tanner & valerie: engagements.

i had the pleasure of shooting this lovely couple's engagements on a beautifully-lit (but chilly) spring day.

valerie wanted a mix of urban and nature-y shots, so we shot in downtown provo and in a nearby orchard.

we lucked out with all of the gorgeous blossoms on the trees and the perfect springtime atmosphere!

congratulations, tanner & valerie!

anna gleave photography

{utah engagement & wedding photography}

lovin' la alhambra.

in granada this past weekend, we visited one of the coolest sites i have ever seen.

la alhambra.

this is an ancient cuidad/palace situation in southern spain,

one of the twelve treasures of spain,

and one of the most touristy places one can visit in spain.

it was phenomenal.

giant gardens,

beautiful architecture and structures,

cool cathedrals,

and excellent water features and fountains.

there is a definite arabic feel about it,

with lots of incredible inscriptions all over.

i think it goes without saying, but nikita had a little bit of fun in la alhambra.

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let me know if you have any questions!

seaside blues.

so i must admit,

ever since our trip to valencia a few weeks ago,

i've been craving another trip to the mediterranean.

we spent three lovely hours at the beach when we were in valencia--

avoiding the desnudos, splashing in the water, and getting a little bit of a tan.

the water was close to perfect temperature,

and i was prettty content.

speaking of oceans, i've been attempting to expand my palate a bit here in spain.

meaning, i actually eat the seafood paella and salmon when it is placed before me... usually...

that being said, i just didn't have it in me to eat the tuna salad i was given tonight.

so now i've gotta figure out how to discretely get rid of it... any suggestions?

fish are friends, not food.

paddle boat amor.

sometimes, in sevilla, we head down to the river.

we pick flowers and rent boats and paddle the rio...

even when some of us are wearing skirts.

and sometimes, i feel like it is the best two euro i could've spent.

oft times, we are happy.

thank you, españa.

don quijote.

is this real life?

we headed south a bit to check out the topic of cervantes' famous windmill scenes in don quijote.

so, so cool.

sometimes (all of the time) i can't believe how real all of this is.

estar feliz.

you know those days when you just wake up feeling happy, and the feeling lingers for a loong while?

well, i've been having a lot of those days recently.

despite extreme fatigue and being crammed in busses with 34 of the same people, over and over again,

i'm re-realizing how lucky i truly am.

i live in spain.

i am loving this opportunity and these travels.

i am loving this country and this culture.

i am loving the package of gluten-free cookies i devoured today.

my hotel here in sevilla has limited internet, so i can't show you any of my colorful images from the week, but i can assure you, it's been awesome.

the south of spain really is bonita...

chica.

why are spanish children so darling?

real madrid, yo.

a few weeks ago, we headed to madrid to santiago bernabéu stadium to watch real madrid play getafe.

though i believe witness would really be a more appropriate term than watch... i witnessed one of the cooler cultural experiences of my life.

in spain, soccer isn't just a sport.

it's oddly religious, an intensely-passionate way of life.

at the opening of the game, opera music blasts through the stadium.

it seems so out of place, but at the same time, it fits the situation perfectly.

there is no pump-up music, no announcers, no "let's make some noise!" commands on the jumbotron.

it's very smooth and seamless (still wondering how the players manage to run/sprint for 45-minutes straight...)

yet, the crowd is exuberant.

and watching the beloved cristiano ronaldo score a hat trick (and top his season-record for goals) on his home field was really unbelievable.

and these pictures don't even do the game justice.

it's times like these (or this whole trip, really), that i realize how lucky i truly am.

p.s. thanks to whitney for some of these images!

small-town spain.

on our way home from salamanca this past weekend,

we stopped in two delightful little spanish towns.

though the big cities are so rich with history and have been fascinating,

it was nice to take a tour of the country and experience the small-town vibes.

we visited a church and a monastery, ate hamburgers for lunch, and bought treats from the nuns.

we also snapped some photos in this little courtyard outside the monastery de santa clara...

i may or may not someday have my wedding reception there (i wish!)

not a bad day, if i say so myself.

la ciudad encantada.

on the way to valencia last weekend, we stopped in la ciudad encantada.

there's this big national park there, and we spent the morning hiking around

and checking out the crazy rock formations.

we maybe even found a little lizard friend to play with for a bit.

and one of the male friends may or may not have been super mature and dropped it down a female's shirt. for oh, about 20 minutes.

ohhhh, encantada.

vale.

i came to dance.

when in spain, do as the spaniards do.

this week, this translated to daaaancing.

though i'm incredibly white and my hips in fact do lie (sorry shakira),

we had too much fun hitting up the discotecas and letting loose two nights in a row.

aaand i just might have found a new favorite canción.

the spaniards go absolutely loco when this song comes on,

and thanks to the discos, so do i.

post script: please enjoy the first 37 seconds of this music video.

they are hilarious/awesome (minus all of the weird bikinis/belly rings... sorry about that!)

sea shoot.

i fell in love at the seaside.

-the kooks

maybe they're not in love...

maybe they're not even dating.

but nikita and i had a lovely few minutes shooting the oh-so-stylish devaun & jeff at the mediterranean this past weekend.

what can i say?

i'm a beach girl at heart.