It’s finally Spring! This usually isn’t such a big deal for me, since our traveling lifestyle allows us to be in warm places for the winter, but this year, it IS a big deal. For the first time, Ben and I actually did NOT head south for the cold season. Instead, we were in the Pacific Northwest, mainly the Portland area. While we had some good reasons to be there, it was a rough couple months for this sun-lovin’ gal. When we started to see the first signs of Spring, I couldn’t have been happier. With the Spring season came the Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest, and that is where I shot this month’s calendar wallpaper. This event was just beautiful, and I encourage you to check out some of the other images I shot in my blog post dedicated to this event.

I hope you enjoy the wallpaper! It should definitely add a splash of color to your day.

To download, click on the thumbnail for the size of your computer screen. When the large image opens, right click (or Control + Click on Mac) and click save image.

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Finally! After months of gray days up in the Pacific Northwest, I caught a glimpse of some color. More than a glimpse, actually. A whole field of color! I went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, which is held every year at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon (about an hour south of Portland). I learned about the festival in our “Photographing Oregon” book and had put it on my calendar months ago. When Google alerts popped up and told me that the festival had started, I couldn’t pack my camera bag fast enough!

The festival is actually a month-long event that basically spans tulip season. This year, it was from March 29th through May 5th. While the farm has a gift shop, food vendors, music, and activities, the tulip field is truly the centerpiece of this event. We’re talking over 40 acres of tulips and daffodils, all planted in rows by color, creating a rainbow of flowers. It’s just beautiful, and if you’re a photographer, you could spend hours shooting there. I actually bought the season pass (for $30.) and went three times. It was pretty rainy and overcast for my first two visits, but that ended up being a great opportunity to shoot some close-ups, which were especially nice when there were water drops on the petals. It actually reminded me how much I enjoy photographing flowers. I kind of think of them as “floral portraits,” and I try to find a way to shoot them in ways that are different from what everyone is used to seeing.

Whether you’re a photographer or not, I would definitely recommend making it to this event at some point. It’s really something to see, and even though we’re talking about flowers here, most of the guys I saw there looked to be enjoying it just as much as the gals (my mister included.)

If you ARE a photographer or photo enthusiast, here’s a few advice tidbits:

- Try to go on a weekday when it’s not as crowded. It can be nice to show people in some of the images, but I’m sure you’ll want some tourist-free shots, and you don’t want to have to spend hours removing them in Photoshop. That being said, I went on a weekend day and I still managed to get people-free photos. I just had to work a little harder for them
- Bring a rain shield for your camera. It’s the Pacific Northwest, so you can pretty much expect to get rain at some point.
- Bring a variety of lenses. A wide angle is nice to show the expanse of the place, and a longer lens is perfect for compressing the colorful rows of flowers, as you can see in some of the shots below. And of course, a mid-range lens is nice for getting those intimate detail shots.
- If it’s a windy day, try some long exposures on a tripod. This is something I didn’t do, but wish that I had.
- Even though the festival hours begin at 9 am, I have been told by other photographers that they were given permission to go early and shoot sunrise there. Again, this is something I wasn’t able to do this time, but will definitely do next time!

So that’s enough gabbing from me. Here are the photos!:

I know that’s an odd title for a blog post, but that’s what I’ve been looking at for the past several months. After getting married and vacationing in Hawaii, Ben and I returned to our motorcoach, which was in Eugene, Oregon. Now, if you know me at all, you know something is geographically wrong there. See, I don’t DO winter. Cold weather doesn’t really work out for me. I try to avoid it at all cost…unless, of course, there is photography involved. A photo excursion to Antarctica sounds amazing. A winter hanging out in the Pacific Northwest does not.

Fortunately, we have a pretty good reason to be in Oregon. If you know a bit about our story, you know that Ben and I live in a 40′ motorcoach, living a life of travel, exploration and photography. While the bus we live in now is very comfortable, it’s lacking in a few areas, so we’re working on building our second home-on-wheels. (OK, Ben is doing most of the work.) The Bus 2.0, aka The Creative Cruiser, is a 1963 Flxible Starliner. Yep… we’re going vintage, baby! Well… the exterior will look vintage. The interior will feature a high-tech streamline design style. We’re talking retro speedlines mixed with kick-but home automation. So what does this have to do with Oregon? Well, the shop that is creating the interior is located near Eugene, Oregon. It’s a pretty big job, and will probably take a year to complete, but we’re really confident that we’ve got the right people working on it.

