Happy Easter!

I wish I could say that the tips of my fingers are dyed pink today from coloring eggs yesterday, but they are not. Instead, I decided to work yesterday and I will continue to work today as well. No pity parties here! I have said this many many times to my family, my friends and my customers: I love what I do!! It brings me great joy to document people and their own special love. No family, couple, friend or person is ever the same, everyone bringing something different and unique. I constantly think to myself.... do I really get paid for doing what I love?? I am so thankful for all the people I come in contact with who are truly just themselves.

And because every post must have a photo, here is my nephew Jaxon with his latest quote (if you have seen the movie 'Ratatouille' you will understand why he said what he did:

Jaxon proclaimed, "I'm gonna be a chef when I'm an adult.... I'm just not gonna be a rat though."

Tanner Campbell is gonna graduate!

Tanner Campbell walks into my studio and the first thing I notice about him is his six and a half foot tall stature quickly followed by his perfectly white teeth. Later I found out that he has never even worn braces! Tanner has many loves of his life.... one of which is his car (and possibly driving his car to the Melting Pot with Sam, his girlfriend....?) There was this 'all American' feel about Tanner. I learned about his camping trips with his dad, I witnessed the way he treats his mom with respect. He talked of his friends with a smile drawn across his face and Tanner stands tall claiming all six and a half feet of himself and the man he is becoming. As he should!


Look at those perfect teeth!!
Model material right here.

I love this shot of Tanner!


Too cool.

To Tanner's parents: Roxanne and Gaylord, between Juliette and Tanner (and even little Dottie and Paradise) you have every right to be proud of your outstanding parenting. Now that Tanner is going off to college your house may be more quiet, the meals a little spicier but the entire time you can burst with pride knowing that somewhere in this world are two amazing human beings because of you. Oh and Tanner, HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY!

Leigh Luna + my new LOGO!

You may have noticed the pink fotobug logo at the top of my blog..... it's the coolest thing EVER! The very talented Leigh Luna custom designed my awesome logo just for me! I also had the opportunity to see some of Leigh's other drawings that she has created and wow... this gal has mad skills. (Is it okay to say 'mad skills' Leigh?! lol) She showed me an intricately drawn butterfly that blew me away! I am proudly (and as quickly as possible) trying to incorporate my new fotobug logo on everything I can. It is even a piece flair on facebook now! Heck, maybe next year in Vegas it will be a tattoo....? So, to say the least I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT!!!

In between designing and logo talk, I took a few pictures of the stunning Leigh.

The fotobug has a history that is very special to me. Me and my dad (mom helped too) used to work on my car every week building, repairing, tearing out the old and replacing it with pretty shiny parts until one day......it was transformed into 'the fotobug'. I get so many inquiries about my car, that I will have to dedicate a whole blog post just for the story behind it! I will be sure to include before and after photos! <3

Kimberly + Jason....boo!

When I was 8 years old I was so jealous of Kimberly and her avocado green parachute pants with the gold buckle attached to the front. Oh yes I was!

What I remember most about Kimberly is her scary love for Halloween. (Yes, I intended the pun.) Every year Kimberly's family had the coolest Halloween parties! They had creepy crawly sticky things to eat, perfectly carved pumpkins, a fruit punch bowl that glowed with bubbly fog flowing over the edges and a tape that repeatedly played 'The Monster Mash'. By the time midnight struck Kimberly was already talking about what she was going to dress up like 'next year'. So, it's no surprise that Kim's first wedding date was 666 (June 6th 2006) and her second wedding date was, yup Halloween night. Same husband.....twice. Jason carved 'Will you Marry Me?' into a pumpkin, how could she say no?! :o) So, I felt it was only appropriate that their photo session had a spooky-ish, romantical cold feel to it.





That's hot.

Thank you Kimberly and Jason for bringing who you are to your photo session. I enjoyed every single minute of it! xox

Kylie + Issac are in love.

