Photography with Hart Session Post

Just posted the whole story about my session with this cute little guy here.  Thought I would share/post the link on this blog too...

FIX YO FACE

I L.O.V.E. reading beauty/product reviews by "real" unbiased people {which are hard to come by} So, when I find a product I am happy with, I feel it my duty to give a shout out!!

For my birthday last month, I decided to splurge a bit on some really great skin care.  It seems my face wash never matches my drugstore moisturizer and after a sun-filled summer, my freckled face was dying for a little TLC.

ENTER ORGINS.  Used the product a bit in college, but hadn't ever bought a full line.  SERIOUSLY ladies, after my first wash with "Modern Friction" {an exfoliate} I could literally see the dead/dull skin coming off my face.  The frothy face wash alone, is enough to make you a believer.  You need only a pea size amount to get some major foam... that bottle is going to last me a year!!   It took a few days to get things in motion, but I must reiterate: I AM IN LOVE WITH THE PRODUCT.  I know we all have different opinions/product lines/beauty rituals we swear by... just thought I share my new {an improved} facial regimen!!  In fact, here's the detailed list I whipped up in photoshop (on an editing break... a girl's got to have some fun).  

I would love to hear what works for you... don't be shy, leave a comment!!

Charlotte Wedding Connection Bridal Fair - 2010

{FYI: Semi-Double Posting from H2H Website}

Last Sunday afternoon, Charlotte Wedding Magazine hosted the Charlotte Wedding Connection Bridal Fair at the Levine Museum of the New South.  It was a gorgeous venue and there was a great crowd!!

I had the pleasure of meeting many fabulous future brides.  I also hosted a GIVEAWAY for a complimentary Engagement or Bridal.  All in all I was glad I participated... it was a little stressful setting up/tearing down by myself.  It was also Gavin's B-day, so I was a bit sad to be away from him almost the entire day (which was the case last year as I was shooting a wedding in Tahoe... poor little guy!!).  Another unforeseen setback: THE PANTHER'S GAME!!  It was MAYHEM uptown.  Both upon arrival and as I was trying to leave.  I was hoping to make it back to church to teach my Young Women's lesson... didn't happen.  A huge thank you to my hubby for stepping in and teaching an off-the-cuff lesson on patriotism to the girls!

Anyway, here's a little snippet of my booth and some of my newer marketing materials.  I also loved the chance to network w/ other area professionals and vendors, and that to me is always worth the investment in the end.

So You Think You Can Dance 2010

My SYTYCD tour show posts are starting to sound like a broken record... (see years 2007, 2008 & 2009!!) this makes 4 years in a row!!  Let's call it a tradition instead... one of my absolute favorites.  From when it was a small tour show w/ Benji and his crew, to the year I went a mere 8 days after giving birth, to this year where the stage mom's were worse than the kids!!  And of course, it wouldn't be a show w/out my fearless sidekick/sis' Ashlee.  We loved it - all in all, it was a FABULOUS SHOW... I think my favorite year so far.

For anyone who cares, read on!!

I was worried about what dances would be done since many that were in a lot of my favorite numbers (twitch, neil, anya etc...) were not actually going to be on tour.  All my worries were set aside when they started the show off w/ a BANG... literally!  My chick bang (eeek, the song title I know... and I hate to admit it, but this was one of my FAVORITE dances of the year!!) with Lauren and Russell the Krumper.  It was AWESOME and set the tone for an amazing show.

There were some really cool new dances... LOVED the group Bollywood number and the hip hop boys trio.  Lot's of good contemporaries and of course all the NappyTab Faves (Fallin' had Lauren w/ Adecheke and it was great).

Skip to the end: the "prom dance" w/ Lauren and Kent.  Such a cute dance, but the best part was the segway into "my first kiss".  What a SMOKIN' way to end the show.  They killed it.  Both were amazing live... must give a shout out to Robert who was one of my favorites and was amazing live as well. (borrowed pic from Katie's site - thanks K! fun to have a different view)

Call us crazy, but it is TRADITION, so we stayed a whopping three hours after the show to say hi and take pics w/ our favorite dancers.  Of course we met up w/ our buddies Katie and Audra so we could swap cameras, but this year it was P A N D E M O N I U M.  And I have to say there were some pretty crazy stage Mom's.  We're talking Mom's coaching their daughters on how to kiss the dancers in pictures and Mom's yelling at their kids to cut through to get pics.  TOO crazy.  

The dancers were gracious and nice... Robert was my favorite.  Kent was extremely ambushed and overwhelmed.  Ash and I decided we might be over it... It was fun though

Can't wait for next year!  Until then, keep dancin'!!

