spreading the love

"when he reached over to grab my hand, I knew I was a goner" -Mary Marantz

Yes, I am a sucker for love stories. Perhaps because I am a girl... perhaps because I love stories in general.... or perhaps it's like my iPhone screen saver reads "the only magic I still believe in is love"



Whatever the cause, I often know the love stories of every couple I meet. And not because it is my career but because it is my passion. You may call it nosey, I call it a quest to understand and partake in the stories that make us who we are.

I recently jumped off the Spread The Love tour with Justin and Mary Marantz and found that they aren't just spreading the love with a powerful emotional workshop geared toward balancing business with life, but they are spreading their own love for each other and sharing it with the world. Giving something for the world to gaze upon and realize that a love like this truly can exist.
We traveled around in an SUV and from my backseat view, I often saw the following occurrence. Unbeknownst to them, I would quickly grab my iphone and shakily snap away in hopes that the bouncy roads wouldn't make my images TOO blurry. ;)

J&M met online... both just came out of long term relationships and Mary was quick to inform Justin she wasn't looking for anything serious. Then, as she recounts, "he reached over to grab my hand, I knew I was a goner".
The rest is history, but I have a feeling judging from my humble backseat view, that every time he reaches over to grab her hand she is STILL a goner.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

San Miguel de Allende :: in Color

... and here are a few more images from the trip in COLOR! :)

The streets of Guanajuato MX

The driving streets of Guanajuato are all under the city. They are old aqueducts!

The view from my room in GTO :)

Universidad de Guanajuato

Piles and Piles of chicken feet...... yum?

Callejon de besos. The kissing alley. One of the opportunities I experienced was touring the city with the Estudiantinas... a musical walking tour that ends at the kissing alley. Little do you know, you cannot pass without kissing someone. If you have no one to kiss, they gladly offer their lip-service! ;) ;) .

I freakin' LOVE this shot. We were driving to the lake outside San Miguel and I squealed to pull over. The sun was setting, the dust was settling and the horse just made for a fun shot.

there were donkeys too!

The lake we found.... taking in the mexican countryside!

The main church in San Miguel. This place was breathtaking on so many levels. The architect who designed it had no formal training... he simply looked at pictures of churches in Europe and Spain to model his vision after. Quite impressive 'eh?

*sigh* I want to go back and do it all again....
I want to sit at the outdoor restaurants for breakfast and eat Eggs, with fresh avocado, beans and tortillas.
I want to stand in line at the churros restaurants for chocolate and carmel stuffed churros.
I want to stroll the street squealing at every opportunity to eat coco paletas.
[funny how a lot of my favorite memories revolve around food]
I want to sit in the streets and marvel at all the street artisans. Musicians, painters, life lovers.
I want to continue to find and trip over every exposed pot hole in San Miguel.
I want to always dance in the streets as the mariachi plays in front of the church
I want to visit the Escondido hot springs every day to unwind.
I want to walk into a restaurant in the states and not be looked at funny when I want to order Agua Frescas (Naranja)
I want to wear a fresh flower in my hair every day like I got to in Mexico.
I may not want to get pulled over by Federales with m-16s again... but I sure did enjoy the fact that latino men have a way with words. SO to my favorite Casanova de Palabras.... (and you know who you are).... thanks for making me smile, thanks for making me fall in love with the REAL Mexico, and thanks for making me want to go back.

San Miguel de Allende :: in Black & White

I spent last week in sunny beautiful Mexico. Throughout my wedding career I have had the pleasure of traveling to Mexico for several weddings but nothing was like this trip. I was proffered to see the REAL Mexico instead of the "resort-style" Mexico I was so used to.
We ended up DRIVING down to San Miguel de Allende instead of flying and I saw the country through a new set of eyes. Approximately 9 hours south of the border lies a beautiful cluster of towns. San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato were truly breathtaking and I had a personal translator so the trip was experienced to it's fullest. ;)