A great man...

May 27, 2017

My feet hit the soft trail in a familiar rhythm, my breathing takes a minute to fall into place. I look up from the trail and see the green, the old growth, the moss and its beauty surrounds me.

The cotton wood has gone to seed.

Cotton swirls like snow softly floating down...it feels like magic...I know your near.

The sun beams breaks through the leaves above me as I round the corner. 

It's your hat I see first, love and happiness fill my heart.

I stop to watch you from the trail.

You are holding that all to familiar camera, adjusting the tripod.

You see the shot. Click.  You adjust. 

breathe

Your finger presses ever so softly, one quick look on the viewfinder...

You captured it the way your mind  envisioned it.   

You look over your shoulder and smile at me with that incredible smile...

my breath catches and my throat swells. 

I want to say so much but the words get stuck...you look at me and slowly nod, giving me a soft smile as though you know my thoughts. The tears run down my cheeks.

I see you look away, your eye has caught another beauty and you turn to capture it.

My eyes shift to take in the scene again...to be present.  I look back only to see your hat moving through the forest...

I pick up the pace again slowly returning to the comfort of my own rhythm...wiping the tears from my cheek.

Love & gratitude

xoxo

Change...

WOW can't believe my last post was a year ago...not very committed I'd say.  

With my recent move to Las Vegas from Ventura, 'change' has been ever present to say the least! It's been awhile since I started all over and I'm sooo ready for a re-start or "begin again" as they say in mindfulness.

I envisioned it all somewhat different in my mind vs my reality.  I saw the change as something so much easier then it is or maybe I'm overthinking it. Juggling working from home, babysitting my granddaughter, trying to adjust to running in the desert and wanting to met new people - it just hasn't quite unfolded as I saw it in my mind - LOL!  I mean I'm not surprised, but still.  

What I have discovered is how much fear and self doubt can really sabotage the best laid plans. I'm pretty sadden and frustrated with myself.  

I've run for most of my life  - 31 years actually - I know a lot about the sport and although I may not be fast and yes I'm struggling with the heat of the desert, fear is ever present.  The thing is I KNOW it's all in my head and I know the running community is amazing group of people.  I find it so frustrating that I have let it control my actions for the last month.  So tomorrow I'm going to push those feelings aside, and just run...the way I always do...feeding my soul!

Live Free | Run Wild 

Off the grid

So today I logged into my blog and ya turns out I've been gone a while...like a long while...ya like a year!  Wow that's crazy how a year can just fly by!  

So I'm back to blogging not sure if any one reads this or not but I like doing it...sharing the journey of this thing they call life...oh wait I'm sharing with complete strangers or no one at all...hhhmmm ya what the hell I'm still going to do it!

So I noticed I had a couple of 'draft' entries I hadn't published from last year so I'm going to go back and publish them as I think it's all part of the story. 

See you all on the flip side!

Family Demands...

My daughter came to me in late August with a brilliant idea of making a calendar of Kayda for a Christmas present.  Easy peasy right...WRONG!  This would require 12 photo shoots, a theme for each month.  It would have been easier if we were both in the same city...time was of the essence. We got it done but only just  in time before the ordering had to be done.

Here are some of the photos :)  

Mandel Family Photos

Last month I had the honor of shooting family photos for the Mandel Family.  A beautiful family inside and out with an amazing home and a little oasis of a property!

I always feel very lucky when I met new people who add brightness to the world :)

Kayda turns 6 Months!

Time sure flys by in a blink of an eye!  It's seems like only yesterday I was sharing her birth and now she's 6 months old!  To celebrate my little bright Star...we of course had to have a photo shoot in one of our favorite places, Solstice Canyon in Malibu, CA. 
I love you to the moon and beyond my sweet baby girl!

Love

This pas weekend I spent with my daughter and granddaughter.  There are so many precious moments, so many times when I looked into Kayda's little blue eyes and saw Brittany looking back.  For a quick second I'm taken back in time to when Britt was so small.  These precious momentsthat fill my heart with so much love and gratitude!

Baby Eve Graces the World...

 Beautiful Baby Eve graced the world with her presence this past June 2015.   First time Mom & Dad couldn't be prouder...she's a keeper!    

Liam storms the world...

...or at least the lives of his two big sisters!

On April 22, 2015 little Liam was born and his big sisters were so excited to finally meet their new perfect little brother :)

Baby Number 3

I had the privilege to shoot some maternity & family pictures at Point Mugu Rock this month.  Liam will be born in just a few short weeks & boy will he be cherished by his 2 older sisters & Mom and Dad too of course!  Here are some of my favorites from this shoot!  Enjoy 

Costa Rica Baby!

