My Favortite Things....

My 3 most favorite "things" are the boys in my life.

My extremely handsome husband Lee who doesn't let me take his picture often:



My baby Rocky, named for THE Rocky (Balboa) who I got when he was big enough to fit in the palm of my hand or the pocket of my winter coat. Our 8th year anniversary just past!



My new baby Jones who has become Rocky's brother (in theory) since meeting Lee. He likes Rocky, but Rocky doesn't like him so much :)



How lucky am I? Who wouldn't want to come home to these three EVERY night?

Random Wednesday.....

So yesterday I turned 31 years young! It's incredibly amazing to me that I'm actually 31 because I don't feel a day over...maybe 26 :) Maybe it's because I'm trying to start a new business in an unfamiliar field, but I think it's also because I feel like all major life experiences are JUST starting to unfold in front of me. So many of my friends are married or getting close to that point, some are having babies, buying homes, and almost everyone I know (me & my husband included) are really trying to figure out what we want to spend our lives "doing", and changing our path to fulfill our goals. I never really bought into the expression that you need to LOVE what you do - until now!

So this year, my birthday wish is to turn my hope for a successful photography business into a reality so that I can spend my time professionally and personally - doing something that I really care about. So in case anyone was wondering - that's what I wished for when I blew out my candles this year. I have everything else I've always wanted like a wonderful husband, family, the sweetest dogs, the best of friends, and good health. And no, I don't think it's superstitious to tell everyone what I wished for!!

Oh another note regarding being 31, I came across a website the other day of another photographer named Kristen Lewis who just turned 31. She is working on a really incredible project called Eyes Open Project to donate money to some seriously wonderful causes. PLEASE check out her website and see what she's up to.

Tonight I will be posting some pictures of a few of my favorite things. Check back tomorrow!!


Just for the sake of putting a picture up today though, this is what Lee & I did on Easter Sunday (we're Jewish)




this picture was taken with my blackberry.

Random Wednesday.....

I have crossed over to the dark side today - I bought a crack-berry! That's right! In an effort to be more organized with my life and new business, I decided to get a blackberry pearl. Now people can get in touch with me via phone OR email at ANY hour of the day! How lucky am I? :) Isn't it just so cute? I think I'm in love.....

Photoshop

I worked on Photoshop for a while last night which led me to realize that I need to take a class! I was able to do some basic editing and color correction, but I definitely need some further instruction. I suppose I could buy an instruction book or find some on-line tutorials, but I don't work well that way. I need to have someone actually teach me what to do. So today I'm on a quest to find the best photoshop class in LA. From previous searching and talking to some people, I think I'm settled on Santa Monica College, but if anyone reading this knows of a better class then please let me know.

I'm also on a mission to save enough $ to afford a "tea for two" session from Jules Bianchi. Her work is amazing and she does customized learning sessions for anything from lighting to building client relations. So today is day #1 of my savings. We'll see how well it goes!

I'm posting a few pictures from a photography workshop that I've been taking. This is called "A study of shadows" haha :) Images are not edited!!




My Kitchen Chair

My dog Jones

Random grass.....

Tree on Main St.

My weekend with Lia, continued....

This is how our day began - with a smile and a pose.

Lia getting her nails did....


Lia took this picture of me while we were shopping....nice work!

MMMUAH! (can you see the earring in her left ear?)

Here are some pictures of Lia and her younger brother Gino in their back yard:





Look Ma, dirty hands!


Can you believe this girl is only 12. Oh, and she's only 1/2 an inch shorter than me :)


Looks so good......

Time for dinner!

Lia & Gino - Thanks for being such great models.

My Weekend - Lia's Birthday

Today is my niece Lia's 12th birthday! I returned last night from an incredible weekend up north celebrating with her. I can't believe that 12 years ago she was a tiny little thing that I held in my arms and that I was only 19!!! From the minute she was born we formed a unique bond and I remember wondering how in the world I could ever love anyone as much as I love her! I know people always say this, but it really does feel like that was such a short time ago. Now Lia is this incredibly smart, sweet, loving, and charming 12 year old girl that I admire and am so proud of.

We made a plan to pretend like Saturday was her birthday from the time that we woke up until we went to bed since I couldn't be there today. She planned the day herself and it couldn't have been more fun - it was the PERFECT girls day. We started with breakfast at Mimi's cafe where we talked about school and 6th grade life. Then we went to get our nails done (manis and pedis) which included a fabulous 10 minute leg rub. After nails we headed to the mall to do what girls do best - SHOP! Lia needed the perfect outfit for her birthday dinner that night, and....she got her ears pierced!!! That's right - Lia now has her beautiful lobes pierced and I'm so lucky that I got to share that moment with her.

We ate lunch at Lia's favorite place in the mall and after hours of shopping, we did indeed find the perfect outfit for her and she happens to look 14 wearing it, not 12. So that night we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Palo Alto and 8 of us celebrated Lia's birthday in the best way possible - with huge portions of food, luscious cheesecake, and a VERY loud rendition of Happy Birthday. I think that everyone helped accomplish the goal of making Lia feel as incredibly special as she is.

Lia - I had so much fun with you on Saturday, it was an unforgettable day. Thank you for letting me share it with you. Start planning for 13!!! I love you.

I will post pictures of the weekend either later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for dropping by!