Category Archives: Live, Laugh, Love

.12.12.12 FAVORITE Thing. {Redding, CA Family Photographer}

Isn’t today cool! I mean seriously, 12.12.12? Or twelve, twelve, twelve! HA!

Yes, I’m shooting a wedding today. Super excited about it!! I shot an 11.11.11 wedding & was so hoping to shoot a 12.12.12 wedding & my wish came true!!!!

Since today has to do with one of the coolest  ”times”  I thought what more fitting than to make FAVORITE THING #12 my Michael Kors watch!! I bought this watch back in February, at the beginning of wedding season, & I absolutely LOVE it! The prettiest arm candy!!!!!

So Favorite Thing #12 : Michael Kor Watches!!! & I love my bangles too!!!!!!

This year makes FIVE years I have been photographing the Grauel Family!!!! Amazement! Truly!!! I just cannot express how much of an honor it is to capture families year after year! Watching kids grow up & see their personalities! It’s the best job ever!!!!!

 i could take pics of this family all day long!!!!!

Thank you Brittany Martin for doing an amazing job on Keri’s make-up!

.Favorite Thing #10. {Redding, CA Family Photographer}

Happy December 10th!! Hope you had a great weekend!!!!

A good amount of my favorite things have been because of THIS amazing friend!!! Mandye Cortopassi!! She is the queen of faves & I have asked her to be a special guest & share her FAVES!!!!

Thank you, Mandye, for taking the time to link everything & send me these absolutely AMAZING finds!!!! Indeed I want all of them!!!!

Her first FAVE & on my Christmas list: Beats Pro Headphones (all the cool mom’s have these, right?)

 1. Off the Mesh Jacket by Lulu Lemon 2. Eyelash Curler by Shiseido 3. The Callet – Phone Cover 4. The Agnes Stag Deer Head with Glitter Antlers

5. Ciaté Caviar Manicure 6. Ciate  Mini Mani Month 7. LUSH 8. Ella Vickers Zip Tote

Mandye is beyond fabulous & is always up for the best photo shoot EVER!!! This year’s was in San Francisco! We all had the best time together!!

It’s been five years photographing this family!! How I love them!

I  love you so very much Cortopassi Family! Thank you so much for your continued love & friendship over the years!

It means so so much to me!!! I am so thankful that God gave me you!

.Favorite Thing #9. {Redding, CA Photographer}

Okay, I just have to blog this because it truly has become a fave!!

We were at a little boutique up in Ashland, Oregon & ran into some friends!!

They convinced us that we ABSOLUTELY needed Favorite Thing #9.

You can laugh out loud, you can!!

I give you Favorite Thing #9: Poo-Pourri!

You spray before you go & wa-la! No smelly bath room!!! Get some!!!! They even have travel size!!! Oh yah!

 Today was our annual “Cut Down A Christmas Tree” Day! I had high expectations, I really did! The whole purpose of this day is to cut down a tree, but often times I confuse it with a photoshoot kind of a day. We are up in the woods, most of the time there is snow, & it just makes for the PERFECT shoot!!

Well, most of the family opposed to having any type of pictures taken, however, I was able to get a few!!!! Oh to be the child of a photographer!!!!!

practicing her skills!

the reality of photo mom’s!! yep!!!!!

Gramma & Grandpa found a winner!!!

and the best part of the day..

gramma’s make the best hot chocolate!

one day one of these might be our tree!!! grow nice & pretty! thank you for being the most beautiful Christmas trees!!!!!

.Favorite Thing #7 + Jesus Culture New York CD Giveaway. {Redding, CA Photographer}

I am absolutely in LOVE with Favorite Thing #7. I cannot get enough!! If you love worship/peaceful music! This CD will change your life! It will! So amazing!

Leave a comment on this post & you will be entered to win a CD! Yep! That’s right! I want someone to have their own!!!

 I will announce the winner on Favorite Day #10. You need it! & if you have it, YOU can give it away! It will make an amazing Christmas gift!!!!

Leave a comment!

Plus this family is so super amazing, that you just won’t be able to resist leaving a comment, I know!

Favorite Thing #7:

Jesus Culture Live From New York with Martin Smith!!!!!!!!  (you can even preview the album by clicking this link)

& the absolutely incredible Liebscher Family!!

Okay, so, I am blogging last years & this years! I have no idea, but totally spaced blogging their shoot last year & it is totally one of my faves EVER!

So, you get to see both because I just couldn’t help myself!

Love you Liebscher’s!

& 2013!!!!! with a few other really cool Liebscher’s!!

they have the most awesome auntie!!!

.Favorite Thing #6. {Redding, CA Photographer}

My favorite thing #6 get me pretty excited! I have held out for boots & recently found these on Black Friday for a steal of a deal! Absolutely love rockin’ these babies!

Favorite Thing #6:

Diesel Fringe Boots

Um Yah! Loving! Loving!

& today I give you the Martin family!!! Truly one of the most quality families that I know!!!

Martin’s… thank you for your inspiration! Thank you for setting a standard for family! Your lives are a reflection of character & passion!

I so admire you, Mitch & Jill!

May your family continue to thrive & be blessed above & beyond all you could ask or think!

in the fall.. you just have too….. leaves! leaves! leaves! the fun of this shot never gets old!

