Personal Musings of a Crazy Pregnant Lady

It hit me today. I'm in my third trimester. Holy. Cow. We're talking final stretch here people (literally and figuratively).

When I think about the fact that I have like 12 weeks (possibly only 10) before I'm holding my son in my arms, it scares me to death and excites me at the same time. Now, as a 3rd trimester-er, I'm used to constant, conflicting and overwhelming emotions all at the same time. But seriously. 12 weeks.

Things have been changing, sure. I spent about a week where I couldn't really walk (those of you who know me and my pathetic love-affair with injuring myself probably remember all the of the various ways I've fractured, dislocated or just plain messed up my back and hips...) and then found a yoga course that really works for me (I'm in love with it - it's never been so easy to commit to a physical routine before). I've started to waddle *cringe*. I spend most evenings icing my ankles and feet. My baby spends most of his evenings playing kickball with my insides. He's big too - doctor estimated him at almost 15 inches last week (that's like 2 - 3 weeks ahead size wise). Granted, that could change, but man... He's strong too - he actually wakes me up at night now and if he really gears up and gives me a good kick, it shakes the bed a little bit. You can see this little guy swimming around on the outside of my belly and it fills me with both wonder and a wee bit of that oh-my-gosh-I-saw-this-in-a-horror-movie feeling. I dream about him constantly. I used to day dream about what my kids would be like, but nothing like this.

It's finally stopped feeling weird to walk into the baby clothes section and find something cute. It still feels weird when I think about dressing my baby boy. Sometimes I feel very very 16 still. Of course life has gone on and how I look at the world has changed, but so much of what felt like "me" is still there. And then there are times when I realize that I look like an adult and I feel 35. I have started to get little lines around my eyes (a fact that I'm actually a little bit happy about, believe it or not) and I can see the lines on my husband's face starting to form (a fact I really like - "distinguished" men are hot!).

I guess realizing today that I went into this stage almost without realizing it, combined with my upcoming anniversary has led to a lot of reflection. My husband and I have been through a lot together in the last 7+ years and though I don't feel ready to be a parent per-se, I feel confident because we're doing this together.

However, confidence still doesn't diminish that "holy cow" feeling. Maybe that's why things like the upcoming election, global warming, Prop 8, the economy, and all that craziness seems a little paler to me right now. Sure, I'll be out there on Nov. 4 waddling into the voting booth, but when you compare it to the fact that my husband and I created a life, it almost feels silly.

Btw - if it seems like I've wandered all over the map in these musings, it's not you, it's me. That's my brain ALL THE TIME right now. It's frustrating sometimes (especially to my poor husband), but once you learn to just ride the crazy wave, it's not so bad. Unless it's bad to accept your craziness and start enjoying it. That's probably some kind of psychosis or something.

Oh well. :)

Holiday Time!: Corban ~Kid Kouture~

Corban is probably one of the cutest 3 month olds ever. Until Cameron is born and hits 3 months anyway... ;) But UNTIL then, Corban definitely has the market. I love doing holiday portraits, especially fall portraits, and this little guy was amazingly cooperative. Christen (Corban's gorgeous mommy), Corban and I headed to Lombardi Ranch in Saugus (one of my favorite places ever) and took some great "first fall" photos. Now, understand when is say I love this place, know that it's sort of a ridiculous understatement. My husband rolls his eyes, but I seriously come to this place every year - I even drove out during college because it's practically sacrilegious to buy pumpkins anywhere else. And now I have the added bonus of thinking to myself that I can't WAIT to bring my kiddo here. Seriously so much fun for me and my little wacky brain. :)

Check out Corban's flirty over-the-shoulder-come-hither look.


He wasn't entirely sure about this whole being held up when there are clearly other things to do thing, but he did pretty well!


But then, to entertain himself and us, he did one of the things babies do best:


And one more cutie shot with a little help from Mom - this time with pumpkins his size. :)


More portraits coming soon! Can't wait to blog some shots from yesterday's portraits in Pasadena with Amari - my new favorite Power Ranger/Kobe Bryant fan. :)

~B

Baby Shower Guestbook!

