Family Photos

My good friend Fred Egan was in town for the Holidays and so our family took advantage of his photo-prowess and had him shoot our annual Christmas card photo. We decided to kill two birds with one stone and drive up to the mountain so we could show him the beauty that is Oregon, play in the snow, AND take fun pictures.
We drove up to Timberline Lodge (where the The Shining was filmed) and froze poor little Freddy's fingers off.
The drive was so beautiful and, even though I have done it several times, I can never get enough of the beauty of creation. The trees...the snow... the glorious mountain....*sigh*
I dont think Fred was too impressed because he worked on his laptop the whole drive up to the mountain. SILLY FRED!
FYI, if anyone wants to come see Oregon, I would love to show you around, but you are strictly forbidden to bring your laptops! ;)

Here are a few shots from the day...

Here is a fun one... I got creamed in the face with a snowball!

My bro and I with Mr. Photographer Extraordinaire himself

Thanks Egan for taking time out of your busy shoot schedule for us :)

GIVING of Thanks.

Thanksgiving. Thanks. Giving.
Everyone talked about what they are thankful for today and while I love that we have a holiday to reflect of the things in our life we are grateful for, it makes me sad to think that sometimes we are accustomed to only remember what they are thankful for during the Holiday Season.
That got me thinking... I didnt want to just post a list of what I am thankful for because I would hope that I can LIVE out my thanks on a daily basis rather than just express it on a day of gratitude. That being said, I mentally dissected the word Thanksgiving. When looked at as a compound word, it is the act of giving thanks. An action word. a verb. not just the name of a Holiday
One of my favorite quotes is "actions speak louder than words". I truly truly believe this to be true and so instead of asking you what you are thankful for... I am going to ask you what you are DOING to show your thanks.
Have you ever have had someone tell you one thing but ACT an entirely different way? Their actions completely negate their words, right?

So, since you reflected on those you were thankful yesterday, I am now going to challenge you (and myself) to take that to the next level and focus on living out your gratefulness for the next 364 days.


***

The day was beautiful, the food was amazing and here are a few shots we snapped of the day :) Welcome to my home friends.

*click HERE for quick slideshow*

***
OK...now what are you doing or going to do to LIVE OUT your thanks to someone?

Pecan Pie!

I love cooking and baking! I rarely ever do it because its no fun to cook for myself, but I really do enjoy it.
I think being home has turned my domesticated side on hyperdrive. Today, I randomly decided I have never made a pecan pie so I thought it'd be fun to try it, and photo journal the process. OH but I was bound and determined to not only make the pie...but the crust too!
mmmmm.... this was fun fo' sho'!

THEN... My brother decided to turn my successful pie into a mini photo session. haha. I always enjoy making a fool of myself! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

and don't forget to smile when you eat Pecan Pie!

Adventures...

Sometime ago, I made a list of things I wanted to do within the next few years. Every so often, I look back on it to check things off and track my progress. Almost like a reminder to get up and make them happen...
If you know anything about me, you know I LOVE adventures and I am bound and determined to do as many things as possible in this lifetime. For me, so much joy is cultivated through experience, therefore I want to experience everything!!
My goal was to accomplish this list within two years from when I wrote it, and I have checked off a lot I know a few of them may take longer than the remaining time I have left (1 year), so I have divided them into two lists. List A is feasible within the next year. List B may take a little longer ;)

LIST A (within the next year)
*Go on a road trip with no particular destination.... just get lost for a week or so.
*Musical on Broadway [completed Fall 2008]
*See the Northern Lights
*Get involved with the Make-a-Wish Foundation [completed]
*Mud Wrestle
*Run a marathon
*Go Hang-Gliding
*Take Piano Lessons
*Play in a Scrabble tournament
*Play an entire game of Scattergories all the way through, the right way [completed NYE 2008]
*Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
*Ice Skate in Rockafellar center at Christmas Time
*Repel off the balcony at our church in Portland (crazy, I know, it's just something I've always wanted to do!)
*Build a tree house
*Learn to Salsa and Tango
*Learn to fly a small plane
*Go Sailing for the first time
*Swim with Dolphins
*Ride in a hot air balloon
*Read a fictional Series in its entirety [completed summer 2009 :: Harry Potter and Twilight]
*Milk a cow
*Watch a movie on the side of a building
*Learn to hula
*Make a time Capsule and bury it somewhere
*Make a bomb out of a gum wrapper ( Like Macguyver) ;)

