Maui, Hawaii
Apr/21/09 10:37 AM
Wow! Well, it has been
a whirlwind trying to get things back on track since
I have gotten back. I had some major computer issues
the end of last week, and so now, after several
purchases from apple (cha-ching), I am trying to get
my blogging caught up!
Words can’t even describe how beautiful Hawaii is, and in particular the area that my mom is living in near Paia. Simply gorgeous. Everyone is friendly, healthy, and tan! It is a small town with adorable shops and surrounded by the most amazing beaches. Here is just a glimpse...
Words can’t even describe how beautiful Hawaii is, and in particular the area that my mom is living in near Paia. Simply gorgeous. Everyone is friendly, healthy, and tan! It is a small town with adorable shops and surrounded by the most amazing beaches. Here is just a glimpse...
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Veronica and Jeremy, El Conquistador, Puerto Rico 10.25.08
Oct/28/08 05:56 PM
Veronica and Jeremy wed
at El Conquistador hotel of Puerto Rico in true
destination style. Most of their guests had been
there for a few days before the wedding and had
begin celebrating from the moment they arrived.
They were a rowdy and excited bunch and I had
caught bits of stories from earlier in the week of
golf carts being rolled, shots, and hangovers to
go 'round. You could say they were making the most
of it!
Chris Joriann and I arrived on Friday to photograph the Saturday evening wedding and reception. The location was beautiful and Veronica, being a planner herself, did not miss any details. From all the groomsmen with monogramed shirts, to the bridesmaids matching monogramed jumpsuits, to bridesmaid cups, luggage tags for guests and it went on and on.. I always love the details!
After the wedding the party continued with dancing, dancing and more dancing. Veronica and Jeremy, (who I might add, have been dating for 10 years!) even finished the night off with a Dirty Dancing 'lift'. Congrats to Veronica and Jeremy and here's to many more years of celebrating!
Chris Joriann and I arrived on Friday to photograph the Saturday evening wedding and reception. The location was beautiful and Veronica, being a planner herself, did not miss any details. From all the groomsmen with monogramed shirts, to the bridesmaids matching monogramed jumpsuits, to bridesmaid cups, luggage tags for guests and it went on and on.. I always love the details!
After the wedding the party continued with dancing, dancing and more dancing. Veronica and Jeremy, (who I might add, have been dating for 10 years!) even finished the night off with a Dirty Dancing 'lift'. Congrats to Veronica and Jeremy and here's to many more years of celebrating!
Craziness and Puerto Rico!!
Oct/27/08 04:45 PM
Well, the last week has
been a little crazy busy, and I have been a bad, bad
blogger. However, I will make it up!! I am so happy
that season is back and the weather is finally
getting cooler! I am busy with new and past brides
and getting ready for the Wedding Salon Event
at the Biltmore,
November 10th. Which is invitation only, but if
you'd like to go be sure to email me and I'll get
you on the list so you can come see us!
This last weekend I was in Puerto Rico for Veronica and Jeremy's wedding. It was beautiful, and reminded me how much I love destination weddings! I will post more tomorrow but here is some eye candy for now!
This last weekend I was in Puerto Rico for Veronica and Jeremy's wedding. It was beautiful, and reminded me how much I love destination weddings! I will post more tomorrow but here is some eye candy for now!
Jaime and Bob's Rehearsal and Hunewill Ranch
Jul/25/08 11:15 AM
Here are some images
from Jaime and Bob's rehearsal dinner the night
before their wedding held at The Settlement in
Bridgeport. The next morning before the wedding I
also made it out to Hunewill Ranch to grab some images, I love it
out there!
The Rehearsal Dinner
Hunewill Ranch
Leslie's border collie pup
The Rehearsal Dinner
Hunewill Ranch
Leslie's border collie pup
Finally! Thailand-Koh Tao
Jul/10/08 01:24 PM
Koh Tao was obviously my favorite part
of the trip.. seeing thats where I got engaged! It
is considered the second top dive destination in
the world next to the Great Barrier Reef. It only
really began to be developed in the 1980's and
much of the island is still jungle and treacherous
dirt roads only accessible by dirt bikes. Even
more popular are the wooden banana boat taxis that
surround the island. The island is raw and
beautiful with clear turquoise waters. We stayed
in a bungalow at Sensi Paradise that was unreal. The people,
food, water, fish and beaches were incredible. I
can't wait to go back!