The project started in December and it was imperative for us to be around to nail down the design end of it. Ben has spent countless hours in the shop, tweaking his 3D model of the bus and working with Larry (shop owner) on the layout. To start, they’re creating a “mock-up” of the bus – a fake interior, so to speak. This is so we can walk through and look at the design to make sure it’s right for us. It’s a good thing they’re doing this, because Ben has been changing a lot of things and will continue tweaking away to make sure it’s absolutely perfect for our needs. When we are happy with the mock-up, they’ll rip everything out and start building the REAL interior.

Ben inspects the initial mock-up of the vintage bus interior. Once we’re happy with the general layout, the shop will rip everything out and re-build it with all the real materials.

The vintage bus is the main reason we didn’t migrate south for the winter. There was just too much going on with the project. While the bus stayed at the shop near Eugene, Ben and I moved between Eugene, Portland and on occasion, Seattle. The time spent in Eugene was dedicated to the bus project, the time in Seattle was for creativeLIVE events (which I’ll mention in a later post) and the time in Portland was… well… Portland is just pretty awesome, and we like hanging out there.

So, the past few months have been pretty interesting for me. There’s been a lot of Yin and Yang. The Yin: I’m super happy to see progress being made on the vintage bus project. It will be our future HOME, and I’m excited to be around to see everything happening. I also really love Portland, and we’ve spent a lot of time there. The vibe of the city really connects with me (except for the weather!). Things have also been really busy, work-wise. Both Ben and I have had our plates full with projects, and that’s always a good thing. Well, it’s a good thing if you love what you do, and fortunately, we do! The Yang: I don’t do well with cold… at all. And in the Pacific Northwest, it’s worse than cold. It’s cold, rainy and DARK because the clouds hang so low in the sky. The dark really started getting to me, emotionally. My other issue is that I get the hitch itch pretty often, which means I like to move around a lot. I get antsy when we stay in the same area for a long period of time, and we’ve been in the Pacific Northwest for a LONG time.

Here’s where the yoga comes in. See, I found myself in bit of a rut, physically and emotionally. The dark was getting to me (and it didn’t help that we would park our current bus INSIDE the shop, which meant we never saw daylight), I didn’t want to be outdoors like I usually do, and I just got in a funk. To make things worse, I had grown tired and bored with the workout DVDs I would usually do. I used to do a mix of cardio and yoga workouts on the bus, but they stopped getting my juices flowing. It’s just not the same when you’re by yourself and in an environment with a lot of distractions.

I started seeking out yoga studios that allowed drop-ins. Yoga was really what I needed, because it nurtured both my physical AND emotional well-being. I knew that if I found studios that focused on vinyasa-style yoga, I could meld right in, because that’s what I’m used to. That’s a great thing about yoga. If you have a particular style or practice, you can fit right in with different studios that teach the same style. I started off at a beautiful studio in Portland called Yoga Pearl. In fact, I think I spoiled myself by going to this one first because it will most likely be the yoga studio I compare all others to. It was beautiful, the classes were amazing and challenging, and it was hot yoga, which is what I prefer. (Hot yoga is where you practice in a room heated to about 95 degrees.) To make things even better, there is an attached café called Prasad that makes fresh juices, salads and healthy bowls of greens, veggies, quinoa, etc. Total awesomeness. When we moved down to Eugene, I found Hard Core Yoga. While it’s not hot yoga, all of the instructors have been excellent and I’ve been going there several times a week. It’s there that I started some level 3 classes where I’ve moved into some more challenging poses, taking my practice up a notch. Since I frequently visit my family in NJ, I even keep a yoga mat there now and I found a great little studio called Yogi Power Yoga that I just fell in love with. Not only is it hot, but the instructors are great… and I get to go with my sister and best friend, Amanda. Bonus!