MY LITTLE MAN TURNED THREEEE!!

Gavy’s b-day came and went… it was such a busy day!  With a bridal fair for me and SEVERAL church responsibilities for Blake, I felt a little bad and worried my little guy wouldn’t have a great day, being shuffled around somewhat.  But that’s the beauty of a three-year: they’re cool with that!!  Or at least Gavin was.  He was all smiles and the happiest boy w/ his new buzz light year toy and pack of “spicy carrots” (hot tamales). 

So, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAVIN. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! Here are a few things I hope I never forget about you and this fun stage of life you are in:

Gavin is such a good little brother.  He got some money from Grandma for his birthday and when I asked him what he wanted to buy with it, he said, “a matching buzz light year toy for bro, so he has one to play with too.”  Awwwww, I wanted to cry, he is so sweet and caring and truly loves his older brother.

His sweetness extends to Mommy and Daddy as well and at any given moment during the day he will randomly find me and say, “I love you Mommy.”  An even higher compliment from Gavin is being called a good guy.  I love when we’re driving in the car and it’s quiet, then all of the sudden I hear “you a good guy Mommy”… that means G is happy!

Gavy loves all things Toy Story, reading books, the color lellow AND CANDY!!  I know, I have to be careful, b/c this little guy can smell sugar from a mile away.  Seriously, he can sniff out the candy in any room.  He loves spicy things like hot tamales and salsa (he must be a Clark!!).  His favorite movie is “Robots” (don’t ask me why or how we even got that movie!!) he loves knock knock jokes, motorcycles (papa dirt bike) and he’s a really good dancer… though you would NEVER know, b/c he FREEZES in the limelight.  We love him anyway :)

I can’t believe my little guys is 3.  I hope it is another wonderful year!!

*photo taken yesterday (on his b-day... wanted to be sure I got a little photo session in on the actual day) right after church.  He's usually SO tired after church from 2:30-5:30 but he was hammin' it up... must've known it was a special day :)

Words Can't Describe...

How beautiful it was to photograph a live birth.  So, I'll let the pictures do the talking for now.  I'll explain the whole miraculous story next time...

Where Has September Gone!!

I can NOT believe September has come and gone this quickly!!  My favorite month went by way too fast this year.  I kept meaning to do a "hello fall" post (do it each year) but it just didn't happen!

Anyway, I wanted to sneak a quick post in before we head out to Florida.  Update: still no live birth!!  We thought for sure it would happen Thursday.  I am still on pins and needles, so we'll see how it turns out.  I will postpone FL for one more day.

This past week I celebrated my birthday w/ Salsa dancing - our yearly tradition!!  This year a few fabulous friends joined us.  It's hard to believe I am 32!   

And finally, one of my favorite things about fall are the bits of flair I put up around the house!  I say flair instead of decor b/c it really is scant... but it is just enough to bring the flavor of fall into our home and get us excited for the Holidays!  BTW, I have been in search of the PERFECT lamp for my living room for YEARS!!  Found this one while doing some "birthday shopping".  Happy B-day to me :)

I AM ON CALL

To photograph a live birth!!  The baby was due Sept. 17th so I have been on pins and needles for 5 days (can you even imagine how the Mom is feeling).  I periodically get choked up during the day thinking about it... I am going to be a sentimental mess, but I am so excited to be a part of it.

In other exciting news, the boys and I are heading down to Florida on Friday for a week.  We'll call it a "working" trip.  I will be shooting a few families (sessions still available if you are interested!!)

Until then....

Photography with Hart Joins "A Purpose For Life Foundation Golf Tournament"

This is a double posting from my H2H Blog but I thought it was important to spread the word so here it is again!!

As you may know, last year I started Photography with Hart (a charitable slice of my photography business).  I look for a few opportunities per year to give back and this seemed like a wonderful chance.

I have known the Martinsen Family for about 5 years now and re-connected with Miss Elizabeth through our son's Karate classes!  When she asked if I would be interested in helping out with the photography for the event it was a no brainer!  I also wanted to help spread the word.  Please see below for all the information about the Golf Tournament and help us to spread the word if you know of any golfers, friends or family that would be interested!!  THANK YOU... lots of LOVE!!

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A Purpose For Life Foundation

Please join us for the A Purpose For Life Foundation to benefit local kids with cancer and their families on October 8, 2010.

