Brentwood and Christine, or Brent and Stina as we know them, are some of our favorites. Brent is Nick's very best friend — the two have more stories and history than any other duo you've ever met. B&S have been dating for practically forever and we were SO excited when Brent finally popped the question earlier this year in Hawaii! Nick and I were honored when the couple asked us to shoot their engagement photos, and Nick is looking forward to officiating the wedding next summer.

Here are the photos from our shoot a few weekends ago in Truckee, AKA our playground and where the four of us spend most of our time together (that is, when we're not drinking whiskey gingers in hotel bars). For the shoot, we started at Donner Lake then headed up to Donner Peak overlooking the lake to capture the fading Indian summer light. Shooting beautiful people is easy, but made even better when they're your best friends! We had a blast during the whole shoot, and I couldn't wipe a smile off my face the entire time I was editing the photos. Oh and by the way... that beautiful golden retriever you see is their dog Stella. Don't tell, but I'm secretly plotting to kidnap her.

Brent and Stina, congrats on your engagement!!! We are thrilled for you, and so excited to celebrate your wedding next summer!

That's a wrap! Here's a shot of the whole crew: Brent, Stina, myself, Nick, Stelly Belly, and our buddy Paul. Love these people!

I recently partnered with Alaska Airlines helping promote their new nonstop flights. They offered to send me on a vacation and document everything along the way — my route was Portland to Puerto Vallarta. Shoot some photos for a free weekend in paradise? Sign me up!

While I was only in Mexico for three days total, it was an unforgettable adventure that included practicing my español with the locals, getting lost in a jungle, and enjoying the most expensive dinner of my life at a swanky French restaurant (complete with escargot, compliments of the chef).

I think the best part of traveling to a foreign city by yourself is that you're able to completely do what you want to do, when you want to do it. There's no compromising. If you want to sleep in, you can; if you want to wake up early for some sun salutations, rad. I spent a lot of the time sunbathing and reading.

But mostly I just explored.

Since most of the photo work I've done is for social media projects, I've fallen into a bit of a bad habit: relying on my iPhone too much. I tried to challenge myself this trip by documenting as much as possible on my DSLR too — I didn't bring a super fancy setup, just a Canon 40D body with a 50 mm lens. For this adventure, it was perfect.

Here is my photo story from my weekend escape to Puerto Vallarta. The first half or so are from my iPhone 6; the latter half are "real camera." All edited with VSCO. Enjoy >>>

While I typically prefer enjoying these kinds of experiences with others, it was beyond refreshing to escape on a solo Mexican vacation for some much needed alone time. I highly recommend traveling alone if you haven't already!

Huge thanks to Alaska Airlines for making me your Portland → Puerto Vallarta Weekend Wanderer! I'm already planning my next trip back :)