simply * awesome

{iwi: anytime}

2010-01-31T23:54:00.000-08:00

So during this Saturday’s (morning) shoot, there was one letter that constantly running through my mind. THE “B” WORD. And no, it didn’t stand for anything bad. This “B” actually stood for: birthday, baby sister, balloons, and BOM-CHICKA-WOW-WOW.

Yes, this past Saturday was my little sister’s birthday shoot. Our plan was to wake up early and take advantage of the beautiful sunrise. Only problem was that we arose to no sun. The lingering island vog produced a type of dreary weather that could basically be summed up as “sucktastic.” But we ventured out into the cold anyways determined to turn lemons into lemonade.

And lemonade we made. Along with Lil’ J we scoured random locations until we found what we were looking for. I may be biased, but we ended up with some of my favorite pictures so far…

{kiki: anytime}

2010-01-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

THIS. JUST. IN.

A supercalifraQUICKstic blog update of a shoot I did with my gorgeous cousin Kiki. I am SOOOOOOO happy that she and her sister (Shout out to my cousin Lani!) came to visit. Sadly, usually this is only a yearly occurance. I wish it could be more often, but sic vita est (such is life).

I have many blessings in my life, and Kiki is definitely one of them. Growing up we were as close as Lucy & Ethel, Laverne & Shirley, and maybe the Olson twins (only more asian, and minus the greasy hair). Even with *counting* onetwothreefourfivesixMILLION states in between us, we have continued our bff-cousin-ship into adulthood. So without further adu, here are some of my favorite shots of one of my most favorite people evvahhhhhh!

{lights...camera...TAXES?}

2009-12-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

Although Christmas has already come and went, I wanted to do a quick *blink-and-you'll-miss-it* post about some of the holiday lights we saw.

In almost every neighborhood on Oahu, there's an area known as "Christmas Lane." A row or street of houses where the magic of Christmas reigns supreme via throngs of sparkly lights, lights, and even more lights. Basically it features homes that look like it was caught in an upchuck of seasonal Christmas decorations. And I seriously mean that in the best, NON-Scrooge-y way possible :)

There was one house in particular that caught my eye. Let's see if you can catch it...

A "open house" garage of beautifully decorated Christmas trees with Sister Awesome and Lil' J in the background.

*singing* "Do you see, what I see?"

Would you consider this a Christmas faux-pas? Or smart marketing? Hmmm...

{I lost my voice...}

2009-12-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

My blogging voice, that is.

The only way that I can start this off is by saying, HOLY COW. It's been two months since my last post and its already almost Christmas. I got so lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life, that I involuntarily pushed aside the simple things that made me happy. Photography. Crafts. Dance-offs. :)

It sounds silly but I literally forgot how to relax. I had stress seeping out of my pores and overflowing my eyeballs. I had so much on my plate that I could've fed all of the Gosselin, Duggar, and Brangelina kids. Easy. But sometimes, you just have to break away and start standing up for the one person you've neglected the most...yourself.

With that said, I offer you (dear sanity) this auspicious and official decree:
I WILL stop and smell the roses. I WILL learn to exhale. And I WILL return to the roots of what I love.

***

{And because posts are always better with pictures, I leave you with an image of what I was up to last night. 3 hours of down time + 1-2 paper cuts = only five Christmas cards. But I got to create again. And I loved every second of it :}

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish,
but you only spend it once." - Lillian Dickson

{ryan + consuela: lovestory}

2009-10-06T01:43:00.001-07:00

It's kind of funny the way technology is able to bring us all together. The 'net has metamorphed itself into an irreplaceable staple of mainstream America. While my camera is a permanent fixture in one hand, my beloved blackberry is practically fused to the other. I seriously don't know how I could do without either.

I'm still a fairly new tweeter (@simplyawesomeHI), so as a fun way of introducing myself, I thought I'd offer a free photo session. By the power of twitterverse (*spoken with my manliest He-Man voice), I was able to instantaneously connect with Consuela. And thus, a new client and (most importantly) friend was born.