Can you tell I have baby on the brain lately? I don't usually do this many personal blog posts in a row, but I had to share this one. I've been toying with the idea of offering Baby Shower Guestbooks for a while, but never actually have. I decided I would be my own guinea pig (usually I commandeer a friend for that!) and create one for my husband and I!

When I got married, my aunts and my mom arranged for everyone to write little notes (marriage advice, favorite memory, etc.) and put them all in a little box for me to keep. I still visit that box from time to time and it's always been a special thing to me. Eye-opening in some cases, but also very special. ;) I thought I'd like to do something similar for my baby shower and this seemed to do that very well. :) Plus it gave people a chance to see some of our maternity photos AND leave little tidbits for Cameron. I thought it might be something special for him (and possibly his family) later too. I love how this page came out too:



Of course, my wonderful talented album designer Sandra provided the design (and Jessica Verma took the photos). If you want to see the full 10x10 album design, *click here*!

Our Maternity Shoot!

Ok, so I should have posted this a little faster, but I was behind on some other editing and tried to be responsible. :) However, here are the long awaited photos....



Preston & I headed down to Old Town Pasadena to meet up with my long time photographer/friend, Jessica Verma. Jess shot our engagement shoot, our wedding, and now our maternity shoot, so I guess that officially makes her our "family photographer". Jess was also really instrumental in teaching me a lot when it comes to the photography and photography business worlds, so I'm always thrilled to get to work with her again. She graciously caved to my neurosis and let me have the unedited files same-day so I could tweak with them myself. :) Super uber thanks to you Jess!!!!!

I also have to give a shout-out to my buddy Danielle to whom I dedicate this post - she helped motivate me to get it done already! Lol.



Cameron may not have been in our plan originally, but I hope that it shows just how much his parents love each other and how much we can't wait to love all over him. We both feel truly blessed by God with this little dude.







It's always a good reminder for me to be in front of the camera every now and then. I'm much much MUCH more comfortable behind it - but every time I have photos done it reminds me how hard it is for my clients to do the same thing. Kudos to all of you for doing it - it's hard!

Sigh. I used to be tanner than my husband...


At the Wishing Trees.


Thanks to my amazing husband for not dropping me... my shape and weight makes this kind of thing sorta awkward - but he made it look easy. :)


I have the best husband EVER. Like, seriously. He's hilarious. These are probably some of my favorite photos ever of him. Also, he's hot. Like way hot.




Sun-flare! Love. It.


Cuteness outside of Jess's studio in Sierra Madre. :) Also, though it was very hard to select only 3 pairs of shoes to wear in this shoot (have I mentioned I love shoes?), these particular ones had never been worn and were christened on this shoot. :) I love me a fierce red shoe.




And finally, our "Notting Hill" picture. :) I didn't realize until a few days after the shoot that this is how that movie ends.



We'll be making a guest book out of the entire shoot for the shower later on, so if you're coming to that, you'll get to see even more photos. :) Thanks again to Jess for doing the shoot and for making us both feel so comfortable. :) You rock my world. As always.

~B

Lisa & Dali ~Wedding~

Lisa & Dali's wedding last weekend was absolutely gorgeous! They have known each other for 10 years (from their days at Harvard) and the comfort and excitement of a foundation like that was definitely evident in everything they did. So many of their details were well thought through and intentional and it really showed. For example, Lisa & Dali had their fathers light the small candles and pass that light to the back of the congregation of supporters in the church, who then passed it, one by one, all the way back to the front to their mothers, who passed the flame to them, where they lit the unity candle together in the front. It was beautiful and symbolic and definitely personal. They also chose to face their guests during their vows, rather than away. Truly, their whole day was packed with personal details like that - it was beautiful! Speaking of details, here we go:



Loved this shoe shot. :) I was totally inspired by shooting with Melissa Jill last February...


The blue box says it all.


More of the getting ready details


So California.


Isn't Lisa absolutely stunningly gorgeous?


All her ladies were pretty gorgeous too. :) I loved the gowns.


