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Bath Junkie, that funky monkey...

...bath junkie junkie, that funky monkey!  That is what plays in my head every time I use a Bath Junkie product or go to their store.  I can't help it.  I love Bath Junkie and I love the Beastie Boys. Abby and I had to get away from or testosterone filled house for a girls day out.  After football season and living in a house full of men, the testosterone was getting to us. We started our mother-daughter day with lunch and dessert at Peasano's folowed by a fragrance spree at Bath Junkie.   
Then last night I got together with my talented friend Katy who gave me a fun, sexy, smokey make-over.  She is a super talented make-up artist and basically the one who gave me the final shove of confidence to start a photography business. I will post a link to her when she gets a web site up and going.  I can't wait to post pictures of the make-up she gave me, but they are top secret until she uses them for a special presentation in March.  Stay tuned because I will post them later. I seriously could not bring myself to wash my face because her work is so beautiful.  You will hear lots more about Katy since her and I have some projects planned together!  I am so excited.
After all that girl time I am back in hormonal harmony with myself and the rest of the family is a lot happier because of it:)
Here is some of the Bath Junkie junk we brought home.

This is Clean Freak.  It is them BEST cleaning product and makes your house smell good for days.  It cuts through any bad smell that may linger and it is anti-baterial and anti-fogging!  I scented it with Basil and Lemongrass..mmmmmmmmm

Here is a sweet fortune cookie soap Abby picked.  My friend Reyna gave me one awhile back and Abby just had to get her own.  Very cute gift.  It even comes in a Chinese take-out box.

Abby also got Sparkly Lotion scented with coconut and lime.  Now my ever sparkly daughter smells like a Pina Colada. She actually smells really good and reminds me of summer.

I got Body Dessert.  You can put it in your bath or spray it on your body after your bath and it leaves you feeling soft and smelling great!  I got Warm Vanilla Sugar and Woodstock.  I was afraid of Woodstock since the name implies it smells like a Hippie, inscense, and Patchouli, but it smells really good.

I seriously feel so good after a couple of days of girl time.  It is so easy to get caught up in your family and job.  By the time you get to yourself, you are so tired.  Remember to take some time out for you...even if you are just grabbing a cup of hot tea and reading a book.  It makes you feel tons better!

Open your mind

I have always believed, even as a young child, that it is so important to keep an open mind and learn about other people, cultures, and religions without judgment.  My heart grows each time I learn about others.

That is why I was so honored when some of my favorite clients asked me to photograph the celebration of their infant son's bris or Brit Milah.  Since I am not Jewish, they sent me some very helpful and interesting information on the meaning and history of the ceremony. It was truly a beautiful celebration of an 8 day old  Jewish boy and his covenant with God.  The baby was perfect and stayed asleep throughout the entire time. The Mohel was quick and discreet.  If you did not know that a surgery was taking place, you would have never known. 

The parents of the infant also gave him his Jewish name and the stories behind the strong and amazing people he was named after.  Later I jokingly (but truthfully) told the mom that it was getting difficult to take photos as my tears kept dropping into my viewfinder.  It was truly a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. I feel so honored that I was asked to be there.

Afterwards there was AMAZING food!  I am all about food.  Even though I had already had 2 huge breakfast tacos that morning and was meeting a friend for coffee and muffins afterward, I could not resist the grandmother's invitation to sit and eat more.  She reminded me a lot of my Philippine  mom, and when my mom tells you to eat, you eat.  I think it might be my mom's goal to feed the world one person at a time.  How could I say no?

Here are some photos of the Brit Milah.  They are discreet and  don't show the surgery. 
I want to say "Thank you" to the "F" family.  You are such a happy, warm, and loving family.  The 2 times I have had the opportunity to take your family portraits, you have made me feel like we have been long time friends.

I have blocked out their names to protect their privacy.

Zen Photography

Tracey Clark over at Shutter Sisters offered up a challenge to  show "images you've captured that as that shutter clicked, helped you to “haul your attention away” from all distraction so that you could focus on something divine in yourself or the world around you?" 
Here is my image: (click on it to enlarge)

The family and I were walking along the banks of the overflowing Guadalupe River after 40 something days of rain when I saw this dead tree in the middle of the river.  I became obsessed with the tree and literally took dozens of pictures of it.  This picture always takes me back to that warm day with my family running along the banks of the river.  I can still feel, hear , and smell every second of that time. So, not only was taking the photo a zen moment, but the feeling returns each time I look at it.  The only problem I have now is deciding how big I should get the canvas print and where I should hang it????

I am in the basement...

This week I was thrilled to attend the Bellies and Babies Tour taught by the brilliant photographer and mother of four Sam Puc.  Sam is also the founder of Now I lay Me Down to Sleep.  An organization that specializes in infant bereavement photography.
The workshop lasted from 5 - 11 pm and was such a generous amount of knowledge.  I took so many notes and soaked in so much new information.  I met a lot of terrific photographers from the area who generously invited me to their studios to see how they operate.  I love meeting new people who are willing to share what they know.  I feel the same way.  I do not know a lot yet, but I love bouncing ideas off of other people with the same interest.  One thing I truly believe in is that I am only in competition with myself.  It wouldn't bother me if my neighbor, my best girlfriend, and several other people I know wanted to start a photography business.  I would be happy for them because I know how happy this makes me.  I know that other area photographers will be more lucrative than I will be.  I am on my own path...my life, my photography will evolve in it's own unique way and I am so excited to wake up everyday to see what unfolds.
Hearing Sam speak and meeting these other brilliant photographers makes me realize how much I still have to grow...how much potential I still have.  It is a little intimidating, but scary at the same time.  I still know very very little as far as photography and business go, but I am SO EXCITED to learn.  Here is an analogy of the way I see it:
If photography and a photography business was a 94 story building, I am still standing in the basement....but what an awesome basement it is!  I fully understand that it may take me 6 years to climb to the 2nd floor, but it will be such and exciting climb.  I know someday when I am standing on one of the higher floors, I will look down at the lower floors with such fond and exciting memories.
Each day I work on it a little more, learn a little more.  Right now the questions I have to ask myself these important questions: What is my identity? What makes me unique? I know the answers, but I do not know how to put them into words yet.

I know that I will fail a lot of times and make many mistakes. Those failures and mistakes will be stepping stones to solutions and success.

It is.....

the inside of my washing machine drum!

What is this?