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Pre-Wedding Jitters

My hat goes off to my wedding photographer friends (Hi Girls!).  I do not know how they do it.  I mean...so many pictures, so much going on, and wanting to get it just perfect because you know that those moments will not happen again. One of the wedding guests told me that he had no idea that you had to be so athletic to be a photographer...it's true...squats, lunges, and those cameras are not light.
With that said....
 I had so much fun doing Shannon and Sean's wedding, but they were sooo chill and fun.  I even got to put my cameras down and shake my bootie with the bride.."HEEEY Macarena!"  Shan, you were seriously the sweetest bride.
Ok...I'm getting way off track. Like I said, there are so many pictures.  I have decided that I am going to show them to you in batches over the next few days : Pre Wedding Moments, The Ceremony, and The Reception. 
These are the moments before the wedding of everyone getting ready, guests arriving, groomsmen drinking beer and giving each other crap   getting dressed in their tuxes, mom and dad trying to make themselves busy to hide their nervousness and hold back the tears, and everyone surrounding the bride to help her look her best.  The moments before the wedding are some of my favorites.  Everyone is so busy, they hardly notice the camera and emotions are easily captured.
Shannon was seriously the most relaxed bride I have ever seen, but I think having the family and friends that she had to help her with all the details helped a lot.  I was  touched to see how so many of her family and friends were running around to get everything ready and make sure every detail was in place.  I think the task master of the day was Shannon's sister Kellie.  The girl has got it together.  I already knew this about her, but to see her in action was fun.  She could totally be a wedding coordinator.
Anyway, now that I have rambled on forever and ever..here are some pre-wedding moments and a few details too:

This hanky was hand-made and has been in the family forever:

Mother of the Bride, Pam, made these necklaces for the girls.  She makes amazing jewlery.  You can actually buy the from her at Etsy.  Her shop's name is Serendipity Rose.

I Have a Problem with this

I have a problem with the very depressing subject in the movie Revolutionary Road.It has bothered me since I saw the Oprah episode about it. Basically it's about how life in the burbs turns people into uninspired, lifeless shells of the people they used to be. This bothers me ...a lot. Both characters find that they have fallen into the monotonous routines of daily life : work, home , work, home or cook, clean, cook, clean. Their life depressingly begins to spiral down around them.
I get it. I feel the monotony of the daily grind. I need a break in the routine. I can totally relate. I live in the burbs, my husband leaves the house for work everyday, I take care of the 3 kids, we have 2 mini vans, 1 dog, a privacy fence...yeah, we are the typical suburban American family.
Could we fall into the crazy cycle of unfulfilled boredom and depression that happens to Leo and Kate in the movie....sure...but we don't and here's why: We each do things that make us feel special, happy, unique. I think this is especially important for women who work in the home. Many of our husbands go out to work each day and get a pat on the back or do a job they love.
Although we love our jobs as moms, we want to feel special right? We want to do something we love that makes us unique. I fell into a rut for years where I seriously could NOT think of what I loved. If someone asked what I liked to do, I could not remember. I could feel myself sinking into that depressing vortex.
Then photography came back into my life. Creating art filled a place in my heart that had not been touched in years. It's something tangible I can look at and feel good about. I'll never be a nationally know photographer, but it fulfills me.
I started to run. The more I ran, the better I felt. The farther I ran, the prouder I was of myself. The runner's high can sometimes give me a lift for days. I'll never come in first place at a race, but running makes me feel special.
This year I started to learn to play the guitar...what a feeling it is to pick up a hollow piece of wood and metal strings and create beautiful (well, not quite beautiful yet) tones. I'll never have a grammy winning CD, but I just love playing the guitar.
I have found things that make me happy in addition to my family. I think that is important.
I LOVE being a wife and a mother. I LOVE taking care of my family..but there is so much more to us than that. What makes you feel special and unique? What do you do just for you? What do you do that makes you feel like the real you?What makes you happy?

Little Buddies

Yesterday my friend Kristen brought her little man over to play.  He was just way too adorable for me not to have an impromptu photo session.  I also wanted his mom to have a photo surprise when she returned.  I got little Jackson in on the action too.  I want these little buddies to grow up together because their dad's have been friends since they were very young , are still friends, and now they work together. Like most friendships, there were  many years when they lost touch with each other.  As adults they got back in touch and realized they both chose the same career.  Now they work together!  I think this is such a cool story. I think that would be so cool if these baby boys remained friends....2 generations of buddies.

Serious Cuteness!

My friend Sarah creates amazing clothing for little girls.  I seriously wish I was a 5 year old girl just so I could wear them.  I almost (very almost) want to have a baby girl just so she can wear some of Sarah's creations!  I am very lucky that Abby still fits into these outfits and that she loves girlie clothes.  Each outfit that Sarah creates is original. She makes careful and thoughtful fabric selections as she considers style, comfort, care of the fabric, and cuteness.  All of Sarah's creations travel easily and are wash and wear...which is good for someone like me who hates to iron. If you are interested in any of Sarah's outfits, contact me and I will get your information to Sarah. 
Here are some of the outfits she made for Abby:

For my Girlfriends

If you are a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend you can relate to this video. I have friends like this now and I hope I am blessed enough to have these friends as we grow older.

A Tiny Preview

Here is a sneak peek of the bride...more later
 

Pure Posh...get there!

I was stuck in a continuous cycle of boring hair : grow it long, mom bob, grow it long, mom bob...over and over.  Then when it got long it was :pony tail, hat, pony tail, hat...ugh...boring!  So I went to Dana at Pure Posh  and was hooked up with a cool, sassy, sexy haircut.  Dana was awesome!  She really took her time cutting my hair and then afterward she explained all the different ways I could style it.
    Pure Posh is a salon that feels chic and stylish, but without the attitude of other frou-frou salons.  It took me 3 years to find a place that I liked and I can tell you that I will be a lifer there.  Seriously, if you are stuck in a hair rut or looking for a GREAT salon, get your butt over to Pure Posh!  They don't only do hair, they offer a variety of services including facials and make-up.

