My 100th post....

This is actually closer to my 200th post, but since I have combined blogs, I lost all of the other posts.. such is life! :)

This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of helping Carey Shumacher of Barefoot Memories and Me Ra Koh of Me Ra Koh Photography with assisting at one of their workshops for women. They needed photographers who already knew their camera to come and help workshop attendees during the photoshoots as there were only 2 of them, and 30+ attendees. On Saturday, I met them at the beautiful Rancho Bernarndo Inn for a Mom and Baby photoshoot... I didn't take any pictures that day... I was just so pleased to be able to meet these two phenomenal women photographers!!

On Sunday, we met at the Wind and Sea Beach in La Jolla, and I will definitely have to add that beach to my list of locations. I am taking my family there next week! :) It was beautiful, and this time I did take some photos.


Here is a few of Carey.. teaching what she does best.. beach shots!




And, here is Me Ra... helping out...



And here is Brian, Me Ra's husband not paying attention, and taking some scenic shots. :)




Then the workshops gals were split up into groups of 5-6 and given a photographer and a family. I wasn't there to shoot pics, but to help the women.... but you know me.. I couldn't help snap a couple. This was an adorable family!!






I wish I had gotten a tiny bit lower on this shot... that is their parents feet in the background and I just loved the moment...


Again, thanks for letting me help out, and I am so glad I was able to meet you both! If you ever need assistants again... give me a holler!! :)

Prayer...

I woke up this morning to a sad news story. Steven Curtis Chapman and family are in the midst of grief right now. I don't normally write about happenings in the world, and I don't know why this has hit me so hard. Maybe because I met SCC when I was 18, or maybe because we had a few of his songs at our wedding...

I am letting you know in case you didn't... SCC's daughter was killed last night, and their family needs a ton of lifting up, in whatever way you feel comfortable.

Read here for the whole news story.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Random Thought Time!!

- I have have been a momma for 9 years... weird to think that almost a decade has gone by. I sure hope I have learned a few things...

- Being married to a pastor means we celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday usually. However, last night our family was volunteering for Journey Up Babysitting to raise money for the church, so I get Monday!! I will take it. :)

- We have decided to stay in our condo for now. We just didn't find the right fit anywhere else, and feel good about some changes we are going to make around here! Most notably the rats...the Rodent man's a'coming tomorra!!

- I was very excited to grab myself a Soy Chai and enjoy our church service today. My daughter (and the devil??) decided to steal my joy by throwing a huge fit. I missed my nephew's baby dedication and most of the worship and walked in the WC sooooo frustrated... But just was overwhelmed by Ed's message. I needed to hear everything he had to say today. Whoo.. I am fired up!

- And lastly... My man and I watched the last bit of "Carrie" by Stephen King (while the kiddos were resting in their rooms)..... It was at the part where she locks everyone in the gym, and I was not creeped out by anything until her mother tried to kill her. I was very disturbed that someone would run that movie on this day!! Ummm.. also didn't like the hand coming out of the ground at the end. Ohh.. or the scary Jesus crucifix eyes... but other than that... I am ok. I will let you know how my sleep goes tomorrow!

And I am leaving you with a picture.. because I am not taking any today!! Don't worry, I picked a clean picture of Carrie.. before she goes all psycho!




Blessings to all you momma's out there. The sacrifice that you make on a daily basis does not go unnoticed.

I love babies...

But you must have already figured that out by now... right?? This was my second session with sweet Miss M. Her mamma really wanted pictures that captured the stage of life she was in right now.

Here she is looking all sweet and contemplative...



This is one of my favorites. She is constantly making this face and it makes me want to squish her!



And though you know I love black and white photos.. I had to include some color because this munchkin has some bright blue eyes... and she also is very much in love with her daddy. My heart was in a puddle.. I am telling you!



She found something interesting on the grass. It is fascinating stuff.



And a few more of my favorites just because...








