A Basket of French Fries

I once ran a 5k race with my husband, Justin.

Emphasis on ONCE.

You know that haze that you see over the road when it's a hot day outside? That wavy/hallucinating-like mess you see hanging over the road in the distance that reminds you you're in the desert and still faaarrr from water or civilization or a toilet? That's what I see all the times I attempt to run - even on the treadmill at the gym. I've only been on this machine FIVE minutes??

However, there's always something exciting about taking on a challenge just to say that you did it. Even running. I was looking through a journal that Justin and I keep together and saw our race bibs from that 5k race we both did in 2010.

Justin  kicked, screamed, cried lovingly supported the bright idea I had of signing us up for our first 5k race together. Did we become avid runners after completing this 5k race? Eh, heck-to-the-no. In fact, I vividly recall how we made a beeline for the local Mel's Diner after the race was done to inhale a couple of burgers and milshakes as a reward for enduring the entire race. I was never so happy to see a basket of French fries and almost hugged the waiter.

Even though I'm sure we both had that ugly, "I'm-so-tired-thirsty-hungry-I-can't-blink-or-feel-my-eyes-look going on as we crossed that finish line, we still did it.

And I love looking back at moments like that.

DJ Verz. 2012.

Once upon a time, in a land faraway called Childhood in the 80's, I may have fooled myself into thinking I could be a DJ. Oh, but not just any DJ that knew how to switch the cassette tapes out or press pause/play on your recorder (shoot, I know how to do that!), but a really, really cool DJ. 

The kind that everybody and they're momma knows about the minute you step inside the building, the DJ that crowds make way for as you lug all your gear for set up across the dance floor, the kind that knows how to rock an entire crowd with one simple  and skillfully administered skrrrrr-aaaatch on the turntables to blend the beats with smooth and seamless perfection.

Unfortunately, that childhood dream only lasted, ahmmm, about half an hour because as an 8 year old, the first time I put a needle to the record on our family turntable not only scratched the vinyl something awful, but cracked the needle and the needle head thingy majiggy that I guess is necessary on a turntable. And when I say it broke, I mean, snap, crackle, pop...CRRRRAAAAACK. Picture a chipmunk-cheeked Bruce Lee haircut lookin' Asian girl with eyes that said, "uh-ohhh" - that was me once I realized my parent's slipper would find a way to my backside before I could launch my doughnut-roll legs into running position.

Yeah. I'll stick to photography.

Meet my friend DJ Verz. For so many years, Verz has shared his art - his heart - through sharing the beat and the soul of a song with numerous crowds of all ages and walks of life, helping make a moment worth remembering for so many and reminding us that no matter what life throws your way, there's always a reason to dance.

Happy Monday!

Happy Ice Cream Day, Pops

My dad, I think like most dads, was never one for emotional, daughter-girly breakdown-moments or let's sit down and talk about life. It was all girls in my family, including my mother, so needless to say I think Dad noticed the sprouts of grey hair a little earlier than he anticipated. 

Dad loooooves ice cream. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he's tried to buy stock in Dreyer's at one point in his life, for reals. Instead of toy stores, he frequented the local Baskin Robbins with my sisters and me as his way showing us that though he ain't one for the emo-talks, he still loved us nonetheless. I am fortunate to have many memories of my sisters and me happily pressing our chubby faces against the glass surfaces that covered the huge, colorful bins of yummy goodness that is Baskin Robbins ice cream. 

Today's his birthday and though he had to work and couldn't hang out, we made sure to stop by the local Baskin Robbins and pick up a little something to help him remember that birthdays aren't quite complete without some ice cream and family.

Happy birthday, Dad. We love you.

Photo courtesy of Kristian Iskandar, KI Photography

Because There's Always Room: Thank You

Some days the words come easily and Yammer-Doodle-Doo could very well be my middle name. And on other days, my brain is staring at a blank screen and at an impatient, blinking cursor waiting for me to formulate some sort of intelligence strung together with pretty words in a blog post.

Today was one of those, uh....other days.

I don't know about you, but some, if not most, of my "ah-ha" moments come at the weirdest times - doing laundry (dang, there goes that red sock in the whites...again!), dodging a bicyclist on the street, or in the produce aisle trying to decide if I should live on the edge and reach for the apple at the top of the heap rather than settle for the ones meant for us "fun-sized" people at the bottom.

