Hawaii: Long Over Due

I can't believe this is my last week of summer vacation and I have yet to even post a single Hawaii picture. The time has come.

The week was great and Oahu is truly beautiful. For those of you that didn't know, I want to Hawaii with my boyfriend and 5...count them...5 of his guy friends. For some reason we were all incapable of convincing another girl to go on a relatively inexpensive trip to Hawaii. Needless to say, there were some VERY interesting moments. Never again do I ever want to see the inner workings of a group of guys. Haha.

The trip was amazing though. We had some dynamite food (I had sushi for the first time and liked it, we went to a true locals place for some traditional Hawaii food - we were literally the only tourists there, went to a luau, had some incredible Kahlua pig tacos, drank our fair share of mai tai's, and many other amazing things), got to snorkel with sea turtles, cliff dive, hike, see Pearl Harbor, explore the Dole Plantation and the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records' largest hedge maze it has there, and just enjoy the serenity of the ocean and the convenience of having the beach be a mere two minute walk from the house we stayed at. We spend pretty much all of our time on the North Shore which meant a lot less tourist stuff. There were times it was hard to believe that we were technically in the United States, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I could go on for awhile about it, but why not stop here and let you check out some pictures instead. Aloha!

DIY Project Photo Booth Update #1

Project began. Once I've decided that I'm going to do something I want to get started as soon as possible. But like all DIY projects, there was an immediate hiccup. I showed my mom the black and white polka dotted fabric I liked and she said it was cute, but pointed out that I had already made a black back drop. Hmm...good point Mom. So it was back to the drawing board. At first I was reluctant to the idea of picking something else. That is what I had chosen and that's what I was going with it. It'll work with all color schemes, classy or more casual parties/shoots, etc. But...do I really want/need two things of the same color as I'm starting out? The answer is no. So I started searching again and came across a great white and chartreuse patterned fabric. Loved it. Not too busy of a pattern and who doesn't look great in green? As I was taking one last look at other white and chartreuse options before making a final decision, I came across something else I loved...until I realized that I already own it and that's why I loved it. So then white and chartreuse had to be thrown out for the same reason. Back to the drawing board once again. Then I found the one I ended up buying tonight. It's kind of a brave color choice, but I LOVE the pattern and after finding a coupon code online, I went for it. Luckily if I end up hating it in person they have free return shipping. Hahaha.

So here is what will be the back drop to my photo booth. Premier Prints Traditions Slub Texture Yellow/White. 4 1/2 yards, 15% off plus free shipping brings my DIY total so far to: $32.44.

DIY Project Photo Booth

I'm in Harrisburg, PA hanging out with my mom until June 30th. My mom LOVES HGTV (and I mean really, who doesn't?) and so we often spend the time between dinner and bed time watching it and chatting/commenting on the crazy/cleaver/awesome things they do on these shows. It gets both of our wheels turning on what we can DIY in our own lives (like these amazing floating night stands we are going to make and put into my mom's guest bedroom). At this point in my life I am still renting and so I turn to my budding photography career to satisfy my DIY desires.

The more research I do, the more photography sessions I do, the more ideas I have (and get obsessed with). My current one? A photo booth. I have a shoot coming up that a photo booth would be PERFECT for. The problem? I have a teacher's budget which, for those of you that are unaware, is not a lot. Plus I'm currently paying down debt I've accumulated from rough patches in my life. Photo booths can be expensive, especially "professional" ones. One of my favorite websites is www.estsy.com so hopped on to see what I could find. I found some amazing options and could even have one custom made, but including shipping it would still cost me around $150 which I just can't do. I started thinking about it and having an internal desire vs. affordability war with myself. Then I had a thought: what if I made it? With the help of my amazingly crafty friend Amy I made my own black back drop that has worked perfectly so far. Amy and her husband have since moved to North Carolina (*sniff sniff*), but she has agreed to help from a distance by answering any questions I might have.

