Whoa last week flew by!!! Can't believe its already time for the second installment of Tuesday Top 5! So here we go:1. The Jasmine Star Workshop!! Whoa guys, so back in December I got a coveted spot in Jasmine Star's February 16 workshop!! I was super excited to get in, but it seemed so far away. FEBRUARY. After Valentine's. And it wasn't even X-mas yet. But now the workshop is only a month away. Jasmine sent out a letter to everyone, welcoming us, and giving us the info for all the attendees! I'm so excited to meet all the other photographers attending and I can't wait to see what J* has in store for us!! It won't be long now! HOLLA!2. My husband. Really he is in the top 5 every week...he's my #1 (tied with my cats though duh!). BUT last night he made me brownies. BROWNIES! Yep, that's all that's on my mind. Actually now that I think about it, maybe brownies hold the #2 spot on this week's list...yummy warm chewy chocolatey goodness. Yes, BROWNIES. Nom nom nom.3. Big Love. If you don't have HBO, I feel sorry for you. Because really its not TV people, its HBO. Quality programming at its best. All the original programming rocks my world. But...right now its Big Love showing. And its Bigger than EVER! This show gets exponentially better each season-- the writers are so good for always raising the stakes. The acting is superb. There is so much depth about the human experience in this show, with just the right combo of drama and comedy. Its FAB. So watch it. At least Netflix the old seasons. You'll thank me!4. Haircuts! It had been way too long since I got my hair cut...My hair was LONG. And it was driving me crazy. It took forever to wash and brush, and it would get all matted underneath. Can you say ANNOYING? So my trusty hair dresser fixed the situation! My hair is still "long" just a little below the shoulders, but its not way too long, get it?  Its soooo easy to handle again. LOVE IT.5.  New business cards. I'm kinda ashamed to admit that I had the ghettoist home-made business cards ever. At first it was because I was waiting to finish working with my designer on my new logo... and why invest in a nice card with a temporary logo? Then I got my logo but I don't know..I just procrastinated. I meant to get new cards, but something was always higher on the to do list. Until a week ago. The hubs designed my cards and I ordered them through Overnight Prints. And they arrived looking beautiful! Can't wait to start handing them out to everyone I see. I will blog a pic of them soon, I swear! Or better yet, let's meet up and then I can give you one ;)And now....here are some pics from yet another holiday mini-session I didn't blog! Enjoy!

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So I told y'all I'd be blogging at least 3 times a week. And I mean it FOR REALZ in 2010. Got that? FOR REALZ.So here is a new feature for your enjoyment. Tuesday Top 5! Kinda self explanatory, eh? Every Tuesday I post about 5 awesome-mc-blossom things! Things that make me tick! And things that make me jump for joy! So here goes!Top 5

1. 2010! 2010 has been pretty sweet so far! I've met some great couples, and already shot a FANTASTIC wedding! Maybe the best wedding I have shot EVER! That's a good sign, no? I think 2010 is going to be great, so here's to the new year! And lots more awesome weddings ;)
2. The Princess & The Frog!! OMG this movie rocked so hard!! I laughed, I sighed, I sang, I cried! It was beautiful. For those who haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?? For those who did see it, holla at me and tell me how much you loved it!!!
3. Blackberry & Tmobile. Guys, I finally entered the modern age and got a smart-phone! It was actually FREE at Costco as long as I renewed my contract. Now I did want an iphone, but that was not free. Did I ever mention I love a good deal??? Especially FREE things! Yeah I do! I love good deals like whoa. So me and my new blackberry are getting to know each other. And I'd say, blackberry is kinda swell! Thanks Tmobile for helping get high-tech!
4. Mika. Lately whenever I edit photos I listen to Mika (both of his CD's)...and maybe I sing along at the top of my lungs. Maybe. He's soooo good! A little glam rock, a little pop, a little je ne sais quoi! If y'all haven't listened to him, I say go for it! Even my husband can listen to him (which is RARE as my hubs dislikes most of my music choices)!
5. Lady Gaga for Polaroid! Those who are my fb friends or follow me twitter probably know I uber heart Lady Gaga.  She is without a doubt my favorite artist out there right now! And now she is CREATIVE DIRECTOR for a Polaroid specialty division. I'm excited to see where this partnership goes. I heart polaroid and have been wanting it to come back with a bang. And now my homegirl is trying to take the iconic camera into the future! Sweet! Click here to watch an awesome interview with more info!

So I guess I can't leave y'all without a picture right? Well I can...but then you'd say HOW RUDE! So here is a teaser from last Saturday's frickin' awesome wedding-- my first wedding of 2010. The blog post for this wedding is probably gonna be HUGE. Because there are too many good shots. Too many! But for now I'll just leave you with one.

Happy Tuesday!!!