Through our tweets and emails, Con unconsciously referred to Ryan as "her better half." And that same type of loving devotion was evident in their pictures. For my first sunrise shoot, there was no sun. But nevertheless, they rocked it out and their love shone through the clouds anyhow :)

{LOL! comedy slam}

2009-09-07T05:24:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend the "LOL! Comedy Slam" which was held at Pier 11 in the Aloha Tower Marketplace. I first "met" Lanai Tabura (who is a HUGELY popular media personality here in Hawaii) through the social network Twitter. For all you "tweeps" out there - be sure to add him! @LanaitheDJ. We chatted a little bit about photography, and he invited me to get some shots of his comedy show.

I've heard Lanai on the radio before and have seen him on television - so finally getting to meet him "IRL" (twitter term for "in real life") was nothing short of AWESOME. He's one of those people who exude "je ne sais quoi." He's confident, sophisticated, and classy all rolled into one. Yet, he is still very humble and extremely down to earth. With his recently launched new wine collection ("Look Me In The Eye"), he will no doubt add another notch in his belt of success. He's like the Hawaiian Midas - everything he touches turns into gold.

Okay, back to the comedy show. The show itself lived up to it's name plus a gazillion times more! In the acronym slang of today's generation it was a total LOL!/LMFAO!!-fest and made me wanna ROFL!!! The entire show was THAT funny. It featured Lanai, Shawn Felipe, Kaleo "K.P." Pilanca, with special guest appearances by Andy Bumatai (tweet him too! @AndyBumatai), and the insanely awesome, Kennyhune. My sides are still sore from all the laughing I did!!

Here's a short recap of that night.

This just goes to show you how much Hawaii LOVES to laugh!
Pier 11. WAS. PACKED!

Shawn Felipe takes the stage.

The living legend, himself.....Mr. Andy Bumatai.

Kennyhune & Kaleo - so funny together!

Kaleo & Lanai.

And lastly, Mr. "Omg-I-just-might-pee-my-pants-because-he's-THAT-funny," Joey Guila.

Lanai, congratulations again on all your recent achievements!
I hope we can work together again very soon! :)

{i'm featured!}

2009-08-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

I was beyond thrilled when one of the event coordinators, Jennifer from Hawaii Tents & Events contacted me yesterday to let me know that she chose to feature an arch shot from the Li wedding on their website. I was like Whaaaaaaaatttt!? Omg.

She also let me know that she listed {simply*awesome} PHOTOGRAPHY under the company's "Links of Interest" page!

And THEN it was brought to my attention that the band All-Natro featured my blog under their "media" news!

A special thanks once again to Hawaii Tents & Events, Jennifer, Alan & Gina Li, and once again my friends at All-Natro!
Here's to the first (two) of hopefully many more amazing features to come! I feel like such a proud mama! :)

{monday-itis}

2009-08-18T02:20:00.000-07:00

I'm allergic to several things. Nickel (this is actually my real life kryptonite), Clowns, Dr. Pepper, Miscellaneous pizza toppings(tomatoes/olives/mushrooms), Athletic shoes (a.k.a. concrete slabs - I sincerely hate them!), and Mondays. Especially Mondays. I loathe them. They're weekend ruiners and basically the scum sucking slime of the earth. I wish we could fast forward right into Tuesdays. If you haven't guessed already, I'm just venting because I had a TERRIBLE Monday.

If I were Harry Potter I'd use my magical wizard powers to erase Mondays and "ctrl v" this image into the void instead. Watching the waves always gives me a sense of peace and serenity.

Anyways, let's all consider the permanent overthrow of Mondays. Write a letter to your local congressman, tell your grandma, I don't know just do something. Think about it - it would be one less weekday of traffic, headache, and hassle. One day closer til Friday. And let's face it, Fridays are ALWAYS awesome :)

{hawaii tents & events}

2009-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

A few days before the Li Wedding, I was asked by Jennifer from Hawaii Tents & Events to take some promotional shots for her company. To say that I was excited would be a dull statement. I was over-rover-beyond-the-moon excited. If I wore socks, I'd jump out of them. I usually either wear stilettos or ballet flats so that statement unfortunately does not apply to me. But before I ramble on and on, let me just say that it was a wonderful opportunity. And I was only too happy to accomodate her request.

Upon arrival to the wedding location, and the first thing I spy is a massive white tent. Personally I thought it was a great choice. It was spacious and airy. There was plenty of breathing room for their guests to move around comfortably. A tent is the perfect fit for any outdoor wedding (or event) because it provides the necessary protection from the elements (sweltering heat, wind, and rain). And although big, it also does not spoil or take away from Hawaii's panoramic views. It adds a touch of elegance to any outdoor event.

