Giving Thanks...

What a Thanksgiving!!! So, I have to say Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Even though I may not be able to spend it with my family as everyone is spread across the country... my friends become my family for the day. We each bring a our own unique family traditions to the table.

This year I spent it with 2 of my favorite girlfriends on earth and their families... it was 30 hours of relaxation, fun and adventure... from G cooking her first Turkey (honestly didn't think it was going to be pretty. . but damn girl you rocked that bird), picking apples, climbing trees (in heels no less), a mini pool competition, laughing about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness . . as girls usually do... and a break to bath the little ones before they went to bed... I must admit being that I have no children and am a photographer I love the idea that I was responsible for the pics that 15 years from now will haunt these children and cause many an embarrassing conversation in their teenage years. . . hee hee hee... the joys of being the girl with the camera.

Then Friday morning my mini holiday continued with horseback riding, playing with the kids... and then barrel tasting at the Koehler Winery (one of the neighbors)... It was the perfect way to end Thanksgiving.

Imagine... a Thanksgiving with 3 dogs, 2 horses, 4 donkeys, 8 cows, 1 calf, and 1 ram... not to mention a yummy turkey, tons of food, 3 adorable little ones, and amazing friendship...

I am so Thankful... for all those in my life, my family (who is supportive, and loving beyond explanation).... my friends (who stick by my side on a daily basis no matter what) . . and all the new people I meet (who inspire me every day).

May you all realize the gifts of love around you!!

Love,
A

Here girls... check out the slide show...

Thanksgiving shopping. . .and so it begins.

One little known secret about me. . . I LOVE to cook... (for Thanksgiving)... it's the one time during the year that I feel it appropriate to indulge in hours of recipe searching... trying new things, borrowing from relatives, and bringing family traditions to a table. My problem I can never decide what yummy dish to make... so I make them all... right now I'm up to 4 side dishes... possibly 5 (heck, you never know if one or two or four may not turn out to be edible).. I said I love to cook . . .not that I'm good at it!!

Now. . .I may love the cooking part ... but I can't stand the shopping part... its the only time of year where no matter what store you go to the same items are completely cleared out while the item next to it is untouched... blank empty spaces everywhere...
no mini marshmallows
no frenches crispy onions
no more whipped cream... (hope heavy cream is the same... ?!?!?!)

So last night I decided to hit the stores a bit early... over all it was okay... had my list in hand. . .and found everything but the whipping cream . .oh well . . . like I said I got 3 or 4 other dishes I can share.

May you all have a weekend full of Thankfulness, Love and sharing!!

Many blessings to you all!

Love,
A


BTW... Who first decided it was smart to pair sweet potatoes with marshmallows (not saying I disagree but what makes you put a marshmallow with a potato) . .and the fact that we all eat it ... and only once a year!!

Go Maurauders!!!

Okay... so I HAD to pay props to my hometown football team... I swear up until now the only thing Ovid-Elsie High School was known for was the most snow days of the year... not anymore!

For the first time in history... my little known school is heading to the MHSAA State Championships at Ford Field

So way to go boys!!! I'll be cheering for you from a distance. Saturday 4:30pm Ford Field... you'll be doing a small town proud...

Just for the record... I went to state for girls tennis my senior year... I guess that's not the same, but hey I think my pic may still be up on the wall in the school lobby... maybe?!?!?!

Good luck!!

Get Registered...

So I just wanted to share with you my new favorite thing I'm offering... okay so it's not so new... but I thought I would write about since I think it is soooo neat and very few people have taken advantage of it.

I always have a hard time knowing what to get a couple that's getting married. Being a part of the industry and also being a professional wedding guest (I've averaged 5-7 weddings a year for about 10 years now . . .NOT including the one's I shoot)... I know how important it is NOT to veer off the registry. Each Bride and Groom spend days stressing about what to register for and even though you may think it's boring and impersonal to get them one tea saucer in their set of 10 . . . remember that's what they want!!