Thanks for letting me into your world for a little bit. Can't wait for her 1st birthday session!!

Park Day is always a fun day for our house. We get to hang out with a bunch of cool people, eat a packed lunch, and most importantly... I get to squish babies! There are always a bunch to choose from because apparently these girls got together and decided to all have babies within weeks of each other. You won't hear me complaining!!

I finally brought my camera. Yay!! I am sure the kiddos were really happy to have me in their face!

So I got to meet this little guy, Mr. S. He had just started walking and was happy to let me follow him around. I didn't get permission to show his beautiful face, but trust me... he is a cutie!!





So this is a little dude that I am very fond of. The tiny man will not sit still. Never... not even a little bit. His poor mamma.... I asked if he would smile for me so we could show his daddy... Well, he did for less than a nano-second. Thank the Lord for fast cameras, huh! He also told me that Daddy works at Syntax, and Daddy loves me. If I could have caught him, I would have squished him!





And meet his little brother who doesn't have the good sense to run away from me yet. He still snuggles with me at park day, and my heart melts. You just wouldn't believe the eyelashes on this kid... J.U.S.T. N.O.T. F.A.I.R!!




And then there was a sweet cheeked princess who told me she wanted to live with me.. but alas her beautiful mother won't believe me. I will keep trying!!




Meet her two brothers. Mr. E just got some stylin' glasses, and I couldn't resist a quick snap. They also have 2 older sisters who weren't at the park when I was snapping away. Next time...





And last.. my two. They still bring my heart so much joy. Love them to bits!!






Thanks ladies for letting me take some pictures for you!! As always, I had a blast. :)

My latest acceptance...

As we were driving home from lunch a few weeks ago, I saw a strawberry stand and nearly wrecked the car in an effort to procur some delightful berries. :) I used to live in Camarillo, where the air is perfumed with essence of strawberry... well, to be honest.. sometimes cow manure too.....

But, the strawberries were just from the heavenlies.. the hugest things you have ever seen, sweet and melt in your mouth. So, you can understand my excitement when I saw the fruit stand, and yes we paid $23 for a huge flat of them. It was soooo worth it.





Come on... I know you want some. And, so did Istockphoto.com. Here's hoping I will make my $23 back. :)

An updated blog with bigger pictures!! Woohoo.. I figured it out. Tell me what you think of it. :)

An Engagement Session a the Hotel Del....

It is so interesting to me how couples find me to take their pictures. Whenever I first meet with them, I always want to hear how they got my name.

So a few months ago I get an email from Olivia whose last name was very familiar, and she proceeded to tell me she was the sister of one of my friends in high school. And no... we didn't go to the same high school, but we worked at a great kid's camp up in Jamul, and she and I hit it off. But we lived a ways from each other and drifted apart.

We recently have reconnected through email, and all the great memories I have came flooding back. And E... if you are reading this.. we really need to get together girl!! That is how good of a friend she is... we haven't seen each other in years, but she sent her sister to me. I think I am going to buy that woman some flowers.

So, back to the point... because if you know me, you know I lose my point rather quickly... I had the privilege of taking pictures of a great looking couple who were so in love. I don't think they stopped snuggling and holding hands the entire time... except when Joe was on a quest for seaweed... but again I digress.

We were at the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado on Monday, and it was an absolutely divine day to be there. I am still madly editing away, but I wanted to get a few pics up so Olivia and Joe could have a sneak peek. Here are a few of my early favorites!!

Aren't they cute!! Joe and Olivia were looking for more journalistic, un-posed shots, but I did have to a get a few of their darling faces!!

It's her party...

My little sister had a birthday last week and whenever there is an event, my inner Jennifer Lopez ala Wedding Planner and my inner pre-prison Martha comes barreling through. I love me a good party!