I had a lot of hair cut off...I didn't want to have any reason to stick it in a ponytail and I wanted something that was sassy and sexy.  I took this picture of myself and had my 2 yr old near the camera entertaining me with noises and faces...that must be what I do to him.  Let me say that I am so awkwardly uncomfortable in front of the camera.  I always tell me clients to "relax, be natural, you'll look great", but I cannot do it.  I took a GAZILLION pictures just to get this one. 
I wanted to show you how great a job Dana did.  In this picture I hardly did anything to my hair.  I washed it, let it air dry, and then pieced it out with a little wax...that is it!  Imagine how great it looks when I actually do it:

Here's the info for Pure Posh since I know you will go there:

Edited to add:

I get home and my husband loves my haircut.  He says "I Love it!!!! It's so cute on you!"  He should have stopped there. Here is how the rest of the conversation goes:

Josh:  I really like it like this.  You looked like a Storm Trooper when it was long.

Me: (evil eye)

Josh: No, uh, I mean, your hair looked like a Storm Trooper helmet.

Me: (mouth agape)

Josh: What I mean is it looked like you were wearing a helmet....

Me: (evil-er eye)

Josh: Because it was all puffy in weird places....like a puffy helmet

Me: (death stare)

Josh: I'll stop talking now. I like your hair.

I am Lucky to be an American Girl

I want to buy copies of this book and give it to all of my friends.  "Veil of Roses" gave me a new perspective of what it is like to be a woman in the United States because it is told from the point of view of a young woman who comes to America from Iran.
My mom came here as an adult from the Philippines, I have lived all over the world, and just about every man in my family has military experience, so I have never taken my freedom for granted.
    To see our freedom from the eyes of a Persian girl in this book, my appreciation for our freedom as American woman is renewed and refreshed.  I just didn't realize how much I actually do take for granted. I am able to own a business, I am able to laugh with my friends in public, my daughter can laugh and play freely with her friends and someday she can marry anyone she wants, I can run down the street with my strong legs uncovered and my hair blowing in the wind. I am an American girl...I am Free!

Get your booty over to Ann Taylor Loft...GO!

Last night I had the honor of photographing a beautiful and sweet wedding for a friend. (I don't do weddings, but this is a special friend)  I had an such a great time and the whole family made me feel like a part of the family and not 'the photographer'.  I will post pictures and the wedding story when I get through the editing...but here why you need to go to Ann Taylor Loft. 
I needed to find a dress to wear to the wedding.  Living in San Antonio, all my dresses are summer dresses, but it was supposed to be cold on the night of the wedding, so I needed to find a winter dress.  Those of you who know me, know I HATE shopping!  I would rather scrub toilets or run 10 miles than go clothes shopping.  It turns out, I was shopping at the wrong places.  I was shopping at the places where the clothing designers thought "Petite" meant "I am 75 years old and love appliques of birds on all my clothing" or " I like to dress like a hoochie mama and show the top of my butt crack when I sit down".  I do not like either of those types of clothes.
My friends kept suggesting Ann Taylor Loft for petite clothes.  Even my tall friends told me to go there (shout out to Tracy)!  I never shop there because I thought it was out of my price range.  I never even go in there.  Since so many people were suggesting this over and over, I decided to give it a try!  I only went to the clearance section and found 2 dresses and 3 tops for around $33!!!!! What What! I know some people I meet think the more you pay for something the better you are, but I am all about paying as little as possible!  Don't tell anyone, but I actually kinda enjoyed myself.

So, I am going to share images of what I bought and the price tags. Why?  Because I want you all to get in an these amazing deals!

This is my favorite find from that day. The fabric is sheer and has gold threads through it.  Can't wait to wear it with a pair of dark jeans.

 

Here is a detail of the cute ruffles and buttons...(did I just say 'cute ruffles'?)

 

Best of all, here is what I paid for it:

 

This adorable tank top has silky straps and a soft silky rose-bud detail...man, I had never thought of trading in my Old Navy tank tops for something like this, but I LIKE IT!

 

This is nice and flowy for those bloated days...and it has a cute tie in the back.

 

 

I love this sexy little summer dress!  Do you know anyone who does alterations?  I need it to be taken in, a lot, in the ...um...chest department.

Can you believe that price???

 

Awesome right?  So hurry and go find some bargains!

Domestic Ninja

So many people say to me "I don't know how you do it all...3 kids, the business, running, the gym, learning guitar"...to that I have to laugh.  The truth is, I don't do it all.  We say no to many invitations, we hang out at home a lot, I don't watch TV until the kids are in bed...and I let my house go all the time.  To be honest, I would rather hang out with my kids or do things I love rather than stress about the house being perfect...I'll have time to make it perfect when they leave home...which comes too quickly for my taste.
My bathrooms get dirty, we retrieve our clean clothes out of laundry baskets, the playroom is a huge tripping hazard, and the floors have seen better days.  Here is the proof:
We do have dressers and closets, but the clean clothes hardly get a chance to make it there:

The dishes often pile up:
and don't get me started on the playroom and the kids rooms...I have designated boxes and bins for the toys, but they are happier hanging out on the floor:

There's lots more messes I could show you around my house, but I don't want you to get sick or report me to the health department.
So now I am going to down another cup of coffee (rarely steaming hot by the time I get to it) and bust out that domestic ninja that I know exists deep down inside.