It’s a song we sing at church every once in awhile. And it’s a song that I simply cannot sing without crying. The words are so simple but there is so much beautiful powerful in them. And whether you believe in God or not, the words are so true because they apply to each & every one of us…

Because I have been given much, I too must give.

Because of thy great bounty, Lord each day I live.

I shall divide my gifts from thee with every brother that I see,

who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care…

I cannot see another’s lack and I not share-

my glowing fire, my loaf of bread-my roof’s safe shelter over head,

that he too may be comforted.

At this time of year, it’s easy to look around us and see how blessed we are. It’s also easy to look around at those around us & see that there are people who are struggling. Family illnesses, home foreclosures, people losing their jobs, those without the means to provide basic needs for their families. Life.is.HARD.

I am going to share a story with you about a family who needs some extra help at this particular time in their lives…

Cristian is a 7 year old boy-currently he’s in the second grade at school. On October 1st Cristian was complaining of pain in his right foot. As the days progressed his foot started hurting more and more, by Wednesday October 5th, Cristian woke up unable to walk & unable to use his right side. That morning his parents took him to his doctor for a check up. The Doctor sent him to the emergency room & later that day they diagnosed him with a brain tumor on his left side. They soon discovered that the tumor was the size of an orange. He was flown to the Oakland Children’s Hospital where he underwent an 8 hour surgery to remove the tumor. After the surgery Cris recovered well….and as his family was eagerly waiting to hear from the doctor regarding the results from the tumor. On October 14, they were given the bad news that Cristian’s Tumor was malignant and that we would have to do Chemotherapy for four rounds along with a bone marrow transplant & radiation.

As if this wasn’t already a hard enough time for little Cris & his family, his father was laid off from his job at the same time. Their family has six children to care for along with heaps of medical bills.

I’m hoping that you can see all that you’ve been given in your life & recognize how much others can benefit from your small contribution. Because we have been given so much in our lives, I really believe that we need to give to others & help those who have needs greater than our own.

Although our lives & the trials we are given are uncertain, there is one thing that is for sure: that there are wonderful people out there who are willing to help…and I hope you are one of those types of people!

I am holding a fundraiser for sweet family-100% of the money raised will go to this family to help them in this time of their lives.  Thanks to my friend Liz for donating the lovely merry-go-round photograph. The other photographs are ones I took while traveling in Europe. Each photograph that you purchase will be emailed to you in a high resolution format. The photograph is then yours to print, frame, give as a gift, use for Christmas cards, use as a desktop photo, etc. The photograph you are emailed will not have my watermark on the image. ALL the proceeds will go to Cris’ family to help pay for his medical bills & to help them get back on their feet.

Here’s hoping that you can see another’s need & share what YOU can with this family. Thanks in advance for helping this sweet family in their time of need. Merry Christmas to each of you!

I am hoping that the photographs will be purchased for $7 each, but I am leaving the amount blank so that you can donate as much or as little as you like. Donations will close on December 24th, 2011.

I had the pleasure of hosting a fun workshop in Nevada in October-it was a ton of fun & we covered everything from posing to lighting all the way down to interacting with your clients. I am lucky enough to have amazingly beautiful friends who were willing to model for the workshop! Thanks to everyone who came & a special thanks to Derek & KayLynne for being so gosh darn attractive! And thanks to my sweet dad who let us use his prized Corvette for the photos!

Here are my favorites from the workshop…

Holy smokes, KayLynne. You are beautiful!!!

I am open to admitting that I have a problem…a ginormous problem. I am obsessed with shoes. Is it horrible to admit to you that I think I have about 60+ pairs in my closet? I don’t think so. It’s better than having 600 pairs in my closet, right?

I guess it goes without saying that when I begin photographing a wedding that I start with the shoes!!! I love, LOVE fun, bright colored bridal shoes. It’s such a fun way to add color to your wedding day attire & I never, ever tire of seeing fun shoes on a bride. So without further adieu, here are my favorite shoes that some of my fabulous brides have worn! Happy Friday!

Pink stilettos + bows=rawr…

LOVED these shoes…so SO much.

Silver.Glitter. YES!!!

Any shoes with rhinestones are fine by me…

Baubles & gems-loooooooved these shoes…

Beautiful pop of color!!!

I almost cried when I saw these shoes. SO CUTE.

Ruffles? Feathers? Yes.Yes and YESSSSSS

Some of my favorites…I actually ordered the same shoes!

Which ones are your favorites?

