Catalog Choice

Most people probably don't know this about me, but I really hate junk mail, phone solicitations, and spam...I especially despise the catalogs that end up in a landfill or even at your local recycling facility. I'm practically CRAZED about calling the catalog companies and getting off the lists. Just ask Matt. It's one of the reasons he loves me.

What to do? I usually call the number on the catalog and ask to be removed from the mailing list. This takes an extraordinary effort considering the number of catalogs we seem to receive. Every Tom, Dick and Sally is selling my address, apparently.

So I was reading Sunset magazine and well, low and behold, a great new website has emerged to solve this very problem. Just go to Catalog Choice and set yourself up to decline all your catalogs. When you get them, you can put in your customer number and let them do the rest or just simply try to decline using your address. It's really cool. You might notice the link on this blog.

Kiley McPeak Brown

Derrick and Tamara, former wedding clients and local friends (got married in Costa Rica in 2005), had a cute little girl, Kiley, not long after Owen. I photographed her recently. This is just one shot that Tamara and I both loved.

La-Vie and me

I'm excited to be offering a new line of albums... La-Vie Album. Pricey? Yes, but aren't they all? Worth it? 110%. When I think of wedding albums, I try to think of them as an investment in your family heritage. After all, if you could peek through at your grandmother's wedding including all the lovely details like her shoes, dress, jewelry and get a glimpse of her personality-- wouldn't that be worth thousands of dollars? Answer: YES! So remember this album is not just for YOU, it's for YOUR FAMILY and your family's family. It will be an heirloom passed down though the generations. So when people ask me about albums, I say, yes, definitely get one, it's the best way to memorialize your family's history and it might be the only time in your life that you hire a professional photographer (although, PLEASE have your kids photographed).

Style Me Pretty | Main Page Feature!

I'm so humbled and so SO excited to be featured on the main page of Style Me Pretty's blog. Abby, the editor, selects fabulous weddings to showcase so readers can get inspired... so I submitted Joey and Stephen's wedding and she selected it. This makes my day for a couple reasons (1) my marketing skillz have taken a back seat over the last three months due to my little bundle of joy and (2) it always feels good to be recognized.

Thanks to Joey and Stephen for having such a creative wedding.

Flagstaff Photography Center -- Photo Booth

The whole family took a walk downtown (I pretty much do this daily) but this time stopped off at the Flagstaff Photography Center and did a quick photo booth session. I love the first one with Matt and Owen. Matt wondered when he began to resemble Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase). I had to laugh at that!

Nikki & Randy | Sedona | sneak peak

I just had to post this image...I like the timeless quality to it. This is one I wish I had one of those textured PhotoShop actions for it. Now I might have to buy some. More from this May 3 wedding soon.

Mellena + Stan | Wedding | Thornagers | Flagstaff, AZ

What a special treat to be privy to this couple's vows on April 26, 2008. Mellena and Stan are soul mates and they waited to meet each other. I cried several times during their ceremony just watching the two of them interact (could be the super mommy hormones--hummm). Mellena is the type of gal who my husband would call an "energy supplier"-- she brings the party to the party and is a genuine friend. She sang "natural woman" to Stan at the reception and it was a HOT number--Stan was very touched. This was my first "job" after delivering Owen (and technically a breech of my maternity leave) but it was well worth the 3.5 hours I spent away from my son. Congrats to you both-- enjoy your photos! I would like to mention that I did not "tell/direct" Mellana and Stan to do anything in ANY of these photos, it's pure love and you can tell.

Style Me Pretty | Little Black Book of Vendors

I was humbled to be asked to join the Little Black Book of vendors, which is hosted by Style Me Pretty. Style Me Pretty is a really cool blog that I follow that has great inspiration for brides on EVERYTHING from colors, dresses, favors to photography... so check it out. I am featured in the Sedona section of the Little Black Book of Arizona.

According to the SMP site, the little black book is "an edited collection of wedding service providers - from mom and pop boutiques to the A-listers. Personally recommended by our closest girlfriend, industry insiders and Style Me Pretty readers, these are three hand-picked listings per category."

