Stuck in New Jersey | Personal

I just spent the last 2.5 hours driving 30 miles on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. This poor soul was caught in a minor fender bender in the midst of the ridiculous traffic tonight in 45 degree weather. As to why he was so fashionably dressed in a blazer, boxers, white socks, and black New Balance shoes - who knows. I somehow think the accident is the least of his problems...

Stay tuned for more photos of majestic New Jersey and why I will never come back here if I can help it!

Phyllis & Ben - San Francisco, CA | Engaged

I headed over to San Francisco to meet up with Phyllis and Ben, on what was, without a doubt, the most beautiful day so far this winter. They are so sweet together and I think that really translated in their photos. Phyllis and Ben initially said they felt awkward but they worked the camera like they had been doing this their whole lives. By the end of the shoot I hardly had to give any direction!

Here are some of my faves from our session:







































At the end of our shoot Ben wanted to do a jumping shot. What better way to show that hangtime than by animating it? See how fun they are? I'm sooo looking forward to shooting their wedding next June!

Phyllis & Ben Teaser | Engaged

Check back in a few days for more highlights from Phyllis & Ben's e-session!

Emilia's Pizzeria | Food

Last Friday I seriously had the best NY-style pie west of Brooklyn at Emilia's Pizzeria. My expectations were hyped up after reading this article and I wasn't disappointed. Berkeley has bred some excellent pizzerias over the years and if you're in the mood for something other than Zachary's or Cheeseboard, head over to Emilia's and give pizzaiolo/owner Keith Freilich some love. (FYI, I am in no way affiliated or compensated by Emilia's Pizzeria for this post - just passionate about good pizza!)

2 caveats: 1. Check out Emilia's site for updates as they do tend to run out of dough. 2. Be patient - Emilia's has only been open a week and so far he seems to be running the place solo. In any case, his pies are worth the wait.


Nat was a little groggy/cranky when we arrived.


pizzaiolo/owner Keith running the show solo. Look at the line!



We literally got the last 2 pies of the night. Here we are occupying 2 out of the 3 tables in the cozy dining area.


sausage and roasted red pepper. Our second pie was pepperoni - which was even better, if that's possible. It was so good that we scarfed it down before I could get a shot.


Stellar pizza turned Nat's frown upside down pretty quick!

Pirate's Booty on Treasure Island

I joined my brother-in-law, James, for a **brisk** swim in the bay off of Treasure Island yesterday afternoon. Little did we know that the night would only get colder...

I met up with James and his triathlon buddies in this huge empty parking lot adjacent to the marina and asked him if he thought it was safe to park here. "No, probably not." I suppose it was safe enough since they had a group swim here last week. We walk about a 1/4 mile to the beach where we start our swim and I'm thinking, "who lives on Treasure Island?" The only other times I've been to TI were for the SUPER CHEAP meals in the Job Corps Advanced Culinary Academy Fine Dining Restaurant.

After a 25-minute swim in the bay we gathered our belongings on the beach and started heading back to our cars. James' car key was missing. After digging through the sand for five minutes I'm thinking how much this sucks. Would somebody actually steal his car? As we walk back to the lot we glance over only to confirm our fears that the black Volvo was gone. Who actually does such a morally reprehensible thing?

We filed a police report at the lot and I drove James home with borrowed clothes and just the wetsuit on his back. After another hour the police called with good news- they found the car locked and parked in a seedy neighborhood about 2 miles away from the lot where it was "borrowed". In the end the only things taken were a CD wallet, a Williams Sonoma gift card, and a little bit of my faith in people. I'd love to believe we live in a place safe enough to leave our belongings untouched but that's just wishful thinking in this day and age.

I had my camera in the trunk of my Civic (who wants to take a Honda Hybrid for a joyride anyways?) and was able to take a couple shots of last night's craziness.


the car was fortunately intact and unscathed


James on the phone with the towing company


the Volvo was found about 2 miles away from the lot where we parked while we were swimming

San Diego [part 2] | personal

Here are some highlights from the rest of our weekend in San Diego hanging out with friends and family:





my dad steamed a red snapper. It was so big we had to cut the tail to fit it in the wok.





The plant has fallen


It's unheard of for a former Chula Vistan to never have been to Lolita's for mexican food but alas, I'm a noob. I had a California burrito and the carne asada fries pictured above. Little did I know that a California burrito was essentially carne asada fries in a tortilla. I was stuffed.


Nat loved the way the afternoon sun casted shadows on her feet.


Vinh demonstrates the optimal LCD setup for world domination.



Nat and Isa getting reacquainted


meet Layla







Steve eyeing some baby Nat ribs.



Nat's SO ready to go home.



I made pretty good time driving without any breaks. When Nat's asleep it's a good idea to just keep going.


So gross! Alas, finally home only to find a kitchen full of ants. Just so gross.

**Oh, I didn't realize I was advocating TJ's coffee but definitely a good place for good bargain beans.**