Before I say anything else, first let me say that I’m not trying to boast.

BUT, Jake and I just bought our first car. A CAR. Our first major purchase as a married couple!! And let me tell you, I about peed my pants as we were signing the contract because, let’s face it, I’m not used to seeing large sums of money disappear before my eyes. Kinda like magic. Guess this means I’m really an adult now. Anyways, like I said, I’m not trying to brag. So why am I blogging about our new car? Because it lead to this:

You see, after buying a car, we did what any sensible person would do… we took that baby for a drive!! We headed up up up to Mirror Lake.

I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, considering I’ve lived in Utah basically my entire life, but this was my first visit to the beautiful Mirror Lake. Jake figured it was about time.

But wait, it gets better: we packed a picnic. Complete with some celebratory champagne! I know right?! So great!! A romantic picnic just like you see in the movies!!

Ok… maybe not quite, considering our humble meal consisted of some tuna sandwiches, yogurt, and carrots. (We’re not complicated people.) Also, sitting on a blanket on rocky terrain is not as romantic as they make it out to be. (I may or may not have a bruise on my knee.)

(FYI: had there been a spider on the web, this picture would be non-existent.)

That being said, it was still a lovely celebration. Good enough for me anyways :) And I hope to make it back up to the beautiful Mirror Lake reeeeal soon. Preferably with a happy couple ;)

Aaaaand ok, ridiculously cheesy I know, but I couldn’t help myself…

Happy Thursday!

She sat perfectly poised, a cup of Starbucks on the table beside her, becoming more beautiful by the minute as her hair and make up received their finishing touches. She laughed to herself as she checked her phone, explaining that Joe was panicking because he couldn’t find his iPod. Although few minutes later he reported that it was found, it didn’t matter. Nothing could have ruined this day. The day they had been waiting for since they realized they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. It was finally here. It was their day. And it was all about their love. A contagious kind of love that was palpable in the air. Nothing could put a damper on that.

Joe and Jess, I am so happy for you guys, and so honored that I was able to be a part of your special day!! I wish you two nothing but the best, and I know that your love will continue to flourish with every day that passes. Much love!!

Beautiful Jess.

She was glowing, and for a good reason!

While Jess finished up, Joe was putting on the final touches himself.

Finally it was time for the ceremony. I just had to post this picture… fist pump between the groom and best man? Yes thank you.

And then came the bride. One of the most touching ceremonies I’ve ever witnessed!

Yes, they both started crying. And I might have too…

You may kiss the bride!

Those smiles say everything :)

The ceremony was followed by a lovely luncheon.

Their joy was infectious.

Joe showing off the new addition to his wardrobe.

All the guys chilling before heading to the reception.

Afterwards we headed to Jess’s grandparents’ house in Benjamin for some pictures before the reception.

Work it, Joe!

Jess firing back with a little sass ;)

I loooove kisses that turn into laughs!

I kind of love the moose in the background. Ha.

Sigh.

I adore this series.

Onto the reception! A few detail shots…

Photobooths are the bomb diggy. Yeah, I said it.

And then I saw a trampoline. Wasn’t about to pass that up!

(Don’t worry, against appearances, she was merely trying to catch him, he was not karate kicking his new wife.)

I don’t normally post cake cutting pictures, but these two know how to cut a cake! So I had to share…

Hahaha.

The sun went down right as they started their first dance.

Which lead into some more dancing.

Ended by a little firework send off!

Great way to end the night, right?

But no, it didn’t end there….

That’s right internet, the lovebirds decided to hit an In-N-Out on their way out, and invited me to come along!! Does not get much better than that!

In case you’ve never had the experience of In-N-Out, they have the best fries. IN THE WORLD.

Point proven ;)

Finally, on full stomachs and happy taste buds, they headed off into the night, together forever.

The end.

It’s Friday. Which means weekend. Which, for me, means a camping trip and a BBQ with good friends. Hollaaa! And considering it’s been like, oh, several months since my last Friday Fun Facts, I figured it was high time for another one. Admit it, you’ve missed them! If not, well, just pretend that you have…

1. If you have a laptop, never travel without it. I made that mistake when I went to Pennsylvania the other weekend. I then proceeded to get stuck in Detroit for a night, with NO INTERNET! (Gasp.) So yeah, if you’re as addicted to Facebook and Twitter and blog stalking as I am, don’t make the same mistake.

2. Fruit twizzlers. Try ‘em. That’s all.

3. Running with the wind is a breeze (get it? haha), but running against the wind is not so awesome.

4. Modern Family is quite possibly the next Arrested Development. Meaning it’s HILARIOUS.

5. While we’re on TV shows, what on God’s green earth happened on LOST?!? That was literally the most puzzling and unsatisfying ending they could have produced. I expected more from the creators of Alias. If you disagree, please feel free to explain it to my poor, confused mind, because I don’t have a clue.

6. Muffins, unfortunately, were not made to be dipped in coffee. Donuts? Yes. Cookies? Of course. But muffins?? I guess they’re just a little too crumbly…

7. If you’re picking someone up from the airport at night and you are stopping in the park and wait, don’t leave your lights on. I mean really, what are you trying to see? For the sake of everyone in front of you (so I guess that excludes those who are in the front row), turn them off please. Thank you.

8. And speaking of airplanes, if you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, do yourself a favor and buy the game Flight Control. Best. Game. Ever. And it’s only a dollar. A dollar for hours of enriching fun. Seriously, if you get it and don’t like it, I’ll pay you a dollar.*

*I will not actually be paying anyone a dollar. That was more to make a point than be taken seriously.

9: When I don’t have anything else to blog about, I’ll probably blog about either my dogs or food. Why? Because the one other love of my life hates having his picture taken. So on that note, enjoy some pictures of my ever-growing puppies, and the old man himself, Frisky.

I love these guys for many reasons, but one of them is the fact that every morning while I get ready, they sit and wait patiently for me to finish so they can have their breakfast. Precious much?

Mr. Zuka.

Miss Kiva.

And Mr. Frisk.

Happy weekend everyone!!

She is one of those people. The kind of person who’s warmth and joy is contagious. The simple sound of her laugh can make your day 10 times better. She is happiest when everyone around her is happy. The kind of person who makes you a better person for knowing them. Know what I’m talking about? And to top it off she’s so beautifully talented that if I didn’t love her so much I’d be jealous ;) Emily is one of my closest friends, and she is pursuing her dream in photography as well. She doesn’t have  a blog yet (I know, I know!! I’m working on it…), but you can see some of her work on her flickr account. I’m telling you internet, this girl is going places.

Yesterday, after a somewhat rainy and slightly gloomy afternoon, the evening opened up into heavenly rays of sun, and we decided to take advantage of it. Maybe it’s because she’s a photographer herself, or maybe it’s because she’s drop dead gorgeous, or maybe it’s because she’s ridiculously fun to be with, but whatever the reason, she was a piece of cake to photograph!! I haven’t had this much fun on a shoot since my guilty pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I lurrrve shooting weddings. Lurve it. But there’s something different about doing portraits. It’s an opportunity for me to create moments, rather than capture the moments as they unfold. I’m just glad I don’t have to pick one :) But enough about me, back to Emily!!

We started in a field of purple flowers. Ummm, yes please?

And can I just say, how awesome is her tattoo??

I’m a fan of headbands.

Then we headed into another field, and got this shot. One of my favorites ever.

Just a little light reading ;)

These next three are really similar, but I just couldn’t decide which one I liked best. I just wish you could hear her laugh.

See what I mean about gorgeous??

Perfect ending to a perfect evening. Thanks Em, for being you.

Last week I cooked my first meal. Ever. Ok, maybe not ever. I mean I can rustle up some mean Pasta Roni. And scrambled eggs. Not to mention pizza. After all, when you have a mother who is a ridiculously good cook, you don’t necessarily do a lot of cooking yourself. But last week I made my first legitimate, full course meal (if you can call some chicken and two sides a full course, that is). I knew that getting married would mean acquiring some wifely duties, one of them being cooking. However, between Jake’s mom being here for a week, my mom inviting us over for dinner, eating out, and being out of town, things have been slightly sporadic and I haven’t really had to cook much. So when the opportunity presented itself last week, I jumped on the chance to be the next Betty Crocker. Or Martha Stewart. Whichever you prefer. I was going to cook a masterpiece. Anyways, as you can see, my vision for an extravagant, delectable dinner turned into some mango chicken, cheesy broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Not the most exciting thing ever. BUT, this humble dinner was made entirely by moi, AND Jake liked it! That’s right, he asked for the leftovers in his lunch the next day. (Round of applause, please.) So, while it might not have been worthy of the cover of Good Food Magazine, I’d like to think it was a good start :)

P.S. Any yummy recipes would be highly appreciated :)

I’ll keep this one short and sweet, because tonight at midnight I’m flying to Pennsylvania to shoot a wedding this weekend and I still haven’t packed. Haha. I really had good intentions of settling down, getting more organized, and being a super wife after the wedding. Thus far, I’ve failed on all accounts. Things are still sooo busy!!! Maybe it’s time for me to stop expecting things to slow down… Anyways, last week I was hired to do something a little different than I’m used to: an architectural shoot for a realtor. I learned all about product and architectural photography in school, and while it’s not something I plan on actively pursuing, it was fun to do something a little different. A little out of the box. Plus it helps when it’s a beautiful home…

Have a great weekend!!

You may remember Jessica from her and Joe’s engagement pictures last December. Well, they got married yesterday. (Woot woot!) So now I can post some of these :) Jessica was beautiful and the weather was perfect! I always love photographing a woman in her wedding dress, because she is absolutely glowing. And Jess was no exception. In fact, I won’t say anymore. Just see for yourself :)

Jess, you are a classy lady.

The light could not have been more delicious.

I love her little smirk :)

Jessica, you are just a picture of beauty!

I’ll end on one of my favorites.

Congratulations Joe and Jess!! Your wedding was wonderful!! And I hope that now you’re relaxing on the beach, toes in the sand and a cool drink in your hand :) Love you guys!!

