Yes...I am posting. I am sure there are a few people wondering if I am alive and I apologize. I don't know where the days, weeks and months have gone but they have flown by. I want to take this opportunity to let my family and friends know exactly how blessed I feel to be a part of your lives.
Cassi and I are very lucky people.
Once again I promise...I will start posting again soon.
Many hugs and kisses...me.
It has been too long...
I have been asked four times this week when am I going to update my blog...I did not realize I had so many fans...
So here I am...5 months since my last post. Do not ask me where the time has gone. I have met some great new friends...been to Vegas...broke my arm...had family stuff go on and am finally taking some "me" time just for me. All of that has been during the slow months of work. We are about one month into shooting 3200 high school seniors at the studio and are gearing up for a crazy busy next 3 months.
Thank you everyone for your patience with me...I hope to resume my erratic blog posting again and do it more frequently...although no promises!
I am on my laptop right now so you will all have to wait for pictures until tomorrow. I want to share the wedding Geri and I photographed in April. I have to say it is one of the more memorable weddings I will ever shoot. Geri has images posted from the wedding and a brief synopsis of her clumsy second shooter. Go check out her blog for a sneak peek at my story... casabellavida.blogspot.com
Until then...
Enjoy!
I helped Geri photograph Dawn and John at Balboa Park this morning and they were so much fun! They will be getting married in August at the Point Loma Nazerene college and it sounds like it is going to be a great time!
Here's some of my favorites from today!
Enjoy!!!
Hi everyone!
As always, too many days have passed since I last posted and I am sorry! If they could only give me about three more hours in the evening to get all the things that need to be done finished! I would be able to have an immaculate house, the laundry done, the bills paid, yadda yadda....
Last weekend my nephew Darrin had his Winterball and he and his girlfriend look like Hollywood royalty...love you guys!
This weekend, besides spending the weekend at the softball field, I was able to photograph my friend Anna's engagement pictures. She is getting married in August at the Bernardo Winery and so I met Anna, her fiance Prentiss, her sister Tina and three of their children for a delicious meal, wine and the BEST mimosas I have ever tasted. I also took some pics for their "Save the Date" cards and the label they are going to use on their wine bottles.
I love how these turned out!
While we were there...I borrowed her niece and spent a couple of minutes taking pictures of her because she was so stinking cute!!!
I see a modeling contract in her future!!
I just recently purchased a new camera so while at the Winery I played around with the settings and I have to say...once I learn all the bells and whistles...I am going to love playing/working with this camera! I love new toys!!
Here's some of the images I took...
Enjoy!
My sister and I decided (as Charger fans who could not decide who we wanted to lose more) that if the Charger's did not make it to the Super Bowl we would head to Disneyland for the weekend. My job required me to stay home on Saturday to photograph a winter formal so she took Cassi, Mac and Brendon up to Disneyland on Saturday and my niece Amanda and I would follow on Sunday morning.
Early Sunday morning (Super Bowl Sunday) we woke up to pouring rain...it was raining harder than I can remember in along time and we questioned whether we were making a mistake driving to LA and getting dumped on all day.
We decided to take a chance and made the drive (100 miles almost exactly from my doorstep) in the pouring rain. I loaded my backpack with 5 umbrellas, the trunk with tons of winter coats and brought along all the gloves, scarves and hats I had. While we were driving up there she told me a story of her friends who had the same thing happen to them but when they got to Disneyland...the clouds cleared and they had sun...only over Disneyland. We joked that we were going to have the same thing happen to us. And it did...
This is what it looked like in Los Angeles for most of the afternoon. (It poured ALL DAY long in San Diego that day!!!) 
Amanda's dad had told her there was no way we were going to Los Angeles because of the rain so this is her proof to him that we had sun.
This is the only time we had out the umbrellas and I think everyone just pitied me carrying them so they each grabbed one for about two seconds and within half an hour they were put in a locker with all the jackets, gloves, scarves, etc...)
Cassi and Mac have been to Disneyland with me many many times and they know that there are a couple areas of Disneyland I always photograph to document the trip and I did not even have to ask them to stop for this shot! I think I probably have 20 trips with them in this spot and I love to see how much they change!
Tom Sawyer's Island got a makeover...
