Sam and Nate: Seniors 2009

Let me introduce you to two rad dudes. My cousin Sam and my bro-in law Nate are both graduating from high school this upcoming year and I had the privilege of taking their senior portraits last weekend. It was really fun to hang out with both of these guys. They are studs and I am stoked to know them (and be related to them).

Sam and Uncle Scott had location scouting duties for this shoot and boy did the pick a winner. Can you say abandoned train station? We went at a perfect time of day.

Sam wants to go to college and study music to be a worship leader at a church which is pretty rad. Yes, rad. So we took a few shots of him with the guitar.

And last but not least, a classic senior picture.

The next morning was Nate. Nate and my sister-in-law Becky and I headed last Saturday morning to downtown Riverside and found some cool spots to shoot. We had a blast quoting Napolean Dynamite and seeing the many face of Nate. My lips hurt real bad...

Thanks again guys!

The Hof's

Here is a more complete post about the Hof's wedding back in July at the Garden Cottage at the Green in San Clemente.
Steven and Lisa, thank you so much for inviting me into your special day and for making feel like a part of the family!
Enjoy the pictures!

Soundtrack (pairs well with life)

Days like today are nice. In some ways. Not in the "I am having tons of crazy fun with my wife" kind of way (because she is saving lives today). But more in the "I am getting a ton of stuff done and actually having fun doing it" kind of way.


The church that I work at is very kind and generous to give us staff Fridays off (seeing as how Sunday is somewhat of a working day for us). Hence, Fridays (or Saturdays depending on when Cory is working) have officially been dubbed as "Bust it OUT" days. Times for me to get things done. Whether it be things for photography, things around the house or soon to be studying for seminary graduate school classes I am taking (I start next Thursday). For example, today is partially a photography "Bust it OUT" day (I have got some HUGE things coming up soon that I am pretty psyched about!).


Now, to many of us, a day to bust it out probably doesn't sound like a lot of fun. And sometimes, I would have to agree. Cranking out your to do list at a whirling dervish pace sound like the perfect plan for a day off? By itself, not hardly. However, I am firm believer that you can make most of the things of life enjoyable if you have a good attitude and put to your mind to it. Let's just say that in using this back in college, I was able to even make doing accounting homework slightly enjoyable. Go figure.


Here's what I've found that helps me sometimes. Pair it with a sountrack. If you are doing accounting, make the accounting mix. If you are trying to get a lot of things done at work, make the "Bust it OUT" mix. If you are at the dentist, well.....maybe you can't have a soundtrack for everything.


I've found that listening to just the right mix of music helps me to enjoy tasks that aren't always enjoyable. In college, some mocked that I spent the first 30 minutes of my paper-writing time making a sweet mix. However, I believe that 30 minutes to be well spent. It helped me relax while writing (which in turn made my writing better) and helped make the process more enjoyable.


Now, I understand that we can't always make the tasks we do enjoyable and "fun" shouldn't be the guiding principle that determines what we will or won't do. Running suicides in basketball practice wasn't ever fun, but I am sure glad that I did it. But when you can, make a soundtrack for your day. It just might help you enjoy it that much more and give you more cause to be thankful to the Lord for the life and schedule He has given you.


In light of all of this, I thought I would share one of Cory and I's soundtracks for The Great Blakey Vacation. Driving=not always fun. Driving with your wife by your side and a sweet soundtrack filling the car=sweet!


