Express makeover

Nice words about Nordy's: the sweetest young woman assisted me today in the clothing department. This whole skinny pants + boxy jackets style does NOT do favors for my body-type. April looks like a chubbalubbahubbabubba. The young clerk discovered tons of clothing to fit MY curves.

For the first time, in a very long time, clothes shopping was a success. I walked out with 5 beautiful shirts in less than 1 hour! A VERY successful day wouldn't you say? Normally, I hate shopping. I dread it! I wear petites and have an inseam that would make you chuckle. Also, my weight fluctuates at the drop of a hat. One month I'm this size, the next month I'm two sizes up. Hypothryoidism is not an excuse, but the reality is, my body requires nothing to gain weight. My metabolism is backwards. It demands rigorous daily excercise to maintain a size 8-10. With the crazy flux of business I lost track of healthy priorities. Thankfully, now that weddings have made a crescendo, my gym membership will come in handy.

I HAD to do something. I mean, I was sick of wearing Ray's clothes. I dodged social gatherings, ones that I reallllly wanted to go to, because my wardrobe didn't fit. That's sad. With a few new shirts (thanks to a precious store clerk) I can get through this little phase, I'm so much happier. I thanked her profusely.

It can't be unhealthy to spend the occasional quality dollar on yourself. Not business. Not for the house. Just you. Feels great!

Tonight I'm washing Ray's sweatpants and putting them back in his drawer. For good.

Sneak Peek: Junko & Jeff

I LOVE October weddings! So colorful, yet unpredictable! FYI: Junko & Charla are my trusty blog readers & Craigslist forum junkies. They are both brides of mine, referred by one another, but have never met F2F. I'm amazed. Perhaps they will meet at Charla's wedding next year? Jeff is by far the most mellow person alive on this planet, to keep up with Junko, you have to be! She's the life of the party. Together they make a very dynamic duo of fun. I'll never forget his gift to her at the wedding, he presented a surprise slideshow of her younger years (embarrassing 80's pics and all) and THEN gifted her the sparkly new laptop used to put it all together! Cheers to newlyweds!

Allison & Doug's album design

This was a fun, colorful venue, loads of quirky details at Albee's Garden in Washington's Capitol. I loved Ali & Doug's color choices, their florist rocked, and above all, the owner's of Albee's saved the day by providing last minute tents when the clouds unzipped. It rained on their wedding day. Did it stop Ali & Doug from having a blast? Hardly! Among other things, Allison & I have the 'food' thing in common. If we can't graze throughout the day, nibbling here and there, we both confess to feeling agitated. Ha, ha!

As you can see in her pics, she's super photogenic and their smiles are priceless!! I wish them all the happiness in the world- cheers to two wondeful people~

Without further ado, here is Allison & Doug's wedding album design!

Updated Availability

2007-2008 latest travel dates

** if I'm near your stomping grounds, let's meet up!**

Dec 23-Jan 7th Monterey, CA personal & biz
Jan 17-22 Jacksonville, FL personal
Mar 5-6 Jacksonville, FL personal
Mar 16-20 Las Vegas workshop
Mar 22 Seattle, WA wedding
Mar 29 Seattle, WA wedding
Apr 5 Seattle, WA wedding
May 9-12 Monterey, CA personal
May 23-26 Phoenix, AZ wedding
Jun 20-22 Malibu, CA wedding
Jun 27-28 Seattle, WA wedding
Jul 26 Puyallup, WA wedding
Jul 27 Seattle, WA wedding
Aug 2-3 Portland, OR wedding
Aug 22 Poulsbo, WA wedding
Aug 30 Seattle, WA wedding

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for many, many things, but to keep the list s&s here's the toppers:

*my amazing clients who trust me with their wedding memories!

*my completely amazing RAY who helped build my confindence enough to start my own business just a wee 3 years ago.

*all of you blogstalkers out there, THANK YOU for your support!

* to my family, who didn’t raise and eyebrow when I started shooting what I wanted (boudoir) and who continuously root for the April & Ray team.

*to the other photographers locally & abroad who have the courage to re-invent themselves boldly!


I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Woo-Woo

A Baby Shower

Saturday kicked off a little celebratioin for baby Kyle.Its the FIRST grandchild for our family: Mr. Bun-in-the-oven is due in just a few short weeks...Ashley, my lil' sis is holding up like a champ. Below you'll see random pics of the happy couple, games, cupcakes and their new home. I saved the best for last, an incriminating mud mask. We're in Tennessee for a few days and to our suprise, the weather is COLD! We're headed back to the West Coast in just a few hours...so that's it for now...Wednesday I'm back in the office, but until then I'll try to soak up a few more hours of Southern food & folk. We're jazzed for Kevin & Ashley, it might be a Christmas baby!

1800's in South Carolina

Although we didn't have time to visit the historical plantations in the outskirts, my grandparents ventured to the Hampton-Preston buildings located in downtown Columbia-simply amazing how these structures held up despite Sherman's carthage.

Veterans Day Parade

Last Monday, my grandpa invited us to ride with the Marine Core in support of the troops that served. It was our first time in a parade, but the fun part was meeting the troops that served and the kids marching. I was in the mix shooting pictures up and down the street while Ray waved with Grandpa in the transport vehicle. The crowd roared when the older Veterans marched, it was a great feeling!!!

Marine Core Ball

At last! Finally, a chance to blog about an aweomse Southern-style vacation. Its been much too long in between visits, we were long overdue. I really wanted to soak up some quality family time with the relatives in South Carolina-it was never a dull moment. Not to mention we were stuck with dial up for 2 weeks, an actual blessing in disguise because its always nice to unplug.

My Grandpa invited us to attend the annual Marine Core Ball. It was a big occasion to accompany them for a special birthday celebration in honor of past and present Marines. It was quite a fancy affair-