In the past, I’ve always done yoga. But because of my experience the past few months, I would actually go as far as to call myself a yogi. It’s gotten me through this rough winter, mentally and physically, and I think it’s going to be with me for a long time.

I know that this blog has been dedicated to photography and travel, and neither of those two topics have been touched on a bunch lately. I hope that will change soon, but I’ve still got some fun stuff from the past few months to post up here. And we’ve got some fun stuff coming up as well. I hope you’ll stay tuned!

For now, Namaste.

Writing this post makes me long to be back on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. Ben and I are back up in the Portland area, and I’m pretty bummed that flip flops are no longer part of my daily attire. But back to Hawaii… After our beautiful wedding day on Jan. 4th, we spent a few more days relaxing at our resort and spending quality time with close family and friends. It was wonderful being on vacation with the people closest to us. Seeing everyone at home is great in itself, but being able to share a sunset happy hour in paradise, over looking the Pacific Ocean? That’s priceless. Those are memories I’ll be clinging on to forever.

As I may have mentioned in my last post, we stayed at the beautiful Hilton Waikaloa Village Resort, and man is that place amazing! Ben had been there before, and he tried to give me an idea of what it was like, but I still wasn’t prepared for the sheer magic of the place. First of all, it’s huge. And I mean HUGE. If my sister happened to call me and tell me to meet her in the lobby, I’d have a good 3/4 mile walk from my room. There are three main towers containing guest rooms and many other buildings with restaurants, lounges, etc. If you don’t feel like walking, there is a monorail and an adorable boat channel that will take you between the main buildings. But if you opted for one of these, you would not only miss the beautiful walk, but you’d miss the art too. The Waikaloa is FULL of Asian-themed art. During just a 5-minute walk around the grounds, you would literally pass dozens and dozens of sculptures, paintings, carvings, etc. Whoever curated this collection had a big job on their hands. The hotel has several large pools as well as a lagoon that it completely open to the ocean. If you hang out in the lagoon, you will most likely see lots of sea turtles and fun-looking fish. You could literally stay on this property for the entirety of your visit and never run out of things to do. (We, of course, DID leave the property a bit to explore.)

Ben bounces across a suspension bridge that spans one of the pools at the resort.

I snapped this pic of the Ocean Tower at the Hilton Waikaloa. This was where most of our hotel rooms were, and it was my favorite tower. If you looked at it from above, it would look like three circles, connected but with the interior completely open. In the middle was the adult pool (score!), a cantina/restaurant and a cafe.

On the day following our wedding, Ben and I went on an ATV tour at the northern tip of the Big Island. The tour was actually a Christmas gift from my parents, and we had a blast! We covered a lot of lush, Hawaiian landscape and stopped at a few waterfalls. At one of the stops, we did a short hike to get to the falls and at the bottom, and there we found macadamia trees. Our guide cracked some of the raw nuts open for us and we got to eat them right off the tree. They were delicious, by the way. Our ATV was pretty cool because it had seats that were side-by-side instead of one right in front of the other. I like the kind you straddle if you’re by yourself, but with two people, one person is always looking at the back of the other person’s head. This was much better.

Me and my new husband are looking pretty spiffy, eh? I think that helmet made me look like a bobblehead.

Ben during the ATV tour on the northern point of the island.

Me and Ben at one of the waterfalls on the ATV tour.

Since the resort was just amazing, we spent most of our time hanging out there. In most other situations, Ben and I would be out exploring more. But there was something really nice about just “hanging out” and spending time with the people we’re close to. I liked not having to worry about carrying a 40-lb camera bag on a 3-mile hike, or getting up at 4 am to be out shooting sunrise. (Ironically, I got up early anyway because I was just psyched to start the days!)

In the mornings, I went for long walks with my mom. We’d walk on the resort, off the resort and would go for miles just talking … all before the rest of the gang got out of bed. That time was just so special to me. In fact, I wish I could beam myself from wherever I am every day to go on morning walks with my mom.