Kaibee shaved, again...

Okay so every year we shave Kaibee down. I know. I know. It's not that hot here in Flagstaff, but she seems to like it. I'm not going to do it next year because I noticed her undercoat finally changed (this is her fourth shave). I posted something like this last year and frankly I had to post again because these pictures are MUCH FUNNIER.

American Consumerism

I hate stuff. I like to reuse things. I hate lots of trash. I love this video about The Story of Stuff. Please click here to watch a great video that explains why I live in a small town that cares about the environment.

Here are 10 things you can do.

I can say honestly that I do the following religiously... I use my own bags at the grocery store, use my own coffee mug at the coffee shop (or ask for a mug 'for here'), ask at restaurants for tin foil instead of a "to-go" box of Styrofoam (if you know me, you know I HATE Styrofoam), I use cloth diapers and biodegradable diapers, I power down my computer and unplug unnecessary devices, buy local foods, I don't shop at Wal-Mart and I recycle glass and electronics, plastics and paper. Oh and when possible I support green companies like Patagonia, ship everything GROUND instead of overnight, live in a community where I can use alternative transportation: ride my bike and walk.

Things I should do: get a compost bin and compost food (every gardener should have one), buy an outdoor laundry line, purchase used clothing, get a plug-in hybrid vehicle, have an awesome garden with my own veggies, install solar panels in my home and have a rain water collection system.

Things I do that I know are bad that I try to do less of: fly in airplanes, use my car, buy things at big box stores, ship express packages, replace electronics and vehicles.

If we all try really hard, we can change things, slowly.

Mel + Ray | El Portal | Wedding | Sedona, AZ

This couple melted my heart with their story. As told to me by the bride...

Ray and I met when we were 10 (on the school bus), which is why we put
in our story that it was a 35 year journey to become husband and wife.
Ray and I lived in Blaine, WA at the time....out in the country. Ray
lived about a mile away. We used to ride Tahala, his horse, together in
the fields near our homes. We dated off and on through HS, as Ray moved
away when we were 15 and he came back to Washington when we were 16. We
went on our last date when we were 19 and then I moved away to eastern
WA.

Ray and I saw each other briefly 15 years ago in Washington when we were
30....it was just before I moved to AZ. Ray looked for me on
classmates.com this past August, 2007....he emailed
my brother on classmates.com searching for me. My brother forwarded the
email to me on Sept. 26, 2007 and I immediately called Ray....we talked
for about 4 hours on the phone. Ray and I got together the very next
day, Sept. 27 as he flew to Phoenix to see me. We got engaged Oct. 12
and then married Feb. 22.

Don't you love it?

Most brides wouldn't have ventured out in their gowns for a minute in the weather on Feb. 22-- but not Mel-- she made the most of the FREEZING weather and wet ground and managed to laugh her way through the entire photo session. Mel and Ray had fun even when the weather wasn't cooperating and that's no small task when you've been planning a perfect sunny Sedona day for months. Cheers to Mel and Ray-- may your marriage be full of the laughter you shared with me on your lovely wedding day. View their slideshow here

**Additionally I wanted to THANK Katrina Wallace of Sedona Bride about a million times for being my second shooter at this wedding. Her friendship is a blessing. I was 38 weeks pregnant that day and ended up delivering baby Owen 8 days later (coincidentally: I shot a wedding with Katrina when she was 37 weeks pregnant with Kaiden in 2006). Of course, I was perfectly capable of shooting it myself, (minus the laying on the ground shots) but it was great to have Katrina on board in case of an early delivery or early labor. Plus her images RULE and she gave me lots of peace of mind. Kudos to my lovely assistant, Jamelle Kelly, for being my Sherpa that day! Jamelle carried my gear with a smile and I love her for it.

Getting Ready: El Portal
Ceremony: Tlaquepaque Chapel
Coordinator: Sedona Wedding Planner: Karen Lynn
Flowers: Showstoppers Events