just one minute to go....

And it is over. Phew. One minute to go. I was trying for something different. As always my most willing model jumps in to assist.




Thanks for playing. I'm a wee bit thankful for August. I think Kona might be too.

Two posts left.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture is worth two. Do you think she was tiring of me? I think she was saying, "Enough." Actually, starting off she was really shy, so this was a breakthrough. I'll take it. I love this shot.
And with one more day left of the blog challenge, I thought you would like it too.

Life is lived in the small moments.

I have found that I have been much happier since I began focusing on my life in small moments rather than days and weeks on end. Children are capable of this. They seem for the most part content right where they are. I remember the small moments of my morning; the nice guy at Starbucks who gave me a break when I struggled to order the right cup of mocha, the guy behind him who offered to grind coffee for me and had me completely lost when he described about ten different ways to grind it.
Finally, with a blank look, I said"drip?" Thankfully, he knew what to do. The woman in line behind me commented that she liked my shoes, I said "thank you" and then realized later her shoes were much nicer than mine; should have offered a trade. The stranger who offered a smile. My point here is that I live moment by moment. I suppose that really means being in the present. It really does make a difference. I am beginning to notice life differently now. I notice all the small things, all the details, all the moments.

Have many wonderful moments tonight.

my "pick" for the day.

Happy Monday. Another short blog post. I'm out of coffee. That's bad news for me. I've got the "it's Monday and I'm out of coffee" blues.






Hope your day is loaded with great music and caffeine!

If I could marry you again...

Well ladies, I don't know. Some gals just get it right. Twice. (my blog entries are getting shorter, and I actually have quite a bit to write about today, just no time) So, a quick post from a lovely renewal of vows today. Bob planned this entire event on his own as a surprise. Wow! It was amazing.



As I said before, when he looks at you like this, he's got it bad.

Thanks for a wonderful day! Congratulations on your next thirty years!

Five. More. Days.

As I write this, I am dreaming of being in bed.  Energy.  I need some.  Just five more days, and I am off of the hook I created.  Never again in a month with thirty one days.  Yesterday I had a hour or so with a good friend and all her sisters and little bro.  Luckiest little man on the planet with all these fun sisters who just adore him.  I could go on, but seriously, I'm beat.  As with any shoot, there is always one or two that just get me.  This was one favorite.....sweet dreams.

A lesson in life.

You get a great email and forward it on. We've all done it. We've all got them. Sometimes they're witty, humorous, obnoxious, fear-instilling (forward me or else), cute, a waste of time, whatever. 

Today I received one that I would have been sorry to miss.  I am including the link here just in case there might be someone who reads this whose email address I don't have.  Randy Pausch

I am a fool for positive messages just like this. Apparently, others are too. His class was filled by students and parents not enrolled, but coming to his class for the lesson; the life lesson. There are probably a handful of people I would have wished to meet in my lifetime. This man is definitely on that list.

An open letter to John Mayer

Dear John, (ha-always wanted to write that-i digress-already)

Thank you for Continuum. I have played it continuously throughout this edit. I think I played it for three days straight. I know "Vultures" by heart. Or by repetition, I'm not sure. It's one of my favorites on this disc. I never once tired of the same songs over and over and over. I have been dancing and jamming in my chair. And it kept my mind clear. So, next time I see you in concert (i'll let you know) call me up on stage for Vultures. I'm ready.



And yeah! I'll be posting my first wedding tonight. Much love and thanks to Kirsten and Jordi for your trust and patience. I know just from seeing all these pictures that you have a lifetime of love in front of you.

Yes, you guessed it.

As we are heading into the last days of July, today we salute Heidi. She is 29 years old today. (wink) It's getting kind of ridiculous, isn't it? All these birthdays squished into one month. It does make for one big family celebration though, like Christmas in July. There are still a few more that linger at the end. I have probably missed a couple of cousins too. (sorry)
I hope you are having a beautiful birthday. You were certainly blessed with a perfect day!

Much love from me.

It's birthday week again!

Today we celebrate Taylor....OK, everybody on three. One.....two..... Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Taaaayyyyloor Happy Birthday to you! (wow, someone was a little out of key there) Taylor, if I could - today I would wave my wand over your hand and have it healed stronger than before. Then I would send you a perfect liquid day on your favorite board in your favorite spot to surf.


