I can finally share her beauty because Zach was able to see her “stunning-ness” as she walked down the stone walkway this past weekend in her beautiful wedding dress.  Amanda is stunning, inside and out.  She is the most calm, funny, and down to earth person.  I love her.  Amanda became the Mrs. this past weekend.  Her wedding was beautiful (which I will post later this week), she was beautiful, her sister, mom, friends, new hubby, were all stunning.  

It is very warm in South Texas, today we are reaching 102 degrees.  Holy cow, where is the swimming pool and sunscreen?  On the day of her bridal shoot, the temperature was no different, and  Amanda was up for treking her way through the dirt, rocks, stairs,and water puddles.  She was wearing those gorgeous shoes and we did play caution to keeping them glam.  By the end of the shoot Amanda had to sit down to take a breather and funny enough, that last shot was one of her favorites and the one she choose as her bridal portrait.  I’m telling you, this bride looked just as gorgeous at the end of our 2 hours worth of shutter clicking as she did during the first frame.  She had so many super fab images to choose from, it was so hard for me to pick favorites for her gallery!

A heartfelt thanks to you, Amanda & Zach, for allowing me to share in your special day.  

I got a late night phone call from this daddy to be.  Beto had his family together , all brothers and sisters, nephews, nieces, parents, and a little angel in the belly of his special someone.  Alberto called me after his quick trip around google land and and asked if I could possibly do a impromptu photoshoot for he and his family.  I love family, I love joy, I love to laugh, and I love happiness, so of course I was on for this event of memory capturing.  One of the things I say so often is to capture the moments as they happen, as they unfold, as they become life.  Those moments that are spontaneous, and just for the love of it and each other.  This is exactly what this family did.  This family embraced what they have today, each other.  

They are fun, have history, and will love each other forever.  I can see it as they catch a glimpse of each other, when they grab each others hand, or when they whisper sweet nothings to one another.  This past weekend I had the opportunity to capture memories for this awesome couple.  They were game for just about anything as we trotted our way through a gorgeous park in San Antonio one early morning.  Weather in San Antonio is warm, the air is pure, and the parks are green.  We found a beautiful place, which is soon to be a favorite of both theirs and mine,  to capture some memories…many gorgeous memories.  (Below are some favorites).  

Tim and Briea  have such an exciting life in store for themselves.  Tim just graduated from West Point and Briea is also a smarty pants and just finished her degree.  They both seem so excited an passionate as they talk about their future together and all the unkonwns that are in store for them.  I can’t wait to capture images of their wedding this summer.  I am beyond thrilled to be working with Briea and Tim as their wedding day approaches.  They are carefree, fun loving, and full of life.  If their engagement session was any indication of how great their wedding will be, I suspect there will be an over-abundance of love and laughter! It is going to be beautiful, they are going to be beautiful.

One of the things I tell my brides is that I love to capture all of the details, big and small, of their special day.  I especially like the little details that sometimes get overlooked.  As spectators we turn to gobbly-gook looking at the bride walk down the aisle, the first kiss, the grand announcement of husband and wife, etc.  but what about the moment right before and right after the expected?  What about all the little details in between?  I make it my mission to capture these little special happenings, capture them for a later view and more gobbly-gook.

John and Laura’s wedding this past weekend was no exception. They had lots of little details that made the day perfect.  No detail is too small for me or too large for me, I want them all.

I have always loved being outside.   I can remember picking veggies in our garden (eating the cherry tomatoes right off the vine), playing in the backyard in my “little house” that mom & dad gave me for my birthday when I was 4, playing in the sandbox (after it had been wet with the water hose of course…better sand castles), smelling mom’s roses that lined the chain-link fence, running through the grass with no shoes on…the stories go on forever.

These days I still love being outside.  I think if it wasn’t for the mosquitos, I would live in the tree house, hang from the branches of our live oaks,  whistle like a cardinal, and pretend that tomorrow does not exist.  I would live in the now.

My hubby loves me.  He brings me joy (literally).  He fills my bucket, he brings me happiness, he spoils me.  Chad tolerates all of my nature addictions, the several bird feeders, the flowers, the seeds, the cement garden decor, the bird houses, the green grass I run my toes through, my rock paintings, my veggie garden, my fruit orchard, all of it.  Lately he had been talking about seeing some “yellow birds” outside when I was at work (I have an addiction to bird watching).  The next day, he took me to the savy bird store and we bought a finch feeder. ..Now look what what I saw this week….bringing me joy.  I  am such a lucky girl.

I saw her in the hallway and she quietly whispered a reminder that she wanted to do a photoshoot with her family.  I anxiously obliged, she is my friend.  Then, the thought occurred to me, “Wait, why are we waiting, why are we not taking images now, she graduates with her doctoral degree tomorrow!”.  I quickly retracked my paces and chased her down and whispered back, lets capture some images tomorrow for your big day and this new journey in your life.  So modestly she said, “Do you think? Are you sure?  We can just do it later, its okay, Hummm”.  I swear she is one of the most genuine and sweetest people I know.

