Fred and Yvette following the rules at Coopers BBQ in Llano, Texas.  Notice the pile of meat on that school lunch tray.  Way too much, we had to bring it home to Noah.

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Visiting my cousin Chris and his two boys, Evan (Superman) and Jack (with the blankie).  I never thought I’d actually go to Albany, NY, but the minute I found out I’d be there, I contacted Chris to hang out and actually meet his wife and two boys.  It’s amazing that I hadn’t ever met them and I was so lucky to get the chance.  Eileen had to go to work, but Chris and the boys managed to have a grand time playing while I snapped away.  Really smart kids, and they’re going to athletes too.  You can’t keep up with Jack and Evan is already a solid hitter at the age of 3.  And already a Yankees fan.  Good job, Chris and Eileen!

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Funny hat, funny shed.  Visiting Candace and Jacqueline in upstate New York.

SUZI Q | QWEDDINGS Wedding Photography Austin, Texas

Alina and I tried on some hats in San Francisco at a haberdashery that was about the size of my coat closet.  I ended up buying a furry hat, or, as hubby aptly said,”you look like Elmer Fudd”.  Ah, fashion.

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Alina looked for all of 15 seconds and managed to find a four leaf clover at the De Young Museum.  I’m guessing it brought us good luck, because we had a fantastic time in San Francisco for four days, including an amazing wedding (patience, those photos are coming soon!).

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Early Thanksgiving is a little known, but much loved holiday.  Actually, this is the first year for it, but we had such a good time, it is officially a new holiday in our household.

A little back story:  my dad was Canadian, so my family never did the traditional turkey thing, we always had Chinese food on Thanksgiving. Now I’m all grown up (I think?) and I’m not too traditional about it.  I even decided to schedule my flight to Chicago (to shoot a wedding) on Thanksgiving day (less air traffic, plus I get an extra day to go to the Art Institute).  Solution?  We decided to do “Early Thanksgiving” on Sunday.  Yes, 4 days ago!

Even more brilliant, Noah, (aka The Hubby) grew up eating crab legs for Thanksgiving.  His family figured out that crab legs were always on sale during Thanksgiving week, plus, it takes FOREVER to eat them, thereby insuring that you will be spending some quality time sitting around the table with your loved ones.

Also on the menu:
Dry Rub Chicken by Noah, Wade and Fred
Jenn’s Asian Greenbeans
Yvette’s Smoked Salmon blinis (with caviar!)
my asparagus pine nut salad
Jim’s Baklava
Alina’s Lemon Bars & Famous Pecan Pie
Noah’s Sweet Potato Pie

Wade supervised the grilling and then carved the birds.  Lucy watched tv and ate pancakes.  Alina made a vegetable bracelet for Jenn. Fred played an incredible reggae-ska-dub mix and Jim mixed Manhattans in my tiny vintage martini glasses.  Everyone took turns with my camera.

After dinner, it was such a balmy day, we went for a walk around the neighborhood wearing hats and with me twirling baton.  We really needed a kazoo to make it perfect.  I’ll put it on the list for next year.

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Noah and I had a great Indian summer dinner with Amy and Eddie in their backyard in San Diego.  Eddie got a wild urge to throw some snow peas on the grill.  Very very tasty!  Later, we sat around the fire.  I was fascinated by the pre-fire presentation, wood and newspapers carefully stacked. I’m happy to have photos of such a lovely evening with old friends.

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Goofing around, taking some pix of my nieces in Idaho.  They are ready with a smile and they are all pretty much taller than me.

SUZI Q | QWEDDINGS Wedding Photography Austin, Texas

Fred’s peanut butter cookies, crumbs and all, under some protective covering.  Note that there are only two left!

SUZI Q | QWEDDINGS Wedding Photography Austin, Texas

Meriko is an old friend of mine from the Bay Area.  In fact, I shot her wedding, one of my very first, way back when.  Meriko is a cool gal, so it should be no surprise that her very personalized wedding was at the Lawrence Hall of Science. It was also a wedding that made me realize that weddings could be unique and full of personality.  I’m always looking for couples who have eclectic ideas for their wedding day.

Meriko was in town for a convention, so we used it as the perfect opportunity to both catch up and to explore Austin’s food scene.  The first night, we did the Omakase tasting menu at Uchi.  Meriko took notes on everything we ate.  I was too busy enjoying myself to take photos, but I made up for it the next day as we hit both Smitty’s and Kreutz in Lockhart.  To say that my tummy was full would be an understatement!

SUZI Q | QWEDDINGS Wedding Photography Austin, Texas