And my "aha" moment this time simply came from taking a random walk one sunny afternoon. I was trying not to trip down some steps I was walking on when it dawned on me that it might be fun to write a series entitled "Because There's Always Room". As my steps quickened down the pavement, I realized that there's always room for something good everyday, right?

And today? Well, there's always room for shout outs and thank you's.

When I was unsure of whether or not to start my photography business, it was Molly Denson of Simply M Photography who said "why not?" Though I've never met Molly in person (her photography business is actually based out in Tenessee), and only through email exchanges and Facebook posts, I owe her a huge thank you. With every question I had from business licensing, to connecting me with other photographers and resources, to answering the tiniest questions on shooting techniques, Molly has simply been kind, patient, and most of all encouraging. And in an industry where it's fiercly competitive, to find support from a peer is worth it's weight in gold.

So here's a shout out to Molly Denson of Simply M Photography. Because, really, there's always room for thank you's, any day of the week.

Happy Thursday!

Random Laughing

Random laughing is good. For you, for me, for everyone, I think.

A hearty chuckle, a little giggle, even a little smirk that says something has managed to crack through your tough exterior and see the humor in life amidst the busyness and to do lists.

The next time this happens to you, I hope you'll remember to randomly smile and not take life too seriously.

Happy Wednesday!

Prune Face

Some days, waiting can be a minor annoyance, other days, waiting is hardly noticed because the joy of the outcome covers it so it's barely noticed. And still other days, waiting just. Plain. Bites. Like being sick. Like that not-so-pleasant cough syrup you have to down. Like finding out you washed a red sock in white laundry. (again?!)

Yesterday was one of those days where the words "patiently waiting" were no where on my little vocabulary list for the day. The idea of "good things come to those who wait" could not ease the crinkled frown I wore so openly on my face. My face probably resembled a prune without me even noticing it.

I found myself venting these thoughts to one of my closest friends that live in Los Angeles. She's known me for years (and survived!) and though I try and tough things out as much as I can, venting my frustrations was probably one of the best thing I had done all day to help remedy my "woe is me" attitude. To be able to voice the jumble of thoughts in my head and how I struggle with dreaming & waiting for my photography business to become a full-time career, helped smooth out the frown on my face. 

Though still a ways to go, I am thankful for friends who remind me that valleys and peaks, and yes, even waiting, are truly what make the journey worth taking and dreams worth pursuing.

Happy Wednesday!

Button-Sewing Contest

I joke around sometimes about my lack of ability to stitch/sew/mend/be anywhere close to useful when presented with a needle and thread. And yes, I will be the first to admit that even now, as a grown adult, I will still pile together any clothes that need a hole mended or button secured into a nice little bag and haul it over to my momma's house to beg her to take care of these issues for me. I do my best as far as domestic duties are concerned, but given the choice I think I'd rather be presented with a pile of dishes clean and neatly put away than a heap of clothes begging me to match them up with their rightful button friends. 

In my little world, it's just a reminder that as much as I'd like be a good at everything and pretend I'm as cool as She-Ra, Wonderwoman, and Katniss Everdeen combined, it just ain't gonna happen. Everyone is good at very different things, including artists.

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to showcase a couple of beautiful outfits created by stylist, Kalani Germono, of Kalani Style, hair by Shar Madriaga. She and Jenn Van Gundy, whom I had mentioned in a previous post, were part of a team of designers of a fashion show/fundraiser held to help raise awareness of human trafficking & exploitation of girls/women all over the world. Both Kalani and Jenn could easily school me in a button-sewing contest (for real!) and I am truly amazed by how these women used their talents as creators and artists to help with a larger global issue. 

More details are to come on the story behind the artists, their creations, and the cause so stay tuned!

Dream Loudly.

I love to crack jokes with my 9-year-old niece.

Ok, ok, fine. More like pick on. But it's totally not my fault -  I blame it on the fact that I was once the older and bigger sister of two siblings. Why be an older sibling if you can't have any fun with it? I think God's got a sense of humor though, because my once "little" siblings now tower waaaay over my 5 foot something/mini-human frame.

Sitting around talking about everything under the sun with a 9 year old really has it's benefits. You get an honest opinion, simple and clear perspective and get to discuss all this while scarfing and oinking down lots of ice cream and with no reminder given about how you're on a diet from sweets.

