Shutter Sisters

Hi! I'm here today. And speaking of awesome women/photographer communities, you have to check out The Photogirls! They rock.

Friends

How was the holiday weekend? Ours was a little bit lazy. A little bit fun. A whole lot of laughing. Our good friends Kristi and Paul came down from Dallas. And it was nice to know that even though they're swanky Senior VP Dallas people now :) , they're not too good for our porch. Friday night we sat out until 2. And you know you're good friends when you can go out 2 nights in a row and still have tons to talk about. We went to Wildfish on Saturday night, and I can see why that restaurant is so busy. The food was so good! Then the waiter recommended we try this new bar down the road called "New York". So we pull up, and the Flaningans had already scoped it out. Paul goes, "If we were ten years younger we would be all over it." That's when you know you're old. And he was right. I'm just not down with LOUD BANDS SCREAMING AT ME anymore. You know? If I'm paying $10 hour for a sitter, I want REAL conversation. So we went home and got into our pajamas and sat on the porch till 2am again. Totally my idea of the perfect night. And I will admit that I have been a loser about taking pictures lately. So I really have nothing to show you from the weekend. But I took these snap shots in Dallas on one of our visits a few months back. I don't think I ever posted them, so I will now. Just to give you an idea of how cute the Flaningans are. They are totally part of our Texas family. The friends that will love you no matter what. And that's just cool. Also, if you haven't checked out Paul's blog, YOU NEED TO.

Okay, now I will tell you about my day today. It stormed, and that basically matched my mood. It was one of those days where you feel like the world is lame, and you don't know why you even woke up...and you can't even put your finger on WHY. It was just one thing after another that made me feel GLOOMY.

Then I opened this.

A note from my sweet friend Melissa. We've known each other since 10th grade. Were cheerleaders together. Went to homecoming, prom, moved to Waikiki together for a renegade adventure summer after graduation. Watched each other get married. Change. And then hope some things stay the same. I love her. For the person she is. And for the way it makes me feel to have a friend who shares so much history with me. Thank you Melissa. Your card moved the clouds aside today. I love you. And  can't wait to see you again SOON! And if you're reading this, and you have an old friend that you haven't connected with lately, SEND THEM SOMETHING. A card. A cupcake. Whatever. I promise it will brighten their whole day.

xo

1,2,3 on The 4th!

*Edited to add: I just got an email from Shanan (the mom of these adorable kids), who hasn't seen her photos yet. She said that the name of her blog is "all my kids 123". I HAD NO IDEA when this picture was taken, OR when I posted it this morning! HOW WEIRD! It's amazing how things work out sometimes!

My core and a shoot.

As I told DD, Mexico was my rock bottom. Seeing myself in those beach shots has driven me back to the gym, and not just to hip hop class either. I've been hitting the weights, and body bars. I even laid on that big ball thing that scares the crap out of me. I mean, who lays on a BALL?! One day there will be an ambulance outside of the gym and people whispering "She fell off The Ball." "WHAT?!" "Yep, she just slipped and cracked her head."  But I guess it's worth it. Because today I woke up and wasn't that sore! I've spent the last week spasming and cussing out our staircase. And not this morning! I was so happy that I made the mistake of telling Jason about it. Usually this topic is off limits. Because his work-out-a-holic-ness, and my stubborn-ness are not a good mix. And THE MINUTE I ever start working out, he starts telling me what to do. And that makes me want to dip potato chips into a bowl of ice cream.

So I go, "JASON I'M NOT SORE! I'M NOT CUSSING!" And he goes, in his I'm-now-your-trainer voice, "Yes, this is because it's the third day. It's always on the third day when the lactic acid..." And this is where I start to tune out and his words turn into "BLAHBITTY BLAHBITTY I'M TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO. LISTEN TO ME LITTLE BABY GIRL. BLAHBITTY BLAHBITTY BLAH." And then he says, "MAILE LISTEN. I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. You need to do this machine and that machine." And I say, "But I don't like walking through that man-village of cut-off T-shirts and gold necklaces." And he says I'm ridiculous and that I need to strengthen my core. And I tell him that is what The Ball is for, and that I'm risking my life every day for it. And that he has no idea how weak my core is anyway. That I'm strengthening it right now as we speak, just by sitting in an upright position. And that's when he rolls his eyes and goes back to what he was doing. 

But I do have pictures to show you...I'm so behind on posting sessions. So here is one that I did at least a month ago. This is Lori, and her cute girls. They spend lots of time at the river, so Gruene was a perfect spot to shoot. Plus I love any excuse to drive up there.   

Thank you Jaime from KJ97 for the referral!

Birthdays and San Fran

Hooolllaa!! What a weekend of birthday parties...Happy 3rd to Cade on Saturday at Pump it Up. Happy 5th to Mabrey on Sunday at Build a Bear. And last night we celebrated Katy's TWENTY NINTH (hurry up and get into your 30s already!), at Ounce. It was my first time eating there, and it lived up to the hype. I totally voided out my workout with some sort of steak entree...I think his name was Oscar, and he was SO GOOD!  :) ...and the lobster bisque soup...and the WINE. The waitress poured it like WATER, which makes you feel like you're really only drinking ONE glass. Very dangerous. But worth the pounding head this morning. I will post a few pictures, when people send them to me. (HINT). Yep, I didn't even bring my camera. What kind of photographer am I? I know.

ALSO, I'M GOING TO BE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO/BAY AREA FROM JULY 30TH-AUGUST 3RD. My good friend from high school, Melissa is flying me out to do her family portraits (I can't wait!). And a few of you inquired way back when I posted this before. Only I had to change the dates, so if you're still interested in scheduling a photo session in the Bay Area, send me an email at admin@relishportraitstudio.com. Discounted rates will apply because I'm so excited about shooting in California again. I think we're doing Melissa's at Golden Gate beach, which will be a first for me. So let me know if you want to come play! WOO!!