Monday Musings

This morning wasn't a typical Monday. I didn't get up angry at the world because I had to be at the gym by 9:00. I woke up extremely excited. Excited for the day/days ahead. Excited for all of the things I'll be learning in the next two days. And, excited to be at SFO, well because, I love airports.

Though my flight was delayed, I made it to Orange County safe and sound. I'll be here for the next two days, immersing myself in everything photography. Thanks to a huge give-a-way that I won last month. Remember? I won a free seat to Chenin Boutwell's Style Lab. Yep, HUGE! Stay tuned for my style lab experience ;)

But, oh my heck! One of the best things about workshops is the cool people that I get to meet. New friends that share my passion. New friends that love being behind the camera and capturing moments that we all live for. You know, happiness and love :) My day in the OC started with just that, new friends. Plus lots and lots of rain, umbrella flipping, and shedding a couple of tears because I miss Chris a lot. But that's just another story. ha!

But fa real. Today, I had lunch with Kristine Atienza, and Emily Steffen. Two amazing ladies that share my love for photography. It was then, at lunch, I felt absolute happiness. The same feeling I had two months ago when I was in Laguna Beach with a bunch of ladies that completely inspired me beyond words. Over orange chicken, miso salmon, and iced teas, we talked about photography. Photographers. And more photography. It was perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way. These two ladies are only the beginning, and tomorrow I get to meet more. More people to inspire me beyond belief. Especially Chenin, The Wedding Chicks, and Doug Boutwell.

I'm so excited. SO excited like Jesse Spano on caffeine pills.

Happy Monday!

Wedding Wednesdays: Bridal Party Dresses

I love my bridal party. A ton. They are my girls for life. Times eternity. Next week, I'll introduce them to you for my next Wedding Wednesday. But for now, I thought I'd share with you what they'll be wearing.

I thought long and hard about this. It was either choose ugly dresses to make myself look better ;) or choose fabulous dresses for them to work it in. And of course, since I'm such a little angel, I chose fabulous dresses! They're so excited about it, and so am I!

My gorgeous bridal party will be wearing Two Birds Bridesmaids Dresses.

Two Birds Bridesmaid Dresses are chic, classic, and oh so lovely! The thing is, it's only one dress. But it's one dress that bridesmaids can wrap 15 different ways so that it looks like a different dress. Ariane Goldman is a genius for designing such a fabulous dress. It's one size fits all, so everyone looks and feels beautiful. Perfection!

I know my ladies are going to love their dresses. The best part is that they can shorten it and wear it again ;)

The Skinny

So there's this one moment during my freshman year of college that I hid in the back of my head the day after it happened. It was tragic. There was blood. There was tears. It was painful...

I fell off the treadmill. Yup, you read that right. I fell off the treadmill. I was running and my arm got caught in the earphones and I ended up knocking Sara's iPod off. I saw it happening in slow motion, and for some strange reason I forgot that I was running and on a treadmill. HELLO! So I reach down for it as the treadmill was going and the next thing I know I hear this thud. Oh wait, the thud was me hitting my knee and sliding off. Yup, go ahead. Laugh. But whatever, I was tough. I got up and got back on the treadmill for 5 more minutes. Then it hit me what actually happened, and I rushed out of there like there was an earthquake or something. Oh wait, no earthquake. It was just me falling off the treadmill.

Ever since that happened, I vowed never to return to a gym. EVER! I mean come on internet, I was mortified. I swear they have it on camera. And anytime I ever saw one of the front desk people, or supervisors, or trainers from the campus gym on campus, they'd look at me. They'd give me this look like, "Hey! You're the girl who fell off the treadmill." Yikesabee! Also, whenever I see videos of people falling off treadmills, I laugh. (See Below) But deep down, my heart hurts. Because I was one of them.

But this year, it's different. I've returned to the gym to get in shape for my wedding, and I have a fabulous trainer to boot. He's the reason why it hurts to laugh at the video above because my body is sore today. But I love him for it. I actually told my trainer this story when I met with him for the first time to explain why I'm a bit out of shape. Why I dreaded gyms for the longest time. And why I hate when people look at me at the gym. Of course I'll blame it on this accident, and not my love for cupcakes ;)

I'm a changed woman ya'll. I love gyms now. All in the name of Skinny.

Engaged: Katie and AJ

She said she'd get in trouble because her boss thought she was messy. AJ threw paper clips at Katie's desk. That's where they met. At work. It was his way of flirting. He said, "I knew it was true love because she didn't rat me out." And true love is just what I saw when we spent some time in the city to photograph their love.

We originally scheduled their engagement session last year, but due to bad weather we had to re-schedule. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my first Saturday in 2010 photographing two people absolutely in love. The weather turned out to be beautiful, but I know that these two had everything to do with it ;)

I actually met Katie and AJ a couple of years ago. But it was for a brief moment. Who knew that years later, they'd choose me to be their photographer. During their engagement session, I fell in love. I fell in love with who they were as people, and as a couple. Everything about the way they looked at each other. The way AJ whispered into Katie's ears sending a huge smile on her face. The way they make each other laugh. Their chemistry. It's pure. It's real. It's true love.