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Wow. Wow. Wow. So today is the last day of 2009. Where did the time go? I can tell you that last year at this time I just bought my first DSLR with the hopes of turning my creativity into a business, I turned 23, and I was 6 months away from getting married. Now I am here. A year later. Writing this blog post. With a wedding ring on my finger. With better camera gear in my bag, and much more photography know-how in my head. With 8 weddings under my belt (not to mention all the engagement, trash-the-dress, family and boudoir sessions I have shot over the year). With a feeling that I may actually be able to one day-- hopefully very soon-- make a full-time living off a business that allows me to be creative. Crazy!I feel so blessed to have met so many incredible couples in 2009. Every single one of you means the world to me. You have each brought me one step closer to my dream. No, actually, you've made my dream a reality. Because of each one of you I have grown so much. Because of you I realized that joy, love and kindness still exist in the world. That miracles do happen. That fate exists. That the right people really do find each other and make relationships work. It has been a really life affirming experience working with all of you! I can't believe how lucky I am to have found a job that not only allows me to be my own boss, to be creative, but also reaffirms my faith in humanity, love and the world.So in celebration of all the love 2009 has brought me, I have created a slideshow of some of my very favorite images from all the weddings I shot this year. I'd love if you'd watch it below! This journey really has been amazing, and I think the slideshow perfectly sums up my work from this year!To all my 2009 brides & grooms - thank you again for everything! Please keep in touch! You are all now so much more than clients to me, you are friends!To all my 2010 brides & grooms - this is YOUR year! Hooray!!! There is nothing more exciting than going into the new year knowing that you will soon be married! Enjoy every last second of your wedding planning! And please remember I am always here to help you with timelines, vendor referrals, inspiration or just to chat! Your wedding will be amazing and I am so excited for it!!!!To all my readers, fans, followers, and friends - thank you for your continued support! I appreciate each one of you and can't wait to be even closer in the new year! If for some reason we haven't actually connected yet please leave me a comment, shoot over an email, or find me on  twitter or facebook! I love meeting new people, especially blog readers! Hehehe!Lastly, I know the blog has been slow lately...Blame the holidays! But really, I do have a few family sessions and a wedding, as well as a few special announcements and new features, to blog soon so please keep checking in! I will be getting back into routine blogging next week!! :)

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What a way to end a year! My birthday was definitely the best one I have had in a while. And I have Disney, my hubby and my mommy to thank! The day started off with AJ waking me up at the UNGODLY hour of 9:00am. I am not a morning person. He had gifts. But I grumped and said let me sleep. But I couldn't sleep anymore. So I woke up and opened my presents! I love opening presents-- that never gets old! Then we discussed whether or not we should go to Disneyland. We wanted too, but both of us have been feeling kind of sickie-poo lately. I really wanted to go to Disneyland but I didn't want to feel miserable. Then I thought maybe some sustenance would help! So my dear sweet mom took us for breakfast at Dinah's. Have y'all ever been there? It's DELISH. Well, if you like diner food that is and can enjoy a delicious pancake. Which I can...oh I really can!Breakfast was just the key to give us the energy boost we needed to attempt the day. By the time we got to Disneyland and  I breathed that Disney air I was feeling pretty dang good! The minute we walked through those gates every feeling I had felt as a kid at Disneyland came back to me. It was Joyous! And because they gave a "Its My Birthday" button to wear, everywhere I went kind folks wished me "happy birthday!" I was loving it!The stars must've aligned for me. The weather was great. And the lines were not bad at all! We actually got on every ride we wanted to and then some! We also watch the fireworks show and the "snow". And I may have cried. Maybe. Maybe a tear of joy ran down my cheek. I can't really confirm or deny ;)We stayed till midnight and had so much fun. That was my first time at Disneyland with AJ, so it was pretty special. I loved seeing his excitement too. Luckily though, it won't be our last visit. We got annual passes so we will be back.  And now maybe I can even do an engagement shoot there should any brides wish!!!Okay! You want pictures! We only took the point and shoot cause really I didn't wanna worry about my pro camera while I was acting a fool at Disneyland. Sometimes in my personal life I just want my point shoot with me. So these are some pics..straight of of the camera...You can see me sportin' my birthday button!