1. Life in Technicolor- Coldplay.
(I am digging the new Coldplay album and I think this first instrumental track was a brilliant way to start it off).
2. Never know- Jack Johnson.
(What would a drive up the California coast be without Jack along for the ride?)
3. Fallen from the sky- Glen Hansard.
4. Almost Like Being in Love- Frank Sinatra.
(Sinatra=timeless)
5. Love you Madly- Cake
(not your typical song by Cake)
6. Fix You- Coldplay.
(Something about the instrumental part in the middle of this song ALWAYS gives me a boost of energy)
7. Mr. Pitiful- Matt Costa
8. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight- The Postal Service
(WHEN will these guys come out with another album?)
9. Mas Que Nada- Black Eyed Peas
10. Modern Nature- Sondre Lerche
11. Your Heart is an Empty Room- Death Cab for Cutie.
12. Nothing from Nothing- Billy Preston
13. Viva la Vida- Coldplay
(still not quite sure what the lyrics mean, but love the energy of the song)
14. Banana Pancakes- Jack Johnson
15. Gloomy (iTunes exclusive)- Matt Costa
16. You can't resist her- Weezer
(I always grab air drums during the ending instrumental part- a workout in itself. I am trying to get Cory to pick up the air guitar part. So far she's reluctant...)
17. Why Does it Always Rain on Me- Travis
18. Snails- The Format
19. Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop- Landon Pigg
Life pairs well with a soundtrack (what's yours?).

Our final day of vacation and larger photos!

After a great dinner and Ice Cream with our good friends the Rehrer's and the blogless MacClennan's Cory and I drove back into San Fran for our final day of vacation. By an overwhelming majority, our activity for the morning had been chosen as riding a crazy go kart all over San Francisco. Ride we did. (Truth be told, we had already purchased our tickets for the Go Car before we put up the poll. I had faith that my readers would choose wisely). Below are some photos from our final day.

Oh yes, got to love San Fran.

We stayed in the uber-swanky Union Square...

...At the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Besides from the fact that the hotel didn't have a pool, Cory and I were pretty sure that this was possibly the coolest hotel we had ever stayed in. We had a corner room overlooking Union Square and had windows that could open so we could get a better view and hear the sounds of the city below. Cory and I love staying at the Westin and so if any of you blog readers are secretly high-up in the Westin Organization, hook us up! We'll be glad to test out any room you would like us to.

After a crazy relaxing evening and some watching of the Olympics, Cory and I awoke the next morning and headed up the block to Sears Fine Food (name dropped by Josh Cook as the best breakfast place in San Fran). It was cool. We walked right in and were instantly sat at one of two window tables looking out at the street in the whole place. Service was great and the food was delish. It didn't dissapoint. As we were eating, we saw the line steadily begin to form until it was out the door.

Before our Go Car adventure, we loaded up on some Joe at the Starbucks in the Sir Francis Drake hotel down the block. We wanted to be sure that our energy level matched the 50cc's of unfettered adrenaline our Go Car was going to be pumping out.

And off we went! Let me just say that this experience was officially off the chain. You may think that driving the hilly and numerous one-way streets of downtown San Francisco is intense in your car, think again. It was such a rush to literally be right in the middle of traffic in our little Go Car. The looks we got were phenomenal, we got to see parts of the city that I had never seen before and let me just say that this thing is pretty easy to park.

I let Cory drive for a while.

We cruised by the Golden Gate....

Found a cool door....

And even went down Lombard Street. Above you can see the entrance and you can get somewhat of an idea how how steep the street must be. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we had to keep both hands firmly on the brakes so as to not careen down the turns out of control, we weren't able to get pictures that showed the full scale of our descent. Here is what we did get...

Overall we had a great time on our Go Car adventure. The next time we go, we are definitely renting them for a whole day and going all over the place.

We returned our Go Car near Ghiradelli Square and then headed down to the wharf for some Clam Chowder from the Fisherman's Grotto. It was really good. So good in fact that it disappeared before we had the chance to photograph it. After that, we decided that it would be a good idea to hop on a cable car back. Unfortunately, if you want to "hop" on a cable car, you don't do it at the main station. After waiting for an hour in line and listening to some fella play (and poorly I might add) cover songs on an out of tune electrical guitar and then being shoved into a cable car, I decided that the Cable Car was prolly the worst idea of the whole trip. If you are ever in San Fran, know the Cable Cars are overrated. My advice? Get a Go Car.