But, I have no wand. So we'll send you all of our love instead. I hope you have a perfect day. Love me.

july twenty one

This day will go down as the day I had nothing to blog about. Nothing. I am even too tired to make something up.
I have a wedding coming up this weekend that will be extremely romantic and fun, but it is a surprise...shhhh, don't say
anything. I'll explain later how you marry someone and surprise them with it at the same time. And I have a maternity shoot coming up that I am TOTALLY excited about....but not until August, so we'll have to wait for that too. Hmmm. Do I have anything deep and meaningful for you? Hmmm. Oh, I know. The other day I was walking through Vons wondering how many little cartons of Ben and Jerry's I could buy without looking like I was on a binge, and I saw this gal with a phenom....phenoma.... an outstanding body. She had amazingly cut arms. I thought to myself, "I wonder what kind of food she eats (along with a killer workout) to get that super fit shape". Ready. Here is your tip for the day. Eggs, lots of eggs, and A&W Root Beer. Diet, of course.





I'm half way there.

How do you know when a guy is in love?

I'll tell you.


When he looks at you like this, he's got it bad.

Just a quick post....

I haven't been up to much today except for a quick run with the dog, breakfast, and editing. I was going to go surfing this morning but I was tired, and it has been awhile since I put my wetsuit on. (i hope it still fits-wouldn't that be embarrassing?) The sharks can wait. It felt great to sleep in. So. I am just going to post from the wedding I am editing. Is that cheating? You're pretty nice. I think you'll let me slide. Technically, it is a blog post.


I really like this shot because this bride is just glowing.



Have a great weekend!

A shiny new rock grinder

I began this blog as a way for readers and potential clients to be able to learn a little bit about me, view my work and see what I've been up to.  Here is another glimpse.  It started off innocently enough. My orchid died. Well, all the flowers fell off, which really doesn't mean the plant is dead, but a green stick without the beautiful white flowers is not much to look at or have on display. Martha would shudder. So I removed the orchid from a white vase that the plant, still in its own plastic pot, rested inside of. I noticed water at the bottom of the vase and innocently dumped it in the sink. ( I seem to be using the term innocent a lot here) The water made a clink clink noise as I poured it, and I was able to catch a rock before it went into the disposal, but not before two, or as was the case, three rocks circled and dropped fast. Ugh. I slipped my hand into the dark wet metal cavern. Slime met my fingers. Ugh. I squished the ooze and found two rocks and quickly pulled my hand away. Ugh. I turned on the disposal because clearly there was way too much muck in there and I needed to clear it out of there fast. I instantly heard a horrible crunching, grinding, twisting metal noise, and then nothing. I turned it on again. Nothing. There was now just a very quiet high pitched hum, no grind. Uh oh. This was to be followed by a sheepish confession. "Uh, I think I broke the garbage disposal." ( of course, I knew I broke the garbage disposal but I was still hoping for the innocent until proven rock grinding guilty )  Long story short, it was another blonde moment for me.  The last really blonde moment I had resulted in retexturing and repainting a ceiling, so this wasn't so bad. And we are now the proud owners of a brand new Insinkerator, installed by Don, the knight in the shining tool belt. It is so quiet that you can't even tell its running.  I told my husband I am going to throw another rock in to test its ability.   

Thank you Don for coming to the rescue yet again.  It's not the first rescue.  I wish I could say it will be the last.  But I pay good money for this hair color, its not changing just yet.

(this is a desperate post, but a good exercise in trying to take a creative picture of my sink. i'm giving this round to you)

Dogs that "heal"

Every few weeks we get a visit from the therapy dogs.  They are highly trained professionals who come to visit patients in the hospital, even in the emergency room, to spread a little love to those in need.  They will sit at the bedside and on command, place their head on the patient's guerney and just wait for a little lovin' stroke on the head.  They usually show up in full drag.  Well, maybe only one or two is dressed to show. 

This is Brandy, a remarkable Doberman and the sweetest dog ever.  She is known as Dr. Brandy in the halls of most southern California hospitals.  She has an official name tag from each hospital she graces.  I think she has more outfits than I do.  I would never attempt this with Kona.  I would lose digits trying to get him to wear half of this.

Where do I go?

Okay, so we are just about at half time here. Not that I will never blog again after this, but sometimes it is a challenge to blog daily. It is more challenging on the days that I work. This other thing that I do called work is a 13-14 hour day usually and leaves little time to post. Today I am going to share with you a place that I go for inspiration, and as a bonus, I usually receive a wonderful life affirming message. A message that is capable of changing me, and you.


He's a canadian photographer named Jesh de Rox, I went to his presentation at WPPI and was really REALLY glad that I did. So, every once in a while I check his blog for inspiration. Creative inspiration and/or a life changing message inspiration; he usually provides both.
So, click on the link (his name), because today I am challenging YOU to open your heart and let this message sink way, way in there, "deep in the heart of Texas" in there. It's a simple message. It's also one we often forget. Jesh reminds us that we can choose to be there all the time. It is a choice.  I think that we can just get so bogged down and busy that we can forget this.