It was also the morning time that truly reminded me how much of a warm weather gal I am. Ben and I have been spending the winter in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it’s the first winter where we didn’t head south for the colder months, and I noticed something interesting happening. I found that I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. In fact, my eyes didn’t even want to open! This is SO uncharacteristic of me. Usually, I want to sleep as little as possible and I’m excited for whatever the new day will bring. Something was definitely off. Then we went down to Hawaii. The entire time we were there, I was awake before the sun came up, just lying in bed waiting for it to get light enough to go outside and start the day. I think Jimmy Buffett sums up my feelings for the wintery north in his song, Boat Drinks. “Oh I know, I should be leaving this climate; I got a verse but can’t rhyme it; I gotta go where it’s warm!”

In the evenings, we would meet up for happy hour at “Buddha Point,” a beautiful overlook at the resort that is just perfect for sunset. And of course, there is a Buddha statue there. We’d bring wine and snacks and watch the magical Hawaiian sunset. Sounds so rough, doesn’t it!?

Sunset happy hour at Buddha Point

Jay & Lesa pose for a sunset photo.

Sunset engagement shoot with Laura & Rich!

While we were on the Big Island, I also got to swim with dolphins! I have always found dolphins to be so intelligent, fascinating, and “personable,” but I’ve never had the opportunity to interact with them before. It’s either been too expensive or a scenario where the dolphins are just in the equivalent to a swimming pool. At the Waikaloa, they’re in a lagoon and it just felt a little more natural. It was still pricy, but I guess they have to pay for the lagoon somehow! I got to meet several dolphins, and it was just incredible. They would swim down a line in front of us and then turn around to come back. I was at the end of the line and could feel the movement of the water when he whipped around and changed directions. It really gave me an idea of how friggin’ powerful they are. If his tail fin had hit me, it probably would have broken my knee or something. And of course, the whole time I was hanging out with the dolphins, I was thinking of the song from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”: “So long, and thanks for all the fish; So sad that things have come to this…” hehe.

I got to swim with dolphins!!

So basically, our stay in Hawaii was everything I wanted it to be and more. I got to marry the man I’m madly in love with, spend quality time with family and close friends and explore a new place…which just happens to be paradise. Life is good.

I’ll end this post with a few more photos, and a promise that I wont go this long without blogging again!

Dave and Cindy kayak in the lagoon at the resort. The lagoon is completely open to the ocean, so you never know what kind of sea life you’ll see in there!

Me and Ben enjoying the luau dinner show

Brian, Madison & Amanda at the Luau

Bill & Penni at the Luau

My parents show up for sunset happy hour at Buddha Point

Rich on the water slide. Love it.

Ben, having a rough morning at the resort.

This month’s desktop wallpaper is an image I shot in Iceland back in June. I used to think you could never actually see the end of a rainbow, but as it turns out, I was wrong. There it is! This photo is proof that good things come to those who wait. On this particular day, our group headed out in the morning to shoot some funky green pools. Unfortunately, it poured for hours and we were stuck in the vehicle… waiting. Eventually, what felt like ages later, the skies cleared up, the sun came out and we got this gorgeous rainbow. I’d say it was worth the wait. Enjoy!

To download, click on the thumbnail for the size of your computer screen. When the large image opens, right click (or Control + Click on Mac) and click save image.

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An absolutely beautiful shot by Judy Host. I can’t believe that’s actually me!

It’s hard to believe I’m actually writing this post. If you would have told me five years ago that I would soon meet my perfect partner, live a life of travel and get married in the dawn of 2013, I wouldn’t have believed you. I didn’t think it would ever happen for me, but I guess it just goes to show you that if you want something bad enough, the universe will open up opportunities for you. You just have to embrace them. About four years ago, Ben and I connected at photography conferences and then online. After nearly a year of long online conversations and short meet-ups at events, we both knew there was something special was going on. We had too much in common and got along so easily. However, at the time, Ben was parked (in the motorcoach) in San Diego and I was working in New Jersey. It was then that I decided to take the biggest leap of faith in my life. I packed my bags for a week and flew out to spend a week with a man I had hardly ever spent any time with in person… staying on his 40-foot tour bus. We knew that all the pieces fit pretty well… we just had to make sure that we meshed well in person. This is what I’m thinking as I’m standing in a gazebo in Hawaii, gripping my father’s arm, about to make my way to the tiny open-air wedding chapel and marry the man I fell in love with during that leap-of-faith trip.

