life lately {seattle & utah}

last weekend we took a quick trip back to seattle to visit mark's high school on homecoming weekend & to watch his 2002 soccer team get inducted into the charles wright academy hall of fame! when mark was a senior, his soccer team won the state championship so we thought it would be cool to be there for the ceremony. while we were in washington we took a trip up to seattle, hung out with mark's best friend & his family, spent time with john & ann {mark's parents}, went to a great breakfast in downtown tacoma, ate TONS of delicious grapes, took some naps & watched a few movies. it was really a fun weekend & it's always nice to get out of town, even if it is only for 3 days :)

below are some pictures from my iphone of what we have been up to lately...

lindsey + paul {family pictures up provo canyon}

i had a great time taking pictures of lindsey & paul a few weeks ago up provo canyon at an awesome, wide open field. they decided to have some family pictures done before the holidays rolled around & {as paul stated} to document the last time they were "thin". these two are starting to prepare for a baby! lindsey is pregnant & i couldn't be happier for them.

fortunately for this family i think we took these pictures during some of the last good days with the fall colors. during the past week there have been a few storms that have already brought snow in the mountains! i can't believe it was only a month ago that i was complaining about the heat & now i can't go outside without a jacket. oh, the joys of utah. 

anyways, enjoy paul + lindsey's wonderful pictures!

{recipes}: zucchini & chicken enchiladas

lately i have been making new dishes that i find on different blogs & a few weeks ago i stumbled upon zucchini & chicken enchiladas. i love zucchini and enchiladas so i was curious to see how they would turn out. mark & i are also counting calories right now and the fact that one of these enchiladas was only 116 calories was a huge plus! i was pleasanly surprised when i took my first bite. they were delicious!! i paired them with some black beans and called it a meal! a few friends have tried this recipe since i first made it & loved it as well.

zucchini & chicken enchiladas

4 medium zucchinis
8 oz cooked, shredded chicken
4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp oil
1/2 c diced green bell pepper
1/2 c died green onions
3 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 c cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder {this is what makes the flavor amazing!}
1 tbsp water
salt & pepper to taste
red enchilada sauce {i used canned sauce but you can also make your own}

directions:

• cut zucchinis in half and scoop out the center, creating a boat. save the centers because you will be using it!
• boil a large pot of water and place the hollowed out zucchini boats in the boiling water for 1 minute. 
• preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• add the oil to a large fry pan. then add the peppers, green onions & garlic. cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. i like to add some salt & pepper at this point. then add the zucchini you scraped out along with the cilantro. cook for 4 minutes. next, add the spices and water and cook for another minute. finally, add the cooked & shredded chicken to the pan and cook for another minute. taste your mixture & determine if it needs a bit more salt or pepper.
• take a pan that has edges and pour 1/4 c enchilada sauce on the bottom. then place the zucchini boats on the pan. fill each boat with about 1/3 c of the chicken filling. then pour 2 tbsp of enchilada sauce over each boat. next, sprinkle 1/2 ounce {or any amount you like, really} of cheese on top of each enchilada.
• cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes & then i like to take the foil off and continue baking until all of the cheese is melted and the ingredients are completely heated through {usually 20-25 minutes}

recipe adapted from {skinnytaste.com}

maddy + neal

lately i have been doing mentor sessions with my friend paola {an awesome utah photographer}. she has been teaching me so much about the art of photography & has really opened my eyes to a lot of details in photographs that i had never noticed.

after one of our sessions, paola set up a practice shoot for me where i would be able to apply some of the things that i had been learning. for the shoot we used maddy & neal, a fabulous couple who happily volunteered! & because it is autumn in utah there is really only one place to go to take pictures - up the canyon where the trees stand tall all around you & the colors are breath taking. we drove up past the sundance resort to a little secluded road where we all just walked & talked while  making time for the occasional picture. towards the end of our shoot, as we were strolling around on various trails, we came aross a beautiful group of horses. it was a great way to end the evening!

sister shoot {maryclaire & madi}

i would like to introduce my good friends madi & maryclaire! these gorgeous girls are sisters & best friends. we thought that a little sister shoot would be a fun idea & something that their mom would just love. {you can never get too many pictures of your children, right?} we decided to stay local & wandered around center street in provo & found some pretty fun little spots.

there were SO many great shots that it was hard to narrow it down. they are such beautiful girls & take great pictures. thank you ladies & enjoy!

{& of course we made time for some dancing...}