So being the creative type. . . I always battle back and forth on how to buy a pretty, creative gift . . off the registry of plates, saucers, and bowls... well . . .here's the solution

Build a Registry...
It's a great way to register for all things offered by a vendor ... and in my case PHOTOGRAPHY. All I know is I would much rather give the gift of a photograph then a saucer (but that's just me)... I am a bit biased. So keep this in mind and ask your vendors about it

One last thing, I had a very close friend get married in a VERY small town in Mexico. I was so impressed and touched by the way her wedding came about that I always thought to myself... now this makes sense. Each family or guest would take a separate aspect of the wedding and "gift" it to the couple... one family would bake the cake, another would host it, another would help decorate . .. etc etc... In fact the most touching weddings I attend and shoot are those created by their family and friends.

If you think about it, a lot of couples these days already have everything they need for a home (or double that)... so this is a way to not only help with the cost of the wedding but also include a sense of love and giving to the entire event.

Just my thoughts on this rainy day in Santa Barbara
(which BTW makes me smile and want to curl up with a blanket and watch a good romantic comedy)

Get Cozy ....

Love,
A

Rodrigo's Engagment...

As I eluded to yesterday . .I had the pleasure of taking part in the sweetest photo shoot. Rodrigo contacted me about 6 weeks ago and asked me to photograph the moment he proposed to his sweet Emily!! I of course jumped at the chance... how often do you get to have a front row seat to a moment like that...

But man I must admit I was a bit nervous ... you only get one chance to catch that moment ... I was shaking (seriously) ...partly because I was nervous for Rodrigo . . .and partly because I was nervous for myself... Do you know how hard it is to hold a 200 mm lens steady when you are excited and nervous and shaking all at the same time... luckily all went well . . SHE SAID YES. . . and the pictures turned out adorably sweet and touching.

A note to all you men out there... take a lesson from Rodrigo... notice the knee... the smiles... and of course the ring (nice job buddy.. and without any help no less) ... and how smart to hire a photographer to capture that once in a lifetime moment!!

Congratulations you two . . .I truly feel honored that you would allow me to share in that moment!!
I don't even have to ask how the rest of your weekend went. . . I'm sure you were both on cloud 9

Love,
A

Just check out the slide show and you can see the play by play...

Click here for Slide Show

My Birthday... 2nd Annual 30th... 1920's style

Okay... so during my one month hiatus from my blog last month . .I did have a lot going on.. but to be honest I've been waiting for friends to give me pics . . . guess that's what happens when the photographer leaves her camera at home for once...
So back in mid-October I celebrated my 2nd Annual 30th birthday... not because I have some issue with being 31 (that came the following week when I found my first grey hair-did I really just share that--yikes)... but because last year I threw a wonderful and amazing 30th Murder Mystery party on the island but seeing that it was on an island in northern Michigan most of my California family couldn't make it. SO this year I decided to do it again . . . only Cali style...

It was an awesome night of Murder Mystery and Mayhem ... with a lot of laughter thrown in. We had Chief Carl the cross dressing chief of police. .. Drama Tessa . . .actually Drama Kevin the very "manly" looking Flapper... there were gangs of mobsters. . . groups of scandalous flappers... all visiting . .. my ("Rosie Marie's") little known speakeasy... The Juice Joint

It was an amazing night that I will never forget... and will always hold dear to my heart... thank you to all of you who came!! (now send me those darn pictures) ;)

To all the people in my life... those that made it to the first round... and those who were there for the second annual... you all create my life... you support me, love me, help me. . . and even scold me when I need it. . . and for all these things I love you forever . .. you all make me who I am. And for that I am forever thankful!

Love,
A

(And to Aubrei . . . it's sad that you posted this before I did... and even worse that I stole your collage off your blog (check it out it's pretty great) . . so THANK YOU . . .and again . . .where are my pics?

Oh and I must pay special props to Felicia & Matt... the night wold not have been able to happen without Bougainvillea and Statemynt!!! You guys rock!!

The Knot Magazine...

Oh my goodness. . .I can't believe I forgot to mention that The Knot just recently contacted me and will be featuring one of my weddings "Sara & Dan" in one of their upcoming issues and on their website

I am sooo excited... I've always had The Knot as one of my goals. It's funny that the minute you reach one goal you take about a day to celebrate... WOOO HOOO... then it's on to the next. . . guess that's what keeps us all moving forward.