We will have a great day of golf at the beautiful Golf Club at Ballantyne in Charlotte, NC (www.ballantyneresort.com). The event will include a 4-person scramble, a putting contest with a guaranteed winner of a trip for two to Cancun or the Caribbean, and a chance to make a $1,000,000 shot! Registration also includes a box lunch and awards receptions following the golf.

Non golfers can participate in the family BBQ starting at 4:30. Enjoy festival games, raffle prizes, a visit from the Chick-fil-A cow, a Fire Truck tour, and dinner for the whole family. A great deal for $30 per family. There will also be a silent auction and the "Purpose for Life" Store for some cool shopping.

The American Red Cross will be joining us and hosting a blood drive from 12:00-4:30. You can show your support by giving the gift of life.

Special Offer: Included with your online registration is a 1-year subscription to Golf Digest. Click here for offer and refund details.

Register now and remember to invite your friends to play or come out and enjoy a fun time with the family at the BBQ. Just click on "Tell a Friend" and you can send them a link to this site automatically.

Thank you for your support of the A Purpose For Life Foundation.

Date:	October 8, 2010
Times:	1:30 pm
Facility:	Ballantyne Resort Click here for more information
Fees:	Individual Golfer: $200.00 Late Registration - after October 8, 2010: $0.00 Foursomes: $800.00 VISIT: aPurposeForLifeGolfEvent.org

A Few Fun Final Fotos...

Hey blog-o-shpere!!  We've been busy the last few weeks as summer has been winding down and real schedules are about to set it.  This is my all inclusive catch up session:

One of the most excited things we did these past few weeks is hit the opening night of Mary Poppins!!  Blake called a few nights before to let us know he had gotten tickets!!  This was Braden's official first musical... AND IT WAS AWESOME!  We rented the movie right before so the songs and story line were fresh.  He was literally dancing in the isles and loved when Burt tap danced on the ceiling.  We are still singing all the songs and I think the best part of it all for me was watching him watch it.  There was so much wonder and excitement... I loved it.

Two days later, Blake had a free day, so we used our Libraries free Discovery Place passes and made our first visit to this amazing place!  We've lived here in Charlotte for a while now and I've been wanting to do this forever... I think the kids were at fairly good ages.  They loved the 3D movies and the kids zone downstairs.  Even Blake and I were amazed at the exhibits and I secretly wanted to go back myself so I could explore so more... maybe next time!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL... well, preschool anyway!  Braden missed the kindergarten cutoff by a few months {which I was more than happy about}.  Just can't imagine him gone all day... not yet any way!  So... we've been excited about preschool ALL summer and this week the big day finally came.  I got to hang w/ him the first day.  It was really fun to see him in that environment.  Braden is a pretty independent little fellow and had no qualms or reservations about starting a new experience.  After day one he marched right in and even said, "Mom, you don't have to walk me to the door"... "Oh yes I do!!" Love you big boy!!

On a side note here, last, last Friday Gavin announced that he no longer wears diapers.  Keep in mind this little guy has had NO interest in the potty and I wasn't pushing.  G turns three in Oct. so I thought I'd wait until it got closer to really focus.  BUT, when Gavin makes a decision, this little man sticks with it.  He has been dry every night since his announcement!!  #2 is still a major issue, but I can't believe I haven't had to do anything to get this guy almost potty trained!!  We have also been re-doing his room into an official big boy room.  Eventually B&G will be in the bunk beds in Bray's room, so I am "designing on a dime" to at least give him a cool space for now.  

Anyway, we bought some fun things for his room, including this little night stand that I let him choose what color he wanted to paint.  He picked out the color and we all had a blast painting it.  Someday we'll get the whole room done and I'll do the big reveal!!

Below, I love the picture of Bray with his "Buzz Lightyear" wings... he has the BEST imagination!!

And finally, I wanted to post a few pics of our Branch Primary Temple Trip... the boys first official visit. Our temple is down in Columbia, SC and it was a SWELTERING day.  But it was really sweet and I'm glad we made the effort to be a part of it.

ALOHA!!!

Blake accidentally posted this post a little earlier without all the pictures, SO... here it is in all it's ENTIRETY with all the juicy details!!

In college I had the opportunity to go on dance tour to both Islands of New Zealand AND Fiji (which gave me a huge love/appreciation for Polynesian Culture) but this was officially my first trip to Hawaii and did it ever seal the deal!!  It was AMAZING.  Huge shout out to Damon and Lahela for booking my Wedding Photography services and making it happen!  And of course to Marliss for the fabulous referral!!  I actually got to fly down w/ Marliss and little Mr. Banner and spend lots of time with the Manning family. What better way to make the most of your visit, then to spend it w/ seasoned Hawaiians!!