The next thing I noticed was the arch. OH. MY. GAWD. How gorgeous! Its bamboo frame stood tall in the distance. Long, white, sheaths of fabric billowed in the wind. The setup was beautiful. And it oozed out fabulousness and exerted class.

Overall I thought that they did a great job. They really dropped jaws, and totally upped the W-O-W factor ten-fold.
Hawaii Tents & Events = Classic. Chic. Timeless :)

On a note of credit, the first picture was taken by the studmuffin known as MH and the rest taken by yours truly :)

{jared + lei: lovestory {part two}

2009-08-13T18:26:00.001-07:00

I originally had big dreams for doing this shoot {lovestory: {part two} smack-dab in the middle of Waikiki. It was the lights and energy of the "big city" that drew me in. But those dreams were shut down real quick thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Depression/Butthead Felicia. The weather vomited out a whole lot of rain, humidity, general icky-ness. It was just plain gross to be outside. But Jared and Lei were troopers and showed "Felicia" exactly what they were workin' wit. They both dug deep into their awesome arsenal and brought out moves guaranteed to put any ANTM (America's Next Top Model) contestant to shame.

Aside from being bff's/bff-in-laws - MH and I relish any and every opportunity to spend time with these guys because they're just so fun to be around. They always bring laughter and radness to the table...and this time was no different. On behalf of MH and I - thank you guys for another fun-filled evening. Obviously this blog will be seeing much more of you both. Perhaps {part three, four, five, etc} of your lovestory in the near future? :)

The calm before....

...a fit of giggles :)

You can just see the love in their eyes.

DANGER HOT-NESS AHEAD!

Work it girl!!! :)

{alan + gina: {wedding teaser}

2009-08-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

A little sneak peek from the newly dubbed Mr. & Mrs. Li's wedding on Saturday...

{all natro cd release party: deuxième partie}

2009-08-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Wowzers, has it already been THREE whole months since the infamous All-Natro rager at "the Pipe"? Yup. And did I just use the word "rager" and refer to the Pipeline Cafe as "the Pipe"? You know it! 'Cause I'm awesome like that :)

Anywho, before I subject you to further dork-isms...here are a few more pics of the soon-to-be legendary reggae band from Hawaii known as All-Natro. To see more, contact, or book them please visit their myspace page.

{george + iwi : love story}

2009-07-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

They ran with the same group of friends and he slowly became her bff. She confided in him her secrets, including her crush on someone else. Yet that didn't deter his feelings towards her, it only made him more determined to win her heart.

As time wore on, she realized more and more that he was the one for her. This sparked their romance from entry level to mega-watt-super-saiyan. He digs her moxy and the sudden urge she gets to bust-a-move to songs playing on the radio. She shares his passion for music and melts at the gentle way he looks at her.

This was a special session because not only was Iwi my client, but she is also my baby sister. As the older (yet shorter sibling...bleh, go figure!), I feel its my duty to protect her. So when she's happy, I'm happy. And she is definitely happy :)
Their shoot was filled with giggles, chuckles, and lots of side-splitting laughter. It was super fun and easy going, just like them. As George (and the group 'the Lonely Island') would say their LOVE. IS. REAL. And if seeing is believing, there ain't no one on earth who would ever doubt that :)

{if you like it, then you better put a ring on it}

2009-07-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

It began with a "light bulb moment." Like when a cartoon character gets a mos-fresh-to-death idea, then suddenly a bright light bulb appears over their head solidifying that thought? Well I had one of those moments. Yep, my creativity barfed out awesomeness. Thus birthing an idea I plan on incorporating and showcasing in all future {wedding/engagement} shoots. Not only do I want to shine a spotlight on my client's gorgeous rings, but also add a little of their personality into the mix.
I shall dub these....(wait for it)...."THE RING SHOT."

Hmmm, that might not be the most creative name but "I have the microphone, so you will listen to everything I say!!!"
*five bonus points if you know what movie I stole that line from* :)

{happy birthday me!}

2009-07-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

{t.g.i.f.}

2009-07-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those weeks where you relish each passing second...
because that's one second closer to the weekend?
(Le sigh). Thank God it's Friday :)

{he's home}

2009-07-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

*photo credit to MH's blackberry

Although blurry, this just might be one of the greatest pictures that I've ever seen.
After a month of holding my breath, I feel like I can finally breathe.
Definitely bittersweet, but MH is finally HOME :)

{jared + lei : love story {part one}

2009-07-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

They hit it off from the very beginning.
Both were freshman at Creighton University.
Both were a very long way from home.

