Tuesday Top 5
This is kinda a hard day to write a Tuesday To 5 because this afternoon I am going with my mom to put one of my childhood cats, Whiskey, to sleep. :( He is 16 years old and suffering from kidney failure. It's so very hard to say goodbye to my long time friend. I was only 9 when I picked him out and took him home, so he's been a part of the majority of my life...If you know me, you probably know I am huge lover of animals and my pets are family...they are people to me. So today is very sad and it's hard to be cheery for this post.But never the less, I know this is life. It's bittersweet. There are very hard, trying and sad moments. But at the same time there are amazing, beautiful moments. If we don't take the time to appreciate the good, then we really aren't living life to the fullest. In fact, I write TT5 to remember & celebrate what I enjoyed about my week. I write to appreciate the fun and awesome parts of life. So on the saddest days it is important to write about the good...here goes:1. Industry Friends. I feel so lucky to have built so many wonderful friendships with my peers and colleagues in the wedding industry. When I first dove into the wonderful world of wedding photography in 2009 I knew not a soul except for my own wedding vendors. I had no one I could chat with and ask questions with. Of course, I did end up developing a few friendships in 2009 with other photographers, but my network was still small. In 2010 I really pushed myself to get to know more people, and luckily thanks to social gatherings, workshops and of course facebook/twitter it wasn't too hard. I feel so fortunate to know so many wonderful, smart, kind, creative people. It helps so much to get advice and to share stories about running a creative business! I am so thankful to my friends for teaching me so much and for helping me be a great businesswoman! I had some awesome revelations with friends this weekend, and I'm so thankful!2. Nutella Banana Crepes. I love nutella. I love bananas. I love crepes. And yes, I LOVE nutella, banana crepes! They are a trifecta of tastiness!! I had a very delicious nutella, banana crepe at L'Epicerie in Culver City last week. This week, I may just have to go back for more!3. Valentine's Day. Yesterday was a good day! I actually met a fabulous potential client in the morning! Then AJ took me to See's Candy so I could pick exactly what I wanted for my annual custom box of chocolates! I LOVE the caramels and chews at See's. I think my box is like 40% Vanilla Nut Caramels actually. For dinner, AJ and I went to one of our favorite sushi bars, U-Zen. It was very tasty! My favorite was the japanese scallop sushi. Two giant scallops with just a hint of lemon & salt. That's all they need. They are like pillows of heaven on my tongue! YUM!!! Being the romantics we are, we both pooped out around 10:00pm. But I had emails to finish so I did work kinda late. On Valentine's. While AJ snoozed away. It may not be glamorous always, but it's our comfy life. And I love it. Any day with my husband is a day well spent. Throw in sushi and candy and it's even better! ;)4. Booking season. You may or may not be aware that the wedding industry is in the height of booking season! Engaged couples are planning their 2011 weddings and finding vendors fast and furious! It's a very busy time as a photographer, but I absolutely love it. I LOVE meeting new couples. I LOVE the excitement of knowing a couple is the perfect fit for me and I'm the perfect fit photographer for them. And I LOVE getting emails from couples saying "let's do this!" It's very exciting and makes me oh so giddy! 2011 is shaping up wonderfully and I can't wait to shoot so many fabulous weddings this year!5. Sunny Days in February. I know that day is one of those gloomy SoCal winter days...but for the past couple weeks it has been just gorgeous, warm, sunshiney weather in Los Angeles! This past weekend was particularly beautiful! I loved going out with tank tops and feeling the warm sun beat on my skin! It's weekends like this past one where I feel sooooo incredibly fortunate to live in LA. The rest of the country is cold and longing for spring (I remember the feeling when I lived in Boston). But here in LA it felt like summer. Beautiful!
{Photo Credits Left to Right: FunMunch.com, Sees.com, Japanese Restaurant Info- UZen, Awaiting Buddha}