Katie and AJ: I love you both! Fa real. I am SO excited that we have finally managed to somehow meet again and be in each other's lives. You guys make me laugh until my tummy hurts, and make me smile my big smiles. Thank you for spending the day with me, and I'm looking forward to it again in April! Xoxo

They make each other laugh so easily

Katie looked like this the entire day. I love her happiness.

My favorite from the session. Took them to the painted ladies, or better known as the Full House Houses. I knew I loved them when they got excited and love the show as much as I do. Yep. I'm a loud and proud Tanner Family lover.

Again, with the laughing

gorgeous lighting on the embarcadero

don't they just make you want to smile?

AJ, this one if for you! You're the star in this picture ;)

Cuteness overload!

hahahhaha. I love them.

I'm also in lurrvee with this shot.

Save the date

Click here for a slideshow

Happy Thursday!

Wedding Wednesdays: Something Blue

Let's face it. I'm 120% girly girl, maybe even more. I squeal at the sight of cute cupcakes. My heart is happy when I see cute bows. Striped ones make me happier. Ruffles make me and my heart excited. Sex and the City is my favorite show. But, Shoes. Shoes are my love. To me, shoes are the equivalent of cupcakes in a non-edible form. You get the point right? LOVE.

When I saw the blue Manolo Blahnik's that miss Carrie Bradshaw wore during her city hall wedding with Big, I died. A little piece of me died and went to shoe heaven because they were just so fabulous. And come on, I love all things fabulous. So much that sometimes my mother calls me fabulous. So after watching Sex and the City Movie over and over, plus the entire boxed set...I've decided that I wanted my something blue to be my shoes.

Below are my newest pair of fabulousness in shoe form. They're blue. They're high, and they have ruffles. They match perfectly with the sapphires in my engagement ring (another reason why I want my something blue to be my shoes) I won't be wearing these on my wedding day, but I am on a search for the perfect pair of blue shoes to wear on my big day!

But who knows, maybe...

"The Ultimate Single Gal, Gladys Jem will be married in Manolos to San Francisco Personal Trainer/Writer, Christopher James Allen come fall."

Happy Wednesday!

Me.

Chris has brought to my attention that I don't finish my glasses of water. EVER. This morning, I didn't finish my OJ. Seriously, bloggernet. There was a gulp left. I don't know what it is. It's not like I purposely drink most of my water or juice then all of a sudden stop when there is a bit left. I didn't even realize that I do it. I just do.

But then, I realized that it's probably just another one of those crazy things that I do. What crazy things? Oh. Like I have to check if the door is locked about 3 times before I get into bed. You might say, "I do that!" But do you open the door and rotate the knob to make sure it's actually locked instead of just looking at it to make sure it is locked? Or, Do you do this about 3 times because if you only do it once, you think something bad will happen. Oh yeah. I thought so.

Oh! Then there is also my routine before a movie starts. They have those commercials that say "it takes many calls to make a movie, and only one call to ruin a movie. please silence your cell phone now." This is when Chris laughs at me because I'll take my cell phone out and switch it from loud to silent. loud to silent. loud to silent. I do this about 3 times. Sometimes 6 when after 3 I feel like it's not really silent, and I make sure that it is silent so I don't ruin anyones movie experience. Especially the tall ginger man sitting next to me. He loves movies. He also likes to say, "make sure to silence your phone" after I've done it, in which I have to check again just to make sure.

Bloggernet. I promise I'm not crazy. I'm just considerate. I care for people's safety and their movie experiences. As for the water and OJ, maybe I'm just saving it for later. Or maybe I just like the look of a little bit of water or juice left in my glass. I don't know. Tomorrow i'll try drinking everything in my glass. I'll blog about it and let you know.

I don't have any pictures of me checking if the door is locked, or silencing my cell phone a gazillion times before a movie, or left over orange juice. But I do have a sneek peak of yesterdays engagement session. You'll have to wait for the rest. But all I gotta say is that Katie and AJ make me smile. So I bet they'll make you smile too!

2009

This year has been the most amazing year of my life. I cannot tell you how blessed I am to have experienced so many good things. I sometimes don't feel that I deserve all the good people/things that I'm surrounded with, but it feels great to know that I am doing something right. Every year. It just gets better, and better, and better.

I can't wait for what 2010 holds. The future is bright, and nothing is stopping me from continuing to follow my dreams. I wish I could see it all unfold before me, but the best part is the surprise :)

To end 2009, I have put together a slideshow of photos from fun, memorable events and good people that I've been so greatly blessed to be around. I love you all, and I wish you nothing but a fabulous New Year!