She noticed him right away. To her, he was a vision in a surf tee, board shorts, and slippers. Finally, she thought someone else from Hawaii. And with his first warm smile, he brought her all the comforts of home.

Slowly, but surely their friendship grew into something more. And before you knew it, they were inseparable. But the craziness of life, along with the pressures of college forced them to slowly drift apart. Although separated, the chemistry between them remained the same.

After almost a decade long friendship, fate brought them together again. I’ve always thought that true love is like a magnetic force. It's strong. It's unexplainable. And no matter the distance, it’ll always bring you back together.

Thank you laces, for sharing with me a part of your evening.
It just goes to show that sometimes love is sweeter.....the second time around. :)

{aloha tower auto show}

2009-07-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

I am not a car person. I know three basic things: where to stick the key, where to put the gas, and...um....well, I know those two basic things. My mechanic (a.k.a. MH) takes care of all my car needs. Don't ask me how much horsepower it has - I don't know anything about horses. Or what make/model the car is - Was it made in Taiwan? I don't know, and I don't care. I have no real interest in cars. I don't even really like to drive...

The very idea of me attending a car show is pretty absurd. Yet, I attended one at the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It was unintentional and more accidental than anything else. I actually went to the Aloha Tower to eat. Me like to eat.

Here are some pictures of that day. And please don't ask me what kind of cars these are. With the exception of the last one (which is probably the prettiest car I've ever seen in my life!) I have no clue.

The Aloha Tower Marketplace.

Lop-sided cars.

Black car.

Orange car.

Red car.

Insanely AWESOME car.

{mari : anytime}

2009-07-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's Part II of my previous post. Thanks again to Mari for being my featured model. Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculousy good looking? Obviously this question need not apply for ♥M. :)

{mari : anytime {teaser}

2009-07-02T12:25:00.001-07:00

A couple nights ago, I did a impromptu shoot sesh with Mari from HeartCore Studio.
Here's a little teaser to hold you over. Boom-chicka-wow-wow :)

{magic island}

2009-06-26T01:01:00.000-07:00

(Definition by Kikipedia)
"Magic Island"...a place neither magical nor an actual island.

The last stop in the Miki (Mike and Kiki) summer adventure. One last night. One last photoshoot.

P.S. I miss you both already :(
P.P.S. I can't wait to see you both again very (hopefully!) soon!!! :)

{Kualoa Ranch}

2009-06-23T16:33:00.001-07:00

FACT: I am an extreme sports MACHINE. Wait...what was that noise? Oh, it was just ♥MH - ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing). Yeah, okay maybe that was a slight fib. I'm not really an extreme sports kinda gal. If anything, I'm more of an extreme shopper, lol :) But ATV-ing, is in another category. I rock ATVs like its nobody's business.

So being the good hostess that I am, I wanted to share my ATV love with Kiki and Mike. We drove across the island and headed towards the "country." About an hour later, we ended up at Kualoa Ranch.

Many of you are familiar with this ranch - and don't even know it. These 4,000 acres of lush greenery have been featured in numerous movies and television shows. Which shows you ask? Try Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, and LOST (my fave!). And these are just to name a few. On a scale of 1 - 10, this day ranked a million bazillion on the fun scale.

The weather started off kind of ugly. I won't lie. We were a little worried.

Then the angels sang, and the clouds parted. The weather took a 180 towards awesome.

We stopped a few times to take pics.

Bunker from the movie 'Pearl Harbor.'

Godzilla's footprint.

{germaine's luau}

2009-06-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

Aloha! (Hello!) Okay, confession time. Although I've lived most of my life in Hawaii, I had never attended an actual luau. As a kama'aina (local resident), we consider luaus to be more "touristy" than anything else. But since I was playing tourist with Kiki/Mike/Fam, I got to attend my first "official" luau.

So what exactly is a luau? Well, a luau is translated to mean "Hawaiian Feast." And feast we did. It was a total feast for our eyes, as well as for our 'opu (tummies). Germaine's Luau definitely set the bar on any luau-ing I may do in the future. 'Elua (two) thumbs up!

