Jessica and Marc are gettin' married!!

We were greeted by a little black nose sniffing under a wooden fence. When the front door of Jessica and Marc's door was opened, there stood before us was the rest of the cute black nose. His name is Boston (named after the city where Marc is from) a friendly little dog! Jessica and Marc welcomed us into their beautiful home (lovin' the purple wall) and nicely manicured backyard. Pewter belongs to Jessica and he kept running inside the house to check on her- how cute!

Jessica and Marc are getting married this October! A beautiful time of year for their celebration!!

Thank you for choosing Eastbrook Studios to capture your moments of laughter and love! And also, a special thanks to Marc for not running us over.....heehee!! Seriously though, thanks.

so much passion!

i LOVE this one- so romantic and dreamy!

i love the random dog in this shot.... love makes everything but the person standing in front of you disappear.

The Romero Family!

Crystal, Adam and all five of their girls (yes, five- you read that right) are such a wonderful family! I have been photographing the Romero family long before they were seven in total. What impresses me most is how this family arrives fully dressed with matching attire and all the girl's hair combed perfectly for every photo session. I often think... Do the Romero's have hairdressers and stylists hidden in the back of their SUV?? I am constantly awed by the organization this family has- I suppose with five children it's crucial! Crystal is like wonder woman running around (selflessly may I add) making sure all the girls are primped and photo ready. Adam makes sure the girls have something to snack on and happily entertains his pretty girls. Talk about teamwork!


I am so thankful for Crystal and Adam trusting me to capture their girls as they grow! They are such a beautiful family and always a joy to see!

This was Christmas 2007 'pre twins'.
This one still cracks me up!

'Bellie' and Rosea at two weeks- so tiny!!

Here are the twins now- look how much they have grown!!

Jayden loves the camera!

Michelle + Jason are in love!!!

When April from Sweet Blessings called me to tell me that Michelle and Jason needed a photographer she said to me, 'I think you're really gonna like this couple.' April was wrong. I love them!! Michelle and Jason are the ideal kind of couple for Eastbrook Studios. You might ask, why so? To sum it up simply: They can be themselves. (And as a bonus- their wedding colors were black and hot pink. Totally awesome!!!)

The sun brightly shone down on Michelle holding her daddy's hand, as he led her each step closer to Jason. Her daddy happily led her up the isle to be given away, where waiting for them- the perfect gentleman. All of the guests could hear Jason's sincerity in the kind words he spoke to Michelle as she approached him, 'You look incredible.' And with that, Michelle comfortably flirted, which was followed by a giggle. When Jason and Michelle were given the cue to share their first kiss the guests were in for a surprise. Unknown to Michelle and everyone watching, Jason bent down and easily lifted all 82 pounds of pure cuteness up into his arms and they kissed. Everyone continued to smile and clap and they kissed some more! In between the two kisses they looked at each other and actually took a moment to flirt! It's who they are and exactly what they do!!

The interaction between this couple is loveable and I am sure that if you were to bump into them anywhere, chances are that Jason is carrying Michelle in his arms..... because after all, it is what the perfect gentleman does.

I am so tickled pink that Michelle and Jason chose Eastbrook Studios to capture their day! <3

Here is one of my favorites from their rockin' engagement session in the street!

i love LOVE this shot of Michelle on the playground + i also adore the little girl on the next swing over!

The best first kiss EVER.

The flirting between kisses!

The awesome polka dotted cake from Sweet Blessings Bakery. The guitar cake was so cool too!

Super sweet!

The rain poured on Michelle and Jason's day- a wedding day blessing for a long marriage!

9.11 I remember, do you?

It's hard to believe that seven years has past. Four years before Jaxon (pictured above) was born.

As I close my eyes, I remember....

The phone rang in the middle of the night, a typical humid New Zealand night. Peter answered, tapped lightly on the door and whispered, 'Sarah, your dad is on the phone.' I was half awake when my dad said, 'New York is being attacked.' In my half slumber (and being from New Mexico) I instantly thought of aliens. In dreams or in moments of half awareness things like that oddly make sense. I was confused, sat up in bed and turned the TV on to CNN. I shifted my eyes towards the glass paned french doors that led outside to the upstairs balcony. In the reflection of the glass, I could see my kiwi family all leaning towards the glowing television, where smoke bellowed from the first plane that collided with the tower. Everyone in the room was silent. Directing my attention back to the TV, the second plane hit and we all gasped in unison. I quickly looked away from the TV and stared outside into the darkness- twinkling lights sparkled off of the Auckland harbor water. Looking past Rangitoto Island, into black darkness, I imaged my family back in America and instinctively wished my family were safe with me, in New Zealand. I was more than 7000 miles away from my family. I was further away from New Mexico than I ever felt before, utterly helpless. Thinking ........why??? I clutched tightly onto my future husbands hand, instantly feeling safer.

