I don’t really consider myself a girly-girl. At the same time, I don’t think I’m a total tomboy either. Large groups of girls actual intimidate me because they are full of knowledge about clothes, make-up, hair, etc., that I am completely unaware and oblivious to. I actually consider myself to be quite low-maintenance. I don’t spend a ton of time getting ready. In fact, on any given day, if I had the choice of what to wear, I’d pick jeans and a shirt or hoodie if it’s cold. Y’know, when it’s below 50 degrees or something.

Don’t get me wrong, I love getting dressed up and wearing cute dresses and all, but I choose not to do it every single day because it’s quite a bit of work and being an anti-morning person, if I had the choice between sleeping or getting up hours earlier to get my hair and make-up done… I’d choose sleep - without any hesitation.

To be honest, since I don’t know a lot about make-up, I wear very, very little makeup. I wear very little because I have such sensitive skin and because I don’t want a make-up routine that can take up my precious morning minutes. So several years ago, when I was introduced to Bare Escentuals make-up, I was quite the happy girl.

It’s so easy to use and so light that you can’t really tell that you’re even wearing make-up. It doesn’t clog your pores and if you happen to fall asleep, you won’t wake up with a face full of pimples because it’s all natural. I’ve been using it for awhile now and I love all their products.

Do you remember when you were a kid and you watched your mom put on make-up? She would use all these different products, but it would always be the brushes that stood out to me. Whenever you see a little girl play with make-up, what do they always do? They use the big brushes and sweep them across their face. What I love about Bare Escentuals is that it brings out the little girl in me each time I use my big brushes. They have tons of brushes too. You can spend quite a bit on just those.

A year ago, San Diego finally got a Bare Escentuals store in Fashion Valley. I LOVE going to this store. The make-up artists that work there are actually quite friendly and not intimidating at all. I often find the people that work behind the make-up counters quite intimidating - esp. when they are trying to sell you every single thing they can. I don’t do well with salespeople. I buckle easy. Lucky for me, the ones that work at Bare Escentuals are friendly and straightforward. They helped me to find a better color foundation that matches my skin more the last time I was there.

Plus, who wouldn’t love all the different colors and shades on a circular table?

They are always coming out with new products too so check them out!

(Photos from my crappy cell phone. *Ahem* Adam, my birthday is coming up. *Ahem*)

What do The Fray, Coldplay, Keane, and Snow Patrol all have in common? If you were to ask me to define it, I would have no clue. But if you were to check out my The Fray radio station on my Pandora, you would be able to listen to all that great music, for free, and then find many more artists that you’d like too. That, my friend, is the power of Pandora.

I absolutely love Pandora. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now and it just keeps getting better and better. I love my jazz holiday station because over the past two holiday seasons, I have perfected it and I like every single song they play on it. It has kept me quite happy throughout the past two Christmases because it only plays songs I like and I don’t have to sit through the ones I don’t like on the radio.

Every once in awhile, I’ll click the “Why is this playing?” button and it has all these musical terms that make no sense to me, but hey… it works and how it gets into my head and knows exactly what I like is beyond me. But I am so glad that Pandora is around to help make sense of the my music madness and help me find new artists that I might enjoy!

I love a couple that smiles. Joy just oozes out from them and you can’t help but catch it yourself. Elaine and Scott were all smiles all day long and it was such a fun day to capture.

When the bride and groom take a pho lunch break in the middle of their wedding day, man… you’ve hit the jackpot. I texted Adam to make him a little envious of our pho break. In case you don’t know, my husband loves pho and all things noodle and soup. He clarified for me yesterday that he loves me more than noodle soup. Who knew I was such a lucky girl?

The Galangs and I started our day at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Rancho Penasquitos, took some shots at Oceanside Pier and then ended up at a beach house in Oceanside.

This dish was from her parents’ wedding.

Pho break!

Marilou and Dan are so cute. I love a man who isn’t afraid to carry a purse.

Oceanside Pier.

Can you say, “CARNE ASADA”? Mmm….

Of course, I couldn’t help but want this cutie to smile for me. He was reluctant so I asked him to make some funny faces and then he smiled. Look at those eyes!

I love how Dan matches Marilou with his purple shirt and tie.

First dance.

Another special thanks to the Galangs for having me again! Check out Daniel’s new blog at http://www.danielgalangblog.com

If one were to dig through my closet, you’d find many random bags and purses there. It’s quite an obsession. A big one. Ever since I was six years old and I had my first toy purse, I’ve always been compelled to carry miscellaneous necessities (in my eyes, at least) along with me wherever I go. Back when I was younger, I used to carry random toys and stuffed animals with me. Maybe even a book or two. As an adult, I have yet to kick this tendency and since my go-to purse right now is a huge Coach one, I carry lots more misc. things with me everywhere I go now. Plus, as I’ve gotten older, my purses seem to continue to grow in size.

