The weekend started amazingly well. JD and I took our time driving up the Californian coast to Santa Barbara, which our home away from home. Our good friend David Jay has a beautiful home with a spectacular view…and a pretty awesome guest house, so we've christened it as our own. I'm even tempted to lick the doorknobs and stake claim. Cause that's how I roll.

We sushied (yes, as a verb) at our favorite place in Montecito and spent the evening dreaming big…and hoping bigger.

On Saturday morning, we lounged and I packed my photo gear. JD spoke of brunch and wheat toast. And toasting. To a wonderful day.

We spent the rest of the day photographing a wedding in Santa Ynez for an amazing couple and a few times throughout the warm day, I felt the breeze in my hair and I felt happy. As JD and I ate our vendor meal at the wedding, we toasted. To the start of wedding season. A great start. To life. A good life. To my birthday. Almost, I say. There's no need to rush it.

Today is my birthday.

I'm overwhelmed with the simplicity of happiness. A run along the beach this morning. Thoughtful emails. Shout outs on Facebook. Soulful voicemails. Toasting to the start of a new chapter in my life. These moments are all mine. They've made me so happy and I'm blessed to know I don't have to lick them all and stake claim because they already belong to me.

And because every post is betterfied with a picture, here's one JD took of me at Saturday's wedding…my amazing bride follows my blog and brought me a birthday present to her wedding. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? I almost started crying…she's simply the best! 🙂