8 things

I've been tagged. :) It's a big game of "tag" that our community of photographers is playing right now. Katy Regnier tagged me, so I need to share with you 8 weird things about myself.

1. I can write backwards! I used to practice when I was bored in class during college. mostly cursive, some print. If only I knew Italian and were a genious, I'd be just like da Vinci!

2. My favorite toys were always stationery and office supplies. I hoarded stickers, notepads, and pencils from a young age. For my 12th birthday, I got this huge box with office supplies like pencils and paper clips and a stapler and pencil sharpener and hole punch...I LOVED it.

3. When I was little (maybe 8?) I wrote a song about a rutabaga. Unfortunately, I didn't know what a rutabaga was, so I didn't want to sing it to anyone just in case it was a dirty word. I still know this song.

4. There was a time in my life when I had a real dislike for circles. Just didn't want anything to do with them. They made me uneasy, and I have no idea why. We're on speaking terms again, but I still prefer squares and rectangles.

5. My 4th grade (?) science teacher asked my parents if we were from England. (They are from the Midwest, and I grew up in Texas.) Evidently I was very proper.

6. I have three goldfish, and I call them "my little piggies." I try to spend a little time each day saying hi to them, and they like to come up to the glass and make faces at me when I do.

7. I am afraid of very little, but I have an unnatural fear of falling off a cliff in a moving vehicle. It's horrible! The last time I went white-water rafting, the bus driver was going really fast up those tiny mountain-side roads...I was so terrified I was sobbing and shaking uncontrollably, and my friend TJ had to hold me.

8. I can't do basic math. Yes, I'm an Engineer. But I nearly failed my Cal III course because we weren't allowed calculators on tests, and I got many of the addition and multiplication steps wrong, so my answers were always off. I had good math teachers...but for some reason addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division just never stuck with me. I still try to practice though, such as trying to figure out how much change I should get back, or adding random two digit numbers in my head while driving. There's always hope. :)


Ok, now I get to tag 8 people!

Lisa Dawn
Jason Tench
Nichanh Petersen
Melissa Ochoa
Laura Siivola
Juliet Nicole
Carey Schumacher
Manus Chau

Nate & Kristi Married!

Up a tiny little winding road near Santa Cruz, through twisty little turns lined with redwoods, there is a beautiful B&B named "Redwood Croft", where Nate and Kristi were married this past Saturday. What a beautiful location!!

Kristi was an absolutely stunning bride, and Nate was of course his incredibly entertaining self. I had so much fun just watching them interact! The wedding was beautiful and simple with a country elegance. Kristi wore this amazing necklace that was a gift from her Grandfather to her Grandmother ....on their high school prom night!

A friend performed the ceremony and it was wonderfully touching, I think he got more choked up than anyone. Kristi's brother was her "Man of Honor", and he was just too sweet! He didn't wear a dress (evidently it was discussed), but stood by the ladies with pride. :) The entire party was just filled with genuinely nice wonderful people, which makes my job so incredible. Thank you everyone!

A sweet slideshow!

And my favorites of the day:

Wedding Budgets!

So now that I'm done with school, one thing I hope add to my weekly routine is more posting in my blog! I read 265 blogs a day (yes, each day, through my Bloglines feeder), and I come across a million ideas, tons of articles, and really great advice.

Of course, I'm not a bride, so they aren't helping me (though I do get excited about it as if I were a bride). I'd love to pass some of the information along to you! Here's the first installment.

Today I found a link to Ramit Sethi's financial blog "I Will Teach You To Be Rich". This is not a wedding based blog, and this was my first time to visit, so it was quite a coincidence that the latest post was about wedding financials!

Why Are We All Hypocrites About Weddings?

The article is about saving, budgeting, prioritizing, etc. I love that, even as a financial expert, he doesn't condemn spending your money on your wedding, but he does firmly advocate really planning and sticking to your plan, so that it doesn't become a financial hardship.

I'm adding Ramit to by blogroll (so make that 266 daily blogs), and looking forward to more great advice!


I'll have images and a slideshow up from Nate & Kristi's wedding very soon! Stay tuned...

Tess' Bat Mitzvah Party!

So why did I fly to LA this weekend? To shoot the most fabulous incredible party of course! Now I've been to a lot of birthday parties, but I was just blown away by Tess's Bat Mitzvah party. With 200+ of her closest friends and family, Tess celebrated at the fabulous Writer's Bootcamp facility in Santa Monica, nestled in an impressive little artists' community. The location could not have been more perfect!

And of course, Tess' mom pulled out all stops to make this the most memorable party ever! It was like the "My Sweet 16" show on TV, except Tess is much too sweet to be on that show (and a few years younger)! Seriously though, that was the candy buffet to end all candy buffets. WOW.

Some of you may recognize Tess and her family since Kylene is her older sister and one of my brides from earlier this year. It was just a blast to get to see everyone again, and I think we need to invent another event so that I have the opportunity to visit again!

Here is the fun fun slideshow!

Isn't she gorgeous?



















I think Tess is already better in heels than I am. :)



















The party was decorated in a Marie Antoinette Candy Shop them, and was called "Tess' Candy Revolution"...it featured the most incredible candy buffet you've ever seen, along with a coffee bar, ice cream bar, sushi bar, Jewish fortune teller, caricature artist, photo booth, perfumery, and of course dancing!





































Younger guests were served a very special (non-alcoholic) "Tess-tini"!




















The highlight of the evening was Tess' performance!! She wrote and choreographed her own song, and showed the music video then came out and performed! She's got an incredible voice, and amazing stage presence and energy. You will be seeing her again...

I'm Alive!!!

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've posted! Things have been more than a little crazy here.

1. I AM A MASTER. A master of *what* is quite debatable, but very soon I will receive a piece of paper stating that I have completed the requirements for my Masters degree. I am excited. Really excited to have that 20-25 hours back each week! So yay for me!

2. I AM DEMONSTRATED. Finally, after a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and shooting each other with foam disc guns....our team at work finished the integration successfully, and we gave the demo....to ourselves at 9pm at night...but still, mission accomplished.

3. I AM BECOMING AN ULTIMATE FIGHTER. Ok, not really, but I have started personal training twice a week. Boot camp left me injured all the time, so I realized I needed more personalized attention. Once my body gets used to the routine, I'll amp it up and go more often. My biggest personal challenge?: Balance. Not kidding. I can do pretty much anything...except stand on one foot or the other. This is seriously something we work on every time, and I fail miserably. I'm supposed to practice a lot at home. Hey, I broke bones in both my feet in college (at different times), so I blame it on that. I'm a little sore today but I like my trainer, Tai, so I'm not too mad at him.

4. I AM EDITING LIKE CRAZY. Seriously. I am trying to get everything out the door as fast as possible, and I hope to be fully caught up by the end of next week. Hey, a girl has to have goals!

5. I AM LEAVING YOU. But just for a day. I'll be going to Los Angeles on Sunday morning and returning Monday morning. I've got a fabulous party to shoot, and I'll tell you a little more about it when I get back. :)

Sorry for the blog neglect, but I assure you I am alive, well, and happily occupied. How is summer going for everyone?!