Adam probably doesn’t enjoy the fact that I lug around a huge purse, but that’s only because when I need an extra hand, he often has to carry it. But hey, when people need kleenex, hand sanitizer, two kinds of chapstick or lip gloss, pens, gum, tampons, tylenol, eye drops, etc… who has it?! Me! I’m not a light traveler either, but don’t start getting judgmental because when you start asking for Tums or Q-tips, you know who to ask. Miss Carry-it-all.

Isn’t the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared”? Well, as the wife of an Eagle Scout, I am proud to say I am.

My affinity for bags and purses is quite easy to manipulate. Put a pattern fabric on a bag and it will be hard for me to walk away from it without purchasing it or thinking of ways of explaining to Adam why I need it. Especially if it’s a really cute and colorful fabric. So when I came across these cute hobo bags on Etsy, I had to bookmark them to save for my future purchases.

These are from Moop’s etsy shop.

These bags are made Retrofied’s etsy shop. They are so many different patterns, it makes me want lots of different ones to match each outfit.

I really love the larger ones because I could carry my laptop around it in. But then, again… do I really need a BIGGER bag?

I have more guy friends than girl friends. Most of my closest friends in the world are guys. It’s a good thing I have a very trusting husband.

Ever since high school, I’ve always gravitated towards the guys because they were simple, fun, and I felt like they didn’t judge me. Even to this day, in a large group of women, I always feel like I’m under the eyes of scrutiny because I’m so low maintenance and don’t pour hours into my hair, make-up, etc. Case being, I’ve had many guy roommates over the course of my ten years in San Diego - one of them being Reggie.

I think out of all the roommates I’ve had in college, Reggie definitely was the most studious out of all of us. We wasted our time away doing APSA stuff, staying up late doing God knows what, making late night runs for carne asada fries, playing mah-jong until the wee hours in the morning, and doing just about anything BUT studying. Even though Reggie would partake in the fun, he somehow managed to be on top of his grades as well. I think it’s no surprise that he’s the one that went to medical school and finished this Spring!

Before continuing his time in NYC and starting his internship program at New York Methodist Hospital, he is spending some time here in his hometown and we finally got to meet up again and take some fun shots!

I’ve always wanted to shoot at the Salk Institute & Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla so I was uber happy when Reggie chose these locations.

Loved the pink shirt and black tie combo.

Dr. Saldivar!

It was great to finally catch up with you again, Reggie! I am so proud of your accomplishments and look forward to many, many more Dr. Saldivar!

Digital awesomeness does not do justice to just how digitally-awesome the guys behind Tofurious are. Lawrence and Doug are two of the Furious Photographers. The funny thing about our friendship is that they actually graduated from my same alma mater, Rosemead High. Go Panthers!

Above is a from photo from the photobooth software that they introduced at WPPI this year. [b]ecker even managed to appear in one of the shots if you look carefully! Their booth was right next to the Shootsac booth and while I was volunteering for Shootsac, I had the chance to chat with them and play with their new photobooth software.

They are amazing photographers who want to help out other photographers and one of the many ways that they do that is through their site Tofurious. The blog template that I’m using is made by them.

Here’s a photo of my new blog layout for those of you, like myself, that only read blogs through Google Reader. I just revamped it with a new background and colors.

They have lots of SEO resources available too. If you watch their videos, they are very self-explanatory and easy to understand. I am excited to see what else they come up with and honored to call them friends of mine. Go check them out at their site http://www.tofurious.com!

I knew it was going to be a fun day when I saw Sarah walking to the trolley station in red shoes. Actually, I take it back. I knew it was going to be a fabulous e-sesh when they suggested we meet downtown.

Sarah and Daniel were so much fun to shoot and to hang out with. Adam and I left the e-session feeling like we just had a double date with our close friends. We had so much fun roaming the streets in Downtown San Diego. Talk about sensory overload! So many fun places full of nooks and crannies. They came to the session claiming that they were not photogenic, but I think they were LYING! They were such troopers and were up for anything! And such naturals at being cute in front of my camera. I love it.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

First shot of the day. LOVED it!

We had a blast riding the trolley because none of us really take public transit on a regular basis. Yes, we were the dorks with the cameras on the trolley.

One of Adam’s shots. I think he’s becoming quite the 2nd shooter-in training.

We even played around a bit on the carousel.

We needed an ice cream break because we were “working” so hard. haha.

I’ve been wanting to do this shot for months! I call it my “Twilight” pose.

This was Adam’s vision, but easily my favorite shot of the day.

Sarah and Daniel, we can’t wait for your wedding! Thanks for being so FUN to hang out. When do you want to go out for ice cream next?

Technorati Profile

Several years ago, I traveled for 2+ weeks with Seminar at Sea. The program is a shorter version of their Semester at Sea program using the same vessel. This was around the same time that Adam was halfway through his 2-year commitment with the Peace Corps and since he was out there being adventurous, I kind of wanted my own adventure too.

Ever since I learned about Semester at Sea from a Saved By the Bell: The College Years episode, I’ve always wanted to do it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to while I was in college. But when I found out about a short version of SAS, I quickly signed up and off I went during winter break from San Diego down through Central America and the Caribbean back up to Florida. It was an adventure of a lifetime for me being able to see all these amazing countries first hand, but more so because I traveled alone.