Ceremony time! I brought two assistants with me for their wedding and let Nate take the front of the isle for this one - I love being at the back, so I was definitely enjoying myself. Brandon (who I would like to if you had a blog, dude...) chilled up in the Indian Jones-like balcony. Visit Nate's blog to see shots of the seriously freaky balcony. :)



Married!!!!


Newlyweds leaving in style!!! Lisa's father and her sister built this beauty.


We headed over to downtown Pasadena for some quick photos NEAR City Hall. Technically, we weren't permitted to set foot on City Hall property because other wedding was going on there (you can almost see the other bride in the background of the shot), so we chilled across the street for a few shots. We even got clever about how to get some wedding party shots in the street in front of the Hall without breaking the rules. :) Don't worry, we didn't disturb the other wedding - the reception hadn't even started when we were over NEAR there. :)


Aren't they so adorable?


Dali is apparently known for his uncanny (and funny) ability to sneak into the back of very serious photos. Wedding days are no different. :)



I love this shot. Cal Tech's campus is gorgeous and choc full of locations. Their reception was at the Athenaeum (built for Sir Isaac Newton himself...).




Ok, before this blog gets too long, I'll wrap it up. Their full slideshow will be up soon and I'll be sure to post it. :) Congrats again Lisa & Dali!!

Our Maternity Session - Teaser

I had a little dose of my own medicine today. Preston and I headed down to Pasadena to do our maternity shoot with my fellow photographer and good friend, Jessica Verma. That means that for the first time in a long time, I was on the other side of the lens.... Here's a sneak peak of the session - I'll do a full post soon (after I get Lisa & Dali's images up from their wedding last weekend - I'm still way excited about that one!).

Mark & Joy's Wedding Album!

I had the immense pleasure of shooting Mark & Joy's wedding this past August in Malibu and I am SO excited about how the wedding album came out! Sandra has really out-done herself (she seems to do that a lot) and I'm thrilled to show this one off. :) If you'd like to see the full album design, *click here*! Keep in mind that the full album is 12x12 inches! Enjoy!

Addicted. Hopelessly, utterly, & completely...

I thought I'd be the "strong one" in my group of friends. I thought, "Hey, I've read good books before". I thought it wouldn't hook me like it had so obviously hooked all of them.

So I was WAY wrong.

For those of you who have already succumbed to the literary crack known as The Twilight Saga, I sympathize with you. I read all 4 books in about a week (all 2500 pages or so). I even read the draft of the re-telling on the website. I couldn't put it down. My sleep suffered, my social life suffered, my editing life only survived because I had the audio book too to listen to while I was editing photos. I walked around looking much like the vampires in the story after no sun for a week and dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. And I was strangely ok with that. You can tell who is in the middle of Twilight by that special "Twilight Face" that shows up for anywhere from a week to a month. We're like a little club. Or maybe Coven is the better word...

Anyway, I was so excited that they decided to make a film out of the first book. I know it won't compare to the books, but something, ANYTHING that keeps this wonderful world from ending is welcome at this point. I haven't stooped to fan fiction yet, but the desperation is simmering... ;)

To see a sneak peak of the film, check out the trailer here:
Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer


To purchase the crack books, *click here* or visit pretty much ANY bookstore. Stephanie Meyer (the author) holds some impressive records for all four books in the New York Times Bestseller list. You will probably thank me if you read the books, but your family and friends might not... Of course, you could just do what I did and get them all hooked too. ;)

October 11 Wedding Teaser

My husband has whisked me away out of town for the day today (for some relaxation and a hockey game with friends... yes, those two can go together...), but I still have my laptop and I wanted to post a little teaser from yesterday's wedding! More from Lisa & Dali's wedding will be coming soon (I promise!) and I can't wait to share it with you. Everything was simply gorgeous! In the meantime, this will have to do!

Ron & Anna ~Wedding~

Warning: This may end up being the longest blog post of my blog-life so far. ;)


This past weekend, Anna & Ron were married at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. It was seriously one of those weddings where everything came together - the kind a photographer like myself dreams about (literally). Everything was gorgeous - the people were beautiful, the bride was stunning, the wedding party was hilarious and energetic, the details were personalized and fabulous, the setting was amazing, the weather was perfect.... I know they always tell you (when you're a bride at least) that something WILL go wrong, but if anything did for this wedding, I definitely didn't see it.