One evening hanging out with her, I was asking/heckling her with all sorts of animal-related questions that I knew made absolutely no sense, just to see if I could stump her. (Because, really, this kid has an answer for errrrr-thaaaang!) And over and over again, she'd still smile that same toothy grin and tell me that she still wanted to be a vet and that's why she knew all about animals. Despite my grilling, her confidence never wavered on what she wanted to be.

As a younger tot, my niece liked animals. No wait, that's not true.....she loooooved them. Even once declared to be a vegetarian once she realized that a good steak came from a cow. This kid loves animals so much that she continues to declare to anyone who will listen that she's going to be a vet some day. Yep. Whenever she's asked that all-too-famous-kid-question of "what do you want to be when you grow up", her response is always the same toothy grin, oozing with confidence (and ice cream on her face) "I'm gonna be a VETERINARIAN because I loooooove animals!"

Despite the fact that yes, there's still school and training, and stuff to learn and aunties who try to stump and grill you with nonsensical questions about animal care and animal facts, yes, she is still gonna be a veterinarian because she loooooooves animals. And I love that confidence she has, that toothy grin that still declares her dream, boldly and proudly to anyone who'll listen. It reminds me to dream, boldly and loudly, "I'm gonna be a professional photographer full-time because I loooooove photography and being able to share my art with the world." Boooo-yah.

Dream big. Dream loudly. Even if others try to turn down your volume.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead of you. Happy Friday!

Oh, yeah, and this cartoon? I LOL'd too much when I found it. Ladies, you know you can relate. I know I can. =)

All Over Again

Not too long ago, I had dinner with a few of my old co-workers, all female. Now, you can imagine that the dinner conversation covered everything from the usual squeals of excitement from not having seen each other in so long to the usual "where are you working/career/what are you doing now/oooh, girl, I love your hair!"

And of course, the topic of kids came up. Only one of my former colleagues has children (two of them) and so of course, the conversation veered off into the questions of motherhood, balancing work and life, and of course, oh-em-gee, did it hurt giving birth?!?! etc.

But the thing that stood out most to me from that whole conversation on kids that night? When my co-worker smiled and said "I dunno. When a kid is born, it's like you're staring into the eyes of a brand new person you're gonna get to know. It's hard to describe, but you kinda fall in love all over again. And I think that's why people continue to have babies."

Congratulations to Sarah and Daniel and to your new addition, Emma Grace.

And here's to falling in love all over again.

Happy Thursday!

New Life and Pacifiers

Not too long ago, I blogged about a couple of friends of ours who were having their first baby. 

As of last night her and her husband, Daniel called us up to let us know it was baaaay-beeee time! Sarah and I have chatted about her pregnancy from day one and all that came with it...and now I can't believe the moment is finally here!

One thing is for sure - I already know what kind of pacifier to get as a gift.

Sarah and Daniel, can't wait ot meet your little girl!

Here's to new life and kudos to manufacturers of pacifiers with a good sense of haha's!

Happy Wednesday!

Q-Tip Dogs

Ugh. It's always hard to get back to the grind after a looong weekend.

Last night we spent the evening having dinner with my parents and they brought their dog, Coco Bean over for a visit. It's funny watching Kona and Coco hang out with each other because I swear they act like two boxers getting in the ring to battle it out. Except, instead of it looking like they're taking calculated swings at each other, it looks more like two overgrown cotton balls growl-staring each other down to see who'll be the first to turn into a Q-Tip or something.

Speaking of silly dogs, I came across this photo on the Internet and find myself suddenly wondering where we placed Kona's old cone.

Whoever owns this dog should get an award for coming up with such a genius use for the cone.

=) Happy Tuesday!

DJ Verz. PREVIEW.

I was a kid who grew up with a mom who loved the Beatles the way gals these days love the Bieber dude, a dad who belted out Frank Sinatra tunes a little too loudly on the karaoke, and sisters who teamed up (a.k.a. had-no-choice-but-joined-me-because-I-was-the-older-bossy-sister-and-slightly-bigger) with me to rock out Cindy Lauper for a live audience of every single stuffed animal we owned.

It was a house full of different types of music and the diversity of genres and eras that found it's way into our boxes of tape and record collections still greatly influences me to this day, especially as an artist. 

Oh, and speaking of music and artistry, meet DJ Verz. I wanted to do a photoshoot with a bit of a different vibe to it, one that paid tribute to the art of being a DJ and bringing the gift of music to crowds everywhere. There's more to come, but here's a sneak preview of this weekend's shoot.

