Mendez Family

Yesterday we drove up to Forest Falls with my brother and sister-in-law and their four amazing kids. We had a really great time walking around and snapping some family shots. These kids are seriously gorgeous, but then again, I may be a little biased being that I'm their aunt and all :)

Well, it hit me the other that that the holidays are here! With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner it's that time again for pumpkin latte's, warm sweaters and turkey dinners with family and friends. It's also that time of year when most people start planning their Christmas card. If you are still trying to figure out what to do for that family photo, I would love to help you out! If you are interested, shoot me an email at info@sarahortega.com and we'll set something up.

My favorite shot of the day. I love it!

Aaron caught this sweet shot of the boys and Audrey

three years

Three years. Three full, exciting, unbelievable years.

It has been quite the journey and I have loved every step of it. It feels like there are so many memories and adventures packed into these last few years. From traveling the coast of Chile to pastoring a church in California, we've had our share great experiences and difficult moments. I know that whatever life brings our way, you are right there beside me to walk through it together. I love doing life with you and I am excited to see what the years to come have in store for us. You are my best friend and I couldn't be more proud of the man you have become. I love you.

Happy Anniversary.

Palm Springs

We arrived in Palm Springs today. We had a great time just lounging by the pool and walking around downtown. My parents will be returning back to Canada tomorrow so this is the last stop of our trip. It has truly been an unbelievable week! We had such a great time with my mom and dad and it was really nice to visit a variety of places and see so many different sights. Today was also my dad's birthday and we celebrated it at one of the best Mexican restaurants in So Cal. We had a delicious dinner on the patio and enjoyed the live band, it was great!

The hotel we are staying at is gorgeous! I am crazy about the architecture and design of the place. I love all the fun chairs that they have too. It makes me want to redecorate our apartment (:

Laguna Beach

Today we arrived in Laguna Beach. Our hotel is just steps from the beach so we spent most of the day just walking along the coast, going from cove to cove. We also really enjoyed the the hotel's rooftop resturant. It was a great place to watch the sunset. I think this was one of the best days of our vacation, it was so beautiful and relaxing and simple. Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and we will be celebrating it in Palm Springs.

The hotel rooftop patio.
We loved it so much we ate both lunch and dinner here

The view from our hotel

Oceanside

Today we arrived in Oceanside. We are staying at an amazing hotel right on the marina, I love it! This is a beautiful town and we had a great day walking around and exploring the area. We went for lunch at a restaurant right on the end of the pier which was very fun. In the evening we watched, "Big Fish." It is one of my favorite movies and my parents had never seen it so I brought it along in case we were in the mood for a movie. I love the ending, I think that's why I like it so much, so if you're looking for something to rent you should check it out. Well, tomorrow we are skipping town again and continuing north to Laguna Beach.

A pelican having some lunch

The Oceanside Pier.
The building on the end is where we ate lunch

A shot of our hotel. Great location eh?

La Jolla, Seaport Village & The Gaslamp Quarter

Today we did a little bit of everything. We started off our day at La Jolla Beach. There were lots of coves and paths and beautiful places to walk around. We had some lunch at an oceanview cafe and then we headed over to Seaport Village. There were lots of fun shops and restaurants and parks right on the ocean. We ended our day at the Gaslamp Quarter. I loved the architecture and old buildings in this downtown area. We had a great dinner and then headed back to the hotel. We had a pretty full day so I can't wait to get to bed! Tomorrow we are saying farewell to San Diego and heading north to Oceanside.

one of my favorites

I love this photo that Aaron took

Seaport Village

this guy was balancing rocks! Aaron got a great shot of him in action.

Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego Zoo

Today we went to the San Diego Zoo. We had a fun time walking around and looking at all the animals exhibits. I especially liked the polar bears, the elephants and the pandas. Balboa Park was right next door so we had some lunch over there at a nice cafe. We walked around the park for a bit and as we passed by Casa del Prado Theatre we found that there was a performance of "Cats" the musical playing this evening. We were all up for it so we got the tickets. I totally think that making spontanious decisions and last minute plans are what what vacations are all about! The musical was awesome, we all really enjoyed it and it was the perfect ending to a great day. Here are some pictures from the zoo. Enjoy!

the baby panda was so adorable!

My favorite shot from the day. Three cheers for good timing!

me and my mom at Balboa

Spanish Village

there's just something about this photo that I really like

Coronado Island

My parents arrived in California yesterday afternoon. They said that there was 5 inches of snow when they took off so they were quite pleased to be greeted by palm trees and sunny weather. We stopped by the house to see Audrey and Sergio and the kids. When Ivan, our youngest nephew, saw that my parents were there he got all excited and asked, "Did they come to see how big I got??" That kid is too funny... We went out for a nice dinner with Aaron's parents and then did a little shopping.

Today we drove down to San Diego and we spent the afternoon at Coronado Island. I had never been there myself and it is a gorgeous place! We walked along the beach and explored the grounds of Hotel Del Coronado. After the sun set we had a great dinner at a little Irish pub and then walked the main street.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the Zoo and Balboa Park. So far it's a great start to our week with my parents.

My parents are having way too much fun. (:

Hotel del Coronado

Orange Groves

I love orange groves. I love the citrus scent and the rows upon rows of orange trees and where we live just happens to be surrounded by orange groves. They are everywhere and I love it! Yesterday Aaron and I went walking in the groves just as the sun was setting. We brought our cameras with us and had some fun snapping some shots. Aaron has been practicing a lot with my old camera and he is getting quite good! I love that I have a shooting partner now :)

Well, we are picking up my parents from the airport tomorrow. I just talked to my dad and he said that it snowed 2 inches today in Calgary so it's a great time for them to visit sunny So Cal. They will be with us for a week and I am really looking forward to it!

We found a couple of avocado trees too

Billy & Michelle - Engagement

Aaron and I were on our way to Laguna Beach for an e-session when we got a call from Billy. He told us that Laguna was covered in fog as thick as pea soup so we decided to head over to Newport Beach instead. We started off at Corona Del Mar and then went to the Newport Pier. We had such a fantasctic time with Billy and Michelle. They were so much fun and an awesome couple to work with. We can't wait for their Valentine's Day wedding.

Love this one! This is probably my favorite shot from the day

This one was Aaron's idea. Love it.

A great pier shot by Aaron