We started at the Marriott Residence Inn in Beverly Hills for some beforehand prep and details.


Anna's makeup and hair (and most of the ladies in the bridal party as well) was provided by the very talented Marlou Colina. All of the ladies looked flawless.


Anna's gown was completely custom. She even had it sent to the Philippines for extra beadwork on the antique lace bodice and detailing along the bottom of the skirt. It was fabulous, fit her like a glove and had a very Luhlier feel to it.


The lovely ladies in their very fashionable deep purple dresses. Their personalities were evident from the very beginning.


Anna really did look amazing. Of course, when you're that gorgeous to begin with, a wedding gown and all that is just icing on the cake.




Ron & Anna opted for a "First Look" before the ceremony. I LOVE it when couples decide to do that. There are so many benefits. You get a nice private moment to enjoy each other's company when you see each other for the first time and you actually get to talk to each other. From my personal experience (my husband and I opted for a First Look before our ceremony as well), it was so special knowing that my husband saw me FIRST - before any of the guests did. Plus, it takes a lot of the stress and tension out of the photo time and you get amazing shots.



And even with a First Look, Ron still started tearing up when Anna walked down the isle to him. The whole time she was walking, all the groomsmen were whispering to Ron, saying things like "Dude, that's your WIFE!" - they were all pretty impressed with how stunning she was too.



More details.


They held the ceremony in an outdoor courtyard that overlooked the mansion and all of downtown LA and Beverly Hills. Breathtaking.








Ron is such a stud (this theme is re-occurring btw.... you'll see more of why that is later...). He's also a poker player, so while he was sweeping Anna off her feet for their first kiss, his family and friends were all shouting "double down!" to get him to kiss her again. ;)


Newlyweds!


Wedding party fun.


Their adorable twin flower girls were embarrassed by the PDA....


The gentelmen... and Ron showing off his new bling.


More Ron & Anna cuteness....












It should have been a hint of what was to come when Anna had already put on her dancing shoes...


Seriously, check out that bling! What a gorgeous ring!




When I shot Anna & Ron's engagement session, they managed to find a cute little miniature golf course that had an Eiffel Tower on it. That was perfect because guess where Anna & Ron are going on their honeymoon.....(no, it's not to a miniature golf course...). They picked one of the Eiffel Tower shots to blow up and display plus they had a full guestbook made of their engagement images for guests to look at and sign.


After they were officially introduced and made their grand entrance into the reception (held in the courtyard located in the center of the mansion itself), they launched into their first dance. It started out romantic and it was clear they had practiced steps and lifts and dips...


However, mid-way thru their romantic 98 degrees song, the song came to a screeching halt and switched to "Jump On It" and then they really broke it down!


After getting their groove on for a while, the song screeched back to the end of their romantic song and Ron ended it well again (more stud action). Everyone was thoroughly impressed.


After dinner and the sun began to set (and Ron had sung "I Wanna Grow Old with You" as a surprise to his new wife), Anna changed into her second dress of the evening - a hot little short number - to cut the cake and make her exit with her husband in. Btw, they couldn't decide on cake, cupcakes or baby cakes, so they pretty much had all three. :)


Ron decided one bite wasn't enough and decided to finish the slice they had cut.


Once the sun had totally gone down, the real surprise of the evening aired. Ron & Anna told everyone that they were going to do a video montage "you know, with baby pictures" to show to their guests. No one except the wedding party knew what they had actually prepared. Anna & Ron shot a full movie trailer version of "The Matrix Engaged" starring themselves and their groomsmen. It was seriously amazing!


I was totally blown away at all the work they put into it. Kristopher J. Evans (who also agreed to play Morpheus) produced the film along with his company Corner 10 Productions. He also put the full trailer online, so you totally should go here to watch it!

After a bit more dancing, Anna & Ron made their goodbyes and snuck out.


Hope you guys have an AMAZING honeymoon in Paris and Rome!!! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed myself at your gorgeous wedding! Best wishes to you both!

PS: Told you it was a long blog. :)
~B