I am sooooooooooooo excited to announce that I’ll be hosting not one but TWO!!! workshops this year. I can’t wait for all the fun to begin & to meet some new friends along the way. Get ready for some fabulousness, y’all.

Click on the envelope for more information on the workshops! Hope to see you there. I promise-it’s going to be fabulous.

I know that Paige & David’s fabulous wedding has already been posted but I had forgotten to post their fun bridal session! I met up with Paige & David just a few days before their wedding to shoot bridals. It was freezing (Paige had a blanket wrapped around her in between each shot!) but they had fun keeping each other warm. Bridals are so much fun to shoot-I think it’s a great way to get some relaxed, beautiful shots of the bride & groom either before or after the wedding day. AND it’s an excuse to get dressed up in your wedding clothes more than one time!

Here are a few of my favorites from their bridal shoot…

Paige-you are soooooo gorgeous…

Love this one.

Holy moly, people. I am fortunate enough to say that I’ve been able to photograph Wendy Paul’s amazing creations yet another time. I’ll be honest here- I’m jealous of myself for being able to bask in the sweet smells of Wendy’s kitchen, nibbling on a cake bite with one hand while photographing with the other. Life is way sweeter when you are in Wendy’s kitchen. And what makes it even better? The fact that she literally had 10 pounds of candy corn in her candy stash. HOLYCOW.

Wendy is so fabulous & I think that her cake bites show just how fun, creative & amazing she is. She has worked SO hard to create 101 amazing recipes for her upcoming cookbook (to be released in August!!!). I am really excited for Wendy-she deserves all the success that the world has to offer & I’m grateful for all the time I’ve been able to spend with her! While working on these photos, I came thisclose to licking my computer monitor…just incase the taste of the cake bites came through…just kidding. kinda.

If you haven’t had the chance to purchase Wendy’s previous cookbooks, go check them out! Her recipes are EASY, tasty & beautiful! Her cupcake cookbook & her cookie cookbook are pure perfection. Trust me.

These were incredible…maple cake bites with BACON on top. Oh my…bacon certainly makes my world go ’round…

Peas in pods…I loved these!

How fabulous would these be if they were served as favors at a wedding reception? Glittery sprinkles? Yes, please.

I literally can’t look at the turkey ones without laughing…their googly eyes get me every time!

Here’s a little sneak peek of what I’m working on right now…I’ve been one busy gal this season & I’m so grateful for all my fabulous clients! Full posts coming soon…

That’s right-I’m teaching a fabulous, fun photography workshop in Reno, Nevada on October 5th, 7th & 9th.

These three classes are open to budding & intermediate photographers or people who want to get the most out of their camera.

Please choose the class (or classes) that you feel would help you become a fabulous photographer! Each class will have snacks provided & there will even be a giveaway or two along the way!

I’m really excited to teach these workshops! To ensure one-on-one mentoring, seats are limited so sign up now to join in on the fun!

The last day to sign up is September 24th. No exceptions.

Please use the buttons below to pay for your classes. If you are bringing a friend, please email me HERE & I will send you an invoice for your discounted rate.

Once you pay for the class, I will email you more detailed information about the location of the course.  There will be no refunds given.

I‘m sooooooooo excited! Like really, really, excited. Jumping up & down excited. Like, hold on-let’s bump the Lady Gaga music & sing at the top of my lungs excited. Why, you ask?

Wendy Paul’s lovely cookbook, 101 Gourmet Cookie for Everyone has arrived! I was fortunate enough to do the photography for this book (and was able to eat cookies to my heart’s content…yuuuuuummmmmm). The cookies are seriously to.die.for! There are a bunch of easy recipes for delicious cookies, bars & more. She’s also included vegan recipes & gluten free recipes & they are all incredible. I think that one of my favorite ones I tried was a gluten free recipe. In fact, I took a whole bag of the gluten free cookies home!

Wendy is a lovely, wonderful person & I’m grateful for her baking talents! She is also the author of 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes, which I was lucky enough to photograph, as well! Just flipping through these cookbooks makes me want to skip lunch & head straight for dessert!

You can order the book HERE!

I was lucky enough to photograph the yummy cupcakes for Wendy Paul’s new book, 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes. Wendy is amazingly talented & basically the nicest human on planet earth. She is genuine & sweet & makes the best cupcakes ever!

I’m excited to announce that her book is now available online for purchase HERE. Go order one for yourself, slap on your apron, heat up your oven & get baking! And bring me a plate of cupcakes when you’re finished!