We all met at a Mexican place in Escondido for dinner, and Amy had asked me to make some cupcakes. She requested a chocolate peanut butter combo, and, as mentioned above, my inner self cannot merely make a boxed cake mix with store bought frosting... so I found a great recipe and thought it would be a snap.... 2 hours later, I had cupcakes that I knew would taste good, but my decorating skills left much to be desired. Oh well... She loved them!! As did our waiter, and the manager. What can I say, I feed with love. Don't judge.. I am a work in progress. :)

The first picture is a perfect description of our relationship... she does something extremely funny, and I proceed to cackle like a hyena. Such pretty faces we make.. but hey I am all about keeping it real!!



The beautiful O family. :) It was freezing outside and I made them sit for a quick snap... I am sure they love me alot!


Princess R... she is a doll


My handsome nephew who didn't want his picture taken... has that ever stopped me??



And last but not least... a picture of the 3 very spiritual women who went to see Beth Moore this weekend. This was not part of the birthday celebration, but I needed to include it as it was a life changing event in my life. There aren't words to describe the awesomeness..... See... I am even making up words!!

Eight Days

This is a very moving video, and it is also very sad. I am not afraid of sadness, and I hope you will take the time to watch this clip.

The reason I posted this is to highlight an organization that helps families through their grief. It is called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and I have recently joined as a photographer to capture the final moments of a child's life. If you are a photographer and you haven't joined.... do it now. If you aren't a photographer, you can still help by spreading the word about the organization.

A little lifestyle session at the park...

Here is one of the littlest men that I know. This little dude already looks like a mini-man to me. :) He has such great expressions, and the sweetest smile... of which I didn't get to see much. It was a little chilly at the park, and he wasn't too pleased to be there. His parents and I did the best we could... but they ended up leaving pretty soon after we arrived.... Little man wasn't having anymore fun at the park, and picture time was over. :)

I did get a few that I think are precious and mark the great milestones in his short 2 months of life... his smile and his cooing. I hope you guys enjoy. :)







Doesn't he have the cutest little expressions you have ever seen?? :) I am in love....

Park day...

We went to the park today... I had a mini baby photoshoot... I will post those pics later. My kiddos were along for the ride because any day that they get to go to a park is a good day.

If you have been to my house, you know that I have a huge black and white canvas of my kiddos in my hallway. It was taken almost two years ago, and while I love it, I need to get a newer picture up.... So, here are a few canidates. Let me know which one is your fave!

Both of my kiddos are in this new phase of being hyper aware of who is looking at them and such, and they were a bit embarassed about mommy taking pictures of them... so these were the best I got. You can tell T3 is a little ticked in a few of these. But I love their sparkling eyes and their sweet cheeks!!






Oh.. and not only are they black and white because I love it, but also because the clothing style of my children left a lot to be desired. T3 was sporting a yellow and green tye-dye deal, while Princess H was in a pink and white flowered dress. Not exactly complimentary colors....

Help...

I used to work out to these people when I was in high school.... They are happy and bubbly aren't they??




So, we live in a busy part of town, and have never had much of a problem with our condo backed up to a business alley....

Well... there was that one incident where 3 drunk kids were causing a ruckus in the alley at midnight, so Todd went down to talk to them, and ended up having to call 911because one of the punks had alcohol poisoning.... They were all 13 years old...

So, this morning I was awakened at 5:45am to loud screams from the alley, and I again thought Todd would have to go help someone out. Umm, it wasn't drunk kids.... It is a personal training facilty that apparently likes to use loud music and torture to whip their clients bodies into shape. I have no ill will towards people who work out, but when you involve me when I don't want to be involved, we have problems. I have tolerated their 8am class for almost a year, but at 8am when I am already up, it isn't a big deal. I am not usually up at 5:45am, thus I am blogging, and a little, make that alot grumpy.

I actually found their website and gave them a call to ask if they could shut their back door...they did right away.... it didn't help. I mean, seriously, it is so loud I can hear exactly what song is being played, and how many counts are left in their repetitions. How do I know... well because the lady is repeatedly yelling them into a MICROPHONE!!!! at 5:45am.....