WOW, right? I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, spending a week in Hawaii with close family and long-term friends, and marrying my Ben. As I mentioned in my last post, Ben and I brought in the new year on Oahu with my family. On Jan. 2, we flew over to the Big Island (and my family followed, on the 3rd). The first thing we did after leaving the airport was go to the marriage license “office” to get the temporary license we would need on our wedding day. I put “office” in quotation marks because, well… just check it out below. Have I mentioned how much I love Hawaii???

Our Hawaii marriage license “office”

We then drove about 30 minutes north and checked in at the absolutely stunning Hilton Waikaloa Village resort. This place is literally an Asian-themed ocean village, and a far cry from your standard hotel. The resort is made up of three main hotel towers and several other buildings that house restaurants, shops, water activity centers, etc. To walk between buildings is a hike, and personally, I LOVE that! I would say that it’s nearly a mile to walk from one end of the resort to the other. Because of that, there is a small monerail/tram that travels between buildings and a little boat system as well. (A waterway weaves through the whole resort.) Because we were getting married, we got upgraded to a gorgeous ocean-view room. I literally jumped up and down when I took my first glimpse off the balcony.

This was the view from our hotel room. Insanely gorgeous!

Shortly after we got settled in our room, our great friends Jay and Lesa arrived, and we had an impromptu happy hour in our room. Then, the four of us set out to explore the hotel. On this walk, I saw the wedding chapel for the first time and I nearly cried when I saw how perfect it was. The windows open right up to the ocean, and the stained glass inside is all Hawaiian plants. The chapel is tiny and only seats 18 people. This was perfect for us, because we wanted a very intimate, casual [and barefoot] ceremony. Little by little, our friends and family arrived at the resort. It was so heartwarming to know that they were all there because of us. Hawaii isn’t exactly an easy trip for most people. It was worth it though. On the night before the wedding, we had a happy hour meet-and-greet at the Waikaloa’s Malolo Lounge. This was great, because everyone in our group got to hang out and get to know each other before the actual wedding day. By the time the ceremony rolled around, everyone was already friends.

The wedding chapel at the Hilton Waikaloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. We couldn’t have picked a better place.

 Wedding Day

Our wedding day started early for me, not because I HAD to be up, but because I WANTED to be up. I woke up with the sun, showered and enjoyed the morning. I loved the fact that I was in no hurry. I eventually met up with Amanda, Laura and little Madison and we made our way to the spa. We all had pedicure appointments (barefoot wedding, remember?) and I got my hair done as well. Thing were really starting to sink in at this point. While I was waiting for my pedicure appointment, I started practicing my new signature… Karen Willmore.

Amanda and Madison at the spa. Amanda would be my bridesmaid and Madison, the flower girl.

I love this photo that my mom took of my sister Laura getting her hair done. All the reflections are awesome!

After my hair was done, my mom and I headed back to my room to get ready. Now, I wasn’t really an average bride. I already mentioned that I wouldn’t be wearing shoes, and I wouldn’t be wearing makeup either. It’s just not my thing. So all I really had to do was put the dress on. Since Judy was taking some photos for the day (and I can’t thank her enough for that!), she met us in the room and we took some shots there.

Getting ready in the hotel room ©Judy Host

Since we wanted some photos outside, we slowly made our way to the chapel, making several stops for photos. Judy has such a great eye for picking out beautiful photo locations and I was glad we weren’t in a serious hurry.

Another beautiful shot by Judy. We took our time making our way to the chapel, so that we could take some photos. ©Judy Host

The wedding grounds at the Hilton Waikaloa are large. There is a beautiful gazebo with a long pathway leading away from it and toward the chapel. This entire setting is at the oceanside and provides a perfect view of the sunset. Our ceremony was actually timed for the sunset. Could this get any more romantic?? We had time to take a lot of photos before the ceremony and though it was really windy, the weather was warm and sunny.

