Shot of the Day

Daniela turned 15, which can only mean one thing. It's time for a Quinceañera. I visit teach her mom, Lupita, so it was great to take some pictures of a gorgeous supermodel AND get to count it as my visit teaching. I think the shot above is my new favorite picture. If you have extra time, click on the picture to see it for real.

This is what Daniela looks like when she isn't spinning across the yard. She's pretty much the most drop dead gorgeous girl in the ward. And that dress!! I would relive my 15th year just to wear a pink dress like that -- and that is saying a WHOLE lot.

The party is Friday night. Call me if you want to come!

A day at the river!

Eighteen children, seven moms, a couple of watermelons and one very interesting snake. Ahh, summer!

Brittni in the Lavender

Last week I asked one of my up coming brides to drive down from BYU-I to shoot a few bridals down in Mona at the lavender field. Brittni was FABULOUS and had no fear of tromping through dusty crops in a wedding dress to get a great picture. This shot give you a feel of the magic of acres of lavender at sunset. The image uploaded kind of funny but if you click on it, you will get the full effect.

Thanks, Britt! My camera still smells of lavender.

Mexico Mega Post

Nothing like a Mexican graveyard to give you a few goose bumps. Marco and I cruised inland about an hour and wandered el campo until we happened find this cathedral of the dead. So cool.

One of the gravestones asked us to say a "Padre Nuestro" for him and reminded us that he is kindly waiting for us there below. Spooky Creepy! I wonder if that was him I heard knocking from inside the casket.


I think the graves cost more than the houses in this town. I love Mexican angels. And how about the catholic SLC temple below. My favorite part is the embedded clock in between the two spires. Who changes the batteries?

You can see the edge of town behind this grave. I like this so much better than those "mow right over me" flat headstones we do here in the states. It's like we don't want to be reminded of our own mortality every time we drive past a cemetery.

My mom came with us to Mexico. She is a dream to travel with and fit right into the youngster party scene. She painted everyday and did several nice drawings.

Later that night we went to dinner in Boca at a very colorful restaurant that specializes in the BEST coconut shrimp I have ever had. Below is a shot of the front door and the stairs that lead up to the restaurant.


The wedding party took over the whole place. I got the feeling this isn't where most tourist buses stop to unload a bunch of white people for dinner, thank goodness. The food was tasty and the company plenty colorful.


They had a huge avocado tree in the back patio that was 40 feet tall and loaded with green goodness. Every dish came with a generous helping of guacamole to help us get enough calories to stay warm in the Mexico summer. (Ok, we didn't need any help with either our caloric intake or staying warm. It wasn't too hot, just quite MOIST.)

Here's our evening's entertainment.

Mom drew a lovely portrait of the guitar player. Here she is hanging with the hipsters and demonstrating her chiaroscuro techniques for Adam. It was a nice drawing that she gave to the guitar guy who was very surprised and pleased that the white lady had enough alma to capture his essence.


Here's Lyla, the lovely bride, enjoying a Margarita.

And Marco sticking with his Coca-Lite. Have you had the Mexican Coca-Lite? That stuff is GOOD. Frankly I am glad they don't sell it in the US because I would have to give up my ban of all things carbonated.

What a beautiful colorful place! We already are in the process of planning a return trip to Puerta Villarta. Who's in?

(Tomorrow I will get around to posting the actual wedding.)

You say it's your birthday!

Ok, so it's my birthday and not yours. Here is a small trip down memory lane. Above is me just a couple of days old. Below, is my first birthday (or there abouts) on Pioneer Day in Denver. My dad is the bishop in the long braids and loin cloth. Steve must be taking the picture, leaving Shauna, mom, baby me and Tom with the bow and arrow.


This picture above is from my sixth birthday. I included it because 1976 was the only Houston summer that we didn't go to the cabin in Colorado. (Didn't dad have a bad back that year?) Earlier this year in Houston I took this picture (below) of Xanny in the same lifeguard chair. (Don't ask me why. I guess I thought it would make for an interesting post.)


That's it. It's just my birthday and I have a great husband who organized the little ones into bringing me breakfast in bed today. I only had to eat 38 bites. No wonder we keep expanding year after year. Over all .... it's been a great year since the last birthday. Here's to another one just as nice as the last.

Viva Mexico

Wow, what a weekend! Marco and I headed south of the border for the destination wedding of Mike and Lyla. In a word ... PARTY.

They choose Puerta Villarta, Mexico and invited 40 of their closest friends and family. The wedding was held at a spot aptly named "Le Kliff". It's a tiny isla attached to the main land by precarious bridge. Classy joint.

Here's the happy couple being debonair. They were GREAT to shoot and the whole wedding well planned down to the last piece of coconut shrimp.


Coming down the stairs with her two dads. Her very colorful father, Baruch, and her sweet step father, Scott both gave her away. Her mother, Dana, is a minister and performed the ceremony. I have way too many pictures to get through, but here are a couple of shots to give you a little taste. (I will post more pictures as I get through them.)


Lyla was a great bride and super organize. It was a dream wedding to shoot and look forward to many more destination weddings. Thanks, Lyla and Mike.

DAY TWO:

This is the view from our room that looked over the ocean. The day after the wedding, a Marco and I headed inland to see the botanical gardens. Agave is a big industry in Jalisco. This is the poky plant that is used to make tequila.

Everything in Mexico is practically drowning in heady saturated light. I couldn't resist taking pictures of every think in sight. Especially ...

the PITCHER plants in brandy sniffers.

A yellow butterfly kept popping up as one of the themes of the weddings. This one is dead, but I liked it anyway. I hope a dead yellow butterfly isn't a bad omen.

Lot's of pot in Mexico ... I mean pots.

Marco has quit his day job of international trade law and decided to be my new lighting guy for destination weddings. It's looking like the beginning of a great partnership. Viva Mexico!

Lavender

Last week we cruised south an hour to check out the lavender fields in Mona, UT. They were still just a little green but they will be GREAT by this weekend.

Xanny loved the straight lines of lavender and collected as many rocks as would fit in his cargo pockets. I like this kid. He is my SQUARE kid. Right now he is 48 inches tall and weighs 48 pounds.

How tall would you have to be to match your weight inches per pounds?