Off to Antigua, Guatemala

So, honestly, I don't know how we got to this day so quickly. After a few trip planning hurdles and some unfortunate events, one of my best friends Mikey and I are leaving to visit another one of our best friends, Mason in Guatemala! (sans Marie... :( Who will be missed more than I think she even knows.) Around the time he left to do his Peace Corps duty there about two years ago we all commented how we should take a trip to visit him. Knowing us, and how we find it hard to even plan a trip home to San Jose at the same time, I can't believe we managed to pull this together.

So readers, friends, family, clients- I'll be out of country in beautiful Antigua, Guatemala until Sunday. I stole this off of someones flickr gallery.  Sue me! You had awesome quality photos and I promise, you can steal mine when I get back.

Thanks, Timmy

Tim was a good sport last week. While we may not be the next big couple photographer team, he was a great assistant and it was pretty nice to look up and see him across the room instead of just wanting to get home to him. Maybe if I pay him next time he'll be more enthusiastic? :) Timmy, you are appreciated.

I snuck some blurry photos of him arranging cigars for his magnificent detail shots.

She once was little and now she is big.

So most of you already know that I have a degree in fine art photography. Weddings wasn't exactly the route I always thought I would take- in fact, to be honest, most of my professors (and classmates) would probably be horrified. This post is for them. I am still an artist! Do not get me wrong, I absolutely whole-heartedly love what I do. It just isn't where I would have said I'd be if you had asked me 3 years ago. I consider my wedding work art but I consider this my art. This is an ongoing project I've been mentally working on for the last couple of years. When my sister is in my dreams, whatever she is doing, she's usually around 5 years old. She's got bouncy curls and two adorable massive front teeth. I'm usually following her around, panic stricken that something might happen to her. Nothing usually does but the haze I'm in prevents me from seeing much. It's my sister in these photos and for me, it's about her, but it doesn't have to be- there is more to it but I'd love to see them printed- large giclee or lighjet prints and hanging on a massive white wall. Maybe then I'll write more about what they mean to me.

Kauai - Hike Day!

I've been busy- busy to point where I am waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats wondering what it is that I forgot to do yesterday. Everything is grand, I am just busy and while I am usually not the sort of person to complain even an ounce about my busy-ness (seriously, usually I'm totally arrogant about it) ... I've been complaining. Busy complainin'! But I'm back and here's a blog post to show it. In truth, I really have been busy. Last weekend I spent up in Nor Cal shooting a wedding, at The Fairmont, with one of the most amazing reception hall transformations I've ever seen. I'll blog it in a bit. Then it was back to LA LA Los Angeles for the week, then back up to San Jose for a beautiful wedding just north of San Francisco. Then next Tuesday it's off to Guatemala.... For now....

....back to Kauai I go, excuse me, we go. Ready?

Ahhhh, that's better. So this day I said, "I'm hiking!" And my mom said something like, "I think it'll be good for you (even though I know you are dying inside)- ya know it'll get everything moving!" Hm... Well whatever she said, it helped. I got myself moving and went out to hike the Napali Coast with the fam. At one of the first main bends we walked through a vortex. Seriously!

At the end of the hike (well as far as we were going) there is this great little beach. We forgot sandwiches though and sooomme people were running low on blood sugar.

Mom and Auntie Nan

Tristan, Mom, Emma, Me

Timmy and Me

On the way home I made Tim stop so I could grab some shots of this church to show you guys. Anyone want to get married on a beautiful island in this beautiful church?

How about that Michael Phelps? More soon!

The Soup with Joel McHale...

Interrupting my scheduled Kauai posts for this announcement. Thanks to my lovely friend Amanda who works at E! we got to check out a taping of The Soup last week- and meet my favorite tv show wrap up host Joel McHale! You know how when you are with someone you both have those "get out of jail free cards" when it comes to certain celebs? Joel McHale is one of mine :) I saw him at The Grove a few months back and couldn't look away! hee h ee I pretty much felt like hell still from my sickness but I just couldn't pass up the chance to see him in action up close! And I'm glad I didn't because there were some awesome guest stars! Corey Feldman and ... wait for it, wait for it.... Jeff Lewis from FLIPPING OUT!!!!!! Along with Zoila and Jenny!! Tim and I about died when they came out- they film that show all over Los Feliz and we LOVE IT. Shameless pics with a "celebrity"... ;) It's not like we accosted him at The Grove for the photo- everyone was doing it! Me, Robin, Joel, Katie, Amanda, and Mich

Me, Joel, Timmy, and Gabe - I'm not sure about Timmy's face here ... I guess he was just... excited? ;)