I don't want to call the police on dedicated, working-out people...or probably dedicated, working-out, buff people...I really don't, so what do you think I should do???


Maybe I will contact my buddies Denise, and Richard and see what the etiquette of am workouts are....

One of my favorite Easter songs...

Jody McBrayer, formerly of Avalon does a fabulous job on this song...

Did you know Jody is a guy and has a higher vocal range than I do....

I am a sucker for power ballads...

I hope you will all listen to the entire song and feel blessed.

Have a blessed Easter everyone!

Anybody need some coffee???

Quick thought before I retire for the night..


"All excess is rooted in emptiness"


Who do you think said that?? What do you think this person's intention was?

And hey, if you are the first person than can tell me who said that... I will send you a $10 Starbucks card! No joke. Get cracking people!

These are special times...

I only have a few pictures to share today. These were taken last week because of a few momentous occasions. The first being Todd and my 10th anniversary of marriage. I truly think it is monumental because we had our share of rough years... not patches... years! And God has been super faithful to keep us bonded together.

We went to the House of Blues downtown for a great dinner, and we played tourist in the gift shop and held hands and walked around. Fun fact.....we honeymooned in San Diego 10 years ago, so it was very surreal for us to be there on a very special day thinking about what babies we were, and how we had no idea what our new life together would hold. I don't think I would change a thing about it... except maybe the almost dying thing. That I could do without. :)

As a surprise, I contacted the same woman who made our wedding cake and had her re-create the topper for us. Double Ghiradeli Chocolate Chunk...need I say more?? Todd didn't know about it until the day of, and he was super happy to chow down on some we when got home.

This was the only picture I got as we left. I severely underexposed it, and to salvage what I could, I converted it to b/w and added lots of grain. I don't like to fix major issues like this in photoshop, but I wanted to have something to remember the occasion by!! :)





And the other momentous occasion last week... Todd started his first Karate class!! I didn't want to embarass him at the Karate studio, so I snapped a few pics before we left.

Daddy had to take him to get his uniform because they had to buy a cup as well. Not only do I not know anything about that, I was overcome with the supreme discomfort of a little boy who is growing up way too fast for my liking. I liken it to when I will have to shop for a training bra for Hannah....

So, here is one of his Karate poses. Don't you just want to pinch him??

It Random Thought time.....

I haven't posted my thoughts in a while, and I am sure you are all just dying to get inside this crazy head of mine. :)

-My 10 year anniversary is 6 days away. WHAT!! How have I been married for 10 years??? We haven't decided what we will be doing. Oh, sure, we have had grand plans (and when I say we, I mean me!) but the mula to do such things hasn't been forthcoming, so we might have to scale back on the grand plans..... for now!!

-My son just asked if he can have one of my diamond rings to give to the girl he will marry someday so he doesn't have to spend a lot of money on a ring for her. Hmmm, I am not quite sure what to think of that.

-Hannah has been doing her hair lately, and I have been catching myself reaching to fix her lopsided and messy pigtails, because I want them to look perfect. Or is it because I don't want people to think I did her hair. And that reminds me that I care way too much about what people think. It is amazing that God uses tiny, seemingly insignificant things to change my heart on a daily basis.

-In the time it has taken to type the above, my son has changed his mind. He is no longer getting married at all, because he can't fathom saving money for "over a year" for a ring. I think I need to go have a chat with him. :)

-I love my kids, but having them here with me all the time has brought the need for Sarah Time to astronomic levels. In fact, I need to go... we have a park play day, and there will be actual, real, people... live people. People who don't want to talk about Pokemon, or Barbies, or puppies, or Harry Potter... I really need to go.

I will leave you with these pics I snapped yesterday at the golden light hour of 5pm. I was practicing my sunflare shots. I love their backlit hair!