The pier from the mainland where we took a two hour catamaran to get to the island
our bungalow
Restaurants on the beach, food so spicy you sweat!
you could see the fish in the water from the side of the boat
sunset from our balcony
At night, cocktail in hand, you could sit on a Thai cushion on the sand and watch the fire show
The pier from the mainland where we took a two hour catamaran to get to the island
our bungalow
Restaurants on the beach, food so spicy you sweat!
you could see the fish in the water from the side of the boat
sunset from our balcony
At night, cocktail in hand, you could sit on a Thai cushion on the sand and watch the fire show
Dogs of Thailand
Jul/10/08 11:48 AM
Thailand-Chiang Mai
Jul/10/08 11:05 AM
Chiang Mai is the
second largest city in Thailand next to Bangkok, with
bustling night markets, temples, and rivers. While we
were there we shopped at local food markets, took a
Thai cooking class, and even went white water
rafting.
Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok
Thailand- Outside Chiang Mai
Jul/10/08 10:58 AM
We stayed with a Thai
family in a small village outside Chiang Mai. We ate
home cooked food, the kids taught us dances, and the
next day we cycled through the village.
They lit this paper hot air balloon and released it to the sky, kinda like homemade fireworks..
At the local temple we made a food offering to the monks
A house in the village
Housewives sewing purses, bags and clothing to sell
We hung out with and taught a class of 10-11 year old kids at the village school
They lit this paper hot air balloon and released it to the sky, kinda like homemade fireworks..
At the local temple we made a food offering to the monks
A house in the village
Housewives sewing purses, bags and clothing to sell
We hung out with and taught a class of 10-11 year old kids at the village school
Thailand- The World's First Elephant Hospital
Jul/08/08 05:49 PM
On the same property as
the conservation center, though they are not
affiliated, is the first elephant hospital in the
world. It was established by an organization
called Friends of the Asian
Elephant and has been been treating
elephants for issues from rapid environment
changes, sickness, and threats from man for almost
15 years. Like most great organizations helping
animals are in need of continued support, to learn
how you can help, click here.
The first elephant we were greeted by was a 2 yr old elephant named Mosha that had stepped on a land mine while following her mother who was working for illegal loggers. She had to walk out of the jungle for 2 days before reaching a road to be transported to the hospital. After amputating much of her leg, she is going to be fitted with the first prosthesis to ever be made for an elephant. She was so sweet and like most babies, just wanted to play.
Unfortunately, land mines are a common problem and seven years ago this elephant, Motala, stepped on one. Once she reached the hospital, she under went surgery performed by over 150 people to amputate part of her leg. She is now 46, and has had a rigorous and difficult recovery, though they are working on a prosthesis for her as well.
This elephant was being treated for eye infections that had left her almost blind. A couple of the blind elephants that weren't able to go back to their home now have permanent homes at the hospital.
The first elephant we were greeted by was a 2 yr old elephant named Mosha that had stepped on a land mine while following her mother who was working for illegal loggers. She had to walk out of the jungle for 2 days before reaching a road to be transported to the hospital. After amputating much of her leg, she is going to be fitted with the first prosthesis to ever be made for an elephant. She was so sweet and like most babies, just wanted to play.
Unfortunately, land mines are a common problem and seven years ago this elephant, Motala, stepped on one. Once she reached the hospital, she under went surgery performed by over 150 people to amputate part of her leg. She is now 46, and has had a rigorous and difficult recovery, though they are working on a prosthesis for her as well.
This elephant was being treated for eye infections that had left her almost blind. A couple of the blind elephants that weren't able to go back to their home now have permanent homes at the hospital.
Thailand- The Elephants
Jul/08/08 04:40 PM
We visited the
Elephant Conservation
near Chiang Mai.
Alongside photography, animals have always been a
passion of mine and to see these amazing animals
firsthand was something else. They are incredible.
Elephants are very important to Thailand's history, spirituality, and economy. Unfortunately, like much of the incredible wildlife in this world they are suffering from habitat loss, illegal logging work and continued exploitation. The Conservation has become a safe haven for many of these amazing animals.
The Elephants daily bath
Have you ever seen how an elephant drinks water.. check it out!
Elephants are very important to Thailand's history, spirituality, and economy. Unfortunately, like much of the incredible wildlife in this world they are suffering from habitat loss, illegal logging work and continued exploitation. The Conservation has become a safe haven for many of these amazing animals.
The Elephants daily bath
Have you ever seen how an elephant drinks water.. check it out!
Thailand- Lamphang
Jul/08/08 07:48 AM
We took a crowded local
bus to the village of Lamphang. We stayed at
the Riverside
Guesthouse, which was, of course, on the
river. It is a simple, but beautiful collection of
dark wood rooms with orchids and thai decorations
in every corner. It hadn't taken us too long to
get used to sleeping in the heat with no AC, we
were pretty used to the constant sweating.
We got in town just in time to
catch the last bit of the local sunday market.