Me with my sister, Laura, the left, Amanda on the right, and little Madison, who is Amanda’s daughter and the flower girl. ©Judy Host

Ben and his best man, Eddie Tapp. ©Judy Host

The first shot of me and Ben together on our wedding day. ©Judy Host

The ceremony began at 4:30 and the procession started in the gazebo. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and was based on Hawaiian traditions and nature. The minister, Rodney “Dard” Aller went through many beliefs and traditions of the Hawaiian islands, stressing their importance and meaning to our relationship to each other and to Hawaii itself. There was one thing he said that sent a chill down my spine. I mentioned before that even though the day was beautiful, it was very windy. Well during our ceremony, Dard said that the winds represented those who have left us. My grandmother had just passed away in August and it was her main goal to make it to Hawaii for this ceremony. I guess, in a way, she did. It was just such a special thing that he said that. It literally made her part of the ceremony.

Ben and I wrote our own vows and at the end of the ceremony, our rings were blessed, we read our vows and were pronounced husband and wife. This time, I actually DID cry a little. Everything was just so perfect. Immediately following the ceremony, we signed our marriage license and headed out for some family photos. I mentioned that Eddie was Ben’s best man, but he was also kind enough to take some photos for us. He and Judy were so, so amazing that day. I know what it’s like to take wedding photos, and it’s not easy. We took some group shots and then as the sun went down, Eddie took some shots of me and Ben alone.

Right after we were pronounced husband and wife

Me and Ben with my parents. It was a very emotional moment.

The whole bridal party after the ceremony

I love this. © Eddie Tapp

This is such a perfect shot of me and Ben. ©Eddie Tapp

Classic Ben & Karen ©Eddie Tapp

While we were taking these photos, there was a happy hour with tapas outside the chapel. As it started to get dark out, we all made our way to the dinner restaurant, the Kamuela Provision Company, where we had two long tables outside overlooking the ocean. The wind died down (Thanks grandmom!) and the torches and palm trees created the perfect atmosphere for our small reception dinner. It was only 22 people, so it was small enough that Ben and I could both enjoy our meal and talk to everyone without feeling overwhelmed.

Our beautiful reception dinner

I can’t begin to explain how perfect it was. The whole day was exactly what we wanted: intimate, elegant, casual and Hawaiian. After the day ended, everyone kept saying how perfect it was and how much they enjoyed it. Personally, I don’t think anyone enjoyed it more than I did. I was in paradise with the people I’m closest to, and I got to marry the man I am madly in love with. Life is good.

I’m going to save the rest of the Hawaii trip for another post, but if you want to check out a larger gallery of photos from the day, visit http://www.karennace.com/ourwedding

Aloha!

Christmas

Since the motorcoach we call home was parked in Oregon, Ben and I flew from Portland to Philly to spend the holidays with my family in New Jersey. Christmas is the best time of year at the Nace house, and I think the whole family agrees on that. Everyone is home, the atmosphere is warm, and we have a lot of fun holiday traditions. Even though it’s cold, I would never miss a Christmas with my family.

Ready for Christmas!

This year it was a little bitter sweet, since my grandmother just passed away in August. She was always a major part of the holidays, so things really didn’t feel the same without her. For decades, she would always prepare Christmas Eve dinner, which was a feast consisting of at least seven different kinds of fish and an irresistible array of side dishes. This year, the whole family chipped in to continue that tradition, and I think we would have made her proud.

My parents taking a first stab at seared tuna. 

Ready to eat the Christmas Eve feast

Christmas morning is always a crazy gift-giving marathon. It takes hours to open gifts as everyone takes turns, going one at a time. We usually have a break for breakfast, and another for happy hour! What I love about Christmas morning is that everyone puts so much time and thought into their gifts. There aren’t really any “average” gifts. Lots of love goes into each one. My favorite gift of the day was what I got my dad. For decades, he’s had these 8mm film reels hidden up in a closet somewhere, containing memories of my parents’ wedding, me and my sister as babies, family that is no longer with us, etc. I had all that film sent away and converted to DVD format and made customs cases for each one. It was a great surprise for him, and we watched the videos that very night.

My sweet Nyah on Christmas morning.

Shooting time!

