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A couple nights ago, JD walked in from the grocery store and placed the bags on the kitchen counter. As he peeled away the plastic bags, he lifted something small from the furthest bag from me. Oh, look what I found for you… He proceeded to pass me a brightly-colored toothbrush. And not just any toothbrush. It was the extra soft, pimped-out toothbrush I had been in search of for the past couple weeks. I love flossing and brushing my teeth, so I thought it was an extraordinarily nice gesture. I flung my arms around his neck and sighed. That’s so romantic!
JD blinked a few times in confusion, but let the moment pass unadulterated by questions.
Later that evening, as we walked Polo along a darkened path, JD resurrected the issue. Jaz, being romantic is sometimes hard with you…I mean, your kind of romanticism. I walked in silence because he was right. Earlier that day we brunched with my best friends in Los Angeles, so as we walked, he continued that my friends were a little less complicated. Romantically speaking, that is. A dozen roses, a nice steak dinner, a glass of champagne, a good concert…that’s where he’d take any of them if it was their wedding anniversary.
Ooooooh, I got it. He’s stressin’ because he still hasn’t figured out what we’re doing for our wedding anniversary this Friday.
I tried explaining that flowers given on a day when a girl is supposed to get flowers is nice, but not romantic. Flowers given on a random Thursday just because? Well, that’s romantic. A nice steak dinner (or in my case, tofu steak!) just to celebrate being alive is romantic. A toothbrush bought late one evening because you thought of your wife’s love affair with dental hygiene…that’s romantic.
Or at least that’s my kind of romanticism. And that’s everything JD naturally does. Random tuberose bouquets sprinkled around the living room, toasts celebrating random Monday nights, toothbrushes. I love it.
So, the only thing I want this Friday, I continued on my quasi-philosophical diatribe, is for us to be together…doing everything and nothing at once. Loving and laughing like it was our last day on Earth…that’s all I want, nothing more.
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| This is a picture my best friend, Bri, snapped of us at brunch last Sunday at TART. It was such a lovely afternoon and when I left I realized how blessed I am to have so many fabulous people in my life. |
    
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Melinda and Vern : Engagement
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T he grey clouds rolled in and over the red barn making vain threats to part and drip themselves on the clay dirt. Off in the distance, Melinda slipped into her cowboy boots and waited patiently for Vern to slow his sipping of the Rolling Rock balanced in the palm of his hand. She waved to her mother who was watering flowers in the elevated pool area and garden. In just a couple more weeks, Melinda’s parents’ backyard will be transformed to become her reception venue, so everyone was busy planning and making sure the beautiful landscape was ready to accommodate her 150 guests.
Vern made his way over to Melinda…and Charlie followed him like a shadow. They laughed heartily at their dog as he managed to be the center of every photo, but later retired under the shade of the nearby weeping willow tree. Vern refocused his attention to his beautiful bride-to-be and whispered soft words into her ears. Melinda, in return, smiled, danced, and laughed to his sweet nothings.
I’m super bummed I won’t be able to be Melinda and Vern’s wedding photographer, but I was honored when they asked me to still shoot their engagement session! It was an honor and I had SO much fun!! They are two of the coolest people and I’m quite sure God has some pretty awesome things planned for their future. We met at Carlie and Gabriel's wedding a couple months ago, and I’ve been smitten with everything they are…I wish them the best as they wed next month! ;)
Here's the beautiful Melinda... |
| After shooting in her backyard, we wandered down a nearby path and stopped along the way...the property was SO amazing! |
| I think Vern got a little over-zealous with his hug! ;) |
| We then headed over to a lime orchard for a little more fun... |
To see more of their totally fun and cool engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!
Due to popular demand, here's more information regarding Melinda's boots...they're Frye's Veronica Slouch Boots...and, yes, they're waaaay hot! :) |
O n Friday morning, after logging nine and a half miles the day before, I sprung out of bed, threw on my running shoes, and dashed out the door. I just broke the 20-mile marker, and I was determined to put The Challenge behind me...so I was going to finish the nine and a half miles to win the race.
Or so I thought.
Many thanks to Justin Timberlake, Incubus, Jamiroquai, Nelly Furtado, Michael Jackson, and many other musicians to helped me run the ten miles...but I fell short. Literally by less than an hour. As I ran home, I felt the excitement as I was to log the closing thirty miles, but when I plugged my iPod in, I noticed Sean Mclellen just completed the race. Darn it all!! :) In all truth, I didn't mind losing to Sean because he was the one who pushed me every day to run a little faster and push a littler harder. We've never met, but when we do, I'm sure I'll be just as impressed with who he is as I am with his hard work and dedication.
So, while I'm bummed I didn't win, I'm quite happy knowing I ran 36 miles from last Monday to last Friday. I spent most of Friday and today celebrating by consuming whatever my eyes fell upon--Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal...sure, why not...Ben&Jerry's ice cream...make it a double scoop...Sprite...on the rocks, please. My stomach aches from all the sugar and no-no's I've eaten, but I'm rationalizing it by insisting it's helping cure the aches in my legs.
Because, literally, I'm such a sore loser. |
| Oooookay, so I got some really cool news from Ron Dawson!! He's a phenominal videographer, but recently created a podcast for photographers and videographers called F Stop Beyond and myself and Dane Sanders to be the first guests! Woohoo!! |
You can CLICK HERE to read the hear the podcast directly, or you can hear the interview by clicking on the bar below! The interview is broken into three parts: Me, Dane, then Ron asks us various questions to close out the segment. So fun!
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| **On a sidenote, I need to stress how AWFUL it is to hear myself speak. UGH!!! Seriously, I talked waaaay too much and it's something I'm working on. And I sounded like a chipmunk who drank a pint of Diet Coke?!? From here on out, I'm going to try to impersonate Barry White. Seriously.** :) |
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Katie and John : Wedding
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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K atie and John are two of the sweetest, kindest, and genuine people one could ever meet, and these two beautiful souls married this past weekend. They are a truly amazing match and perfect for each other! JD—accompanied by our good friend and fabulous photographer Amelia Lyon--photographed the wedding and they did an amazing job!
Tucked away in a beautiful church in the Los Angeles, Katie and John promised their lives to each other surrounded by their closest family and friends. The day flowed beautifully thanks to Uyen Nguyen of Sassy Girl Weddings and as the evening came to a close, everyone knew Katie and John were destined for a happily ever after…
Here are a few of my favorites...
JD went straight to the church to catch up with John's pre-ceremony massage...
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| Amelia went and captured Katie getting ready at The Standard Hotel...and later caught up with John and Katie's First Look... |
| JD captured some beautiful moments between the couple... |
| This was my most favorite shot of the day...JD was rockin' it! :) |
| Here are a few more of Amelia's timeless photographs... |
| I love JD's series of the first kiss... |
| While JD was capturing this shot.... |
| I was so happy to see that Katie had painted a picture from their engagement session...what an honor! :) |
| ...while JD got this one a few seconds later... |
To see more of their wedding, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!
**On a sidenote—and I’m not sure if this is the appropriate place for the following comments—I need to publicly thank JD for being the best business partner, husband, and, most importantly, friend. This was his first wedding on his own and although we’re quite sure we’ll be shooting our weddings together, I have to say how proud I am of him. He amazes me.** |
2013
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