Yet another adventure with the Traveling Hearts!

You may remember our previous trips to Palm Springs and Big Bear – this time we met up in breezy Santa Cruz for the usual shooting, laughing, cooking, eating, drinking, interspersed with local activities like beach visits, roller coaster rides, the Mystery Spot, and lots of hanging out on our sunny little deck.

It’s no secret that I love these ladies to pieces. They are smart and sweet and warm and ambitious and hilarious and as evidenced in the photos below – stunningly beautiful both inside and out :)

As always, I’ll start it all off with our stopmotion video – put together brilliantly by Mary!

A behind the scenes shot.

Ending it with a couple group photos, the first taken by Ala (“be bridesmaids!!”) and the second set up by Heather. Already can’t wait until our next trip!!

It began last summer. A bunch of photographer girls getting together at the gorgeous Ace Hotel in Palm Springs – it was to be a simple chance to relax, to mingle, to interact, a quick break in the craziest moments of wedding season.

But how did it become so much more? Because this time, up in a cozy cabin in the snowy peaks of Big Bear, we met up not as colleagues or acquaintances, but as friends. On our last night there, we sat around the dinner table, sharing our stories, our thoughts, our dreams. Some tears were shed. Hands were held. Encouraging words were exchanged. Because as much as your closest family and friends can love and support what you do (which is so so amazing), there is still something different about having someone sitting right next to you who shares the exact same experiences, and knows exactly why you do what you do. To live and breathe your business, to pour your entire heart into something you love so much, to work so hard to build something up from the ground. And to have a group of amazing friends who understand every piece of that, and who are there to support each other unconditionally through our experiences, photography-related or otherwise, is nothing short of amazing.

Our four days together were spent shooting, cooking, eating, drinking, tobogganing, hot-tubbing, X-Box-Dance-Central-ing, and laughing til our bellies hurt. These are seriously some of THE most intelligent, kind, warm, ambitious, silly, funny, creative, and wonderful girls I have ever met in my life. I feel beyond blessed to know them, and so so honored to call them friends.

Where will our traveling heart take us next? :)

The Traveling Heart Society from Floataway Studios on Vimeo.

Stop motion created by the amazing Mary, featuring Ala, Amanda, Diandra, Gladys, Heather, Heidi, Jordana, Meg, Megan & yours truly {Ashley and Jackie, you were missed!}