My absolute favorite ride at Disneyland is Splash Mountain because it is such a great mix of all things I love about a ride...water, big hills, Disney characters and that "Zip-A Dee Doo feeling" you get after the big drop and the music starts and you are soaking wet...if you have been there...you know what I am talking about!!!
We have a few traditions at Disneyland besides taking pictures at certain spots...we ALWAYS have the popcorn at least twice, we stop in Pooh Corner for chocolate covered marshmallow sticks, we always buy rock candy and cherry sours, (YES...we eat our way through Disneyland!), we most times buy hats and they usually end up being a theme of some sort (See below!) and almost all the time we stop at In N Out on the way home.
The pictures above are the hats that each of the girls got throughout the day at Disneyland...all the same style and they all pulled their hair in to two pony tails too!
This last picture below is what I LOVE about Disneyland...you can be anyone you want to be there...
These were all taken with my point and shoot camera because the "Big One" usually is not allowed to go with me...I am lucky I get to take the pics I do while I am there!!!
On a side note...(If you are still with me!) I love all the comments I have received
from David Baxter's fans...you guys are awesome! He really has surrounded his self with a great group of people and I can not wait to meet some of you! I went and visited your blogs and found myself getting so excited about what the future holds!! Thanks again David! You're the best!
Enjoy!
Hi all!!!
I am sure it seems like we are missing in action but we aren't! Cassi and I have been taking turns being sick and if I haven't been the one moaning and groaning about everything wrong with me these last few weeks...it's because I have not had the time to think about my ailments while taking care of Cassi. She is just now recuperating from strep throat and the nasty effects of antibiotics (DO NOT ASK!!!). I have just finished my second round of antibiotics also so between her and I, there has not been much time for anything other than sleep and making up homework!!!
I do have many things to share with you and I will as soon as I get the chance...I have been working on some cool things lately and I can not wait to share them with you!!!
On a side note...I really love it when you guys make comments on my blog (It makes me feel special!) and the awesome Baxter's {their blog is www.sdohana.blogspot.com and I would give you the link but for some reason this post isn't allowing me to link! Sorry! Copy and paste it up top!!!} seem to be the only one who comments and I love that they do...THANK YOU Thank you guys!!! I swear at least two other people are reading, right???
I have never met the Baxter's but they have inspired me more than any other photographers out there right now. They are funny, fantastic photographers and have hearts of gold. I highly suggest you check out their blog and see all the awesome images they take! They also tell a darn good story too! They recently posted images their 9 year old daughter Rain photographed and they are incredible!
While looking at the images that Rain captured, I had an Oprah-like "aha moment". The light bulb went off for me...like the Baxter's daughter Rain...Cassi loves to use a camera. Her images from Hawaii were awesome!!
I need to embrace this passion she has and teach her everything I know. If she can learn a trade and be passionate about photography...maybe she won't have to work at McDonald's while in high school but can spend her time photographing senior portraits of her friends or assisting/second shooting for other photographers...
I have this skill that I can pass on to her and also be able to enjoy more precious time with her while doing so. She is as excited as I am about this and I can not wait to start sharing her progress with you guys!
So thank you Baxter's for your insight and willingness to share!!!
The ABOVE picture is from where our seats were and how close to the stage we were. Taken before the concert started. 
Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, singing "In Another's Eyes"
I had the incredible pleasure of seeing Garth Brooks in concert this weekend and it was mind blowing...
The seats all cost the same price and we got incredibly lucky and had first row seats directly to the left of the stage so we were able to see everything. At one point his wife, Trisha Yearwood, was standing directly underneath us (picture included) and turned and waved to us. The pictures attached are from my sister's point and shoot. My point and shoot does not do well in low light and I SHOULD have brought out the big gun with all the lenses because still photography was encouraged and, of course, I did not know that!
I went to Los Angeles with my sister Diane, her friends Erin and Bobbi, my nephew Steven and all three of Erin's kids (Thanks Josh for the late night Denny's meal...you DID NOT have to do that but it was really appreciated!) to the concert.
We had a wonderful Chinese meal downtown LA (even WONG TONG soup Diane!)before the concert and the whole night was amazing!
I have been sick for the last couple of weeks (feeling like I was 60,000 feet in the air with all kinds of pressure in my head) and was told by the doctor the day of the concert that my eustacion (sp?)tubes were blocked...needless to say this concerned me knowing that I was going to be sitting close to the stage at the Staples Center.
