caty + richard | proposal | durham, n.c.

As the week came to a close, I got a visit from a colleague at work who told me about his upcoming engagement he was planning for Friday night. It sounded so casual yet so magical: dinner and drinks at Tyler’s (where the couple’s first date was), followed by ice skating at the American Tobacco Campus, and then a surprise proposal at the pond by the Full Frame Theater. I strapped on my camera, dressed in dark colors, threw on the long glass, and acted like tourist in the Bull City as these two ice skated throughout the evening and then kissed the night away. I stalked the two throughout the night and patiently awaited the special moment. All of a sudden, after relaxing at a picnic table by the pond, Richard dropped down to one knee. His proposal was so genuine and sweet. Caty couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes. She was quickly enveloped in shock, then bliss, and then draped in love and euphoria.

I was so honored to be able to photograph this moment in Richard and Caty’s life and am still smiling about their engagement! These two have known each other for years and started dating about a year and a half ago. These two are so full of love and it’s written all over their faces for the world to see. I’m sure these two will have smiles on their faces for eternity after their sweet engagement last night.

Congratulations, Richard + Caty! Thank you for allowing me to capture this milestone in your life and create heirlooms for you and your families! Best wishes to the both of you!

san antonio shenanigans |san antonio + luckenbach, t.x.

When one goes to Corpus, one must go to San Antonio. Home to my dad’s family and Los Spurs, we go up to hang out, eat velveeta queso and ghost-peppered pickles, shop, explore, and ring in the New Year.

This year, our mission was to find ballet folklorico costumes for my mom, so we ventured into “South San,” where we found exquisite street art, a santeria shop, a huge mural of Selena, a low road-scrapin’ dog (reference to our favorite children’s book…worth the listen, y’all), and then Wyatt made his best attempt to blend in with an army of piñatas. We finally ended up at La Gloria, an eclectic Mexican Street Food cafe with prickly pear margaritas and tacos al pastor to satiate our hungry bellies. Wyatt later passed out with Grandpa Charlie’s hairless cat on his face.

The next day, we ventured out to Luckenbach and Fredricksburg to go be tourists. Luckenbach, Texas, made famous by Waylon Jennings (“…Willie + the boys”), is a small used-to-be town that is all about beer and good music. We went real early in the morning, so we didn’t get to hear any guitar pickin’ but we did get to meet Virgil the Storeguy. You guessed it, he runs the general store, which is housed in the old post-office. Virgil is quite the joker and has the most unique and full-hearted and contagious laugh I’ve ever heard. He said he plans on riding out to N.C. on his Harley to visit his son and daughter-in-law at the coast. If you ever get out this way, Virgil, I suggest a good Eastern Carolina BBQ, hush puppies, and a solid craft beer. For those of you traveling to or through Texas, get out to Luckenbach, make sure you get an ice-cold Shiner, appreciate all the musical memorabilia, listen to a good round of guitar pickin’, stay far far away from the evil roosters, and give Virgil a big ol’ handshake and a reason to joke around!

New Year’s Eve can be summed up in three topics: Head’s Up, champagne, crappy fireworks. Either way, it’s always a good time. Grandpa Charlie acted out a t-rex, Komodo dragon, a sloth, and an elephant while playing Head’s Up. Wyatt went and bought a bag of fireworks, that ultimately failed to be as awesome as usual but were still a lot of fun. We rang in the New Year with champagne and kisses and many hopes for a great 2015.

New Year’s Day: Rudy’s BBQ + Blue Bell Ice Cream. No need to elaborate on that greatness.

And finally, today, we said adios (or a see you later) to Wyatt as he embarks on his journey to ABQ. He is going to live with our Tías, start fresh, and make awesome music. Godspeed to you and all your adventures out west (I also hope you finally befriend Chispa)! I expect killer snapchats, sweet instagrams, and all your greatness to beam out of you! Miss + love you, fool!

flores fiesta | corpus christi, t.x.

Our last night in Corpus, we had a party to welcome Chipper and Christian to town in addition to partaking in typical Christmastime revelry. And who better to show up than Tío Noe and Tío Arturo, as well! These are my grandpa’s two youngest brothers and some of the most musically talented men in our family. My grandpa used to call them mocosos, or snotty-nosed kids, because they used to play guitar all day on the porch while he worked on the ranch. Either way, these two tíos can kill a ranchera, huapango, huasteca, bolero, or corrido unlike any other Mexican cowboy.

The night continued with long lasting Flores fiesta traditions as Grandpa watched over us-music, tamales, tequila, Jalisco, and Grandpa’s favorite songs. Nothing will ever beat this tradition and I’m so glad that all of us crazy cousins are keeping them alive…even if we do need 20 pages of music to look at!

Props to my dad for grabbing some sweet shots of my accordion-playing, Frida the dog, and his sweet iPhone shot. Good job, old man!