The spread will be featuring Sara and Dan. They are such an amazing couple. They were married this past July at the St. Anne's Church and the Inn at Stonecliffe on Mackinac. I'll let you know when it hits the newstands!!

Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend!! I know I am, 75 degrees and sunny... friends visiting from out of town... and an AWESOME and unique shoot today (just wait. .. you'll hear about it tomorrow)

May you all feel the thrill of attaining a goal . . .and start reaching for the next!!

Love,
A

Tea Fire Aftermath...

So one week ago the "Tea Fire" came barreling over the hills surrounding Santa Barbara.

I went out yesterday to shoot some of the devastation... what I realized... there is a reason I am a wedding photographer. I couldn't bring myself to shoot images of someone else's heartbreak... what right do I have to make art out of some else's pain when I can go home to my house which was untouched and my office (which was close . . .sooo close . . . 400 feet close) but still untouched. My heart ached for these neighbors as they stood in the middle of a pile of rubble which once was their home. I drove up one street and was shocked by the indiscriminate path the fire took... one house would be burned to the ground... and the next door neighbors' untouched.

I was also moved by the sense of camaraderie on the streets. . .as I stood on a eerily quite ledge photographing the canyon... a truck stopped and with a heavy heart asked what my relation to the fire was... turns out he had built most of the homes in the area and was driving to see how many were detstroyed... his eyes teared up as he told me his very favorite was now just a chimney and ash. As I drove down a street that was once a normal neighborhood I saw people helping out everywhere. . .I saw a group of kids sitting on a sidewalk taking a break from helping a teacher pick up the pieces. It was these images that I couldn't photograph but will forever be etched in my mind.

I think yesterday just solidified more that I will stick to the happy moments in peoples' lives. . . the joy, the laughter, the moments that people really want to have captured. The images that in times of sorrow can serve as a reminder of what's important in life... the joy they once felt and will most likely feel again.

Love,
A

(here are just a few images... they really don't it justice this is just the sight... but there was also the the warmth of the air, the smell of the smoke... the sound of the firetrucks all still hanging on in the area from last week...

Tea Fire...

So, I know . . . again I have been a slacker with the blogging but it's been one of those times when it's been insanely crazy and yet not at the same time (and to be honest I have had complete writers block)... But the last couple days have been a little different. For those of you that haven't heard we've been having a wildfire burn across Santa Barbara. Luckily now it seems to be contained... but for a little bit there it was definitely touch and go.

Thursday night around 6pm I was getting ready to leave my office in Montecito and walked out to a wall of flames. I must say, being a mid-west girl with lack of fire knowledge except for "stop drop and roll", I had NEVER experienced such a thing. To make a long story short, after a very long and somewhat emotional night of being glued to a friends TV (our power was out)... I was sure the office was gone along with a very close friend's home. At that point I felt such sadness and emotion for a place that was not even mine that I couldn't imagine what the 100's of people who have lost their homes must be going through right now.... or even worse for those that still don't know if their house is standing.

Luckily as the smoke cleared Friday morning, my office and friend's place was still standing. That day I became a little rebellious and cross the evacuation line to stand on the roof in the heart of the evacutation zone to try and capture what was occuring. My pictures don't due justice. I did however capture the helicopters and fire crew dropping water in preparation for what could have been another long night. It was quite surreal to be so close to such destruction.

I realize that this was not the largest fire this year, but it was the closest to my heart and I can now truely understand the rollercoaster of emations and thoughts that can run through one's mind in such a time.

To all those who have lost their homes my heart truly goes out to you... and to all the firefighters, and police... you have been doing an AMAZING job. I am so proud of our community and the emergency system they have in place.

I have truly had my eyes opened to the indiscriminate power of this type of disaster.

May all of you be safe and happy . . . and appreciative for everything and everyone you have in your lives. . . I know I am today!!

Love,
A

Also, my thoughts and prayers are with all those in LA who are currently fighting more fires and more winds.