List B (someday)
*Editorial in a Fashion Magazine
*Watch PoleVaulting at the Olympics
*Live in another Country
*Live on the Opposite Coast [completed Feb. 2008]
*Illustrate a Children's book
*Build a patio with Sparkly cement
*Drive on the Autobahn
*Be a Disney princess for a day at Disneyland!
*Experience a real Indian pow-wow
*Go to High Tea at the Palace
*Ride a Gondola in Venice
*Master the Spanish language
*Watch a COOL surgery in real life
*Get a Master's degree…just for fun
*Fill my passport with stamps before it expires in 8 years
*Ride an elephant
*See the Sistine Chapel
*Visit Greece
*Attend a Military Ball
*Start a Non-profit Organization



A few I checked off recently...
Hold a monkey (in Cancun)
Own a Hammock (bought it in Cabo San Lucas Mexico)
Boston in the Fall (Did this last Month)

What kinda crazy adventures do you wanna do??

Lisa Fitts | HOT

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PICTURES?!
I'll tell ya what's wrong.... These were taken earlier today (Nov.14) and it was sunny and hot. ugh. does anyone else see a problem with that? Where is the snow? where are the knee length coats, hats mittens and scarves? Thanksgiving is NEXT week for crying out loud!

I digress.

Lisa and I have lived together for the majority of the year, but until now, I had not had the opportunity to shoot her. Since I am moving out at the end of the week, we decided to spend time together and shoot.
The best part, is that I got to take her shopping and style the shoot. Styling and THEN photographing is so much stinkin' fun... I was on cloud nine all day.

:)

Lauren & John | wedding

Lauren & John are so creative. We attended undergrad together and I was on staff as the fine arts coordinater for the college. John's artwork and graphics were always coming across my desk because the boy is just plain talented. Then there is Lauren... and you can see her creativity simply by the fact that she dyed her petty coat yellow!! I think I squealed when I saw it. :)

check out the images... :)

"Yay it's Fall" party

Here in California it is ONE constant season. Sooooo, for all of us who actually like the change of seasons, we have to create little parties to celebrate and pretend.

Tonight was our "yay its fall" party. We had homemade squash soup, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple cider, carmel apples, and Apple Sangria!



The squash soup....

The Carmel Apples....

Abby & I getting happy with the Sangria I made.... yummm


Happy Fall everyone! :)

Angelika + Jeremy | wedding

Yay! Its FINALLY up!
I promised this blog post over a month ago but, due to some technical issues, it was delayed.
So for your patience... you get pics, a slideshow, AND a video. FUN STUFF, 'eh?

First the pics...

Now for the Slideshow...
When I was searching for music for their slideshow, I found this song by Ryan Adams and it fits perfectly.
It has quickly become my FAVORITE song of the moment... I think I listened to it like 12 times on my mini-roadtrip this weekend. (.........ok, maybe more)
**CLICK HERE for Slideshow**

And lastly... The Helicopter Video.
Angie and Jeremy chartered a helicopter to take them from the ceremony to the reception site, and I got to ride! Soooo fun!




I would also like to say a very special Thank You to Andrew Bryant for coming on this crazy adventure with me. I flew out to NC and he roadtripped with me up to VA for the weekend. I had an amazing time and was treated to wonderful company. (Thanks Courtney for letting me borrow Andrew for the weekend. I know your weekend time together is special.)

Crystal | headshots

Happy Halloween everyone!

I dressed up as a photographer today. I even had real-life props!!

ok. that was lame.

I actually shot some headshots today....and the only dressing up I did was wearing heels... orange ones :)