While we were in NJ, we paid a visit to our good friend Carl, whom I met years ago at Heritage Vineyards, where he serves as assistant winemaker. Carl has an amazing wine cellar in his home and since he will be moving back to Texas this year, we wanted to do a photo shoot in his cellar so he’ll have some nice memories to take with him to his next house. Ben specializes in a unique form of photography called lightpainting, and that’s what he did for this shoot. Lightpainting is where you take a completely dark scene and light it with flashlights and other light sources while the camera shutter stays open. I took some non-lightpainted shots to complement Ben’s image.

Ben’s lightpainting of Carl’s cellar. If you want to learn more about lightpainting, check out Ben’s e-book on the technique at www.DigitalMastery.com. © Ben Willmore 2012

One of my shots from the day

One more pre-Hawaii shot:

Before we left for Hawaii, and not one week before our wedding day, the guys took Ben out for a boys-only Philly craft beer crawl. They all piled into a stretch limo and had a field day! The “Groom” shirt was a gift from my sister, Laura.

Aloha!

I know you were probably wondering when I was going to get around to the Hawaii part of this post. On New Year’s Eve, at 4 in the morning, we all headed to the airport, bound for Honolulu. (When I say “all,” I mean my parents, my sister and her fiancee Rich, Rich’s parents Bill and Penni, my brother David and his girlfriend Cindy and of course me and Ben.) It was hard to believe this trip had actually arrived! Not only were we ready to be in paradise, but that meant our wedding was only days away!

We brought in the new year in Waikiki on Oahu. Stepping off the plane, I felt like Dorothy having just stepped into the land of Oz. NJ was so overcast, cold and colorless and Hawaii is, well… Hawaii. It’s beautiful, lush and colorful. We had dinner that night at the Hula Grill, which was open on one side to the beach and the ocean. At midnight, all we had to do was walk out onto the restaurant’s balcony and watch the fireworks show over the Pacific Ocean.

Ben and I bring in the new year in Waikiki. Just before midnight, Ben ordered a bottle of champagne for the table.

In downtown Waikiki stands the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiian surfing legend.

On New Years Day, we spent time wandering around downtown Waikiki, shopping and walking. My family had never been to the island of Oahu before, so they enjoyed exploring. While New Years Eve in Waikiki was great, Oahu is actually my least favorite of the Hawaiian islands. There’s just too much city for me, and while the North Shore is great to see for the waves and such, there are much more spectacular beaches elsewhere. This is certainly not a complaint though! Heck, it’s Hawaii… in January! Plus, we were definitely saving the best for last, as the Big Island was our next stop. While were in Oahu, we met up with our wonderful friends Eddie and Judy, who would be at our wedding and had also decided to visit Oahu first. I just love meeting up with our friends all over the globe, especially in a place as special as Hawaii!

On Jan 2., Ben and I made the short plane ride to the Big Island, where we would check in at the Hilton Waikaloa Village resort. This is where we would spend the larger part of our trip and we would be getting married (!!!) in the beautiful little chapel on the hotel grounds. But that, my friends, is a post on its own. More (lots, lots more) to come!

Exploring Waikiki! From left, David, Cindy, Ben, Laura and Rich.

I loved this photo I got of Laura and Rich enjoying the tropical weather!

Ben and I met up with Eddie and Judy at the Yard House in Waikiki. Reunion! (This photo has the classic “shot by a bartender with an iPhone” quality, so sorry about that!)

A view of the Moon Locking Pavilion from the Terrace.

I am so glad I took the time to visit this beautiful place. It’s literally like stepping through a portal into China and back in time to the 1600s. Once you’re inside, it’s hard to believe that Portland’s bustling downtown lies just beyond the walls. The garden is split up into a dozen or so smaller sections, each one delivering its own unique experience. There are courtyards, pavilions, ponds, etc. all divided up by windy walkways and circular doorways. My curiosity was constantly active, wondering what was beyond the next passageway. At first I was afraid that I wouldn’t get to see anything in bloom because my visit was in late November, but I was happy to find that wasn’t the case at all. There was tons of greenery, chrysanthemums, plum trees, bamboo, etc. but I quickly learned that the architecture and layout were just as important as the foliage in this place. In learning about the garden, I discovered that it was designed to cater to all the senses. You smell the flowers, touch the rock, hear the rushing water and visually take in it all.  I’d put it this way: There are some gardens you visit, and some you “experience.” This one would be the latter.