I am telling you I soooooooo (yes I need that many o’s) believe in photographs, not only because  I love the “click, click” of my shutter, but because it captures those moments and emotions that are easily forgotten.  On this day of my bribery and coercion, I realized one thing.  I realized that sometimes we fail to celebrate ourselves but are always eager to celebrate others.  Hardwork, dedication, perserverance, that is what made us who we are and where we are, so we should cherish those moments (big and small) in our life, those moments of joy that burn within our souls, but gone tomorrow.  I am so glad that my friend  “Dr. Olga” let me celebrate with her on that following Saturday morning.  On this morning she celebrated being a scholar, being a doctor, being a mommy, a sister….etc…etc….  That was my wish for her.

Congratulations, Olga!  Go celebrate some more girlie, you deserve it!

PS… we did eventually also have a family photoshoot session which I will post soon

On Thursday I called my sister and told her, “I think Chad forgot our anniversary, again”.  She giggled and so ohhhh…nooooooo….  Yep, when he forgets he usually does not get to use/see his gift from me…that is usually for me…. (wink..wink).  This is the third time he has forgotten.  I will give it to him that he tries to remember, he sets his alarms (watch, computer, calendar) to buzz the sound of love about a week before “the day”.  Nucklehead, though, he forgets about it by the time the day comes around.  Between you and I, it is funny and I secretly love it when his eyes bug out, face turns pale, and stops breathing when he sees his Victoria Secret present…..and realizes that he must have forgotten about something.  

This year he claims that he did remember, he was just planning to celebrate a few days later.  He thinks I am not on to him, but honey, yes you are lame when it comes to remembering.

This year he swore that he remembered but could not celebrate until, Saturday because he was perfectly planning the most perfect-est gift for me and it was not released until Saturday, June 6.  Hummmm…..  

Early Saturday morning I had an engagement photoshoot with a super cute couple (which I will post later this week) and got home to see a kazillion “Ivory” soap bars lined along the stairs leading to my hubby.  My thoughts were 1.  either he knows that I felt really sweaty and smelly and needed a shower  2.  he realizes I need a full time housekeeper  to “CLEAN” or 3.  their is something behind his madness.  Well this was our 14 year anniversay and the “theme” for this year was “ivory”…..  so he wrapped my new phone as the last  ivory soap bar that was closest to him …..  I swear he is so cleaver.   Tada… I am giddy and forgot all about the tardiness of his memory .  BTW…he does the “theme” thing every single year.  I swear he loves me.  

I love gadgets… I don’t even think that I know what most of my gadgets do, they are just shiny, new, pretty, have a neat organizing feature (you guys know how much I love that), and calendars, text messaging, music….and  ewwww-la-la….great camera in this phone 3mp.  Oh yeah, and the accessories are cute and fun too!

I love you Chad and I so love “Ivory” (yes, I named my phone).  Cheers to us, our love, our friendship, our marriage.  I can’t wait for the many more we have to come!

PS…tell Lissy not to feel sad anymore that daddy only got mommy some soap….haha….the kidlet cracks me up!

I loved Lolita and Mike from the moment we met.  Lolita and I met several months ago as she was on the lookout for her wedding photographer.   I invited her for a nice warm coffee and we sat, laughed, and talked about nothing-ness like bike riding, camping, organization, exercise, and dreams.  Dreams of what she wanted for her wedding day to her soulmate, Mike.

Lolita has got to be one of the most amazing girls I have ever met.  I thought I had a thing for Peter Walsh…heck, she is the female version of Peter.  So organized and such a “get it done” & “get it done right” attitude.  I love her.  She is a girl who knows exactly what she wants.  I think she to is in love with organizing (along with being in love with Mike, of course).  Ahhh…nothing like some cute sticky notes, and some brand new manilla folders…..

Back to the photoshoot…During our initial meet, and the conversations there after, she did not mention that she had a man like mine….one that hates does not care for taking pictures.  I know, you would never be able to tell from the captures of Mike’s style and charm, but I think that all comes from the comfort , love, and ease he has with his bride to be.  They have such history together which makes their love strong and their hearts full.  Congratulations Mike & Lolita, I can’t wait to capture a million more (just kidding, Mike) on your special day in January 2010.

I absolutely love high school senior photoshoots.  i don’t get the opportunity to do them often because wedding season in San Antonio tends to be year round.  But this love is perhaps fostered because one of my favorite loves was being a high school science teacher for so many years.

High school seniors are so fun, funky, fresh, and full of life, I swear when I am around them I feel 20 years younger, hip, funny, and have more skip in my step.  This is Miss R and she is fun and all of those things previously mentioned.  I met Miss R while doing a photoshoot and she loved the click-click-click of my shutter.  On this day she asked if I would be willing to take her senior pictures for her. This event was nearly a year and a half ago.  She knew she wanted me to capture some images for her, she just simply waited for the time to pass when she could officially call herself a “senior”.  Miss R showed up to the photoshoot and her hair was beautiful and her make-up was just right.  She was ready to rock the camera.  Mom and dad were not so pleased that she did not straighten her hair to perfection, perhaps in rememberance of the little girl pony tails (it was always so hard to let go).  However, after the prints came, they (along with the perfectness that Miss R and myself new they would be) realized, “Yes, it was perfect…perfect for us”.

This helps me to think about the fact that sometimes we continue to wait to take a photo because we need to cut/color our hair, loose weight, buy a new outfit, wait for the perfect light, wait for a pimple to go away, etc.  Instead we need to just capture the moment for what it is and who we are.

Congratulations Miss R and lots of fun as the adventure begins!