Jen graduated from MICA yesterday. Of course, it was a very special day, but even more so because she met the inspiration for her thesis—Stefan Sagmeister. He spoke at commencement (video below) and met with a small group of students. I’m certain I’ll find fancy hand-lettering all over her sketchbooks saying, ‘Jen Sagmeister’… which is actually what she titled this photo on Facebook.

Today marks three years for Jen and me. She’s been my source of inspiration since the day we met and I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for her support and encouragement. She means everything to me and I simply can’t wait to see where the next three years take us.

Jen and I recently went home to PA for a weekend visit with my newly acquired Canon 50mm 1.2L. When I had the Canon 30D, my 35mm 1.4L had the perfect focal length, but after upgrading to full frame with the Canon 5D MKII, it became too wide. Since the 35mm on the 30D’s 1.6x crop body is the equivalent to 55mm on full frame, I decided to take the plunge and pick up the Canon 50mm 1.2L. I couldn’t be happier with the lens—its bokeh makes butter feel like concrete. While in PA, Jen, her sister, and I stopped at the Linvilla Orchards for some test shots and fresh apples. Check out the photos on Flickr.

Jen’s sister, Heather, volunteered to have her boyfriend and pro skater, Pat Bryan, ollie over her. He’s quite talented and one of the nicest guys you’ll come across. Check out the trailer of his latest skate video and an HD video of the stunt below.

Getting out of the city is sometimes all you need—seeing the things you don’t get to see very often. Jen’s backyard is frequently visited by deer. This fawn was accompanied by her mother, who was just fine with me being so close. I love when animals understand you just want to capture their beauty. It also gave me a great chance to try out my newish 70-200mm IS lens.

Check out the rest of the shots here.

Jen and I decided to drive home to see her family and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. Make sure you all get out this weekend—I know I’ve needed this.

Jen and I were looking to get a cat and this one found us. She’s an angel and we’re very happy to take her in. Macy Gray is a 6-9 month old Russian Blue. She’s got a raspy voice and loves to have her face rubbed. Though it’s great to have a new addition to the family, she does succeed at keeping us up at night. Check out more photos here.