VACATION  

One word that inspires imagination and adventure...at least in my mind!  

This Year's vacation was a last minute splurge on Cyber Monday last year.  Costa Rica was a country I had never had the pleasure to visit before & I was so excited I could barely sit still on the first flight to Miami.  

We stayed at a jungle resort near the base of Rincon De La Viejo, an active volcano.  I think my favorite part was the fact that we had our own free standing cabana with our own porch including a big hammock and rocking chairs.  We were in paradise!

The sounds from our window every morning and evening were exotic and had a way of lulling you to your dream world.  Not to mention great coffee in my hammock every morning!

Our adventure included zip-lines, beach days, river swims, mud baths, mineral pools, volcano hikes, howler monkeys, wild turkeys and plantains that were to die for!  We met so many amazing people that felt like family before we said go bye. 

Thank you Costa Rica for your hospitality & endless adventures!

Costa Rica Waterfall

Costa Rica Volcano

Birth Announcment

The last four months have been pretty inactive on my blog; however, my actual world has been a steady stream of activity!

The  birth of my first grandchild (yes a little girl) has sparked a growth in my heart and soul that is indescribable! Who knew your heart could get so big & your soul could fee a peace so great that life takes on new meaning?!

I was blessed to be able to stay with my daughter and her family for several weeks due to an emergency c-section. Everyone was ok thankfully but the time I spent with my grand-daughter was priceless.

Thank you for all the warm wishes as the Davies Girls grow!  

Christmas Photos

Nothing like trying to squeeze a few Christmas shoots in 10 days before the holidays!  But somehow it all came together...3 fun shoots! 

My Daughter

There are some moments as a photographer that are so meaningful and priceless that your heart gets so big it feels like it might burst!  This was of those moments for me....maternity photos with my daughter.  These pictures are so precious to me because I'm her mom and a photographer and soon (this month) to be a grandmother! xoxo

Las Vegas ~ Red Rock

You can't go wrong when you have so many beautiful people in front of your lens! Then drop in the stunning backdrop of calico Basin in Red Rock and the result is STUNNING!  Thank you Mitchell Family! 

Boudoir Vegas

As promised,  here is some of the recent photos of boudoir shoot in Vegas...had so much fun!! xoxo

Sara & Jimmie's Wedding

I had the privilege of shooting Jimmie and Sara recent wedding in San Francisco!  All the cute Pinterest details and amazing view of San Francisco Bay was breathtaking.  The rain briefly showed its strength but then allowed the sun to shine on a truly tender heartfelt wedding that brought tears to my eyes!  All the best in your new lift together! xo

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Taste of Conejo

Great Evening at The Annual Taste of Conejo held at The Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, CA.   Decadent sweets, wide range of local libations and savory bites!  I met so many interesting people as I shot this year's Step & Repeat!

As always the Conejo Chamber Team put on an evening to remember!

Santa Barbara Dog Adventures

Have I told you how much I love my dog?  Probably not but she is my little shadow & I take her with me whenever I can!  This past Saturday was no different...My boyfriend was heading to Santa Barbara for a quick work assignment so Luna and I tagged along.  After the required work was done we tried to figure out what to do...it was super hot so it had to involve Luna.

What we found was a beautiful dog walk in the Douglas Family Reserve that ran along the cliffs above Arroyo Burro Beach.  It was a relatively short walk out and back but man was it gorgeous to say the least. After admiring the beach below and seeing all the dogs we decided to head down to the beach and cool off in the ocean. As always, it's such a treat to be able to take your dog to the beach with you. 

What's a trip to Santa Barbara without getting some good home grown chow!  We had worked up an appetite after the walk & beach fun...so food was next on the agenda.  We found a wonderful little Mexican Restaurant called Los Arroyos...super YUMMY! 

Thank you Santa Barbara, Douglas Family Reserve, Arroyo Burro Beach & Los Arroyos for giving us a perfect Saturday!  xo

The Fair Comes to Town!

I love foggy days!  Maybe it's the fact that I'm a Pacific Northwest girl at heart.  

Luna and I headed down to "C" Street to enjoy the beach and fog. The Fair was in town which added an interesting vintage feel that surrounding us.  Luckily we're were early enough that no one but the surfers were there. 

A quiet beach surrounded in by a dream like fog has away of cleansing the soul and making things right in the world! xo