Just a few moments.

Amidst editing today I ran across a few images I thought I'd share from last weekend's wedding.

This first one just makes me laugh...

And this one is my fav. Liana Lehman (sister of the bride and bridesmaid) is showing her grandma her engagement ring for the first time...

Britney + Andrew | fallbrook, ca

Here I am trying to catch up with wedding blogging....
This was my first of three weddings while on tour and it couldn't have gone better. I had the fabulous Abby with me... she is my Robin in our superhero wedding adventures. No, she is more like my Alfred because without her, things wouldn't have gone nearly as smooth.

Brit and Andrew have been together since they were 13 and they finally made it official. They even trusted me with the honor of capturing their first kiss in 8 years of dating. Funny how they kept kissing and the rest of the pics from the evening involved lip locking... haha

I love these two.

These were my two favorite moments of the evening

Oh, and I actually am posting a slideshow!

*CLICK HERE*

That big white house over there.

We rolled into DC this morning and booked it on down to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a quick tour of the white house.

A few weeks back, someone mentioned planning on a "white house tour" and I thought to myself... "why the heck do we care about touring White House?!"... then a few days later it came up in conversation and I realized they were telling me they wanted a tour of THE white house, NOT WHCC (White House Custom Color). I think I need to get out a little more... this photo stuff is consuming my life apparently.

Anyway, it was a self-guided tour and just as I was about to exit, I rounded the corner and saw this painting out of the corner of my eye.... I literally stopped and stared for an extended period of time. Being a painter and having a passion for art made me appreciate this for talent, but my awe extended beyond the artistic execution. The portrait made me actually feel emotion.... smile (inside and out)... and determine that that moment alone overshadowed anything else I saw this morning. I can't really explain it.

Aaron Shikler's posthumous portrait of John Kennedy...


Talking with the group afterwards (we went through separately) no one else even noticed the painting. I love noticing how art (like music) can touch different people in different ways... what may truly move one will go unnoticed by another and vice versa. Our differences are an art in and of themselves.... don't you just love it?!

It's so great to be here in DC amidst the political craze of the season. Watching the DNC last night escalated my excitement to be here in Washington for the long weekend. Ive been watching all the interviews and I'm even reading a few fun politics books. ( i know, I know, fun and politics shouldn't be in the same sentence, but I actually enjoy learning new things so yes, it's fun.)

(ps) We are here for 4 more days, and I'm not really into touristy things so if any of ya'all who have been to DC before know the 'unmissables' please let me know. Just don't suggest any "tours" please... I'm more of a 'choose your own adventure' kinda gal ;)


(pps) anyone know how to get access to shoot at the base in Annapolis?? I'm pretty sure a 'pretty please and batting eyelashes' wont work this time.

Wicked Awesome.

So, check it out!
The funniest guy I know... Regis... surprised us with a little creative way to exercise...

he contacted our Driver and asked the length of the bus, then calculated how many laps around the bus equaled a mile... then he drew us a track with chalk.





It was perfect because our bus had to park out in sketch-town-boston-usa and not really safe to run. I woke up after arriving in Boston, walked off the bus and then walked right back on instructing no one to get get off the bus because I didnt want them to think THAT was Boston. We were parked under a bridge behind a barbed wire fence in the autoport down near Chelsea. Not exactly the Boston I kept raving about to these New-England virgins.

Its ok though, I tried to give them a little Boston experience. Dinner at the top of the Pru(52 floor) with live jazz trio, shopping on Newbury Street, Boston Common, and Mike's Pastry!

I couldnt wipe the smile off my face... I love Boston THAT much. Ive only been here 6 months but I am reminded daily that it was quite possibly the best decision I've 'evah' made ;) I can officially say I have toured the country and Beantown is most definitely my FAVORITE city. :)

Crazy electro-failures.

Im not a blog slacker... I promise.

