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I just wanted to take a quick second to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I plan on relaxing, eating, eating, wrapping, rapping (what, whaaaat!), eating, and laughing. And eating. Because that's how I roll. Hollllla! I hope you have a lovely day with your friends and family and I wish you all the best this holiday season!
Merry Christmas!
Here's a picture of Polo licking his lips just thinking of all the table droppings he'll enjoy over the next couple of days! |
    
O kay. So I know I've said this a thousand times before, but I'll say it juuuuuust one more time before the year's over. I love shooting Anytime sessions more than I like Edamame. And boysenberry jelly. And velcro. And Blender magazine. Combined. And in skewed land of Jasmineville that's a whole lot.
I don't think people ever need a reason to be photographed. Just taking the time to value your life and those ever precious Just Because moments are priceless and when I'm given the opportunity to capture people living life, I adore it. This past year I was blessed to photograph some truly amazing people. Some were entrepreneurs, some athletes, some singers, some people just wanting to feel ultra fab. I loved every moment of these sessions and I have quite a few lined up for 2009 and I'm stoked...capturing fabulous lives Anytime is what I love to do.
Here are a few favs from 2008...
Kimberly Curtis : Santa Barbara |
| Amy and David : Los Angeles |
| Kimberlee West : Costa Mesa |
| Amy and Jim : Little Eden, Nicaragua |
| Candice and Daniel : Santa Ana |
| Jamie and Jared : San Clemente |
| Paige and Deyl : Little Eden, Nicaragua |
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Naomi and Steven : Engagement
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T he first time she saw him, he had a guitar slung around his neck. Ooooh, dreamy. Naomi and Steven met at church in their high school youth group, and quickly became friends. The first day Steven saw Naomi, he said she had something about her. Something different. Something that pulled him in by way of her endless energy, beauty, and laughter. As a junior in high school, he remembered thinking to himself, Wow, whoever goes out with her is going to be one lucky guy. Steven continued to sling the guitar around his neck and quietly woo Naomi from a distance.
During Naomi's freshman year of college at Berkeley, she realized she cared deeply for Steven, and the feelings were mutual. Eight and half years ago, Steven sent Naomi a plane ticket to Los Angeles and spent the weekend together. On a sunset beach in Santa Monica, two teenagers decided to make their relationship official and face whatever life brought their way. Together. Though they've dated long distance--California, North Carolina, Hawaii, and Flordia--for what seems like forever, this February they'll finally share the same roof, bed, and heart.
I'm quite excited for Naomi and Steven's wedding at Rancho Las Lomas as I know it'll be a truly fabulous day that reflects their love! We met for their engagement session at the same beach in Santa Monica where they're relationship began and had a blast...
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| It has been raining for a few days straight, so Naomi was prepared for the Santa Monica sprinkles! |
| Naomi, you look so fierce....AND YOU KNOW IT! :) |
| Naomi would randomly start dancing and jumping like a cheerleader and Steven just stands back and laughs... |
| Here's Naomi showing off her cool moves...don't hate me, Naomi! ;) |
I f you’re a loyal blog reader, you’ll know that JD and I often photograph each other while we’re shooting. I’ve posted some pretty heinous pictures of myself gettin’ down and diiiirty for the shot…[not-so] thankfully, JD was there to catch me in action. I think we shot close to 400 images of us shooting this year, so instead of hiding them away (I seriously debated tossing the entire file for fear of being extradited to Loserville), I decided to put together a slideshow. Ya know, just to solidify the fact that we're unbearably cool.
Many thanks to my clients for making these awesome photos possible. Without you, we're nothing. |
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Memories, of the Christmas Kind
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W hen I think of Christmases past, I remember only the best moments. Experiences that made me appreciate the true reason of Christmas and feel fortunate to live the life I am. Here are few memories of my favorite Christmases...
1986: My twin sister broke her arm while playing in a city park. The city gave my parents money to avoid legal issues. My parents bought us new bikes with big, red bows. I never owned anything so beautiful in my life.
1988: My father worked two jobs to make ends-meet. But times were extraordinarily tough. Two days before Christmas, our doorbell rang. My family found an anonymous donation of wrapped gifts and bags of groceries to make Christmas dinner.
1989: Times were still tough. Bills had to be paid before gifts were purchased. Our church gathered gifts to donate to children in Mexico and my father was in charge of distribution. Our family packed our semi-working Volkswagon van to the brim with new toys and drove to Tijuana, Mexico to give gifts to orphan children. Mobs of children swarmed our van and stuck their sticky hands through the windows for gifts. We felt like the luckiest people to be alive.
1992: Stuffing my little brother into a stocking and taking pictures of him amongst my stuffed animals. He STILL hasn't forgiven me.
1994: My family moved. Our house was pretty empty, but I was given brand new sunflower bedspread. And a bottle of Armani Aqua d'Gio perfume. That was a day when I felt like true royalty. Don't ask me why, I just did.
1997: My first Christmas with JD. He bought me a teddy bear, a ticket to Disneyland, and the new Boyz II Men CD. I bought him a pair of white jeans, a new pager, and M&M's. Oh, Internet, cut me some slack...it was the 90's!!!
2000: Our first Christmas with a bald mom. Cancer brought us even tighter during the holiday season. St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton chose our family to be recipients of their Adopt-A-Family charity, and we received so many gifts and well-wishes from doctors and nurses. Their support renewed our hope mom would make it through.
2002: I was working as a manager at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza on Christmas Eve. I swore to myself I'd never be forced to work on a holiday ever again.
2005: My first Christmas as a wife. Trying to be a domestic goddess, I bought every Christmas decoration available at a discount store near my house. JD said our living room looked like Las Vegas and The North Pole got into a fight. And I was all, But doesn't it look AMAZING?! He almost wore sunglasses that night as we decorated the tree.
2008: I don't know what's in store, but I do know one thing: I am happy. I honestly don't want a single gift this year because I have everything that truly matters. A healthy family, a hopeful future, an amazing husband, fabulous friends, and the world's most adorable dog. I couldn't ask for more.
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| Special thanks to my good friend, Rita for sending me this gingerbread house. When my mom asks me to clean the dishes after our Christmas morning breakfast, I'm going to say NO. Why? Oh, because, MY NAME IS WRITTEN IN ICING. And I'm sure that makes me famous in some parts of the world. Just Google it. |
2013
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2008
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