I knew I wanted to take my business to the next level, and after talking with friends and the fabulous Jasmine Star, I knew it was time to move beyond having just a blog and get a separate website of my very own! This website has been a labor of love for the past few months and it was definitely a collaborative effort! So I have a lot of people to thank for making it come together!!

I decided to get a SHOWIT site because I was not at all interested in a template site and I had heard so many great things about the software and service from my friends. Showit is super cool because the software allows you to completely customize and update your site whenever you want. They are also super good with support and have soooo many great features! I am excited to learn even more about Showit as I update my site in the future.

Nick Haskins of Spilled Milk Designs designed my website in Showit for me! I do not at all pretend to be a designer and I know that hiring SMD to design and build a custom site for me was one of my smartest business investments ever! Nick and the team had great ideas and totally made all my visions and wishes come true and they were very accommodating throughout the design process! I am SO happy with how it turned out! SO happy!

The video was made by Floataway Studios and I can not recommend them enough for all your video needs! Mary and Scott were so fun and awesome to work with! And dang, do they have talent!! I am in LOVE with my video and I really hope you love it too!!

The photos of just me on my about page were taken by my fabulous friend Katie Neal! I always love having my picture taken but Katie made it especially fun! And I LOVED how they turned out! The photos of me & AJ on the about page were taken by Palos Studio (our FABULOUS wedding photographers)! We love the Palos– they are talented and FUN! And I will always treasure the pics they took of me & AJ!

So yeah, I pretty much had a dream team working with me to make my dream website a REALITY! I am stoked about it! Go check it out and let me know what you think!!

So I will be out of the office until August 19th. My internet access & phone use will be limited. All emails will be returned on August 20th.

Aloha!!!! And have a good week readers!

PS- Yes I am aware I have been SUCKING at my Tuesday Top 5 lately. I will get back on track when I return I promise!!!

1) I won a contest on photosister.com to get a sweet new black rapid women’s camera strap! I’ve been anxiously awaiting this strap since I tried it on t WPPI in March! So to win was super sweet!

2) Zoe & Nima’s awesome engagement session was featured last week on the new Style Unveiled!! Check it out!

3) And lastly but not leastly….I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS A FINALIST BY WEDDING CHANNEL AS ONE OF THE TOP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGS! That’s sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool! Like, Elizabeth Messina is another nominee. And little ole me is nominated in the same category. HOLLA. But y’all. I need YOUR VOTES so I can win “Best Wedding Photography Blog.” Yep, this little lady has her eyes on the prize! So if you read my blog & love it (or even just like it a little) please take a few secs to vote for me HERE!

Thanks! And happy 4th of July to everyone!!!

But the world turns and life goes on. And honestly I am so relieved to be closing the chapter on dealing with my grandparents death every single day and am looking forward to getting back to my life, and more importantly my business. And the timing worked out because July is a CRAZY busy month! I have a wedding every weekend!!! Woooooohoooo!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait! Bring it on!

So I am back. I will be blogging 2-3 times a week again. I will be clever on Tuesdays and share my top 5′s. And I have some other big, fun things a-brewing too!

But…..I will actually be out of town from July 2 (that’s tomorrow! whoa!) through July 9. I’m going to DC for business & pleasure. First, AJ & I are celebrating our FIRST ANNIVERSARY!! WOOOO! And then we are shooting Pam & Justin’s wedding, which I know will be awesome! So yeah, I am back but not…but back!

To prove that I’m back in action, here’s a teaser from a shoot I will be posting later today!

So go check it out:

Thank you SOOOO much to Ami at EAD for the feature!!! I am honored!!!

Last Thursday while having coffee with my good friend and fellow photographer Cindee Bae, we started talking about my blog/branding and kicking ideas around. Before I knew it she was over at my house helping me redesign EVERYTHING. Thanks to Cindee for designing this awesome new background based on my beloved shootsac, and also figuring out to round the corners on my blog, and just making it 100% better looking & more like me!!

I am soooo excited by this new look, and now the wheels are turning for a new, separate website to come out this summer! Yayyyyy!!! So what do you think of my new look? Leave your comments

Getting featured in an online publication was one of my goals for 2010. Pretty much a dream! And I am so thrilled to say that it has happened! The lovely ladies over at StyleUnveiled.com have featured Rachel & Mark’s wedding as one of their real weddings!! Hoooray! I am so excited that I could scream at the top of my lungs! This is pretty much one of the coolest things to happen to me to date! Yeeeah!

I really have to thank the fabulous Susie Chhuor for bringing this wedding to the attention of the gals of Style Unveiled! I also gotta thank Rachel & Mark for a)being the most awesome people ever b) having a fabulous wedding c) trusting me with their memories and d) writing such kind words about me in the article! I am so moved! And of course major thanks to Heather & Kimberly at Style Unveiled for the feature! You all made my day!

But seriously go check out the article and then go browse the site and lose hours of time while checking out all the eye candy! It really is a great resource for stylish brides!!!

I’m so thrilled to be featured on the **fab** TinaMolina Event’s Blog as a Favorite Vendor! I absolutely love working with Christina of TinaMolina Events so it was so exciting to be one of her fav vendors! Y’all should check out the little interview on her blog by clicking HERE!

Again, thank you so much Christina for all your support! You rock! Can’t wait to work together more this year!

So here is a new feature for your enjoyment. Tuesday Top 5! Kinda self explanatory, eh? Every Tuesday I post about 5 awesome-mc-blossom things! Things that make me tick! And things that make me jump for joy! So here goes!

Top 5

1. 2010! 2010 has been pretty sweet so far! I’ve met some great couples, and already shot a FANTASTIC wedding! Maybe the best wedding I have shot EVER! That’s a good sign, no? I think 2010 is going to be great, so here’s to the new year! And lots more awesome weddings
2. The Princess & The Frog!! OMG this movie rocked so hard!! I laughed, I sighed, I sang, I cried! It was beautiful. For those who haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?? For those who did see it, holla at me and tell me how much you loved it!!!
3. Blackberry & Tmobile. Guys, I finally entered the modern age and got a smart-phone! It was actually FREE at Costco as long as I renewed my contract. Now I did want an iphone, but that was not free. Did I ever mention I love a good deal??? Especially FREE things! Yeah I do! I love good deals like whoa. So me and my new blackberry are getting to know each other. And I’d say, blackberry is kinda swell! Thanks Tmobile for helping get high-tech!
4. Mika. Lately whenever I edit photos I listen to Mika (both of his CD’s)…and maybe I sing along at the top of my lungs. Maybe. He’s soooo good! A little glam rock, a little pop, a little je ne sais quoi! If y’all haven’t listened to him, I say go for it! Even my husband can listen to him (which is RARE as my hubs dislikes most of my music choices)!
5. Lady Gaga for Polaroid! Those who are my fb friends or follow me twitter probably know I uber heart Lady Gaga.  She is without a doubt my favorite artist out there right now! And now she is CREATIVE DIRECTOR for a Polaroid specialty division. I’m excited to see where this partnership goes. I heart polaroid and have been wanting it to come back with a bang. And now my homegirl is trying to take the iconic camera into the future! Sweet! Click here to watch an awesome interview with more info!

So I guess I can’t leave y’all without a picture right? Well I can…but then you’d say HOW RUDE! So here is a teaser from last Saturday’s frickin’ awesome wedding– my first wedding of 2010. The blog post for this wedding is probably gonna be HUGE. Because there are too many good shots. Too many! But for now I’ll just leave you with one.

Happy Tuesday!!!

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