Years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Garth Brooks at the Naval Base here in San Diego and I remember standing next to a gi-normous speaker watching it vibrate and I remember that it was so loud I could barely hear for days afterward.
When we walked out of his concert this last friday, the girls I was with were saying that the concert was like a religious experience...and then I realized that it actually was for me...you see...my ears (for the first time in over two weeks) were clear and I could hear again. I was healed!!!
Now...I can only surmise that maybe me singing at the top of my lungs for two hours straight (thank you Bobbi for NOT saying anything about how horrid my singing truly is!) might have helped to get rid of the blockage in my ears...but I would rather believe that Garth Brooks is capable of some incredible things...
Garth Brooks came out of semi-retirement and put on 5 concerts in two days and sang at least 2 hours at each concert-and he did it all for charity. Staples Center donated the venue. He was helping the southern CA fire victims fund and also donating the money to help firefighting efforts for the future. He was hoping that at least 10 million was raised.
Can you imagine how powerful that is??? That he can stay out of the limelight for almost ten years...and then sell out five complete shows (over 100,000 people) and give all the money for a good cause-just think if he did this all over the country...maybe a concert or ten in New York for the homeless-
I can not say enough about his generosity to the people of southern CA.
And to boot (no pun intended)...it was...hands down the BEST concert I have ever been to. EVERY person in the place knew the words to all of his songs and it was a great big sing along. His wife, Trisha Yearwood came on stage and sang two songs with him and you could tell the tremendous connection between the two of them...
If you EVER have the chance to see Garth in concert...go for it...he is such a refreshing change from the artists of today-and remember to get an extra ticket just for me because I would go again and again!!!
Youtube video of his most popular song ever!!!
This is the last 6-7 minutes of the concert and what he says at the end is so cool and you can hear his voice crack! (I am posting this mostly for my memories but please enjoy it!!) I did not take these but borrowed them from youtube!
Enjoy!
This is a little late posting but I was playing with my blog trying to get larger images so I thought I would share these with you. One of Cassi's presents was orchestra level tickets to the musical "High School Musical" and so her and I went to dinner at Horton Plaza, got Starbucks and walked over to the Civic Center to see the musical. It was a great show and I totally recommend it if you have a girl 2-20 years old! This is the stage that I WAS NOT ALLOWED to take pictures of.
Of Course...I tried to take one or two pictures without a flash and hidden from all the ushers and this next picture is the only one that turned out...it is the curtain going down after the encore. I think it turned out great!
On our way to the show we stopped at the Sweet Factory at Horton Plaza and picked up some candy for the show and I snapped a few more pictures of all the colors...I love the M&M's!!!
Here's Cassi rocking her peace sign, High School Musical tshirt and Starbucks!
The next day we drove with our friends Christi and Alyssa to Los Angeles to go to The American Girl store. Cassi received her doll Nikki for Christmas and needed to buy her all of the essentials (jacket, dress, shoes, hairbrush, etc). There was a photo studio at the store and they took pictures of the girls and put them on the cover of the magazine. While Cassi and I were waiting in the waiting room...we took this picture of her...and of course...it was WAY better than the one they took...but then...she never takes a bad picture!!!
Does this picture remind you of the Prospector in Toy Story??? Me too!!! It's like they are waiting to be bought and loved!!!
The next three pictures were taken at the tea we went to at the store. The food was cute and theme related.
Nikki enjoying her tea...
And this is how cute the room was. I would love a ceiling light fixture like this one!!! It is so fun!
The store sells "Itty Bitty Twins" and this set totally reminded me of my twin sister Diane and I. We totally looked like this, our Mom did our hair this way, and we looked nothing like twins!
The mall was still decorated for Christmas and amazing!
I thought this bra was totally cool with the cat eyes and got this one picture before I got informed I could not take pictures in Victoria Secret!
This tree is larger than the tree at Rockefeller Plaza.
Cassiandme and my new "grandchild" Nikki
Cassi and her friend Alysa and their dolls...Nikki and Molly.
So there's some of what we did on our Christmas break. I have been sick with a sore throat and now a crazy head cold that makes me feel like I am 60,000 feet in the air with enormous pressure in my head and I am dreadfully tired all the time so I apologize for not posting more often!
and...
GO CHARGERS!!!!!
Enjoy!!
