A weekend of fresh air, plenty of breathing, and connecting with God. Naive as I am, I always thought that the mountains never got hot. Now before you judge me, I can't remember the last time I went up to the mountains in the summer time! Several weeks ago, the fam and I hitched a ride up to Twin Peaks, CA for a retreat with our beloved friends and their church. Once we got out of the car, I was amazed at how hot it was!
One great thing about the mountain was that there was little cell reception and the wi-fi provided by the retreat site was weak... Why is that great? Well, if we had been pampered with high speed wi-fi, strong "4g" cell reception, and a cool-blasting a/c (I didn't mention that the air conditioner was weak too?), then I would have probably spent remarkably less time with my friends and family and probably more time trying to find out what was going on in the world. Ever realize how many car commercials try to sell us with vehicles that are constantly adventuring in these remote and wilderness like areas? It's like they know inwardly we crave for adventure, the wild, or something different than what's around us. Being outdoors felt eerily satisfying... even though whenever I go out on retreats like this, I always feel a sense of technology withdrawal... being able to walk around and sniff the fresh air, hear ambient silence, and see stars at night... it certainly was relaxing. So here it is... my weekend summed up in pictures and 3 words - forest, sleep, and kids
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My family and I have fallen into the ever-so-popular culture of "foodtruck-chasing". There's something about these mobile eateries that just astonish me! I'll be first to admit that my wife was the one who had always pushed me to go out and chase these trucks, but I was always hesitant. It wasn't until I was at a leadership conference last year where I was "forced" to eat from food trucks because that was all they had. I think the leader of the conference said it best when he described this food truck revolution when he said that, "Food trucks are successful because they bring the business TO the client [and not the other way around]." Welp... Here is my newfound addiction - I am a glorified grub-chaser, and I am thoroughly hooked on BurgerMonster and from the looks of it - SeoulSausage, check them out, eat their yummies and let me know what you think! iphone 5!!! pictures below!
I love this time of the year... weather gets warmer (for us weak Californians), sun's up earlier, and family gatherings just seem to happen more. Along with that, I had the opportunity to grab a sweet new camera and snap away at these very intimate family moments! Enjoy! Have an awesome SUMMER! - jasonric
Took a morning to spend some time reading and thinking about life. Growing up in California, I always loved going to the beach to get some clarity. The ocean has always been the perfect place for me to unwind with God, breathe in fresh air, and just think. So whether through words said or written, pictures taken figurative and literally, I just needed some time to stretch out, pray, and think. Afterwards I walked around and enjoyed soaking in the surf and seeing these guys in action... One of my favorites of the day (below), a man swimming alone out into open ocean. I felt very attached to this action, like in my life, constantly moving out into open uncertainty, sometimes grasping desperately for air or a chance to hold my head above the water... deep right?
This past week I had the chance to steal away from work and spend time with my family on a road trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. What set out to be a fun filled vacation turned out to have a lot more adventure than we had ever could have anticipated. This picture is what started it all... Once we pulled off to the side of the road for a break and to take pictures of the vast desert, my wife, Annie, spotted something worth shooting in the distance. An old, abandoned school bus. Taking pictures of this pretty neat bus in the middle of nowhere went from fun to highly stressful in a matter of seconds... shortly after shooting at this location I (foolishly) directed Annie who was driving at the time to carve a new path through the desert on our way out... It was then where our van sunk tires deep into the sand. I have no pictures of this awesome happening (guess why... I panicked). After freaking out we decided to walk towards the freeway to see if anyone could help us... luckily for us, there were 4 men drinking right up this hill (behind the bus pictured above). We asked for help, and they helped push our car out of the ditch. One of the best sights to see this whole vacation... the road and not a desolate land devouring the feet of our only mode of transportation. Once we got into the city... I finally let out a breath of relief and focused on resting and spending time with my wife and kids... particularly this little booger. I'll post up more pictures of our vacation later... but fast forward to the very end. On the way home we noticed a strange sound coming from the car but couldn't pin point where it was coming from until... Yep, seems like the desert really wanted to swallow our family whole this year... lucky for us - we stuck it to him. All and all... this weekend taught me a huge lesson that often times I forget: A special thanks to my wonderful lady... Ms. Annie Ric who thought to document our troubles after our 1st episode this year! Hope you all enjoy the pictures!
Cheers! - jasonric Occasionally I like to shoot sports. There's just something about action, movements, and moments that really make shooting sports a fun activity... check out some pictures from a softball shoot I had today.
Several weeks ago when I brought my family to Dana Point on my wife's birthday, we stumbled across this very chic cafe near Dana Point Harbor. "What a Dish Cafe" was the perfect place to have some serious downtime with my family over a flavorful breakfast, my wife and I tried different variations of eggs benedict that the cafe offered while my kids shared a sausage and pancake breakfast. What I didn't expect after stepping into this place was that they share space with a somewhat similar small business called "It's All About the Cake", and they specialize in, you guessed it... cakes! Take a look into our experience at this very special small and local business and feel free to check them out on the links provided below! Cheers! About a couple weeks ago, the family and I retreated over to Dana Point, California for my wife's birthday and a fun-filled morning of activities. From seeing a humpback whale to being chased by a super pod of dolphins, this was surely a day to remember!
This past Saturday my family and I got to see our friends Kian & Jen get married. Their wedding took place at Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills. Their wedding consisted of a wide array of DIY decorations (our favorite)! What's even more awesome, is that our daughter had her first opportunity to be a part of a wedding as Kian & Jen's flower girl... Congrats Kian & Jen, you guys looked beautiful!
A BIG shout out to our friends over at Smitten on Paper. This past Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the Smitten on Paper folks at a bridal expo. Needless to say, they are a stylin' and chic company that provides lots of lovely knick knacks for every occasion. Check out some awesome pics I got from their booth at the expo, like them on facebook, and let them help you make your next event beautiful and charming.
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