Right now I am blogging with a cat in my lap, listening to the rain outside. Does life get any better than this? Maybe but this is pretty darn good!This weekend is my birthday. 24 years old, which my mom says means that I am "well into my twenties." Grrrrreat. I used to LOVE my birthday. Now I think I get that "adult" reaction to birthdays. I mean, they are okay but geez where is time going?! hehe ;) I do have some fun things planned though! On Saturday we are seeing Mary Poppins at The Ahmanson and on Sunday I will hopefully get to go to Disneyland. But if it rains (which it better NOT) we won't go.  :|  I am hoping the weather will cooperate! I'm  also proud of what I accomplished this year in my life. When I turned 23 I was a bride-to-be with a small little dream to start a photography business. I had NO clue where it would go or how I'd book a wedding. Now I am about to be 24. I am a MARRIED LADY and very happy about it! And my business is going pretty well for something that was just a twinkle in my eye one year before. This year I shot 8 weddings! Eight weddings, people! I'm really proud of that and proud of how much my work has grown over the year!!!  I hope 24 brings twice as many weddings and a whole lot of health, happiness, success and love to me and my family!And now a teaser from wedding #8! Jenessa and Joel are superfab! Jenessa is Jenn King's sister, and Jenn had to double duty it as photographer AND maid-of-honor. So of  course she needed a little assistance! I was happy to join in and second shoot! It was a beautiful day and I got so many gorgeous pictures that I can't wait to share...but for now I leave you with this....

Okay I've been meaning to blog this story for awhile but...I procrastinated! You see I had weddings to edit and blog and that's all I could think about. But its time that I FINALLY blog this story! I am really going to start posting in my blog 2-3 times a week now, even if I don't have any exciting photo-shoots to share. I'm going to be sharing myself with you! Getting personal! Its been hard to get myself to do it...but this story, this post is the starting point! I hope you enjoy getting to know me, the lil' gal behind all the photos! So here goes!

Almost a month  ago, on a wedding-less Sunday, my mom called me at the ungodly hour of 8:00am. I thought something bad had happened to my grandparents and I was worried. Pretty much the only time I get calls from my mom on the weekend before 10:00am is when my grandpa is in the hospital. So my stomach dropped...BUT luckily it wasn't a bad phone call. It was a phone call to report a miracle! At least that's what my mom said.

A miracle? My first thought is "OMG! We won the lottery! We're millionaires! Hooooooray!!!!" Except its Sunday. I don't think they announce the lotto on Sunday...Ughhh if that is not it what could it be. C'mon mom tell, me! What is the miracle?!!!Let me preface this by saying my mom is very open to/believing in the spirit world. Let me also preface this by saying, two years ago our 12 year old, beloved orange tabby cat named Scotty passed away due to kidney problems. We got him when I was about 9 and even though I no longer lived with my mom when he died, I always loved him SO much! And my mom loved him so so so much too! Though we have two other cats it was no doubt Scotty was her fav (and mine too).

Anywho sooo according to my mom last night she got up to get some water in the middle of the night when she felt a cat brush up on her leg, but there was not a cat there. The other two kitties were no where in sight. My mom is sure what she felt was the presence of Scotty. See, Scotty used to always rub up on her like that in the middle of the night when he was alive. Soooo she feels Scotty and says to him "Oh Scotty! I love you and miss you so much! I have been so lonely without you these 2 years, I wish you'd come back for me or send another kitty just like you to me..."

Soon after this, she goes to sleep andddd at 8am my step-dad, Al ,wakes her up!There are two little orange tabby kittens meowing at the door. They are right at the doorstep, on the porch, and have been meowing there for over an hour. Apparently Al had been hearing them and hoping they'd go away but when he realized they weren't leaving he got up and told my mom.Of course my mom was amazed and ecstatic. She took them inside and they were filthy. So they spent the rest of the day getting them groomed and getting them tested to make sure they were healthy and getting all their shots. They were healthy, although a little scrawny and undernourished!So, point is now my mom has 2 new kittens, that look a whole lot like Scotty. One is a boy named Socks (he has white feet, not like Scotty) and a girl named Sophie (she is all orange like Scotty). My mom insists they are miracles sent from Scotty. I have to say it is quite a crazy story. We never saw any kittens before in their neighborhood and still, weeks later, haven't seen more. And no one has posted "missing kittens" signs anywhere. They basically showed up out of nowhere and stayed right at my moms doorstep, meowing, waiting for her and Al to let them in...mysterious? Yes. Miraculous?? Though I am a bit skeptic, I have to say it does seem miraculous. Its probably the most unbelievable and surreal thing to ever happen to my immediate family.

Here are some pics I took of the little guys, two days after the showed up!

Meet Socks!!! Isn't he adorable?!!!! Even though he has white on his chest and feet, there is something so Scotty-like about his face! His expressions remind me of Scotty so much I almost cry! Its so sweet!

This is Sophie. I only have two photos of her because she did NOT like her picture to be taken. She's so diva like that!

Hello Mr. Socks!

SLEEPY FACE!!!!! Oh my goodness. So cute it hurts! I know there are some cat-haters out there, but really how can you hate on something so cute and sweet?!!!!!!

This is my last photo of Sophie! The groomer put a little Halloween bandana on her! Too cute!!!

So now I ask my readers, have you ever experienced a "miracle?!" I'd LOVE to hear your stories. Or even if you have any cute kitty or puppy stories (yes I love pups too, I don't discriminate), I'd love to hear them!!!! Animals make my world go 'round. I can't get enough of them!