So, blog on with your bad self and have a really great day!


(picture to follow later)

Blog tired.

Day fifteen on this small journey into blogdom.  You people really know how to put the pressure on.  Phew.  

"The card girl is swanking around the cage.  It reads round five.  The tension is palpable.

The crew leans over the ropes to shout last minute motivation into the fighter's ear. (me)  She swings her head side to side as the cool water poured over her cascades from the top of her head. The mouth guard goes in.   She pumps her fists in an effort to force courage,  rises up, and bounces confidently towards her opponent. (you)  The bell rings twice loudly and the crowd roars.  The referee backs from the center, the gloves go up......"

You know, I really can't wait to go to the fair.

A day at the beach....dog beach

It's a dog's life at my house. Needless to say, I have a pretty content dog. Today he was more than content. He was thrilled.
Adventure, car rides, hanging with his best friend Sage, digging in the sand, running through the water, "meeting" new dogs; it all put a big smile on his face. And mine. Nothin' is better than a tired dog.

The all out  " I just may lose my mind "  sprint through the water when we land...



Sage putting Kona to shame...lots of dogs for that matter....

Land shark!

And big happy dog grins all day.....

Day 14....check.

Have a great day!

The Vegan

Just another typical day at the park. Sniff sniff chew pee-mail pee-mail sniff chew chew suddenly race around like crazy for no apparent reason pee-mail pee- mail chew.

Have a good day!

ETA: I should probably mention that I was referring to my dog up there, not me. I do not race around unless I have a good reason. :)

There is no price tag for Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.

                                                                                                                                  ~Emily Dickinson




I received an update from Women for Women International today about the woman I currently sponsor,Marie . She will graduate in September. I felt my eyes fill with tears as I read how she has been able to rebuild her life. She attends classes about rights education, domestic violence, women's legal rights, disease prevention, family health, and voting. She is now "connected to a new community of women, which helps to reinforce and promote her personal development and rebuild the safety net destroyed by war". She will learn market based skills to help her find employment or start her own business.
They described the graduation ceremony as a celebration. "The participants and their families bring food and share their testimonies on how their lives have changed; and a great deal of hugging, laughing, and dancing."
When I think of these women and communities that have been broken down by war and left with nothing, whose families have been tortured, killed, or both, I cannot comprehend how they cope day to day. When I am feeling particularly challenged or remotely sorry for myself (for whatever silly reason) I think of these women. They inspire me. So I will continue, probably for as long as this program is around, to support these women, one at a time (more if I can afford to), I will hold out my hand and help pull her up. I am so thankful for this organization dedicated to changing lives for these women; I wish I could describe the satisfaction I have knowing I helped make one life better in some small way. ( my heart is smiling ) You cannot put a price on that. It is worth so much more than I donate. So much more.


 

Spread hope.

Started off bad...ending off great.

I was driving down the 73 paying way too much money just to get to work on time....do you know the toll road is up to about five bucks now? Just one way? And you thought you were paying a lot for gas. Anyway, I was tuned into K Earth 101. The song they spinned next was set to fill the blank spaces of my mind for the rest of the day. Thank you K Earth. Really. For playing Cher's mistake. Gypsys Tramps and Thieves....uh, what in the world! Why was this song ever good enough to be produced. Were we totally asleep in the seventies? Well, anyway, it was like a bad commercial that you can't get out of your mind. Cher and I were out of tune all day long. In the blank spaces of my mind, which thankfully were few today. It is so much better now. I'm sitting next to just about most of the favorite people in my life. Listening to much better music and celebrating my brother in laws "fittieth"!
It started out bad and is ending up amazing. Not because of the music, but because of the song they light in my heart. (and the music is much better too) Happy Bday to Dani and Jay!! And thank you for an amazing night!

Day 10

Can you tell I am running out of witty titles? Actually, my brain hurts right now. (dumb sinuses) That is all I can come up with. Synapses firing at fifty percent, I guess. On another note, July is just chock full of birthdays for my family and my husband's family. FULL! What was everyone doing in October? What the heck? I am sending y'all a flower today. Today marks Dani, Jaybird and Rosanne!! Two days ago, my sister and two days before that my dad. And we are not done. You may be reading a lot of "happy birthday" posts this month. Apparently, October was a good month to.....




have a great day!

Gracing the page once again...

After a quick drive to the store today, my younger friends and I took a short trip to a local place I like to shoot. This time I tried something else that was touched on in the workshop, lighting from behind. The trickiest part was trying to get my flash to stay put in the dense brush and sticker bushes. I had to resort to a human light stand and just had one of the girls hold it. Worked well enough. Actually better. So, here is Miranda gracing the pages once again....and the look she gets when she thinks about....wait, what was his name again?





