Noel loves Amber {i do}

They met in high-school while working together at Jack-in-the-Box.  He told his brothers about this really hot girl that just started working with him and she swooned to her friends about this cute boy at work.  Somehow Noel ended up with Ambers camera and surprised her by taking pictures of his handsome face in various locations of the restaurant. And now…6 years later, they invited me to take photos of their gorgeous faces on their wedding day.

Noel and Amber got married a few weeks back at the gorgeous Coco Palm Restaurant in Pomona,  the views and layout of this venue won’t be soon forgotten.  Here’s some of my favorite images of their day that tell their love story-

Noel and Amber’s daughter getting ready…

Amber was surrounded by friends and family as she got ready- one thing I learned about this girl- she’s a keeper ; )

Amber- you’re gorgeous-the end.

So many things I love about this image-

Noel cleaned up pretty well-

Amber warned me that she was a crier, her friends were criers, and her family…well lets just say I felt like I was in good company.

Noel seeing his bride for the first time-

They wrote vows to each other and lets just say there wasn’t a dry eye left-

Their wedding was filled with just as much laughter as there were tears-

Some of my favorite portraits of the two of them together-

Dancing together as a family-

Listening to one of the (many) heartfelt toasts-

This image will forever be engraved in my mind, Amber and her grandfather (because really, grandfathers are the best)-

Noel and Amber wrapped up the evening by thanking their families and friends for all their love and support.  I couldn’t feel more blessed to be a part of their wedding day. The love and respect they have for one another is truly a sight to see.  Noel and Amber, thank-you for letting me share in the most treasured moments of your life. When life gets hard, remember the vows you spoke to each other.

Love Deeply.

If you’d like to see Noel and Amber’s entire gallery- click here

Mothers Day {my life}

Happy Mother’s Day to two very special women in my life.  My Mom, who is a constant source of encouragement and laughter to me.  My mother-in-love : ) who raised the man of my dreams.  I’m blessed beyond belief to call them both Mom.

And lastly, thank-you to my hubby for giving me three amazing little boys.  Motherhood has given me experiences I could not have imagined on my own (I have 3 boys, you can use your imagination on this one).  I have experienced joy, anger, laughter, pain and happiness all within a matter of minutes : )  Some days are harder than others, some days I want to throw in the towel, some days I want to pee in quiet, some days I want all to myself. But every day they say they love me.  For that I am thankful.

Someone shared this poem with me. And I cried.

 

I am your Mommy, you are my boy.

I am your quiet place, you are my wild.

I am your calm face, you are my giggle.

I am your wait, you are my wiggle.

I am your dinner, you are my chocolate cake.

I am your bed time, you are my wide awake.

I am your lullaby, you are my peekaboo.

I am your goodnight kiss, you are my I Love You.

 

Happy Mother’s Day.

 

Love Deeply.

Chanel {senior session}

A few weeks ago I got to take Chanel to my favorite local spot for her senior portraits.  Spring has sprung here in Southern California which means we’ve went from a cool 68 degrees to a sweltering 85 in a matter of two days.  Right?!  Bleh. I want it to be cool and cloudy again…sorry I digress.

Meet Chanel.

She is sassy.

And sophisticated.

And confident.

I don’t remember being all of those things when I was 18 years old.

Chanel will be attending San Francisco State University in the Fall.

Which I think is so incredibly awesome.

And because Dr. Seuss said it best:

Oh!

The places you’ll go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

Chanel- enjoy every waking moment of this new chapter in life.  College can be the most amazing time of your life.  And remember to do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do. I wish you all the best and more ; )

Love Deeply.

To see Chanel’s entire gallery click here

Things that made me laugh {my life}

It’s Monday and everyone should laugh out loud on a Monday.  Here’s a few things that made me laugh out loud recently:

 

I have a two year old AND a three year old…

I admit, sometimes I have a hard time getting off the internet-

See first photo in this series…

I think I laughed for a good 2 minutes at this one, if you know my husband, you’ll know why…

Again, see photo #1…

Happy Monday!!

 

Love Deeply.