E komo mai! (Welcome!)

Taking the pig out of the imu.

Hawaiian food = Mmmmmmmhhhmmmmm! (too good for words)

Pau. (Finished)

{fallen princesses}

2009-06-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I wanted to be a princess (a job title that still ranks number one in my book). I used to parade my tiara, and watch Disney movies with eyes as wide as saucers. Being rescued by Prince Charming? Riding off into the golden sunset of happily ever after? Count me in! I mean, what girl wouldn't want that, right?

But sometimes life doesn't always give us a happy ending. Photographer Dina Goldstein puts a unique and morbid twist on the Disney Princesses we grew up with. She asks the question "what if they didn't live happily ever after"?
Brilliant, yet heartbreaking.

{50th State Fair}

2009-06-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, the beginning of one of the busiest weekends that I've had in a long time. With MH still M.I.A., busy = good. Lil' J, Miki (Mike & Kiki), and I moseyed on over to the state fair for amusement park rides and good eats.

To tell you the truth, I think I'm turning into an old fogey (yikes!). So sad, but true. The rides were scarier than I remembered, and I even got whiplash from the bumper cars. Despite that we had a very good time! We ate huli huli chicken, won some carnival prizes, and even saw (my other bff) Mari & her hunnybuns. The best part of the night (in my opinion) was the now infamous lightsaber battle between "Luke Skywalker" (J) & "Darth Vader" (Mike). Crazy boys! How did it end? Well, good triumphed over evil of course!! What a way to cap off another fun night! :)

♥

Keroppi...the BEST carnival prize EVER!

Run's House...I mean, Fun house.

May the force be with you!!!

{halekulani hotel}

2009-06-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

Just when I needed quick a pick-me-up, one of my bestest-friends-since-birth comes into town...and right in the nick of time. MH has been gone since Monday, and will be staying gone until who knows when. As I type this, he is staying in one of the southern states aiding his mother who is ill. For the past few days, I have been very lonely (*cue violin music) and in a state of poop. But my cousin Kiki came to rescue me (and also spend a lovely vacation in PARADISE!) with her main squeeze Mike & his fam bam. Seriously, she's like the asian Mighty Mouse. She swooped in from the risers - shouting "here I come to save the daaaayyyy!!" Her timing is impeccable.

On this fine evening (their second on the island so far), we met at one of the classiest, swankiest hotels on the island - the Halekulani. Amongst the swaying palms and lovely hula hands, we dined al fresco at the hotel's "House Without a Key." For several hours, I got to spend some (much needed!) quality time with my beautiful cousin. I ended my night happy. I love you guys, this was exactly what I needed. :)

The restaurant: House Without A Key.

The grub: Surf & Turf Burger (Sirloin/Lobster/Brie Cheese/Yum-o).

The entertainment: Sunset Serenaders.

The lovebirds: Mike + Kiki.

The end.

{leavin' on a jet plane}

2009-06-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

...so kiss me and smile for me,
tell me that you'll wait for me,
hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leavin on a jet plane,
don't know when I'll be back again...
(lyrics by John Denver)

Part of my heart is missing.
MH is gone :(

{willows}

2009-06-04T03:13:00.000-07:00

A couple times a month, MH and I like to treat ourselves to a night out on the town. What was the cause for our random celebration? Well, it was Tuesday of course! We got over the icky disease known as Monday-itis, and successfully moved one day closer to the weekend! Yeeehawwww!!

My intense craving for oh-so-succulent prime rib, led us to Willows Restaurant in Moili'ili (downtown Honolulu). According to their (website) Willows is Hawaii's Original Garden Restaurant. It sits upon one acre of lush tropical gardens, native Hawaiian flowers, and cascading waterfalls. It's also known for their yum-o-licious food, awesome buffet, and (in my opinion) killer prime rib!(*sigh) Hana hou, MH? :)

Table for two, please.

