Rikki Rivera | Photographer » Wedding & Portrait Photography

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My final post for Florida. As you can tell, I’ve been busy since we’ve been back home these past few months. So we’ve broken up the trip posts with anxiously awaited sessions I had to share. So, I combined the last little bit of Florida into one post, otherwise, I could have done about three more! From the last days at my dad’s property, spending time at the beach in PCB, and our trip to Melbourne to visit my husband’s family. These are some of my favorite pictures, and I am so blessed for the opportunity to have taken his trip and spend so much time with our loved ones. This experience was second to none. I’ll share a few more highlighting the journey from Florida to Washington and close out this incredible experience soon.

Thank you all for coming along with us.

Florida Panhandle

Florida Pt I

Florida Pt II

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I don’t typically have a lot of time to set aside for a proper photo shoot of my kids for their birthdays, so I end up using the exact moment we have at the time. The photos represent the very day and moment we had. At first I felt like I wasn’t doing enough, no cute outfits or props, but after looking through what we captured, I realized these are my favorite ways to capture my family. (Side note: Alyx made up all of the poses on his own. It was so cute!)

Instead of the usual party with friends and family, this year, my husband and I took him on separate adventures just before school began. We don’t get a lot of one on one time, as we do a lot together, so it was a really special treat for him. You can see some of his adventures, HERE, as he climbed his first mountain with mom, and caught his first salmon with dad.

On his actual birthday day we couldn’t miss letting him know just how much we love him and celebrate his life in this world. At his request, we took cupcakes in for his class and school staff. Immediately after school we went to see TMNT in 3-D, followed by a homemade dinner, cake, and gifts. As we have been focusing more and more on simple, slower living, we put that into practice here too. We have gotten rid of many toys and things we don’t need, which is why we felt it was paramount to build these experiences. Fearing potential disappointment at not having much to unwrap, he surprised us well by really soaking in each moment and loving the experiences we created for him.

As we lay together this evening talking about how much fun we had, he expressed how grateful he was for all we had done. I couldn’t help but squeeze him tighter and feel like all was right in that moment. I shared images with him from our hike to relive the excitement, and let him read all the birthday wishes shared from family and friends online. I wish I could have bottled that little moment with him and his sister, it really left me speechless.

Cheers to a great year 10!

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Leah and Michael planned an intimate backyard wedding at Michael’s parents home in Steilacoom, a town they both grew up in. With only their closest friends and family, everyone stayed close, shared stories, and laughed as the night went on. It was a sweet setting with only the most important details considered.

Living in Ann Arbor, there was a lot of help to put this together from so far away. I was so excited to finally meet Leah and Michael, having only had a Skype date before, and ended up loving every minute with them! When it was time to part ways, I felt like I was leaving friends, and hugged them both.

Thank you Leah and Mike for having me! Have fun in Hawaii!

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