 

He’s home {a military homecoming}

I asked her how long he’s been gone, she replied 7 months.

It amazes me every time I think about it, having your husband deployed to another country for that long. Of course I would miss him, but there would be more to it than that. It would be the little things that I’d miss. Like making him coffee, watching him take an afternoon nap, making him breakfast, arguing about where you went to dinner 4 weeks ago. I’d miss the everyday things.

Well, these wives don’t have to miss these things anymore, this was the night their husbands were coming home.

This homecoming in particular was scheduled for very late at night, and by very late I mean 10pm ; )  This little guy and I were on the same page.

Before the busses arrive with the soldiers, a smaller truck arrives with their bags. I learned that each Marine gets to take 3 bags with them, I do not however remember the names for them.  The wives mark their husbands bags so they can easily find them once they’ve arrived.

There’s lots of down time.

And lots of anticipation.

But once the busses make it around the corner, you can feel the excitement begin-

And people literally start cheering and crying and clapping-

A little boy gets to hear his daddies voice again-

A daddy gets to see his little boy again-

And just when I thought my heart would explode-

My tears took it’s place-

Needless to say, there’s lots of hugging, lots of kissing, lots of laughing going on.  This sweet Momma flew all the way from Connecticut to welcome her son home-

They collected their bags-

And went home.

Together.

These moments are ones that I will not soon forget.  And while saying thank-you to these men and women seems so simple, I can’t really think of anything other than that.  Thank-you to each and every one of you that have endured months of communicating via email, months of empty beds and months of longing.  Thank-you.

 

Love Deeply

To see all the images from this homecoming click here

Justin + Nicole {i do}

It was extra warm that afternoon, which made it even more wonderful because there was originally rain forecasted on their wedding day.  I could tell their day was going to be relaxed and packed with fun.  Bridesmaids hustled from here to there, flowers arrived, the cake arrived, all the while Nicole sat quietly in front of the mirror and smiled. Every time I glanced at her, she was smiling.  We said our hellos, and I asked her how she was. She smiled and said “good”,  which made me smile and say “great”. I love when a bride is content to be in each moment of her wedding day.

That is how I would describe both Justin and Nicole. Content with their wedding day. Content with each other.  Content to be in each moment.

Makes me content to shoot my heart out and capture each moment  ; )

Nicole did an amazing job pulling her wedding details together.

I left the girls to make sure the boys were getting ready…

Nicole’s mom and sister helping her get her dress just right-

I love the expression on her face.

I stole the two of them away for some relaxed and romantic portraits-

Then it was time to start the reception…. best man speeches are always more interesting with a cop hat and purple aviator glasses on  ; )

I’ll end with my favorite-

Justin and Nicole- thanks for making this such a relaxing fun day for your guests, and for myself.  Remember to laugh together always and don’t sweat the small stuff.  Remember this day always.

Love Deeply

If you’d like to see the entire gallery of Justin and Nicole’s wedding click here.

Alesia {senior session}

It’s that time of the year again. When the 12th grade class starts getting real restless as the thoughts of graduation and college can’t seem to leave their minds.  It’s also my favorite time of the year, the flowers are blooming and there’s just a few short months left until summertime.  I love shooting senior sessions, probably because they remind me of being that age again. That time somewhere between adulthood and   the teenage years. That time when you really do know it all ; )

Alesia is one of those girls that doesn’t even have to try and be gorgeous. She just is.

And every image shows that gorgeousness inside and out.

We went to my new favorite spot.

And we laughed. And talked. Maybe that’s my favorite part about senior sessions. All the chatting about college and prom and what summertime will hold.

Here is one of my very, very favorite images.

And probably this one too.

Alesia’s laughing at one of my funny jokes. About how she isn’t allowed to even think about dating until she’s nearly done with college.

And finally, we wrapped it up.

Alesia- I wish you all the best the Lord has for you.  Listen to your Aunt and Uncle, finish college because trust me- it’s not as fun when you have a family to think about : ) most of all- enjoy the next years, they’re one of the best chapters in life.

Love Deeply.