*please forgive me. some of the photos I just quickly grabbed from facebook so they are not the best quality. but here they are:

Wedding Wednesday: The Dress

First things first, I am not going to show you a picture of the dress. That would just be so stupid of me. If I wanted Chris to see it, I would just take him to Bridal Galleria and try it on for him to ask for his approval. But it doesn't work like that. He is not allowed to see it until November 19th, 2010. Some things are just worth waiting for ;)

Instead, I'll share with you the story. Earlier this month, Bridal Galleria announced a Jim Hjelm Trunk Show. When I received the email announcement, I immediately emailed my bridal party for a "let's search for my perfect wedding dress at the perfect jim hjelm trunk show" meeting. Ever since I got engaged, I have been stalking the Jim Hjelm website and have fallen madly in love with the dresses. I told myself that I'd have a Jim Hjelm wedding dress. No questions asked.

But I forgot. I forgot that sometimes, some relationships just don't work out. By relationships I mean, Jim and I weren't clicking. It was sad. I almost broke down right then and there. In the fitting room. In front of my mother, Hailey the consultant (best consultant EVER!), Sarah, and my Sister. I was disappointed when I realized I wasn't going to rock a Jim Hjelm dress on my wedding day. But you know what, when one door closes....Another one opens. And that other door is called Romona Keveza.

Romona and I clicked. We clicked a couple of times in fact. Many of the dresses that gave me the butterflies were Romona Keveza. One in particular was this stylish gown with an art deco design that made me feel so fabulous. Its from her Legends collection, and it is beautiful. So beautiful that I could have married myself. I seriously would have walked the miles to City Hall and married myself that day. It was just that good.

*photo from InStyle magazine

My heart was set on this dress. I wanted it. My mother loved it. And trust me, my mom made a lot of funny faces during the 20 something dresses I tried on :) Then Hailey did the unthinkable. She brought in one last dress for the heck of it. She's all "Here's one more, you don't have to try it on. But if you want you can!" And of course, I did. I mean HELLO, I love wedding dresses. I wish I could wear one everyday. So I just had to try it on. And party people, when I tried it on... It gave me this magical feeling and it whispered sweet nothings to my body. I think I heard Spice Girls "Two Become One" in the background when Hailey zipped it up. Just sayin ;) I think I also screamed something along the lines of, "Yes! I said Yes to the Dress!" Please don't judge me. I was excited.

I loved the dress I was originally going to get, but I am in-love with the one that I ended up getting. Who would have thought that I'd find THE DRESS that cold day in December. I am glad that Jim Hjelm and I didn't work out. It was for the best. I can't wait to walk down the aisle in my dress, and for Chris to see it!

Lastly, I have my parents to thank. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be wearing my dream wedding dress on my big day. Thanks Mom and Dad for making the trip out there to help me find/get the dress of my dreams! Love you both!

As for photos of the dress, you'll just have to wait until late November to see!

Happy Wednesday!

*Next week on Wedding Wednesday: My something blue!

Also: Future brides in the SF area. Make sure you check out Bridal Galleria when searching for a wedding dress. It's just lovely. Make sure to also ask for Hailey. She is the best consultant evaaa!

Baby Bump: Sarah and James

Funny, down to earth, and in love. Absolutely, positively, unconditionally in love. Those are the three words that best describe Sarah and James to me, and I couldn't be more in love with who they are. In January, they are expecting their first child. And I was honored when they asked me to take their maternity photos.

They want to be surprised with the sex of the baby, but I think it's going to be a handsome little guy. I just know it. But if I'm wrong, then we know it will be a beautiful little girl! Which I hope they'll name Gladys ;) Jokes jokes! But I am just so excited for their baby to come into the world. Well, because he or she is going to be loved so much by Sarah and James. Seriously. When you are around Sarah and James, you'll want them to adopt you. They are just that great, and so full of love. I mean hello, they got me a latte before the session! Awesome with a capital A! Times 5.

Sarah and James: Thank you for letting me into your home to take these photographs. I think the world of you both. You truly will make wonderful parents, and I can't wait to meet your baby in the New Year. Enjoy these pictures! Xoxo

Baby Manual. I lurrrve it.

Can you believe this lighting? Perfection!

Best book ever!!!

have you seen a more beautiful bump?

I love this one, and I know it means a lot to Sarah

Ok, seriously. I am in love with couples who look at each other just like this.

My goal: To look this amazing when I'm pregnant. You're absolutely beautiful Sarah!

Click here for a slideshow :)

Sneak Peek: Baby Bump

Today is Christmas Eve. And this morning I spent it shooting a beautiful couple that I am deeply fond of. In January, they will be receiving the best gift they could ever ask for, a baby! Yay!

Here is a sneak peek for you. I obviously won't be blogging for the next couple of days because of the Holidays. But I thought I'd share a lil somethin somethin ;)

Happy Holidays!!!