Kylie and Issac are high school sweethearts and within a nano second of meeting them I knew that I was meant to photograph their wedding day. Kylie has romantic blue eyes, her laughter flows freely and at any given moment she can catch Issac looking at her and her entire face lights up. Issac has a personality that radiates through the spiky hair style he struts. He can make Kylie laugh just by winking at her! Together they laugh with each other, at each other and at themselves!

Romantical eyes.....

lovin' the mood here.a perfect kiss!

You guys are adorable and I enjoyed the story of how Kylie spit bread on your face! That had me laughing long after you guys left our shoot together...... and again now! (You have my drool story to share if you want to!! HA!) I am looking forward to your wedding day! <3

the fotobug.... is now a shoe?!

A couple of weeks ago I got a message from one of my customers, Trang, who has become a dear friend to me. She is known as my 'floating bride'. She had asked me what size shoes I wore. I was so busy working that I just wrote her back and didn't really inquire as to why she wanted to know. Well, three weeks later she handed me a box with the most beautiful shoes inside! She told me it was a thank you gift for everything I have done for her. For her???? I strongly feel like it's the other way around! I am so busy working, working, working that I forget to eat. I often get calls and messages from Trang asking me if I have eaten yet. Most of the time I haven't even considered making time for myself to eat. But, Trang does. She takes care of me. She knows that I can drink a fresh coconut at any hour of any day and she knows that I can put peanut butter sauce on anything and love it. (My mouth is watering just at the mere thought!) She knows how much I need to eat because I am an avid runner and I need the extra energy. Trang is a great listener and a wonderful human being. And knowing that she cares about me means so much to me!

Check out my new fotobugs!

Running in pink shoes makes me go faster.... I just know it! You better watch out Lincoln... and Steve... and everyone else in my running group that is faster than me!

Trang, I love you pretty lady! xox

Thank you.... for just being you. <3

Opal is gonna graduate!

Now that Opal is getting ready to graduate I can't help but think of the time we were playing in my bedroom with our freshly painted fingernails. She was 6 years old and we started playing with my tape recorder, which I often used to record myself singing to. (I can't believe I just admitted that!) As I pressed record and placed the recorder up to Opals mouth, her impromptu song flowed from her lips, 'Hey pretty lady don't you ever stop just go, go, go.... hey hey pretty lady don't you ever stop just go, go, go....... you can't be stopped.' (I will have to find the tape for you one day so you can hear it for yourself!)

Opal was a miracle angel from the moment she arrived on earth. She was born premature and I remember my mom describing baby Opal as the tiniest baby she had ever seen. My mom told me that Opal's head was no bigger than a small tangerine and that her hands were as tiny as a porcelain doll and even smaller were her itsy bitsy fingernails, like a delicate speck of paint. I remember mom searching through my Cabbage Patch Dolls clothing just so Opal could be properly dressed until she left the hospital. Opal's mother, Lucyann, was born with her own challenges. Lucyann was born with muscular dystrophy and at only the age of one and a half she developed rheumatic fever. Opal has closely watched her mother go through two open heart surgeries and countless trips to the ER. Something a child should never have to see her own mother go through.... the constant worry of her own mother's life always on Opal's mind. When Opal was ten years old, I remember her asking me how old she had to be to get a job so she could help her mom 'get money'. It was what she most looked forward to doing. Most ten years old girls look forward to rollerskating and slumber parties and wanting cute hair ties. Opal looked forward to helping her family survive. And she did just that.

She has a perfect laugh.

When I saw this stop sign laying on the ground... it made me think of her song and I got goosebumps all over.
Lovin' the hair!
Stunning lady.
I love love LOVE this image of Opal. She is beautiful inside and out!
My sweet cousin Opal, you were born as an angel and placed straight into 'the real world' for a reason. Together you and your mom are true survivors and I am bursting with pride and feel so privileged to say that you are my family.Congratulations on your graduation!
Hey hey there world, there is a pretty lady named Opal and she can't be stopped...

.....just go, go, go..

.....you can't be stopped.