Happy Monday!

Robert Ajlouny. 2012.

Whoo-hooooo!! Did you know today is FRIIIIIDAAAAAY?! (insert Roger Rabbit/cabbage patch/running man moves here)

I love long weekends because of no other special reason except that it's a long weekend. Enough time to actually fold laundry and put it away instead of letting it sit in the laundry basket for days on end, edit a few photos, run around with Justin and Kona Bean, and just breathe in sunshine and time off. My parent's dog, Coco Bean will be crashing at our pad for a few days as the parental units will be doing a little bit of travelling. (yes, her and Kona share the same middle name and yes, I do indeed think they'd definitely be the cool kids at the doggy park if others knew this). Coco just had some dental work done, so she's sporting the cone of shame. Going for that lamp shade look goin' on and everythang!

I am excited to now present to you a few of the final shots from a photoshoot with actor/model, Robert Ajlouny. My husband and I decided that when he gets famous, we're soooo gonna ask him to introduce us to Tylor Perry. =)

As we start off this Memorial Day weekend, whether you high-five, chest bump, fist bump, do the running man, give bear hugs, or salute, here's a huge thank you to those who give up time away from their own family and loved ones to serve for our protection.

Happy, Happy Friday!

My New Superhero

Late. Tardy. Delayed. WHERE YOU BEEN, GIRL?!?

Yes, I am just now getting into the story of The Hunger Games. As we strolled the aisles of Target awhile ago, my husband saw all three of the popular books by Suzanne Collins lining up the metal shelves, saw the lovely little round sale sign near them and decided to take them home. He needed a good read, heard this was good, and I love anything on sale, so this book joined the rest of our purchases on the conveyor belt at the checkout stand.

It wasn't long before he was hooked and eventually finished all 3 parts of the story. It took me a while to get around to reading the books, and once I did all I gotta say is whoa. I wanna learn how to hunt squirrels, too!!

The last superhero I wanted to be was Wonder Woman. That was.....ummmm.... quite a few years ago. But after reading these bestsellers, well, let's just say I've found a new superhero and am curious to see how much it would be to take up archery lessons. 

I wanna be cool like my new superhero, Katniss Everdeen. If you haven't guessed it yet, I highly recommend picking up The Hunger Games trilogy. Like...NOW!

Happy Wednesday!

Jelly Bean Skies

I was going to start off this post with something profound and thought-provoking, the kind of statement that makes even Dr. Phil or Oprah go "oooooh"and the audience "ahhh".

Ummmm, then I realized profound and thought-provoking isn't in the cards for me today as it's one of those days that my brain has been, as I once heard a comedian say, in "screen-saver mode." But I guess that's normal as we all have super exciting/it's raining-my-favorite-flavored-jelly-beans-days  and other  is-it-Friday-yet?!? type of days. Let's be real...... an early morning workout at 5:30 a.m. has got me grumbling just a little bit.

Anyhoo!! This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do a different kind of photoshoot, one that involved more of a focus on the clothing of the models. Last summer, my husband, Justin, had the opportunity play music (he's a drummer), for a fashion show being held at a local church to raise funds and awareness for Transitions Global, an organization that is involved in rescuing victims of human trafficking. 

What stood out to me about the array of clothing designs modeled was that they were all, literally, created from scraps of old t-shirts, table cloths (no joke!), old neckties,  you name it! Each of these "scraps" were fashioned into some of the most beautiful and unique creations I've ever seen. The message of it all was how God can take anything that seemed damaged, cast-aside, used, and un-wanted and fashion something beautifully unexpected out of it. Being both a self-proclaimed I-can't-sew-a-button-on-type of person as well as an advocate for empowering and restoring women who have been damaged and hurt, I think it's an understatement to say that I was speechless watching this fashion show and listening to all of the speeches by the organization. Pretty awesome stuff!

There's more to come but here's a little sneak preview to what I'm talking about. 

Happy Tuesday!

Noel & Jorge. 2012.

As I'd mentioned in a previous post, Noel is an old friend of mine from back when pagers were our Facebook, when it was actually cool to sport overalls AND roll up the pant legs (yeah, baby!) and when last night's episode of Fresh Prince or Beverly Hills 90210 ranked as the highlight of our lunchtime conversations.

