Brit's official birthday began with a cocktail at the George V... then off to Chanel... every girl deserves a little indulgence on her birthday... especially on her 30th!!

We then left Paris headed over the waters to London...  Paris was amazing... beautiful...  but LONDON... is officially my new love.  I was not expecting to fall so hard for this city.  the streets... the people... the cabs... and the food.. YES the food... I was always under the impression that the English were "not known for their food" (to put it nicely) ...but  WOW... we have had some of the best food yet...  I had the most amazin Falafel I have had in 11 years... no joke (my friends keep laughing because its been over a day or two now and I am STILL talking about the falafel). 

I also have to send out a thank you to "the boys"...  Guy, George, and Charlie (Britainy's close English friends from college) were such good sports for putting up with our ridiculous Americaness...  thank you thank you! 

Now... one more day left in London... then off to Italia...  ahhh mi Firenze... 

I hope you all had a beautiful Easter holiday!

Love
A

BTW... we were SUCH tourists... the dark night city shots were done during the Jack the Ripper tour.... SOOOO creepy!!

WHAT I LEARNED ON THE WAY TO PARIS...

I left for Paris on Sunday.. on my way I learned three things...  I know this may be random...  but it's what I learned...

1)...  Wearing all white to a wedding doesn't have to be a faux pas...  I sat next to a lovely lady from Amsterdam who was recently married.. (I only wish I would have grabbed a couple of her pics)... she had the most beautiful Ibiza wedding.  She asked all of her 50 guests to wear all white... and it gave the whole event not only an incredibly beautiful aesthetic but also such a sense of softness, love, and tenderness...  it is hard to explain ... but if you are looking to do something different... think about it.   I was especially interested in seeing her pictures because I will be flying back across the Atlantic in May to photograph my own Ibiza wedding...

2)...   Pictures truly are memory keepers.. obviously I believe this and knew this... but it wasn't until I experience it first hand (yet again) that I remember how amazing the feeling can be.  I was in a taxi heading to my hotel in Paris when we drove through a plaza... I instantly remembered it... not only did I remember it.. I remembered the EXACT photo I had taken of this plaza 12 years ago... and not only did I remember the photo... but I remembered what I thinking, what I was doing.. and where I was in life (ironically enough photography was the farthest thing from  a career  for me... funny what 12 years can do)... I wish I had the photograph to show you.

3)...  Rescue Remedy Sleep, Calms Forte, A Glass of Wine, and Airborne Sleep .DOES NOT equal sleeping on the plane

So, that was my trip there... day 1... 4 of us girls converge upon Paris from four different flights all leaving LAX and Arriving Charles De Galle... don't ask why we didn;t fly together... we haven't quite figured that out yet.

After trying to sleep off the jetlag.. it was off to Muse D'Orsay...  (to see my favortie Toulous Latrec)...  and dinner with a French friend... 

Day 2.. TODAY...  we awoke had a lovely lunch ... checked out Pere Lachaise.. where I saw Oscar Wilde's tomb... this cemetary was amazing and Oscar is ALWAYS inspiring. And then... I was soo happy to meet up with my dear dear dear Parisian friend Diana...  (you look amazing... and always make my day... so happy to have had the time with you my sweet).

AND TONIGHT... the BIG EVENT... watching the Sparkling Eiffel Tower at exactly midnight as my amazing, inspiring and beautiful friend Britainy turned 30.. (I truly feel honored to be a part of your celebration and to be a part of your life)

SO...  One more day in Paris... till its off to London... tomorrow's agenda  a portrait shoot of an opera singer at the Bastille Opera house... then off to the George V to cheers Brits official birthday.

Here are a few pics... enjoy...  drop me a note...

May you all have adventures and find a few friends along the way... it sure does make the world small.

Love,
A

Oh and along the way... TONS of croissants, pain au chocolates, and cappuccinos!!



 

Okay... this is going to seem like a random post... but.. such is my life sometimes. I've been a little behind with blogging and I completely skipped chatting about my trip to the island back in February...  and then last week I was in Hawaiii...  so hence the title within one month I went from snow covered below zero weather of Mackinac Island... to 85 degree palm tree covered island of Hawaii.... (obviously I have an island thing.. I love them whether hot or cold) .. there is just something about the island life... 

So... My Presidents Day-Valentines Day-Chili Cookoff weekend on Mackinac....  It was an island first for me... flying into the island in the dead of winter... granted I was hoping to experience the infamous ice-bridge...  but to no luck ...this winter the lake never froze... needless to say even without the usual freedom TRUE islanders look forward to year round...  most were still in high spirits  ... and ready for the annual Chili Cookoff  (granted the three bars (Sinclairs, Mustang, & Village Inn)  open helped with the dispersion of such "spirits")...   but all was not lost, beautiful sunsets, great friends, and awesome chili was still to be found in abundance.  As always, Mackinac never ceases to amaze and surprise me... even after ten years I constantly discover new joys on the is Magical place.

(You'll notice the last pic is a collage of people.. these are just a few islanders that always make me smile and keep the island going year round when the rest of us are scared of the winter  ... a few are missing (you, for example Mary... how were you not in any of my pics :-)... but I just wanted to pay props to these awesome people who always welcome me anytime of year. also...  Heather & Chris...  you'll be soooo missed!!!)

 

So I know I just got back from shooting a wedding in Hawaii... that's coming... but before I talk about that trip I have to talk about the weekend before where I was so excited to do not one but TWO family portrait & baby sessions.     The coolest thing I walked away with from these two sessions.. was finally knowing EXACTLY what my portrait style is... and you'll see it from the pics.  I'm not a posey posey person... pictures with the whole family looking at the camera smiling are fine and nice... but to me... I love to capture the reality... the funny faces.. .the running around in the back yard...  a family at home where they are comfortable and living their normal life.  This truly captures a period of time in the history of the family... think about it... 15 years from now when the kids are in college, what pics are going to be more fun to look at... Sweet Casima jumping on the trampoline... or being forced to sit still and smile for the camera (I mean really how often do little girls sit still anyways).

as you look at these pics...  they really don't need much explanation... its "A day in the life" on a sunny Santa Barbara afternoon.  These pictures aren't "perfect". . . but life doesn't look like a perfectly painted canvas.

Hope you enjoy them...

 

As I'm sitting in my hotel room in Kona Hawaii...  prepping for my wedding tomorrow...  and of course getting my "work" ready for the beach.. I am ALSO prepping for an amazing event I am going to be a part of next Saturday March 27th at the University Club in Santa Barbara, CA.

Santa Barbara Wedding Couture is going to be a wonderful place for brides who are getting married in the Santa Barbara, Central Coast, and Southern California areas to meet some of the best vendors the area has to offer... and have fun!! I promise... Armando of Alegria by Design along with the Santa Barbara Wedding Guide always put on events that are classy, elegant, and of the utmost quality.  I feel quite honored to be a part of it and among the vendors that will be there.

You can check out more information on the website at http://www.santabarbaraweddingcouture.com


Alright... off to the beach to do some work... and take some pics.. of course!!