{blackbird fly}

2009-06-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

A twin-lens reflex camera (TLR) is a type of popular camera that has two lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective (the lens that takes the picture), while the other is used for taking pictures at waist-level. The blackbird fly (camera shown) is a retro camera from Japan. It uses standard 35mm ("old school") film with a wide angle 33mm lens with focal adjustment. Other features include two exposure settings (F7/F11), two shutter speeds, and a hot shoe. While its considered more of a "toy camera" (its made entirely out of plastic), its a fun way to experiment with film. The Blackbird fly comes in 5 different colors (black, blue, red, orange, & white), and is a superly cute camera to add to any budding photographer's "arsenal." See more (here)

Photo Credit: Patrick Ng
(shot with lomo redscale film)

{sea life park}

2009-06-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, MH and I took Lil' J (my wee wittle munchkin) to Sea Life Park. It was a really, really, (really to the zillionth power) superly H-O-T day!!! Aside from the hotness, the $9 hamburgers (luckily for us, the cashier gave us her kama'aina (local Hawaii resident) discount), and the so-so next-to-average shaved ice - it was a pretty funtastic day :)

Cool shot MH took of the Hawaiian Reef Aquarium.

This little guy was especially happy to see us :)

"Turtle-turtle" (*said in the voice of Dana Carvey)

"C'mon Snowflake, let's go!!"
(Where's that line from? 5 points to the first one who gets it...)
Moi-moi (sleep) time. Our cue to leave :)

{a surprise birthday!}

2009-05-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, MH turned the BIG 3-0. In commemoration of this HUGE milestone, I wanted to throw him the most awesome-est, special-est, radical-est birthday party of his life. Okay, okay that might be reaching a little bit. But I at least wanted this party to potentially reach top five in his "all-time-greatest-parties-ever-thrown" book.

A little fun fact about MH. He is a huge, huge, (and I mean HUGE) movie buff. He has about a thousand DVDs in his collection. It's scary that I'm not even remotely joking. MH is especially fond of 80's movies. One of his favorites is a 1985 flick called "Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon." I've never even heard of this movie before meeting MH, but of course my handicap didn't last very long. MH owns several copies of this same movie, because he likes to spread the Sho' Nuff & (Bruce) Leroy Green (characters in the film) "love" around. How cute (and slightly fanatical) is that? :)

With that said, I thought that his 30th birthday party should be a collaboration of all of his favorite things. MH loves movies, so why not rent out a small movie theater as the party venue? He loves "The Last Dragon," so of COURSE that's the movie that should be playing in the theater. I ordered and made (with the help of one of my bff's (*shout out to Lei!!) all of his favorite foods/beverages/desserts. Everything else (invites, favors, etc.) was DIY. Here are a few pictures of MH's special day :)

White Castle Burger Stand
(OMG, Yummmmm!!!)
Concession Stand Snack Boxes
(which included a box of popcorn, theater candy, and a hotdog)

The Infamous Electric Fender Cake
Probably, THE coolest cake I have ever seen! MH LOVED it!
Thanks Rick & Sasha!!(Cakelava)
And just some of the birthday boy's presents!!!
(Can you guess who wrapped the bottom RH gift?) :)

The BEST part (well to me, anyways) was the fact that the entire party was a SURPRISE!!! Little tidbit about me - I'm one of the worst liars in the world. I'm a terrible liar. Everytime MH brought up his birthday, I would make something up and immediately start giggling. I had planned out his party for months. Trying to keep secrets from him (for THAT long!) was tough. I felt bad for telling fibs, but my "lies" turned out to be well worth it in the end! Yessssss!! I FINALLY surprised "Mr. Surpriser" himself! Whooop whooop!! Hope you enjoyed this year's birthday MH!! ♥

{the men, the myths, the legends}

2009-05-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last week Friday, MH & I had the pleasure of attending the All-Natro CD Release Party/Concert. We were there like mullets (the bad 80's hair faux pas) - total business in the front/party in the back! Why business? Well, first lemme give you some background on how I "know" the band. My friend Toby is the lead guitarist/singer in the group and I've known him for (hold on, lemme count) TWELVE years! Holy Batmobile! I didn't realize it was THAT long!

Anyways a couple of weeks ago, Toby and I got to talking, and he invited us to join them at their concert. So by "joining them" he meant he would give us the major hook ups: V.I.P. treatment + the chance to shoot my first concert, which equaled an AMAZING opportunity! So where did I get to go? Um, it was more like where didn't I get to go? V.I.P. lounge balcony? (*check!) In FRONT of the front row?? (*checkity-check!!) FROM the stage??? (*check! check!! check!!!).

