First Ripper of the Year

When I saw the snow outside at 6am on Saturday morning I thought for sure that the Ripper would be canceled, but those NSMBA people are a tough bunch! The Ripper was on and it turned out to be an amazing day for photos.

I was lucky enough to get a lift in James' truck (Obsession Bikes) for the start of the race.

Thank-you to awesome photographer Corey Toews for this photo!
There were some bunnies. . .


. . . and a hospital patient. . .

. . . even Joan of Arc made an appearance!Lots of riders braved the snowy conditions for the event and had an awesome time!Even my boss, Kelli (Endless Biking)!The organizers liked the snow too!
Thank-you to all of the volunteers, ripper participants and the other photographers, it was definitely a Ripper to remember!

More photos!

Lower Crippler Hike

On Sunday I got out for a hike with the NSMBA to survey the work area for Sunday's Trail Day on Lower Crippler. Here are some fun photos from the hike:




Not doing anything on Sunday? Come out and lend a hand! Get the details here!

A Day in Toronto

On Saturday after the wedding my brother, Chris, and I had some time to check out Toronto. It was a beautiful day! We checked out the CN Tower, downtown and finished the day with another awesome meal at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (thank-you Chris!). It was so much fun to wander around the city, here are a few photos:

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Hall

Two weeks ago I got a phone call from my sister telling me that she's getting married, tonight I'm sitting in a hotel room in Toronto editing her wedding photos.

Yesterday afternoon we headed to Lift salon with so that all the girls could get their hair done. We arrived to champagne and strawberries and spent a few hours being pampered by the amazing staff at the salon. The space was great and the light was perfect for photographs, we had a fabulous time relaxing, joking and getting beautiful.

From there we headed back to the Hilton and to the Ruth's Chris Steak House downstairs to inspect the room where the wedding would be taking place. Jacquie and Ken's good friend, Rita, had taken care of all the decorations including; elaborate candelabras and table decorations. We had a few stressful moments when there was concern about having all the candles lit in the restaurant. The photo below is of Jacquie hugging the Hilton maintenance man when he approved the lighting of the candles!

Once the room was ready it was time to get dressed! Being the photographer and sister of the bride I had just enough time to get into my outfit, I ended up leaving my running shoes on and forgot my jewelry. . . it's a good thing that I got my hair done (thank-you Rita!).

We helped Jacquie into her dress and she looked stunning! The dress was perfect, her mom and I helped her buy it last month in Vancouver. After a disappointing morning of dress shopping we stopped into a wedding dress store in New Westminster and with the help of the women there we found 'the' dress. Although the dress was amazing, it was her shoes that got all the attention!
At 6pm everyone except for Jacquie, Ken and I headed down to the private room at the restaurant to get ready for the ceremony. I followed the bride and groom as they walked through the hotel on the way to the wedding and took some photos of them.

When Jacquie and Ken made their entrance into the candle lit room for the ceremony, there wasn't a dry eye. The small ceremony and amazing dinner/reception that followed was wonderful, there was champagne (lots of champagne), delicious food, a beautiful cake, heartfelt speeches from friends and family and of course, by the end of the night, a lot of happy drunk people celebrating in our hotel room (oh, and we sang the national anthem)!
Jacquelyn and Ken are two of the best suited people I have ever met, they are perfect together and that made their wedding very special. Thank-you Jacquie and Ken for sharing your special day with me, I feel very lucky to be your wedding photographer.

Thank-you to everyone at Lift, Hilton Hotel and Ruth's Chris Steak House for making Jacquie and Ken's special day perfect!

Click here for more photos!

Portraits from the Bike Park

Seann and I got out to enjoy the sun today with some friends out at the dirt jumps. It was so great to be outside in the sun and on our bikes! Unfortunately Seann had a bit of a spill and tried to smooth out a landing with is face.

Home

I arrive home late last night and have spent most of today going through all the pictures I took. I miss the sun already as well as my parents and all my friends in Mexico. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Sunset from our beach.

Angel (don't let the name fool you).

Carla, who was very proud of her new dress.

Seth, who is too cute for words!

My parents' with friend Barb (left). The community in Barra de Potosi makes it feel like home every time I visit.

Last Stop Before the Airport

On our way to the airport we stopped off to see some more iguanas. There is a big old tree near a stream that is home to many iguanas. When you first look at the tree you can't see anything but the more you look you start to realize that it is full of iguanas.