thanks to my good friend Dennis, for housing me and enlightening me to Orange County.

For Our Good Even Through Cancer

We all came together one Sunday night a couple weeks after we heard the news that Dennis had cancer. Since he lives in California, we video conferenced him in to our meeting to catch up with him and to see how he was doing.

Dennis was scheduled that week for surgery to remove the tumor that was on his leg. We didn't know how successful the surgery was going to be or how he was going to pay for it since he was uninsured. With such uncertainty in front of us all we could do was pray. We spent the night praying for healing and encouragement.

And even though we didn't receive any answers, we all left that night feeling at peace. We left hopeful because we knew that no matter what happened there was a purpose to all this and that it would be for our good.

It's been a few weeks since the surgery and it was a success. They got all of the tumor out. The margins were clean, and the cancer didn't spread to the rest of his body. Even though he's missing a muscle, Dennis is well on his way to full recovery.

Anniversaries and Valentines Day

Today is our eighth month anniversary. This past Sunday was our first Valentines Day. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Family Birthday Party

We have always been a family of homebodies. Never one to go out for meals, because we are convinced my mom can make better food than any restaurant we would go to. But during birthdays and especially mother's day when we want to give my mom a night free of cooking and washing dishes, we go out to eat.

Our restaurant of choice is based on a most-food-for-the-dollar ratio, which ends up being a buffet. So naturally for my birthday last month, that's what we did. Usually focused on eating, I don't take my camera along, but did this time.

With all the pictures I have been taking, I realized I don't take enough pictures of my family, so I'm glad I did bring it along. So here are a couple from that night.