A Nostalgic Moment

It's my favorite season of the year. SUMMA'TIME! Of course, now in my mid-twenties, it doesn't hold the same meaning as it did when I was a young child... there's no longer such a thing as "summers off" (well, there is for all you teachers out there!).

I always make the most of every day and do my best to get outside and enjoy the warm summer air, even if it is something as small as spending some time in the garden. But it's not the same... where did those days go when we had no responsibilities? The only thing we had to worry about was what time we would head to the playground with friends or what tasty sweet to buy from the ice cream man. It's strange how quick those times come and go...

I suppose I am nostalgic today because it's been a while since I had a real vacation. So in the meantime, my office space is plastered with a bunch of summer time photos, friends, and family. I am a very visual person and with each photo on my desk I can remember the instant I pressed the shutter release, how I felt and the beauty of the day. So, if there is that time during the workday when I need a minute of retreat, I can look at a photo and give my mind a break.

I recently took this photo during a gorgeous summer day tending to some of the flowers in the garden. It was one of those peaceful moments in time when everything seems to stand still. I revel in these moments and always try to make them last... if I have a camera with me, guess what, I take a picture. :)

This image will be printed out and added to my photo collage at work. During a stressful day I know I'll be able to look at it and find a serene state of mind... and that's a beautiful thing.

Chinatown ~ Washington, DC

Chinatown in DC is a great place to walk around, dine on delicious international food and browse interesting shops. This weekend Reggie and I headed to Chinatown because I wanted to purchase a Sake set. For those of you that don't know Sake is a Japanese beverage made from rice. It can be enjoyed hot or cold - it has a completely different flavor at different temperatures - I prefer to drink it hot.

We were both in the mood for Indian food and ate at Mehak. The food was delicious! I had Butter Chicken and Reggie had Lamb Vindaloo. I couldn't decide which dish I liked better! :) We left pleasantly plump and waddled right next door to our favorite shop in Chinatown: Da Hsin Trading Company.

They have all sorts of odds and ends at this place! Tea sets, chopsticks, place settings, Obama t-shirts :), Asian food, herbs in all varieties to cure all that ails you, home furnishings, and of course, sake sets. Reggie and I settled on this one.

We have no idea what the markings mean but think they're just beautiful. Now all we need to do is have a Sushi and Sake night! Delicious!

I am One Lucky Lady!

This past weekend my friends and I went on a trip to Ocean City to celebrate a few special birthdays. My boyfriend and our good friend Rob both turned twenty-something this past week. They both grew up across the street from one another and have birhtdays 1 day apart. It makes for some great celebrations once a year!!

Reggie and I were invited by Rob and his wife, Lora, to stay in Ocean City, MD for free... how can you turn down a free trip to the beach?? Lora's boss is totally awesome for letting us stay in his condo! SCORE!! Since it was free I was expecting a run-down, just any old place to lay my head at night, condo. Instead we got there and it was a freshly refurbished 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo with great dark woods, tiling, and granite. In my excitement I whipped out my camera and started shooting pictures of the place. "If your boss ever wants to give you this place again -- I'm there!" Snap--snap taking pictures. I decided to take the camera out onto the balcony to get some photos from the 14 stories up.... baaaad idea.

I just don't know how I did it! I was taking this picture when I decided to zoom out.

Somehow or another I released the lens from the camera. My heart stopped as I watched it fall 14 stories. It was a long fall and I held my breath the entire way down. It was the longest maybe 7 seconds of my life! It felt like a full minute. Fortunately the lens hit the flooring of the balcony I was standing on before falling the 14 stories so it had some bounce. It didn't land on the deck directly below us, but flew away from the building to the brush just beyond the deck.

Rob took the elevator down with me as I had my mini-panic-attack. He tried to calm me, but I had a million thoughts running through my head. Is the lens okay? It can't be okay --- it has to be in a million little pieces! I don't think Canon has accident coverage... oh no... that was one of my best lenses!

We got outside and I realized the area where the lens had landed was completely blocked off by 3 large fences. In true girly fashion I was in a new dress and freaking out trying to figure out the best way to get to my baby. Rob to the rescue! He hopped one, two, three fences in great form. The last fence was actually over the edge of the deck -- a fall he miscalculated that ended up being further down than he thought... I understand he had a hard landing :( Meanwhile Reggie and Lora are 14 stories above trying to direct Rob where he needs to be. Then I hear "GOT IT!" The fact that he found it made me jump for joy! He brought back my 24-105 baby and placed it in my hands (Rob, you're an awesome friend).

Impossible. One piece?! Surely it doesn't work. We rode the elevator back up the 14 flight, I was doing a dance the whole ride up in celebration that it was still in once piece! I ran inside and placed the lens back on the camera. Click, click. It works!!!!

I am one lucky lady.

I took the event as being a sign and put the camera back in it's bag and tucked it under the bed. It stayed there for the remainder of the trip. But, don't worry, I still had my trusty, durable point and shoot. Cool thing about this little point and shoot -- it's waterproof :)

Ciara Marie - 6 Months

Some of my favorites from my session with the beautiful little Ciara!

This toy box was a gift from Ciara's Aunt Katie - it was a great prop for our shoot! Doesn't Ciara model it adorably? So cute!



She was so fascinated by the flowers!

Ciara Marie 6 Months - Preview

I first photographed Ciara 3 months ago; she is now 6 months old. I cannot believe how much she has grown in 3 short months. It just shows how important it is to cherish every moment, before you know it they're all grown up!

Albert & Melissa Engagement

I am finally getting around to posting Albert and Melissa's engagement photos. They were very comfortable in front of the camera and willing to try any pose I came up with - which made for a relaxed, fun shoot! The way they look at each other is incredibly romantic... These two will last forever. Take my word for it - I can tell!

I am going to start limiting myself to the number of photos I am allowed to post. This will be a difficult feat for me as I am very indecisive! For now, these are my favorite 9 from the day and the rest can be viewed here. Enjoy!

Melissa's Departure from GLG

Today was Melissa's last day at our law firm where we met in Washington DC. It's hard to believe tomorrow she and her husband, Albert, will be moving up to Canada. Melissa was the one person I could talk Photo-shop with in our firm as we bought our first dSLRs right around the same time. I cannot say enough about her -- she is a truly great friend and person. I am sad to see her go.

This past weekend I did an engagement session with her and Albert. He is also into photography, I liked him immediately! We collaborated for the shoot and came up with some beautiful photos. I know you want to see them, but you'll have to wait for the next post!

These photos are from the Bridal Shower/Farewell party that our firm put together for Melissa. All decorations were created by the crafty Jillian I so frequently rave about in my blog posts. I believe Melissa was very pleased with the party -- isn't she just stunning??