This was a fun week for birthdays! Emily, joined by 5 of her best girls, celebrated her 13th birthday with a studio session. What a lovely group of girls–they were one of the sweetest group of 13 year old girls I’ve been around in ages! I’ve never been thanked so many times in one session. Lovely girls with lovely manners–just my favorite clients! Studio birthday sessions are quickly becoming the rage! I can’t imagine having more fun though–hanging with your friends, looking fab, listening to tunes, fans blowing your hair, snacking on treats. Summertime birthdays ROCK! Thanks to Emily, Maddy, Lexi, Helen, Hannah and Nikki for coming in–you guys were completely awesome : )

What better gift for a 16 year old fashionista is there than a photo shoot?!?  I love photographing teens–why do people wait until their senior year to have pics taken?!?  What about all the magical years in between?  These young adults are brimming with personal style and the bravada to pull it off!  Jade is a California transplant–and her style is going to make a definite splash at Capital High School next year.  She is confident and sassy and loves her shoes–my kinda kid!  We spent some time hanging in the studio and then wandering the streets, creating artful images that scream fun!  Happy 16th Jade! xo

Recently, Shannon and Jeff were married in a private ceremony in the lush Hawaiian Islands. A small stateside reception was in order– and some sugar cane sweet photos! It is such a blast being with people who are clearly in love. They could barely stop smiling to smooch! Love these sexy, playful images : ) The hat and boots–such sassy style. Congrats you two!

I was needing a creative boost–in both mind and spirit.  So when an opportunity came up to attend Kevin Kubota’s Digital Photography Bootcamp ( http://www.kubotaimagetools.com/ ) I hesitated and then JUMPED!  What an extraordinary experience.  I might even go so far as to call it Spectacular, Spectacular!  Jam packed with information and inspiration–it was exactly the revitalizing week I needed.  Each day began with a group breakfast and then launched into a full day–photoshop & lightroom tutorials, model shoots, photo scavenger hunts–it was such fun, mentally taxing work! Here’s a little glimpse of some of the fun… Thanks to Kevin Kubota and his AMAZING staff, to Vicki & Jed  Taufer of V Gallery ( http://www.vgallery.net/ ), Craig Strong of Lensbaby ( http://www.lensbaby.com/ ) and the impeccable staff at the 5 Pine Lodge-( www.fivepinelodge.com/ )-it was a profound week in so many ways.  Our last night, we stumbled upon a private party at Thyme restaurant announcing the Sisters Folk Festival ( http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org/index.php ) 2010 lineup.  Great performances by Brad Tisdel (www.bradtisdel.com/ ) and by Beth Wood ( www.bethwoodmusic.com/ )–I was able to persuade them to come play at the Olympia Acoustic Music series at the studio! Life just keeps getting better…and I am so truly grateful.

Guess what teachers do while on spring break? They wander the rainy streets of Olympia, smiling at one another… At least, that’s what Yonkela and Cassandra did for ONE of their days off. I first met Yonk when I was photographing a wedding at Alderbrook Resort last spring. He was a fellow teacher friend of the bride. I soon met his lovely bride-to-be, Cass, not long after as they began planning their own wedding. Cass and Yonk are warm and open, with both their smiles and their spirits. I can only imagine what incredible teachers they must be. And what lucky students are sparked by their love of learning. As we wandered the rainy streets, we talked of places travelled and of future destinations on our lists. Travel has to be one of the most relevant educational experiences, and one of my absolute favorite things. To immerse oneself in a place–the food, the people, the feeling of the place–the overall experience, love, love, LOVE it! I know they’ll enjoy their honeymoon in Mexico. Hmmm, I wonder if they need photo coverage of that…? ha!

We all know the real estate adage: location, location, location, right?  Well it DOES make a difference…  As I was talking with Sarah and Josh about their upcoming wedding details, we discovered we would all be in Las Vegas at the same time.  Lucky? I’d say so!  We simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to shoot their engagement photos there.  We met at the MGM Grand, made our way to the Bellagio, followed by the iconic sign “Welcome to Las Vegas” and finished up at Mandalay Bay, which smells like coconut vanilla heaven…  The images are playful and sassy–just like the two of them.  Their business, Green Cupboards, is a great resource for products that help us live a greener life and leave less of a footprint.  Check it out: http://www.greencupboards.com/ A darling couple, doing great things! I can not WAIT to shoot their wedding this summer!

I forget how wonderful Chehalis, Washington is…  with it’s bricked facades, memories of affluent times, quaint restaurants and antique shops–a little bit of heaven.  There are some really interesting little nuggets of gold in this town.  Take the cozy Hotel Washington Ballroom, with brick interior and rooftop views, located right in the middle of town.  It was a beautiful, chilled November day–perfect early winter weather.  The sun was out and the sky was so SO blue.  Dusty and Kristina didn’t mind wandering in and out of alleys with me, snuggling up to keep warm.  Kristina chose an intense shade of red to accent her wedding decor–her bridal bouquet of deep red roses, table tops with hurricane vases and holly, and the glowing white lights shimmering throughout the ballroom.  It was such a lovely setting.  The guests were happy and fed, and ready to hit the dance floor!  I only wished the antiques stores were still open late…Oh, well, guess I have a reason to head back to Chehalis soon!

I’ve always preferred a fairly quiet New Year’s Eve. We usually celebrate with a fondue extravaganza (meat, cheese and YES chocolate) and family game night and movies. Some years we make it to Midnight… others, well, you know… But this past year Philip and I celebrated right along with an adorable couple–David and Kiersten–though we were cele-working capturing images all day and well into the night. The night was such fun! Kiersten had a wonderful design vision using Ostrich feathers in both her bridal bouquet and her centerpieces. It looked so whimsical and elegant. They had a wonderful musician Miguel Perez playing Spanish guitar during the ceremony and throughout the cocktail hour and their DJ Sheldon kept people on the dance floor all night. The food was, as usual, incredible–a melange of seafood, wild greens, and prime rib for dinner — and it kept coming all night, ending with cheeses, fruit, desserts and stuffed dates. The resort was illuminated with over 10 miles of white lights, such a glorious view.  They even had a life size gingerbread house in the lobby. I walked around the corner and upon a young girl about 6 years old smelling the gingerbread house and giving it a quick kiss as she left. So cute! It was a long and wonderful day for everyone…all I can say is good thing Alderbrook has such comfortable beds!

I love my morning walks with Ruby. Forget the iPod, I prefer to walk in silence, sorting out my day, processing the frenetic thoughts bouncing around. I try to explore as many different trails as possible throughout the year. I spent a lovely, chilled morning walking along the McLane Forest trail the other day. What a beautiful place. I feel so lucky to have access to such a resource. Take some time and go for a walk… you’ll like it, but then why wouldn’t you?

Thanksgiving Day started off with a light breakfast of buttermilk, pumpkin and pecan waffles, mango/orange juice and REAL maple syrup. Emmett assisted in the preparation of roasted brussel sprouts and candied yams/sweet potatoes. We headed over to Grampa & Nana Kelleys for a lunch at 1:00. We chose to forego dessert since dinner (Thanksgiving Dinner #2) was just a few hours later… Heading back to West Oly, we gathered at Grampa and Gramma Greens for another wonderful meal. Thanks to Megan for the wonderful bacon wrapped dates. Dad made both a turkey and ham… it’s just too difficult to choose, plus he was feeding a small army!  The evening wound down with satiated boys, snuggled on the couch, the blue light of their gameboys illuminating glazed eyes. I love Thanksgiving–the gathering of family and friends without all the over-hyped commercialism of Christmas… Today, I think I will just eat a banana…