Jorge and Noel cracked jokes about cancelling their photoshoot with Vogue to hang with me instead for a sunny afternoon with my camera. And I am grateful. Because really, the way they worked it, reminded me of why I love capturing photos with an editorial flair. 

Big thanks goes out to Noel and Jorge for letting me act paparazzi-like with my camera and capturing their love to share with the world.

Happy Monday!

Tubs of Icy Hot

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is expecting her first baby. She and her husband are no doubt excited, but of course, they're nervous, too. And rightly so, because if I were her, I'd set a record as the girl who spazzed out every day of the 9 months I was carrying a child.

As she and I drove from the restaurant to the gelato spot for desert with our husbands, we chatted about all the ups and downs she was experiencing both emotionally and physically. And somehow we got to talking about support systems and how they were so important, especially to new parents like her and her husband.

After that conversation, it got me thinking about how valuable support systems are for a lot of different things in life. This has always been a tough concept for me to grasp as for many years I've taken pride (sometimes too much) in the things I've done, accomplished, gained, endured, you name it. I come from the school of "tough it out, even if you're flying solo and if  your shoulders ache from the load you're carrying, that's what Icy Hot is for." And needless to say, this hasn't always fared well for me.

As I get older, (Am I really starting off a sentence saying that?) something in my little ol' soul is slowly learning and accepting that while it's great to be independent and proactive, it's equally just as great to have the wisdom to know when the burden wasn't meant to be on your shoulders alone. Even if you have tubs of Icy Hot in your possession for the journey.

And oh, speaking of getting older, I'm actually embarassed to admit I know what this means:

Here's to support systems and people who encourage you to put away the Icy Hot.

Happy Friday!

She Thinks She's Human

We have one of those dogs that we swear thinks is human.

We take her to the dog park, she hangs with the humans and not the other pups. We have regular dog treats - she actually prefers lettuce and spinach. She has her own comfy dog bed - and yet prefers our Tempur-Pedic.

And sometimes, just sometimes, I think that if Kona Bean had real thumbs and access to the Internet, she'd sneak into her daddy's office and use his laptop. You know. Just because she's a smarty like that

Happy Thursday!

High-Fiving Hallmark

"You're the only one who knows the real me...and married me anyway."

Those were the exact words in the first plain white card that peeked out from the sea of the cheesy-written, poetically-written, lovely-written,bright-colored, dull-colored, plain, square and circle-shaped rows of cards displayed in the all-things-gift wrapping aisle of the store.

I love greeting cards and taking the time to find the perfect one, so even if this card was the one that caught my attention right away, I still wanted to peruse/research/get all Type-A on every card available there and it's content to make sure I picked the perfect one that captured all I wanted to say to my husband today on our 3 year wedding anniversary.

But even so, as I carefully reviewed each one that contained funny messages and elaborately-written love letters that would have made Romeo and Juliet high-five and chest bump Hallmark, I still found myself drawn to the very first card.

And yes, I did indeed end up selecting that very first simple card I saw because I realized it contained (with such brevity and simplicity my talkative self can't always achieve) everything I wanted to tell my husband on our anniversary today - that I'm thankful for our marriage and for the gift of his unconditional love and care.

Happy Anniversary to us, Bubby!

Photo by Kristian Iskandar of KI Photography

Get Your Snooze On

On Sunday afternoon, my husband and I returned from a long and fun vacation in Kauai. I lost count of how many bowls of saimin I ate (oh, Hamura's Saimin, how I miss thee), how many macadamia pancakes my husband ate, and most importantly, lost sense of deadlines, time contraints, and a to-do list. We laughed at the fact that the most productive thing we did on vacation was dig a hole in the sand at the beach and stare at our belly buttons while relaxing under the sun.

I swear I still smell sunscreen and keep thinking someone will magically appear and fold our laundry for us.

Jet-lag is usually an issue, and today is no different. Starting the day energetic? Awesome. Starting the day energetic at 4:30 am because your body tricked you into thinking it was time to get up for work? Yeah, not so awesome. Even our dog, Kona Bean, looked at me with bleary sleep-filled eyes this morning as if she wanted to say "You're trippin', Mommy."

I saw these random photos posted on the Internet of folks and even puppies who's lack of sleep got the best of them. Had to laugh because dang, at least, no one's captured me snoozing in public. My sleep drooling is none of anyone's business, after all.

Happy Tuesday!

"....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...."