So with the help of my long distance craft guru, here's the plan:

I will be making a photo booth setup (including PVC piping stand) like this one, except mine will go all the way to the ground so I can use it for children of all ages:

Except I think I'm going to use this fabric (or something like it):

The goal: Make it all for $50. The most expensive part will be the fabric, which should account for about 80% of the total cost. If I can stay within this $50 price range than I think I will have enough money to buy funky picture frames or make mustaches on sticks for people to hold and have fun with at the photo booth. Plus this black and white polka dot pattern should let colors stand out and be versatile enough to use for any kind of event/shoot. I'll keep you updated on how the project is going along with a running total of how close to budget I'm able to stay.

Wish me luck!

Summer is almost here!

This weekend was incredible. Low 80's all weekend and absolutely beautiful! The perfect setting for so many wonderful things. Graduating with my Masters, sitting outside eating frozen yogurt, celebrating with friends, walks at the park, and an extra tasty Sunday Night dinner BBQ with someone special. I couldn't ask for a better weekend. Summer is almost here and this weekend made me even more excited for what lies ahead!

A beautiful day for a graduation!

Breaking in the outdoor BBQ area with a little lamb for Sunday night dinner.

Too much fun for little Juno. :)

I know, right? How good does that look?! (It tasted even better!)

A tasty champagne graduation present.

Baby Shower

I love when my friends provide me with great opportunities to practice my photography. Plus I get to (hopefully) provide them with beautiful pictures of these memories for a long time to come. I went to the cutest baby shower a couple weeks ago. The girls that put it on did a great job. I'm not a games kinda girl at showers, but the girls had the perfect blend of adorable baby shower things paired with amazing food and the ability to sit back and enjoy the company of everyone. Kudos ladies! Here are just some of the cutest that happened that afternoon.

Maternity Shoot

During Spring Break I had the opportunity and extreme pleasure of doing a maturity photo shoot for a dear friend of mine. Not only were we able to catch up on life, but I was also able to help document this very important step in her and her husband's lives. Their first child. I can only imagine the excitement and anticipation they must be feeling and I am so happy that I get to witness this new stage in their lives. When you are about 8 months pregnant I am sure it must be hard to feel beautiful. Your body hasn't been your own for awhile now. I'm sure all (okay most) pregnant women hear (and believe) the whole thing about the miracle of life being such an amazing experience, but let's be real, sometimes it has got to suck. Bre is truly a spectacularly beautiful pregnant woman. Radiant. I hope when she looks back at this time she will be able to see what we all see: being pregnant looks good on her and she makes it look easy. Plus I got to use the backdrop that Amy helped me make. :) Enjoy!

RIP Wendell

Life has been so busy recently. Grades and report cards, parent-teacher conferences, the start of my FINAL grad class. SO busy in fact that I haven't been able to report that....Wendell has passed away. Amanda and I came in one Monday about a month and a half ago, I sat at my desk, and gasped. Poor Wendell had finally gone belly up. In reality it was best for him. He had been looking pretty raggid and I was afraid that he was suffering. He had obviously died not long after we left Friday afternoon so he was looking pretty gross. Amanda gagged (which was pretty funny) and we took him off to the bathroom.
We decided not to tell the kids until someone asked where he was. That moment came at snack time. One of our more sensitive kiddos (who just so happens to sit in front of my desk) asked where Wendell was. I didn't want to say "Wendell died." It just sounded too harsh to tell little kids, so I tried to soften the blow by saying that "Wendell passed on." Unfortunately for me no one understood what that meant and I just had to tell them he died anyway. Then they asked where he was and I told them that we gave him a "burial at sea." Amanda and I died laughing, but again no one understood that either so we told them that fish get flushed down the toilet when they die. Long story short...the kiddos were upset (although some were more upset about the fact that I wasn't going to buy a replacement Wendell this year).


Some of the students made me sympathy cards about how sad they were that Wendell had died. Just now, as I sit here typing this, one boy that sits right in front of my desk turned to me and said "Miss L., I wish Wendell was still alive." To which I responded "I know (insert student's name here), me too."
Wendell was probably the most loved fish there ever was. He will be greatly missed. To commemorate his passing Amanda made the following hysterical comic: