Stable cats

At the stables near my house, there are two kitties who live with the horses. They can be a bit skittish if you move too quickly, but they are so friendly and just love to be pet. 

The calico one kept attacking my shoelace!

I've always grown up with pets (rabbit, frog, dog, cat) and have been a big animal person. But now it's just my family and our old black lab mix, Lucy. We've had her since she was six weeks old. I'm going to miss her so much when I leave for school!

Kids portraits

Last week, I photographed Cooper and Addison, quite possibly the cutest little kids in the entire world. They also happen to be the children of Corey, an old friend and a fantastic hairdresser at Endz Salon in Los Gatos. If you ever need a haircut, go make an appointment with her!

Addy was so fun and easy to shoot, always smiling for the camera.

Cooper spent a while hammering away at a rock he found. He was so funny, telling me about his future plans: apparently, he intends to go to a college where people either study bugs or samurai swords.

Addy's such a little waterbug: Corey swung her over the pool so her feet skimmed the water. She couldn't get enough of it!

A great family photo (minus dad who wasn't there).

Corey has a necklace with her babies' names on it. What a great idea!

Friends and fun

Not only is she an incredible artist headed for the Art Institute of Chicago in just a few days, my friend Shelby is one of the most hilarious and downright fun people I know. She taught me that whipped cream is meant to be refilled multiple times on a mug of hot cocoa (so many times, in fact, that I ended up with a major stomachache from sugar overload!) She's one of those people you can talk to about anything and she'll always drag you on some fun and crazy adventure that ends up making you feel loads better =)

She came over a couple days ago, and we went trampolining!

And then she found my planner and began making notes.

She's going on a road trip to Chicago in just a few days - how cool is that?! I'm missing her already!

Bittersweet

One of my oldest and dearest friends left for college yesterday. It's so bizarre to think that the people I've gone to school with for the past four, eight, even eleven years will soon be scattered around different parts of the country.

Starting in second grade, Angeli and I had "play dates" almost every weekend. She even had her first sleepover at my house! We went on bike rides, fed carrots to the horses at the nearby stables, and made brownies out of a box. We then graduated to making cookies from scratch (although the cookies hardly made it past the dough phase before we ate it all). Soon we were driving places, meeting up for coffee, and laughing ourselves silly at episode after episode of Will and Grace.

So before she left for college, I packed her a little care package. A collage frame with the four photos above. Our favorite cookie recipe. A Will and Grace DVD. Nutella. A box of Red Rose tea. A box of brownie mix. A planner, amply marked with weekly "call Kaytee!" instructions.

As the title hints, things are feeling somewhat bittersweet: the bitter part being my friends already leaving and the sweet part being me off to college and meeting new people in a little less than a month.

This quote makes me feel better: "Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." - Richard Bach

Summer lovin

These past few days, I've spent time with friends I haven't seen in some time, and I've knocked several items off my summer to-do list.

1. Went on a midnight hike with a group of friends and watched the meteor shower. Saw no meteors (so sad!) because I was always looking at the wrong place at the wrong time.

2. Had a sleepover with a friend outside on my trampoline. Made up for not seeing meteors because I saw shooting stars!

3. Drove over the hill to Santa Cruz this morning with a friend and we watched the sun rise over the water. Walked around the beach and some trails for a little bit before going out for breakfast - yum!

Sunrise this morning:

What's on your summer to-do list?

Nooks and crannies

Some more photos of little tucked away areas of Paris:

I've been really busy working two part time jobs lately and getting things sorted out for college, but I've got some really cool dorm decorating ideas - will take photos and share them soon! =)