It was a lot of work, but a LOT of fun and so worth the trip!!  Here's the recap:

We flew in to Honolulu... 9pm local time - 3AM our time!!!  Ahhhh... we are looking a little shabby, but SO HAPPY to be there

Day one we started with the most delicious island breakfast buffet - my official introduction to Coconut Syrup (after that, each morning I spent inducing myself into Coconut Syrup coma... that stuff is so good! Anyway, we drove up to North Shore, hung out at Waimea Bay, got snow cones at Matsumotos etc... 

We drove around BYU-Hawaii and ended the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Their new show "HA, Breath of Life" is INCREDIBLE!!  If you are in Hawaii, it is a MUST SEE!  I was choked up the entire time.

Um, Hi... can we get a picture with you?

Friday we hiked Diamond head... gorgeous views and not a bad hike at all.  We fit in some pool/beach time and some shopping before we did a little Island hoping.  We flew to the big Island since the wedding was the next day in Kona.  We stayed w/ Marliss' older bro's adorable family!  It was a blast, but it was also time for me to buckle down and get in wedding/photog mode

Saturday - the BIG day - was spectacular (I am running out of superlatives here!!).  The weather was great and we got some really pretty shots before the ceremony.  Durning the ceremony in the temple (they do not allow cameras) I stayed out side and took an hour to edit the pictures from the morning.  I pulled about 100 of my faves and made a slide show to be played later that day at the reception!  I was feeling super high tech with my makeshift editing bay.

Immediately following the ceremony and a few more pics, we hoped another flight back to Oahu for the reception that evening.  I'm going to give a huge thumbs down to "GO, Airlines" for their awful service, major delays and super HOT airplanes (yep, no air!).  The good news is, we made it in time for the reception and it was a gorgeous evening.  Can I just have this weather, lighting and location for every photo shoot?  Here are a few faves (Damon's Bro caught a few shots of me shooting hehehe).  For a few more collages, visit my H2H blog here

So, that was a pretty intense wedding day.  Between the early start time, the flying, huge families to photograph and a very active reception, it was definitely one for the record books!! And of course one of my all time favorites as well :)  THANK YOU AGAIN, for choosing Hart to Hart!!

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday went way tooooo fast!!  But I was/am so grateful and happy I had that time to relax and enjoy the Island.  Monday, I met up with Brandi - a great friend from high school in San Diego.  I hadn't seen her in 15 years, so that was a lot of fun!  Also, I would highly recommend staying at the Hilton Hawaiian!!  WOW, what an amazing place.  The pools, restaurants, beaches, lagoons... everything surrounding that place was heavenly in my opinion.  I had the best time floating back and forth from the pool, to the beach, to the lagoon and so on.

Can I just tell you how much I love the Ban Man.  This little chuberooni was so fun to have around.  This is Marliss' little guy and he is a doll.  Miss him to pieces even if he does eat sand!

Non-stop fun in the sun!!  I even tried a paddle board, which is a lot easier than it looks!!

Of course I have to end with a picture of my beloved CSP... Coconut Syrup Pancakes.  Yes, I think I had them everyday... mind you they were ALL YOU CAN EAT!!  Ahhhhh, can we say rolls.  But that's okay.  The last three mornings I took my laptop across the street the the Wailana cafe and sat and ate and edited for as long as the waitress would let me.  Then it was back to the beach... it's a rough life!

Marliss' sister Elaine and I flew out on Wed. We got to fly 1st class (A-MAZING) and it just so happened we were on the same plane that a bunch of pirates from "The Pirates of the Caribbean Part 4" were on.

I had actually heard that "Pirates" was filming that whole week we were in HI, but never thought anything of it.  Then, when we first got on the plane, I kind of felt bad for Elaine b/c she had to sit next to this guy that was at least 6'4", black hair down to his waist, long straggly beard and a bit of a scary face.  Well, as we joked by the end of the flight: never judge a book (or a Pirate) by it's cover!  This guys was seriously SO cool.  He gave us the inside scoop on Johnny Depp & Penelope Cruz and showed us some really cool pix.  We were surrounded by pirates, hahaha!  Now, I can't wait to see the movie and find him - he said he's the tallest pirate and you can't miss him.  They were headed back to LA to for some more filming.

Speaking of LA, we had a day/night in LA before my plane left the next morning.  Elaine and I decided to venture out and hit some favorite hotspots.  We drove down rodeo, sunset, hit Beverly Hills etc...  We were bound and determined to have a celeb sighting so when we saw a cluster of paparzzi outside of BOA restaurant, we had to stop!  Just so happened to be Enrique Iglesias.  Yes, I was too star struck to get my camera out in time. Oooopss... is he even really that big of a star?  What is my problem!?!  LOL, here's one of the paparazzi pics from that night!!  All in all a great way to end the trip!