You could buy just about everything you can
imagine, and eat so much great food all for what
converts to pennies of a US dollar. We loved it!
The Riverside
The Sunday Market
The river from the restaurant we ate at that night..
We got in town just in time to
catch the last bit of the local sunday market.
You could buy just about everything you can
imagine, and eat so much great food all for what
converts to pennies of a US dollar. We loved it!
The Riverside
The Sunday Market
The river from the restaurant we ate at that night..
Thailand-Sukhothai
Jul/08/08 07:29 AM
From Bangkok we left
with our group and headed by train up north to
Sukhothai. We stayed at a great guesthouse
called J & J. The next morning we were up
early and went cycling through the old city of
Sukhothai. We walked through the first kingdom of
thailand, and road our bikes through the small
streets that led from temple to temple.
J&J
We spent a lot of time traveling by songtaew.. pretty much in the back of s truck with two benches....
The old city
At one of our temple stops these locals were selling live eels, frogs and turtles. You bought them and let them go in the nearby lake. They say the turtle brought a long life, a frog brought a good job and the eel health.
We wanted to buy them all to let them go, but in the end we set this turtle free...
J&J
We spent a lot of time traveling by songtaew.. pretty much in the back of s truck with two benches....
The old city
At one of our temple stops these locals were selling live eels, frogs and turtles. You bought them and let them go in the nearby lake. They say the turtle brought a long life, a frog brought a good job and the eel health.
We wanted to buy them all to let them go, but in the end we set this turtle free...
Thailand- Bangkok
Jul/07/08 09:48 AM
After over 24 hours we
arrived in Bangkok in the middle of the night. We
stayed at an adorable boutique hotel called
the Old Bangkok Inn in the heart of Bangkok. It had
great dark wood loft rooms, and served an amazing
breakfast with all sorts of local fruit.
The next day we walked the city and headed to the Grand Palace. It was gorgeous..
That night we moved to a new hotel in the backpacker district of Bangkok. We walked Khao San Road which is full of street vendors, tourists, Thais, dogs, everything you can imagine.. and a little crazy! The first 8 days of our trip we traveled with a company called Intrepid Travel, we had a great group of 12 people from Ireland, Australia, England, and Canada and a super cool guide from Thailand we called Ben (her nickname). We meet everyone that night.
The next day we walked the city and headed to the Grand Palace. It was gorgeous..
That night we moved to a new hotel in the backpacker district of Bangkok. We walked Khao San Road which is full of street vendors, tourists, Thais, dogs, everything you can imagine.. and a little crazy! The first 8 days of our trip we traveled with a company called Intrepid Travel, we had a great group of 12 people from Ireland, Australia, England, and Canada and a super cool guide from Thailand we called Ben (her nickname). We meet everyone that night.
Back from Thailand!
Jul/07/08 09:28 AM
I am finally back from
Thailand! Thanks so much for everyones patience while
I have been gone, but now it is back to business as
usual!
As you may have guessed I took so many images on the trip, so for the next few days I will be blogging the images from each day.. so get ready!
Along with the images I will fill you in to the details of the journey, but I will fast forward and let you know that while we were in the island of Koh Tao Chad popped the question, and I'm engaged! It was a beautiful island (you will see), it is a beautiful ring, and I couldn't be happier. Soon I will know what all my brides go through firsthand when it comes to planning.. can't wait!
Enjoy!
As you may have guessed I took so many images on the trip, so for the next few days I will be blogging the images from each day.. so get ready!
Along with the images I will fill you in to the details of the journey, but I will fast forward and let you know that while we were in the island of Koh Tao Chad popped the question, and I'm engaged! It was a beautiful island (you will see), it is a beautiful ring, and I couldn't be happier. Soon I will know what all my brides go through firsthand when it comes to planning.. can't wait!
Enjoy!
Liz and Patrick, Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys California, 5.31.08
Jun/05/08 02:37 PM
Liz and Patrick tied
the knot at Ironstone Vineayrds,
in Murphys
California. The winery is nestled in the Sierra
Foothills, in the heart of California's Gold Rush
Country. It is family owned, off the beaten path-
and well worth the trek. Mother nature must have
known about the wedding because after a rainy,
cold week, the skies opened up to perfect sunshine
and wonderful temperatures. The setting of the
ceremony was breathtaking under the large trees
and a small stream separating the guests and
bridal party. Right after saying I do, the
newlyweds were picked up by a beautiful team of
horses (Ned and Nate) and swept off. I love
weddings with horses!
