More digital scrapbook pages

Thought I would add a few more of the digital scrapbook pages I created a while ago. I need to start doing them more often!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!!!

My crazy niece MacKenzie!
Notice Cassi in back. Someone teach her to eat ice cream!!!
Pray for us when they are teenagers!
My "evil twin" Diane and her daughter MacKenzie

Her best side...just kidding Mac!

Are you cracking up yet?????


I love this girl!!!!!!!

Whe I think of Mackenzie the word "Character" comes to mind.

Definition of character-
- distinctive qualities: the set of qualities that make somebody or something distinctive, especially somebody's qualities of mind and feeling- positive qualities: qualities that make somebody or something interesting or attractive- reputation: somebody's public reputation

My niece MacKenzie turned 11 on Friday. She is a total crack up to be around and as shown by the pics of her above...there is never a dull moment around her.

She is the youngest of my twin sisters 4 children. I think everyone in my family would agree that she is my sister Diane reincarnated to make Diane pay for all of the awful things she did to my sisters and I when growing up. I call her my evil twin (in jest of course!) and those who know her can only laugh and agree.

I tell the tale of her evilness when she would somehow get us to the ground, sit on top of you so you can't move and then proceed to drop spit out of her mouth until it almost landed on you, and then she would suck it back in her mouth. It was the grossest thing but I remember almost peeing my pants (maybe I did a few times....ssshhhhhh...) laughing while trying to get her off of me. This happened on more than one occasion!!!

She was the name caller. I was called french fry legs (much to my obvious trauma) by her for years and I was truly devastated. Of course, I can laugh today!

The story Diane shares of her torturous nature is when we were growing up we shared a room. After we were sent to bed for the night, on occasion, we would screw around and sometimes end up jumping on the bed. After our parents had come in a few times, we were given the final warning...one more time....we would be spanked.

Of course, I was terrified of getting in trouble but not Diane. She jumped on the bed again but also padded her bottom with a stuffed animal so when she received her spanking...it didn't hurt her. She laughs when she tells the part that I did NOT STUFF my butt and took my spanking on my bottom. She still today thinks it's funny her spanking didn't hurt and I ended up crying that night.

I could go on and on about the ways Diane made my childhood torture but this post is about her child...MacKenzie.

MacKenzie is so much like Diane it is scary. They look alike, act alike and have the same silly streak in them that can have you doubled over with laughter for hours! MacKenzie is an awesome softball player and is always willing to help coach Cassi to become a better player.

Cassi adores her...looks up to her and basically wants to be MacKenzie. They are just like sisters and fight like cats and dogs at times but most times, get along great.

I know Diane and I are destined to have quite a time raising these two when they get into high school but hopefully they continue to share the closeness they have right now and continue to be there for each other in the future .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG MAC...we love you!

Melissa and Linford

I love this picture of the Mom of the bride. She radiates happiness for her daughter!

This was their Andy Warhol inspired invitation...too cute!

The decorations were black, red and white with polka dots. Totally original and fun!

Geri Goodale asked me to help her and I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph Linford and Melissa on their wedding day. We had photographed their engagement session at UCSD and had a blast doing so! You can see their engagement session on a previous post. Their wedding took place last Saturday in Marina Village. I am only posting a few of their pictures because I want them to enjoy them together first and then I will post more!

I have never seen a bride smile more. I don't think her big beautiful smile left her face once during the whole wedding and reception. You could tell they were really in love and glad to be spending the rest of their lives together.

Enjoy!

Cassi's Spring Break

I love this mural painted by kids!




Cassi wants to be a photographer when she grows up!!

My favorite of all the images!

I love the look on her face! Photographers...don't even look at the technical part!!!

I have been so busy and have wanted to post quite a few things on here but haven't had a chance! I have been going nonstop since last Saturday (a week and a half ago) and only now have edited all the pics I took these last few weeks.

Cassi is on Spring break this week (of course she sits next to me as I am typing this working on a huge homework packet her teacher gave her for spring break while her teacher is in Panama!) so she and I have been practicing softball nonstop and today we visited the Birch Aquarium. I can not believe I have lived here all of my life and have never been there. It is an amazing place to see some of the wild life that live in the ocean off of the coast of La Jolla, CA.

I took my 50mm 1.4 lens to the aquarium to shoot all available light and I got some cool images. As much as the picture of Cassi looking in the aquarium is not technically correct at all, the Mommy in me loves the wonder in her eyes. She is growing up way too fast and I am sure the days of "This is sooo boring Mom" are right on the horizon!

Cassi wanted to take her own pictures and I brought my point and shoot for her to use. Of course, being the organized professional photographer but unorganized Mom, I gave her my point and shoot camera with a dead battery so we had to buy a disposable camera for her. Poor thing was only allowed 27 images which lasted about 1.7 seconds! And now I have to figure out what to do with the film! It's been over 5 years since I developed a roll of film. Anyone know of a good film lab????

This week look forward to me posting images from Vegas, images from the wedding we photographed last week and also pictures of my niece MacKenzie who turned 11 on Friday.

Enjoy!

Paris this weekend...actually Vegas baby!

I am posting real quick in between getting ready to help Geri Goodale photograph a wedding tomorrow (see our engagement shoot a few posts back of Melissa and Linford) and packing to go to Las Vegas for a photography convention with the owners of Visual Photography and Angela Rhodes on Sunday. I am excited to go and see all of the print competition prints, take some classes and (if you know me!) make friends with a few slot machines while I'm there.

The pictures I have posted were from a trip I took with my Mom last summer to Las Vegas (these were all taken with my point and shoot camera). My sister Diane surprised my Mom and flew over for one night. We stayed in a fabulous suite at the Luxor and had a great time playing tourist...and yes...lots of gambling. It was a great time with my Mom and sister and I think we visited every major hotel on the Strip within two days. My favorite hotel ( and one I hope to stay at some time) was the Wynn hotel. The hotel was gorgeous, the people friendly, the slots loose, and the buffet to die for!

Rosanne Barr was on Jay Leno the other night and was talking about a show she is doing in Las Vegas at New York New York but the thing she kept talking about was the buffet at the Wynn. I think for the first time in my life, I agreed with Rosanne Barr.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Steven!

I did not take either of the pictures on this post but wanted to share about a wonderful nephew of mine.

My nephew turned 20 yesterday. He has always been a special person in my life. His mother is my twin sister, Diane. She got pregnant with Steven when we were right out of high school. He was a true joy from the day he was born. He never cried, had these brilliant blue eyes and the sweetest disposition ever. Diane, Steven and I lived at my parent's home while Diane and I went to college. I spent many weekends taking Steven to all the fun places in San Diego like the Zoo, Wild Animal Park (scary dinosaurs!), the beach and Sea World. It has been great seeing him grow into the man he is today.

He was the first person I ever photographed in a studio setting. I had just started working for the JCPenney portrait studio and he was three months old. He was my first ever practice session. Over the years the poor boy has gone through multitudes of sessions with every type of pose and prop imaginable. One Halloween, I think he was three, we covered him with black cloth up to his neck, posed pumpkins all around him on the black material and made him make faces pretending he was one of the carved pumpkins. The images are hysterical.

He had an enormous passion for baseball from the time he was able to walk and you could always find him in my Mom's backyard playing baseball games...usually against himself. My dad had season passes to the Padres and he would dress in his little Padre uniform, go to the game and cheer on Tony Gwynn in right field. He knew all the players at a young age and today still has the same passion for the game.

Steven plays baseball for a college team today and has turned into a gorgeous young man. He will always hold a special place in my heart and I hope he knows how special he is.

Happy 20th Birthday Steven-We love you!