& the girls are taller! LOL! oh the fun times of a photo shoot!

.Favorite Thing #5. {Redding, CA Family Photographer}

December  5th! Seriously, December slow down!! AHHH! Goodness!!! Too fast!!!

Well, favorite thing #5 has been a favorite for life! For those of you who follow me on facebook… the quotes that I post… All from this Favorite Thing #5!

My Mary Engelbreit Daily Calendar! It is the soup for my soul kind of thing! AH! Love me some Mary!!!

It’s even hard for me to throw away the quotes that I really like, or if I had a really good day writing on the back what happened!!! & then pasting them to my journal! AH!

I have been photographing the Gill Family for several years now. Tammi & I go waaaay back! She used to attend our youth group back in the day!!!  Love seeing her family grow!!

I had the pleasure of babysitting Zeb & Tammi’s  two little one’s the other day, & boy did they keep me on my feet….

How quickly I forgot how busy I once was with babies!!! So proud of all you mommy’s with little one’s underfoot!

Hang in there & just enjoy each day. It passes by sooo quickly!!!

Tammi had a clever ribbon idea with the little name tag! AH Ashlynn! Cannot wait to meet you!  Love you Gill Family!

FAVE!!!!!!!! Oh Yah!

and then it started raining!! oh to get these pics in just in time!!!!

.Favorite Thing #3. {Redding, CA Child Photographer}

Favorite Thing #3!! Oh how I love Favorite Thing #3! If you have never watched it, find thirty minutes in your day & watch it! As a matter of fact I am watching it as I type this blog up!!!! If you need a laugh, it’s the show for you! Oh Yes! You are gonna LOVE Duck Dynasty.

Watch the episodes on www.hulu.com!

Favorite Thing #3:

 These two little ladies are quite the exception to a photo session! Oh how perfectly sweet & still they are!!!! So so adorable!

We ventured out to Old Shasta for these photos!! Wanted something enchanting with their pretty Christmas dresses!!!

.Favorite Thing #2. {Redding, CA Family Photographer}

Favorite thing #2 hit me when I was cleaning out my purse & discovered I had the “ultra” collection of lip glosses!!!

Hold up! Hold up! I thought to myself!!! Your lip gloss addiction is getting a bit out of hand!!!!

So, I give to you my FAVORITE THING #2:  lip glosses!!!!

1. Stila  2. Chap Stick Candy Cane 3. Soft Lips 4. EOS 5. Ballmania 6. Baby Lips 7. Burts Bees 8. Beauty Rush 9. MAC Lip Gloss 10. Coach Lip Gloss

& so loved taking the Johnson’s photos! Literally had about a 35 minute shoot! It was a miracle type of shoot!! Three little one’s looking at the camera!

Couldn’t have been more happy!!! {thanks so much to my amazing intern, anne-marie, who turned on her “inner” elmo.}

.Favorite Thing #1 + $100.00 Starbucks Giveaway!!!!. {Redding, CA Family Photographer}

Happy December 1, 2012!

Can you believe it is that time of year again! Seriously, I cannot! I shake my head in wonder at how quickly the year has passed by!!

Well, I am sure you all are wondering what my FAVORITE Thing #1 is going to be….. What possibly could be her absolute fave????

Yep! You guessed it! STARBUCKS! I absolutely LOVE Starbucks!

Favorite Starbucks Location: Lake Blvd Starbucks – Redding, CA

Favorite Starbucks Coffee: Verona

Favorite Starbucks Treat: Pumpkin Scone (every once in awhile)

Favorite Starbucks Iced Beverage: Vente Black Tea with ONE pump sweetner

Favorite Starbucks Drink EVER: Tall Double Shot Non-Fat Latte/1 pump pumpkin or 1 pump mocha/no whip & no sprinkles/

Favorite Starbucks Quick Pick-Me-Up: Double Short Latte

The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf,  decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc.

So people who don’t know what the heck they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

–You’ve Got Mail.

Each time that I get to enjoy it I am so so thankful! It’s also a treat sharing it with someone else! & especially I love gifting STARBUCKS!

So, I thought to kick off my FAVORITE THINGS I would give away a $100.00 Starbucks Card!! Yep! Yep! Yep!

So, the Toledo Family was visiting up in Redding, & I convinced them that they NEEDED another “quick” photo shoot! Right? They are just too beautiful not to photograph them every time I see them!! (smile)

Love you Toledo Family!!!!!

.Llamas Family. {Redding, CA Family Photographer.}

Hello! Hello! Happy Thursday. I am about to head out to my daughter’s basketball game, but thought I would BLOG today!!! Yes, gearing up for December’s 25 BLOG Posts in a row….!! Super excited to share all of my 2012 FAVES as well, a few GIVE AWAYS!

The last couple of weeks have been filled with family photos! Tons of laughter & fun!

The Llamas Family was no exception! Their cuties kept me smiling the entire shoot!!! as well on my feet… Going from Seniors to Weddings to Seniors to Weddings, a session with two little one’s kicked me into gear!!! Oh so fun!!!

Llamas Family! So great to capture you once again! Truly honored! Your family is absolutely beautiful!!!!