I open my eyes, I remember.

Approaching my dad's house yesterday, I saw hanging at half mass, the strong colors of America. Two and a half year old Jaxon was running around the yard, laughing and rolling in the grass, oblivious of 9.11- as he should be. I grabbed my camera and asked Jaxon to hug the flag pole. He did. But as he let go, he quickly leaned towards the pole and said, 'Oh- and a kiss too.'

Angelica + Joe are MARRIED! (sneak peek)

When Joe saw Angelica walk up the isle his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He blinked and held his breath for a moment in time. I can only guess that they were tears of joy because walking towards him was pure beauty. Angelica had her arm intertwined with her dad and as her dad let Angelica go, his eyes too were instantly filled with joy. Angelica's dad was giving his beautiful daughter away to a good man, named Joe. Angelica and Joe declared their commitment to each other at the famous St. Francis Cathedral up in Santa Fe! The sky was a crisp blue New Mexico August sky- a wonderful day for a celebration!



After we pack up our equipment and head home, often we reflect on the bride and groom's celebration of the day. As Guadalupe and I talked about what a great day Angelica and Joe shared together, I imagined the reception continuing as the clouds rolled in.... the guests dancing the night away. As I sat in the car being thankful for such a wonderful day, I looked in the rear view mirror back up towards Santa Fe and I too held my breath for a moment in time. Guadalupe instantly pulled the car over so we could get a better look at the path we left left behind us. We witnessed a double sunset rainbow- something so special and very beautiful. We started the day with pure beauty so why not end it the very same way??



Thank you for choosing Eastbrook Studios for your wedding! We look forward to watching your three handsome boys grow up and witnessing your relationship bond closer together. There were so many couples at your reception, who have been married for years. We have never seen so many couples stay dancing on the floor once the 20 year mark was called out! We have no doubt, that one day, you will be the last couple dancing on the floor.

Joe looking so handsome!

Angelica is stunning!


A perfect kiss.

A wonderful moment before heading to the reception!

An amazing way to end such wonderful day!

Happy 1st Anniversary Kristi + Jason!

I can't think of a better way to start off my new and improved blog! So, without going into any detail about my old blog.....

I would like to scream from Albuquerque all the way to Cali, 'Happy Anniversary Kristi + Jason!!'

As I sit here looking back at the photos from their wedding day, I can't help but think of many memories I carry with me. I am not just talking about their wedding day alone, but the months and days that led up to their day of promise. Like the bachlorette party with Kevin Kostner! Actually, going back even further- the years preceding the day they got married. You see, I met Kristi when I was only fifteen years young. I remember her being bouncy, filled with tons of energy and she had a very distinctive laugh. For those of you who know Kristi- you know the Kristi laugh! I remember having sleep overs with her as our sugar induced giggling would carry through her mom's thin walled apartment- where on the other side, I am sure someone was pulling their hair out well into the night. I can almost guarantee that most of the giggles were provoked by Kristi showing off her double jointed knees!

Time, after graduation, carried us to different places in our lives and many many years passed. When Kristi contacted me to share the news of her engagement with Jason, I was happy for her. When Kristi asked me to photograph her wedding, I was in disbelief. Trusting me to capture her day was a huge compliment and I felt honored. Having not seen Kristi for many years had me feeling anxious to be reunited with her again. Out of sheer nervousness, I was sure that I would break out into the Manzano Monarchs school song complete with dance moves. (We were on the drill/dance team together in high school. 'Go Monarchs, GO!!') My nervousness was calmed as soon as I heard her exclaim, 'Sarah-bean!!!' which was followed by that signature laugh. Kristi was the same only more confident, more beautiful than ever and totally head-over-heels in love.

When Kristi talked to me about her prince charming, I had visions of a man galloping up on a horse with a rose clenched in his pearly whites while declaring his love to the woman he will love forever. As soon as I saw the energy of love that Kristi and Jason shared with each other, I too was hooked. I could not stop looking at they way they looked at each other. It was true. It is the way love is supposed to be.

With that: I raise my glass and toast, 'To Jason: May you always hold your princess bride tight and kiss her each night. And to Kristi: May you close your eyes at night with Jason's kiss upon your lips -not just for the night, but for life.'

Here are still some of my favorites:

They know how to laugh!

I love this magical moment when the sun suddenly appeared through the clouds to reveal this!

I like how they play!

I love love LOVE this moon shot! (A special thanks to Dan Dawes from Complete Music for holding my light for this one. Oh, and for saving my favorite high heels for three months!!)