The energy in that venue was awesome!! All-Natro was awesome!!! As MH is my witness, I could not stop saying the word "awesome" the whole night! It was THAT awesome! Thank you guys for the one of the awesomest opportunities/nights I've had in a long time!!!

View from the VIP lounge.

View of the lead singer.

View from the front row.

View of the Toby.
*Photo Credit: the last picture in this set was taken by MH ♥

{it slices, it dices...}

2009-05-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Yessssiirrr! My brand-spankin' new shootsac bag arrived today via UPS! For those of you not yet down with camera bag lingo, you may be a little confusizzled (*confused) right now. What's a shootsac you might ask? What's it for? Well, in laymans terms: a shootsac is a uber-comfy camera bag with (deep!) pockets used to hold all your extra lenses, and various photography goodies (i.e. batteries, flash accessories, remotes, etc.). BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...it also holds all of your personal items (cellphone, car keys, wallet, gum, and so on). The bag (which is carried on your shoulder) "molds" to your body, and makes it easy to "shoot-on-the-go." I "popped my shootsac bag's cherry" at the recent All-Natro concert (more on that coming soon!) recently, and fell in love. OH. MY. GAWD. I was able to get the shots I wanted, all while moving with super-stealthy ninja speed. I did my ancestors proud! Shootsac = Mucho Awesome Fabulocity! And its all mine, muahahaha! Get yours (here)

{all-natro cd release party}

2009-05-19T02:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to do a quick shout & show some blog love to my friends in All-Natro. Congratulations guys on your CD release!! And a special thanks (again!) to Toby for inviting us. This is gonna be SUCH an awesome event, I'm bouncing-off-the-walls with excitment!...
...but more on that later! To be continued :)

{ethan: anytime}

2009-05-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

An "anytime" shoot is pretty self-explanatory. Its a photoshoot with has no rhyme or reason behind it. Its a photoshoot that happens just because. Today, I had the opportunity to do my first anytime photo shoot with one of the most ADORABLE two and a half year olds that I've ever seen :) I've been very blessed to watch this tyke grow up, since his mama (Mari of HeartCore Studio) is one of my very best friends in the world. This little guy is the epitome of cute, seriously he has the words "future heartbreaker" written all over him! Thanks again Mari for letting me shoot your son....oh wait, wait, that didn't come out right! Hehe, you know what I mean!

{um...awk-ward.}

2009-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this website today, and thought I would die laughing. Yes, it's THAT funny. Like almost-pee-in-your-pants funny. Here are some of my favorite entries from the site, submitted with the original titles and descriptions. For more awkward awesomeness (click here)

NOTE TO SELF: As a budding photographer, try NOT to shoot any pictures like this. But if you do, remember to submit them to this website! Hehe =)

"Osh Kosh: The Prequel"
The Hanscom Family.
"This father was so relieved,
when he found out he was gonna be Eeyore.
"The Choker"
This is what happens when your male role model
is both a priest and a gym teacher.
When you're madly head-over-heels,
why not shout it from the rooftops?
"Too Close for Comfort"
When it comes to mom, hand placement is everything.

{better late than never.}

2009-05-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, Mother's Day was a few days ago. But I just HAD to share these beautiful and oh-so-gorgeous Mother's Day flowers that MH (a.k.a. "my heart") sent me! They are super kawaii and SO unexpected. Even though I always say that I hate any and all forms of surprise-ment (yes, I said surprise-ment!), I secretly enjoy them. With MH being a "surprise-giving-machine," and myself being the "surprise-loving-receiver"...I would have to say that this Mother's Day was theBOMBdotcom!!!

On that note, I want to wish all the mommies in the world,
"HAPPY BELATED MOTHER'S DAY!!!" :)

{that's what she said.}

2009-05-12T00:46:00.000-07:00

Please allow myself to introduce………myself. I am a recovering shopaholic, who sometimes falls off the wagon. I love reality TV & am a daily reader of celebrity trash magazines. I enjoy crafting, interior decorating, & the overall element of design. Photography recently became my newfound love. However, my preference for making silly,(slightly) grotesque faces in pictures, is what keeps me behind the camera. I am hopelessly dorky, mostly girly & sometimes klutzy.

S I M P L Y * A W E S O M E is a collection of random musings about who I am & the things I love. P.S. Yep, that's the "money" shot :)