Dwelling in the Moment

This weekend Karl and I celebrated our 12th wedding Anniversary!
Amazing how time passes so quickly.
I'll never believe that our meeting was just by chance, some things are just meant to be.
I have not only been blessed with an incredible man to spend my life with but my children have also been touched in so many ways by his presence.
Thank you Karl......we love you so much! ♥

So, in celebration of our Anniversary and happy Father's Day we head out to our most favorite restaurant of all time.........
I know you've heard this from me a gazillion million times.........but if you haven't been to the Zen Forrest yet you are truly missing out on one of life's greatest little treasures!

As always I have the General Tso's Chicken, extra spicy, with the Zen Forrest rolls, salad, and the most fabulous Tuna Tataki ever ever ever................
Karl's usual is the Bul Go Gi, but this day he chose the special which was Tuna, Scallops, and Soft Crab (you actually eat the entire crab, shell and all......hmmmmmmm.....sounded weird but OMG, how delicious!)And of course, we can't forget Karl's favorite appetizer....Mussels in Holly Basil.
And to top it off.......as if we didn't eat an abundance of food already by this time........we had the chocolate cheese cake and for our Anniversary Victor sent us a special ice cream (I can't remember what it was called, perhaps Chi ice cream.....)....definately unique in it's taste....possibly our next addiction?
Thanks, Victor! :)
Hungry yet??
Here's the link for the Zen Forrest, and if you ever get a chance. stop by and say hi to Victor and all the wonderful people that work there!!! :)
http://zenforrest.com/
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!!!

..or perhaps, just another to add to the list of many :)
Yesterday we tried our first hand at Geocaching. From the onset of hearing about this I was silly ready for the adventure!
Our first excursion took us to an old winding dirt road. Down a ways Mr.GPS alerted us we had reached our destination. Finding an old rickety wire fence with an area partly fallen down, we journeyed though the trees and stickers, fighting a few spider webs along the way. Eeeek!
Coming to the railroad tracks we search the area looking for anything out of place......a little area of piled leaves, sticks neatly layed, ruffled areas, a foot print....anything that might lead us to the hidden treasure.
From behind we could hear the clickedy clack of a small train coming toward us. Fearing we might be seen as trespassing, we hightailed it out of there and headed back to the car.
Wondering now if maybe the train master might even have been the initiator of the cache.
Ok, agreed we would come back to this one another time!

Next 3 attempts proved fruitless. Mr.GPS wasn't able to direct us to the correct location. Possibly due to changes with recent road improvements......

Our last attempt for the day we found the location easily but unable to find the cache.......this one was fun because it took us to an old tractor, rusted and totally overgrown with plants....complete with an old tree growing from the floor board up through the roof of the cab.

Thanks Gabe and Joyce :)
Wondering what tomorrow will bring.......Have a happy day ♥

Our beautiful friends tie the knot!

I had the pleasure of photographing their special day!
Pre-wedding photos went well.....hair, make-up, shoes, something borrowed, something new....catching all the little details of this special day.......flowers, rings, reception room, "the dress".........................................
Trying so hard to remember everything I've learned these past months.......ISO, Lighting, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Exposure, Composition, yada yada yada....
Ok, so far not bad.....
Then the moment arrives, I am standing in front of the bride in the foyer as she is getting ready to walk down the isle by both her sons, the music starts, I go to take a picture of this beautiful moment, and.....what??? no click......nothing......I look at my camera...OMG..memory card is FULL!!! How could I be so careless not to check my card......and even worse...how could I not have an extra one with me.....
Quickly turning around I scurry up the isle.........feeling like such an idiot....find my camera bag which is hiding up front right of the pastor, I fumble around in a bag I have never used until now since it is so large and only brought because it easily holds all my equipment....
Where are all my memory cards?? So many pockets, so many zippers, tons of places to hide them little cards......where on earth could I have put them...minutes pass.....feels like hours.....OMG can this be happening.....where oh where are those cards.......Ah.......ha.........there they are.....now I remember....I'll put them in this little pocket so I'll remember where they are....geeeee, how many times have I done that before......
So back doooooooooown the isle I go....slap the new card in........get into position.....and off we go....

What a beautiful bride......what amazing sons, together walking their mom to this incredible man that will soon become her husband.

"May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth." ~BLESSING OF THE APACHES






Through it all, I learned I have much to learn, that I am a long ways from purposely capturing the moments that only happen once, and that my day was spent doing what truly gives me pleasure! :)


Special thanks to Kara, who really saved my butt!!! :)

The past 6 months or so I have totally been hanging out with Jessica Sprague and her group, and learning so much.
For any of you interested in photography, scrapbooking, photo editing, or just hanging out with a great group of people, check out this site......And as a added bonus.........drum roooooooooooolllllll please.......Jessica is announcing a new class...................and it's FREE!
So mark your calendar for June 22. That's the day registration opens for the FREE instructor-led class of 2009 - Photo Editing: Frame-ups & Special Effects!
If you are not currently a member, hop on over and sign up. That's free too!
Hope to see you there! Enjoy your day!!!

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As written by Cheryl Nicolai
Please stop by and visit her site!

http://www.cherylnicolai.com/

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here's my answer.


- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It's like money; you only have it when you don't need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don't fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you're stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say "I'm a photographer" out loud with a straight face. If you can't say it and believe it, you can't expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don't have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don't have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don't, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that's tough.

- Accept critique, but don't apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn't not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business "Precious Chubby Tootsies"....but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else's, there's no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you're cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as "the cheaper photographer".

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It's easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you've got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don't spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you've outgrown your current equipment and you're being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else's. It's a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never "arrive". No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacence.
- CJ