For those who know me, I don’t do “alone” very well. For the short amount of time that I lived in our current home before Adam moved in after the wedding, it was quite a nervous time for me. During the daytime, it wasn’t too bad, but it was always the strange noises at night that would get me on edge. And when you have a fridge that farts, well… it’s no wonder you start to get a little paranoid. (Our fridge makes these strange noises that sound a lot like it’s passing gas.)

Well, being a single traveler in foreign countries is never easy. Luckily for me, I was a ship full of people and lots of friendly ones. There weren’t many single travelers like myself, but somehow by the end of the trip, we all gravitated towards each other and were the best of friends by the time the ship docked in For Lauderdale. What made my trip so memorable was how Amanda’s family had taken me in as one of their own. They had befriended me from the first port in Cabo San Lucas and by the end of the trip, Amanda’s dad would often ask me where his “other daughter” was whenever we would run into each other on the ship. (Amanda only has a brother.)

Amanda’s parents, Bev and Bill, became like my surrogate parents on the ship. It was so comforting when they would ask me to come to dinner with them so I wouldn’t have to eat alone or when they would look out for me. Amanda and I were often up to cahoots whenever it was ship day on-board. We had so much fun on that trip and became instant buddies. Even though we were on the ship for only a little over two weeks, the bond between Amanda, her parents and I is much deeper and stronger than I could ever have imagined for such a short trip.

Bev sent over a copy of a local wedding publication in Northern Indiana called, Veils and Vows, because one of the photos Amanda took at our wedding last July was published in it. Since she was one of my bridesmaids, she couldn’t take many photos but the ones that she did were so amazing. Since we are still saving up money for our album and digital negatives, we’ve been using them for things like our Christmas card. Amanda and her husband Andy are what makes up Amanda Fales Photography. Even before I started shooting weddings myself, I had always admired her work.

So here’s the article that used Amanda’s photo. I have to say it was a strange to see a photo of ourselves in a magazine.

If you are ever in need a wedding photographer from Indiana, check them out at http://www.amandafales.com!

The photo above is hands down my favorite photo out of all the photos I have ever taken. Whenever I think back to the thousands of photos I have taken and try to pick one shot that I love… I always go back to this shot.

This was long before I bought a dSLR, studied what aperture and ISO meant, and even considered trying out photography beyond the amateur level. I love this photo. I love how the spot where this woman was standing in the moment I took the picture put so much depth, scale and perspective into my photo. You can see just how majestic the beauty was at the top. Lastly, I love the story behind this photo.

The year was 2005. I was obsessed with waterfalls at that point of my life and on this particular day in October we had just spent all day hiking up Vernal Falls and then Nevada Falls in Yosemite National Park. With adrenaline pumping massively through my veins, I was amped and thrilled beyond belief at the sheer accomplishment of hiking up two waterfalls. I am by no means a great hiker, but being on top of the world in Yosemite was an experience that I will always cherish.

The photo above was taken in a moment when we had reached the very top of Nevada Falls after many hours of hiking and many moments of I can’t make it. I can’t go any further. My quads and glutes are burning too much. There were also some I wonder if anyone can come pick me up in the middle of hike. A helicopter, perhaps? thoughts as well. But once we reached the top, it was SO worth it. I saw this woman standing at the edge of the waterfall and quickly snapped a photo to capture that moment. I originally hesitated for a millisecond because I was distracted by all the beauty I was trying to soak in, but stayed behind for a quick second to snap the photo and then proceed to go stand on that same edge myself. I love capturing “God moments” and looking back. I’m thankful that God allowed me to capture this one.

(This is the same spot that woman was standing in the previous shot. It just makes my knees knock and my stomach flutter at the fact that I even dared to stand there. Wow.)

Here’s a shot of Richard (my old roomie) and I at the top. Can you see the excitement in our faces?!

Before I decided to try out wedding photography, I originally wanted to be a travel photographer. I love traveling, but I love photography too. Why not put them together? I really love travel photography. From the intricacies of the architecture in buildings to the people from different cultures who have their own stories to share. The colorful exotic foods and historical relics. And the beauty of nature itself never ceases to amaze me. I don’t think anyone can truly doubt that God is a beautiful Creator when you are surrounded by nature.

Well, I entered this photo into a Travel Photography Contest. Starting today (May 1st) until May 11th, this photo is being displayed online in a Travel Photography Contest at Jay Reilly’s blog. My photo is Entry #18. If you get a chance, I would love a minute of your time to help me win this travel photography contest.

All you need to do is click on Entry #18 on the very first page and choose that photo to vote. You will need to enter your email address and you can only vote once. I would sincerely appreciate your help. If you feel compelled to spread the word, that’d be awesome too.

There are lots of great photos up on the contest, but with your help I’m hoping I could win the first prize of the Dream Package from Into the Darkroom , worth $750.

I hope that you will take a quick moment to vote for me! Thanks so much for your help!