We couldn't have been given a more beautiful day. Liz and Patrick were very relaxed throughout the entire day, and Liz couldn't stop smiling. The reception was great, with Ironstone's wines atop the tables, and the party even sang along to Garth Brooks. They also had a bar of candy set up with little paper bags for you to scoop candy into. It was in large glass bowls as well as big lollipops placed into grass, it was a great idea and I loved how it looked. I hope to be back at Ironstone soon, it was truly a pleasure. Congrats to Liz and Patrick! Here is some of our day...
This shot cracks me up.. they are looking at the garter like it is the plague.. who says men are afraid of commitment?
We couldn't have been given a more beautiful day. Liz and Patrick were very relaxed throughout the entire day, and Liz couldn't stop smiling. The reception was great, with Ironstone's wines atop the tables, and the party even sang along to Garth Brooks. They also had a bar of candy set up with little paper bags for you to scoop candy into. It was in large glass bowls as well as big lollipops placed into grass, it was a great idea and I loved how it looked. I hope to be back at Ironstone soon, it was truly a pleasure. Congrats to Liz and Patrick! Here is some of our day...
This shot cracks me up.. they are looking at the garter like it is the plague.. who says men are afraid of commitment?
Murphys California
Jun/05/08 01:53 PM
I made it to Murphys,
California and got a chance to visit with my cousins
Sara and Shelby. Sara has been in some of my previous
posts for her bridal session and with her husband
Amos. She is now 6 and 1/2 months pregnant and so
cute! Can't wait to come back in July and do belly
shots, and then I will have to some back to shoot the
new baby! Can't wait!
Shelby is 17 and an actress. She goes to a private boarding school in California for theater.. watch our hollywood! Here we all are...
I also did have a sneak into a winery to do a little wine tasting.. this is one of my mom's favorite places called Vino Moda. It is a brand new winery, and they make the wine right there in town. The wines were great and one of the owners even took us in the back to sample next year's port from the barrel. What a treat, I will be back to buy a bottle next year!
Shelby is 17 and an actress. She goes to a private boarding school in California for theater.. watch our hollywood! Here we all are...
I also did have a sneak into a winery to do a little wine tasting.. this is one of my mom's favorite places called Vino Moda. It is a brand new winery, and they make the wine right there in town. The wines were great and one of the owners even took us in the back to sample next year's port from the barrel. What a treat, I will be back to buy a bottle next year!
Onward!
Jun/05/08 01:41 PM
Wow! What a crazy week
it has been! After leaving Mexico City I went to
Reno, Nevada and headed home to Gardnerville which is
about an hour from Reno. I was great to see my
family, and I always love dropping into the valley to
lay my eyes on the snowcapped mountains, so
beautiful!
On Friday, we headed to Murphy's California and took one of my favorite drives over highway 4. It is a very steep, windy road that is closed most of the year, but now is open during the summer months. It is full of great views the whole way, you just have to stay on your toes as it is a single lane road most of the way and you never know what is coming around the corner... ahh!
There is still so much snow up there it is amazing.. here is mosquito lake, nice name eh?
Lake Alpine
On Friday, we headed to Murphy's California and took one of my favorite drives over highway 4. It is a very steep, windy road that is closed most of the year, but now is open during the summer months. It is full of great views the whole way, you just have to stay on your toes as it is a single lane road most of the way and you never know what is coming around the corner... ahh!
There is still so much snow up there it is amazing.. here is mosquito lake, nice name eh?
Lake Alpine
Mexico City!
May/22/08 10:17 PM
Mexico City!
Finally I am able to blog! I have been in Mexico City since tuesday, and it has been great! I am here for Jeremy and Paola's wedding (in the previous post from Key Biscayne) and a bunch of us girls came early to stay with Paola and her mom. We have been finalizing the details of her wedding (now I know what you girls go through, gosh!). It has been a great way to see such a large city and get a feel for it from a locals view. It is a busy, bustling, and slightly chaotic city with great food, a great vibe, and lots going on.
We have started each morning running in the park. It is a forest with great trails and hills, and then finishing with a glass of fresh squeezed juices for $1! Love it!
We just checked into the hotel tonight and the festivities begin tomorrow, can't wait to have more to show!
Finally I am able to blog! I have been in Mexico City since tuesday, and it has been great! I am here for Jeremy and Paola's wedding (in the previous post from Key Biscayne) and a bunch of us girls came early to stay with Paola and her mom. We have been finalizing the details of her wedding (now I know what you girls go through, gosh!). It has been a great way to see such a large city and get a feel for it from a locals view. It is a busy, bustling, and slightly chaotic city with great food, a great vibe, and lots going on.
We have started each morning running in the park. It is a forest with great trails and hills, and then finishing with a glass of fresh squeezed juices for $1! Love it!
We just checked into the hotel tonight and the festivities begin tomorrow, can't wait to have more to show!