Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Welcome To Australia:

So back in October, we took our family vacation in Australia!! This had been a long time coming for me, and it was well worth the wait. We were headed to the Victoria region to visit with my pen pal of nearly 25 years and her family. This trip was for me, the equivalent of winning a million dollars....I was just so ecstatic to finally make the trip with my two favorite
guys and share this with them. Even today, nearly four months later, I'm still on cloud nine and cannot wait to make the next trip back.

Our trip began in Las Vegas, Nevada where we had just shot two weddings. We made the four hour drive to Los Angeles where we spent the greater portion of our day at
Disneyland before making our way to LAX for our 15+ hour flight to Melbourne.We were fortunate enough to ride on the new Qantas A380 Airbus...it was a fabulous ride. We had taken books and games and such to keep us occupied, but as it turned
out, we didn't need it. We had plenty to keep us going through the flight.

Ocean Grove is where we spent a great deal of time during our trip...near the area of my friends house, a beautiful seaside village area.

Just before our arrival, Geelong's Football team was in the big game of the season. Much like here, the town was covered in team spirit all around. I need to check out an
Aussie Rules Football game next trip....

Since we had technically been going for over 30 hours, not getting much sleep
on the flight, we took it easy upon our morning arrival. We took a walk in Sarah's
neighborhood to visit some horses and just get some fresh air. Here Claire gets a little
help from her mom as Craig watches.

I couldn't resist this shot, Craig and Marty walking with the youngest two, Claire and
Eprham.

The next day after a good long nights sleep, we were eager to get our feet wet and start
seeing the sights. Sarah and I are at the ocean here taking in the views. I've FINALLY
made it!!

I could stand looking at this everyday......

Grace is Craig and Sarah's eldest daughter. She was currently in school during our spring visit, so we didn't get to see her as much as Claire, but we had a lot of fun getting to know her, and she was lucky enough to get some days off school to play with us while we visited. Here she is with her favorite dog Max......more on him later.

And then there is sweet Claire, she got the nic-name real quick from Ephram who for whatever reason called her 'Baby' and it stuck. Still today he only calls her that and it's too cute. I think he
made a love connection.

Craig and Sarah took us to a local restaurant called The Piping Hot Chicken, I have to say this place was the bomb......it was soooooo good! We had to go back a second time
before coming home.

After lunch Eprham caught a nap.......

Guess he has that effect on people........

I got to celebrate my 3_th birthday while in Australia, so to celebrate, I started my
morning off with a wonderful gift from my friends with a massage as the local spa.
For dinner that night, we were taken back to the ocean to dine at The Dunes. It was a
wonderful celebration, just wish I would have been a little more awake at that time.



It didn't take long to see how much of an artistic culture Melbourne boasts of,
it was all over.....such beautiful pieces. So many different kinds of art with relation
to the area.

Grace and Claire having a bit of sisterly love before dinner at The Dunes.

There is plenty more to come on our visit to Australia. It's taken me this long
to get to editing my own personal photos and blogging about it. Taking a three
week vacation in the busy season really threw me back, but it's been great
looking back on the photos and the memories to relive. More coming soon!


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Written at 1:13 PM by Kama.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Chasing Away Those January Blahs

Yesterday I met with Sarah and Ryan for their engagement session, just beating the rain. I met them at McConnell Heart Health Center where Ryan works. The grounds boast in a nice park setting for the patients and employees to enjoy and that is where we had some fun.

I love Sarah's smile in this photo.....just relaxed and having fun with her man, nothing better than that.

Ryan and Sarah will be married in a few short weeks with a wedding in March, hard to
believe it's that soon.





On the property are a couple of cabins, located back in the woods, a nice peaceful area. We stopped at one of the cabins for a few of the photos, and to take in the fire place to warm up
a bit.









One of the things I love about the engagement session is it gives you that chance to get to know your clients better and for them, their photographer(s). It gives them the opportunity to relax and have a little fun in front of the camera, which is intimidating for anyone.

Getting to spend a little time with Ryan and Sarah, I found out how funny they are and they just
enjoy having a good time with one another. They were always laughing and poking fun at one another, that's so important in a marriage to be able to be each other's best friends.

I have to say, Sarah's got a good arm on her.......



This one is for Sarah, let's just say it's an inside joke.

It was a lot of fun hanging out with Ryan and Sarah. If their engagement session was was any indication of what their wedding day will be like, i know it's going to be a good time!! Can't wait!
See you in a few short weeks!



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Written at 11:37 AM by Kama.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Baby On The Way......

I got a e-mail the other day from Manabu that they were expecting a baby! How wonderful
is that! The last time I saw them, I was taking photos of their youngest baby who was about
three months old at the time, so they are adding a third addition to their family very soon.

Yuki is due at th end of the month, but to look at her, she is so stinkin tiny....you wouldn't know it.

Little Reina taking the spot light from the rest of the fam for a minute.



While Yuki was changing, Ruri was playing with the buttons on her daddy's shirt. I love the
simple little things kids do, that can be such a moment that is worthy of a photographic memory.



Yuki working it........
One of the things I love about photographing maternity is just finding the beauty
of that time in a woman's life. It's something that should be celebrated. A life
growing inside you. And that inner beauty shows on the outside in such a beautiful
form.



Ruri enjoys feeling the baby in her mommy's tummy.







Reina loves playing with her big sister, so I'm sure she will enjoy having someone to look up to her.

Your an even bigger sister now Ruri......your a lucky little girl!

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Written at 7:12 PM by Kama.
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