Well, if you made it to the bottom, thanks for letting me share!!  I mostly wanted to journal all the details so I can pull them out on an off day and remember how lucky/blessed I am.  It's been a rough week getting back.  That 6 hour time change is a doozy... that and the Coconut Syrup withdrawals I was experiencing had me in a haze... BUT, the month of September (my favorite month) is almost here and I'm ready to be back to the grindstone!  I missed my hubby and kids like crazy.... next time we're all going... WHO'S WITH ME!!

Leah's Baptism Day

In between Utah/Ca and Hawaii, we made a quick trip down to Atlanta for our nieces baptism!  We had a lot of fun... never enough time.  Braden loves his cousin Evan!!  It's so fun that they get along so well.

UTAH/CALIFORNIA TRIP - July 2010

have been meaning to post these pics for weeks now.  Here they are finally... are you ready for a photographic overload?!?!  I HAD to do collages b/c there were just soooo many pictures.  And really, this post will probably only be meaningful to family, b/c the second part of this trip was ALL about family!

First, the fact that I even made this trip happen was such and amazing coincidence... I had a client contact me (after initially meeting him back in April) about shooting their July family reunion in Park City AND the dates happened to coincide w/ Tanner entering the MTC as well as my G-pa's 90th B-day celebration in San Diego!!  Wow... it would be a lot of work, but definitely worth it.

I wasn't sure my bid would be accepted b/c it included airfare & hotel while in Park City, plus all my photographic fees... and let's face it, there are a lot of photographers out in Utah.  Long story short they ended up flying me out there and thus the trip began!!  By the way, I have to give a huge shout out to Ashlee!!  I couldn't have done it without her.  She flew in the same day as I did and helped w/ Gavin for 4 days straight.  She was amazing.

After finishing up my work in Park City, Ashlee and I headed down to Provo/Orem waiting for my parents and Tanner to get there on Wed.  We hit the old stomping grounds at BYU, had a marvelous stay w/ Aunt Julie and ate our way through the entire Utah Valley (can you say Cafe Rio, In n' out, Magelby's Fresh, cupcakes and milkshakes etc...)

We brought In N' Out to Grandpa and Mamo one evening!  G-man had such a fun time w/ Grandpa Mackay and his talking/moving animal collection.

I met up with one of my favorite buddies from my mission in Bolivia.  Mao is from Columbia but has been in UT for the past few years!  Seriously, never thought I would see him again, so that was fun!

Thursday, Mom, Dad, Ashlee, Tanner, Gavin and I drove down to San Diego.  It was actually a BLAST!!  G did so well in the car.  Friday I got to see my beautiful high school friend Chelsea ... we met up on the old stompin' grounds in DelMar.  We saw other friends from PQ... good times!!

Of course, we had to do a drive by to see how our "old house" was doing!!!  

This is my Grandpa Clark.  He turned ninety and he is still alive and kickin'!!!  I love him.  He had no idea we were in town for his surprise party the next day.  Luckily when your 90 putting two and two together takes time!!

Above: We met up w/ the rest of my Dad's fam Friday night!  It was a lot of fun seeing everyone... of course we had to Mexican... is there really any other type of restaurant?

Saturday was his Surprise party AND SURPRISED he was!!  It was so much fun... a lovely tribute to his life and legacy :)  All the sibs shared memories and I had even made a DVD with photos and music from the past 90 years!!

Of course, the guitar cat was there to entertain us all.  Uncle "Guitar Cat" Brian is my Dad's older brother... he has rocked the mullet for the past 3 decades and it's looking better than ever.  I love the progression of these pics as he ends up playing the guitar w/ his teeth!!

More group shoots... look at G's face... aw yeah!

Again, this part is probably only enjoyable if you are family!!!

Getting crazy Sunday evening!  We come from a family of musicians so you know we were rockin' out to rock band!!

We drove home Monday and had a fun Mackay family party (wish I had a picture from that...) then I flew out Tues. morning.  Gavy was such a great little guy the whole trip!  I think this is the most "Gavin and Mommy" time that we've had since his birth.  Braden has a great time w/ Nana, Papa & cousins, a few days with Dad and a few other friends.  It was such an amazing trip... all in the name of Photography, b/c without that gig there was no way I was making it out :)  I'm still amazed and so grateful it all turned out!!