No worries, you're secret is safe with me.

More one light practice

I am so fortunate to live near kids who really don't mind helping me out. They are up for a photo shoot just about anytime. Yep, I'm very lucky. And they are awesome kids. Win win win for me, and Miss Marna, thanks for letting me practice.
I'll be ordering you a ton of pictures in the very near future. Still on track with the blog challenge. But I am getting tired and I think it's only day 5 or 8 or something like that. Well, that's all I have for now. Good night and God bless.
( i need a good sign off--send me one if you think of it)


E.T.A. Ok I usually will come back to a post the next day to make sure I didn't make any typos and/or sound ridiculous.
That sign off sounds like I was channeling Walter Cronkite, doesn't it? Ha.

Feeling knotty

Working three twelve hours shifts in a row over a holiday weekend will wear out anybody. Time to head to San Juan Capistrano to my little oasis, The Massage Associates, for a very affordable deep tissue "hurts so good" massage. If you are ever in need of a great massage, it's the place to go. I learned of this little place years ago from a fellow nurse, Jill. She went monthly as preventative medicine. Caring for the caregiver, if you will. I'm all for that. I have never once been disappointed here. The only disappointment is that I forget I need to go more often. They had one spot left today, so I snapped it up it.
My therapist found all the painful cramped up muscles in my arms, neck ,back, and shoulders. Awesome. And ouch. It was so painful at one point, I just started laughing. Why do I get muscle knots in my forearms? So now, lots of water. And as the contest goes, a couple of pics.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Unfortunately, duty calls and I can't make the celebration today. I'll be tending to infections, lacerations, irregular heart rhythms,
broken bones, a few people who celebrated the fourth with gusto and are now recovering poorly, ( okay, maybe more than a few)
I'd rather be raising my glass and singing Happy Birthday, I'll just have to be there in spirit. I love you Dad. Happy Birthday!!
I hope you have a wonderful day.


Edit to add: I was going to get you one of these...but then someone told me you would rather have a book. Consider it done.

First Bloom

The plumerias are blooming! Yeah! Bring a little Hawaii into your life. I can't wait for all the others to catch up.
Have a great day.

PS It's the simplest and smallest parts of life that I love, like the finding the first bloom.

Old Glory Day

Well, I don't usually work on the Fourth of July, but I did today. It wasn't too bad, although I left before the craziest stuff begins.
And then I almost didn't make it home in time to post a blog today. There was a ton of traffic driving home from work. Luckily, the porch light was still on, so I was able to get one Fourth of July picture for the day. Just in time to post. After getting some shots, I walked inside to greet my dog to find him with a banana in his mouth. What? "Wait, where did you get the ba...hey, where are all the other bananas?" I turned to find the stem of 5 bananas still intact all together with no banana or banana peel for that matter anywhere.
Five bananas. Gone. So now I have to search to see if bananas are harmful to dogs. And I will be so severely tired if I have to take him to the vet right now. Oh, and he dragged a mango out of the bowl, too. If I didn't mention it before, I have the only vegan Labrador on the planet. And apparently he is bananas for bananas.
Have a lovely evening. I'm off to search the web.

Edit to add: Okay, I can't find anything about bananas being harmful to dogs. However, I did find out that "string" and "marijuana" is on the "No" list for your dog. Just in case your dog was smoking marijuana and craving string. Those two things are harmful to dogs. Hope that was helpful. I am completely enlightened.

got towel?

If you have a Labrador or any large dog for that matter, read no further. You already know where this is going. If you don't have a big lovable dog, and you want a big lovable dog, this message is for you.
It starts out pretty dry, but ends up really wet. The floor gets washed every day. Twice a day. Fives times a day. But we love him anyway.










And this last picture is just to prove that you really should not go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Seriously.
What was I thinking??

The Blog Challenge

I don't think that we have travel plans for July. That could change. If it does, this could go right out the window, meaning you win- I lose. I am challenging myself and you to a "blog off". Maybe "blog on". Anyway, I will post a picture every day of July.
If I don't and you catch it, you win a shiny new $25.00 I Tunes Card. Yep, I have decided I just don't spend enough time in front of my computer( did you hear that?- my husband just fell out of his chair! ) and I am not taking enough pictures. :) Pretty simple, huh? And I am sorry that Google makes you open an account to leave a comment. I am working to remedy that by changing the site of my blog. So just sign in anonymous and leave your name at the end. That is, if you think you are up to the game. Ready?





Go!

A recent favorite.

I've been editing wedding pictures and think I am beginning to see some light (tunnel light-end of the tunnel light). I'm bushed, but I wanted to just post a pic before I crashed in bed. Good night, sweet dreams.