Zach and Kara’s relationship started with kiss. A kiss between Kara and another actor in their high school play. A kiss that, according to Zach’s standards, was not going to cut it. He went on to critique Kara on how the kiss should be performed, making sure it would be just right. Of course, Kara was thinking who is this guy?? But from this odd introduction grew a friendship. And from that friendship grew love and respect. Soon he would do more than just tell her how it’s done :)  They stayed together through high school and after they graduated, going to IWU and both studying to be ministry majors. (High school sweethearts represent!)

Zach and Kara are some of the most loving, genuine people I’ve ever met. They have a huge heart for the Lord, and shower kindness on everyone around them. Their happiness is contagious. And I could not be more happy for them! Thank you, you two, for allowing me to a part of your special day! I had SO much fun and I know you guys are going to do great things. Enjoy life together. You deserve it :)

Putting on the dress!

She was beyond beautiful and beyond happy.

And then her dad walked in for a sneak peek. I LOVED his expression!

The ceremony was lovely.

They never stopped smiling.

Now I don’t know about you guys, but I would say that this kiss definitely makes the cut ;)

Mr. and Mrs. Zach Vincent!

After the ceremony we hopped in the car to take some pictures downtown.

Their bridal party was hilarious.

After some shots with the bridal party, we headed to get some of the newlyweds.

Her bouquet was gorgeous.

And she did her own hair! Isn’t it fabulous?

I lurved her vintage necklace.

And Zach was looking quite dapper!

Last but not least, we headed into the cutest ice cream shop I’ve ever seen!

Oh Kara, you’re exquisite!

Zach always looks at Kara with so much adoration. Adorable.

Even slurping down a milkshake you are beautiful! Haha

Finally we headed to the reception.

They had a table full of their parents’, grandparents’, and great-grandparents’ wedding pictures. It was amazing!

I will say one thing about their reception, I have never heard so many clanging glasses in my life!

So they started charging people for kisses which, I thought, was genius!

Their first dance could not have been more romantic.

I thought about ending on that picture, but their reception was SO much fun I just had to post a few of my favorite dance pictures :)

And then they slipped away to their happily ever after…

Congratulations Kara and Zach!!!!

So, I’m back from the honeymoon. That’s right folks. I’m a married woman now. Just call me Mrs. Uribe! Cuhrazyyyy. It doesn’t feel real yet. Like I’m just playing house and having sleepovers haha. It’s barely even been 2 weeks, but I’m loving it! Jake introduced me as his wife to someone for the first time yesterday, and my heart skipped a beat. Being his wife is all I’ve ever wanted… Now I just have to learn how to be a good wife. The other morning I tried to make him oatmeal for breakfast, and I messed up. Yes, I messed up. How do you mess up oatmeal, you might ask? Well, I’m not exactly sure. But I managed to do it. I guess it’s a learning process. Ha.

One of my favorite things about being married, though, is hiking. We both loooove hiking. And now that we’re married, we can hike whenever we want :) No more busy planning, or homework, or appointments, or flying to Indiana for school… Nope, we are free to hike with our puppies whenever we feel like it! And oh yeah, remember our puppies? The ones I said I was going to photograph every week as they grow? Well, I failed miserably at that. So this is the most recent puppy update, 5 weeks later. Plus a few hiking pictures. An evening hike with my family. Enjoy!

Zuka getting ready for the big hike.

The puppies are so excited!

Off we go!

Blazing the trail.

Here’s the thing about Akiva. She may be a brat, but she’s a sweet brat (oxymoron I know), because she doesn’t like leaving anyone behind. It’s quite precious. She turns back to make sure you’re still coming :)

Beautiful views.

Jake’s sister Dani and his mom Jacki and their dogs came along too. Dani lead the way with the pups hot on her trail!

Zuka doesn’t like to wait. I’m lucky I got any pictures of him at all!

Think they’re related? Lol.

That’s my husband :)

Beautiful nature.

Ok, yes, I was slightly obsessed with the pretty blue flowers.

This pictures crack me up. Zuka likes to sing. (Notice Jake in the top left corner lol.)

Kiva waiting for me :)

Then they raced up the hill. I think Dani won.

My whole world in one picture. Minus Frisky. Haha.

Miss Dani and the pups.

Ah yes, they are still getting used to their leashes. Haha.

The perfect end to a perfect evening :)

Life is good.

Tomorrow’s the big day. It’s 10:30pm, I have to get up in 7 hours and I’m still not nearly done with everything that needs to get done tonight. But I’m sitting here making a blog post. You might say I’m crazy, but I like to think I’m dedicated. One last post before the HONEYMOON!!!! Hollaaaaaaa!!! 7 days of sand between my toes, sipping piña coladas and loving life with my husband. (That rolls off the tongue nicely… husband… lol). Anyways, I’ll probably make a nice big post about my wedding later when I get the pictures, because I’m like that. So I figured I’d give you a taste of what’s to come and share a picture of my bridals.

Taken by the wonderful Scott Jarvie.

So, I’ll be unavailable for the next week, but leave me an email if you need anything and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can :) I’M GETTING MARRIED!!!!