I've been without my computer for what seems like AGES. (ok, so maybe two weeks isn't ages, but still.) I experienced the grey screen of death and my laptop wouldn't even turn on, but since I've been on the road, I haven't been able to get into the Apple Store. We had a day off on Friday in Denver so I trekked out to the store and dropped it off to be repaired. (It was a failed logic board by the way)
That was Friday Night and I got an email from my roommate in Boston this morning telling me it arrived! 3 days total to be shipped from Denver to the repair depot, repaired and then shipped to Boston... UNREAL!
Im so excited because my roomie shipped it to our next stop in Indy just in time for my wedding this weekend. THANKS APPLE (and Krista!)

To top things off, My cameras failed last weekend too. Bad couple of weeks for electronics, 'eh?
Oh well... nothing lasts forever, But I do have great friends in my life who always seem to make me smile.

look at these cute gestures I got over the last few days...


a super sweet e-card...





More posts coming as soon as I get my computer back!
:)

Make lots of wishes...

Im a firm believer that most of life's greatest experiences are devoid of monetary exchanges. Opportunities for people of all socioeconomic boxes are made available for EVERYONE to enjoy everyday. The key is not only finding them but allowing yourself to experience them.
August 11-13(ish) is marked on my calendar every year... Three days during which mother nature puts on a show and Shyla's eyes dance and heart smiles.
Its that time of year again.... The Perseid Meteor Shower.
I used to steal away every year and head to my region's highest peak...away from city lights. No matter where I am geographically, this show is always a priority. I am consistently humbled and often rendered speechless and the beauty of such a spectacle. Its gets me every year. All the craze of life seems to disappear and everything else seems trivial... its basking in the here and now. I am reminded how small and out of control I really am...

If you can handle losing a little sleep I recommend the experience. The 3 hours before dawn will be the best viewing time. but you will see at least two 'shooting meteors' every minute.
Our tour bus will be traveling through the deserts of Nevada en route to Salt Lake City and our driver already agreed to stop for me!

go out and experience the vastness of creation... how trivial our stresses really are... and how magical life is. You wont regret it.

:)

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“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps "Oh look at that!" Then- whoosh, and I'm gone...and they'll never see anything like it ever again... and they won't be able to forget me- ever.” -Jim Morrison (singer/songwriter)

I freakin' love the 80's

Ahhh, the 80's. A time of regret for some and pure nostalgia for others. As a child of this eccentric decade, it has a special place in my heart.
Memories like...
* Hammer pants
* Fresh Prince of Bel Air Rap
* Girls wearing biker shorts under skirts and feeling stylishly sexy.
* THE GOONIES
* Remembering what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
* Oregon Trail day at school
* The game M.A.S.H (Mansion, Apt, Shack, House)
* Magic vs. Bird
* The New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
* Hypercolor shirts.

haha. the list goes on.

SO, last week the Boston Photographers Group went on an 80s cruise around the Boston Harbor. A few of us got all decked out for an evening of fun fun fun. My friend Suzanne and I spent an entire evening shopping for our outfits. And you know what is funny? (or maybe sad?) Everything we are wearing was purchased brand new. There was no rummaging through second hand shops for our eclectic attire. I dont quite know how to feel about it, but I can sure tell you that we had a BLAST putting these outfits together. [Suzanne, you are the greatest adventure partner....we make a great team my dear]

here is a glimpse of our evening....

The lead singer of the cover band grabbed me and kissed me twice that night. Um, he only got cheek action though.... sorry...who knows where those lips have been. YIKES!
Then there is the chick who dressed up like Madonna. Granted it is more 1990...but she still took the cake. I swear you could poke an eye out with those things.

"The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. The hidden treasure. And Sloth... Join the adventure." ;)

Cartoons

I thought I would take a moment to introduce you to our tour team...


ShowIt's own Jason Lackey made these caricatures of us and I felt we all needed 'hello my name is.." stickers

Paul- Video guy
Jasmine*- speaker and fashion diva
David Jay- The big Kahuna
Brett Bollman- Showit Guru, audio extraordinaire
Shyla- Road manager, cook, and ____(fill in the blank)
Kenny Kim- resident photographer. Because all of us other photographers don't actually carry their cameras around. Kenny is on board for a few cities here and there.

and one more important character....The cartoon bus

Today we are in El Paso, TX and I can't stop singing the song by Marty Robbins..[out in the west texas town of El Paso]