A beautiful fall rainbow of flowers on the Terrace.

Here are some interesting facts about the Gardens. (Things I learned from the map, guide and info signs)

• The Lan Su  Garden is considered the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China
• Most of the materials used to build the garden came directly from China
• The garden is designed to resemble the home and garden of a wealthy Chinese family in the 1600s
• Suzhou is Portland’s sister city, and the name Lan Su represents the relationship between the two cities.
• Artists from Suzhou stayed in Portland for nearly a year building the structures
• The garden is home to more than 300 plant species that are commonly found in Chinese gardens.
• One of the structures in the garden is a teahouse, where you can stop to drink tea, munch on snacks and enjoy the garden.

The Lan Su Garden is open in the Summer from 10-6 and in the Winter from 10-5. Adult admission is $9.50.

If you’re ever in the Portland area, I highly recommend a visit to this place. You can see the whole place in as fast as an hour, but I lingered there for close to two. I was also taking lots of photos, and that always slows me down. You can see many of my photos below.

After leaving Portland, Ben and I moved south to the Eugene, Oregon area. It’s much more mellow than Portland, and a nice place to hang out (despite the winter rains). We’ll be staying at the shop where the vintage bus is getting its interior re-done. In case you need the FYI, we live in a modern motorcoach/bus conversion and are currently restoring a vintage bus that we’ll live in next. More to come…

The doorways and windows are designed to create “views within views.”

I found this dude in the Fish Pavilion. Very cool!

Chrysanthemums are becoming one of my favorite kinds of flowers. The petals remind me of wild, shaggy hair.

I just loved the color scheme at the garden. I definitely want to return during a different time of year to see how it changes.

I shot this one of the buildings and then gave it a painterly look later.

Nature’s pompoms

The entrance sign. You can buy tickets in the little gift shop near the entryway.

Happy Holidays everyone! Here we are, yet again facing the end of another year. The holidays always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside because it’s always such a great family time. This monthly desktop calendar wallpaper is an image I shot at Longwood Gardens during Christmas time a few years back. Longwood Gardens is in the Brandywine area of Pennsylvania and is amazing to visit ANY time of year. During the Christmas season, they go all out with poinsettias in the conservatory and twinkling lights outside. It’s absolutely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

No matter what holiday you’re celebrating, I hope it’s a good one!

To download, click on the thumbnail for the size of your computer screen. When the large image opens, right click (or Control + Click on Mac) and click save image.

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If you follow this blog, you know that Ben and I are getting married in January (which is coming up!). Well, my sister, Laura, and my best friend, Amanda, threw me the most amazing bridal shower a girl could ask for. It must have been a challenge too, because not only do I live on the road and can’t have too much “stuff,” but I’m not the girly-girl type at all. I don’t do pink, or lace, or chocolate. These things are usually  prominent in bridal showers. Knowing all this, they created a travel-themed party, where each table was themed to a location I’ve traveled to. There was an Africa table, an Iceland table, a Hawaii table, etc. When guests arrived, they would refer to a map at the main table to see “where in the world” they were sitting. Instead of giving physical gifts, they did gift cards, which caters well to my lifestyle. It was a brunch party at a cute little restaurant called the Tortilla Press, in Collingswood, NJ. Since it’s a BYOB place, they were able to bring their own mimosas, margaritas and wine. Everyone had such a good time and there were lots of compliments to Laura and Amanda (mine included). I’m so lucky and honored to have the greatest sister and best friend in the world.

Instead of blabbing more about the party, I’ll show you what it looked like:

On the main table was the “seating map,” a vintage suitcase holding cards and a book where guests could leave their well-wishes.

The “seating map,” where guests had to find their name to see which location-themed table they were sitting at.

One of the location themed tables.

Each place setting had one of these little suitcases. Inside was a photo of me and my grandmother, and a note that said in lieu of favors, a donation was made to the American Cancer Society. I couldn’t quite hold back the tears when I saw this. My grandmom passed away in August and she wanted so badly to be at the wedding.

Laura, Judy (Amanda’s mom) and Amanda

Me and Ben. The guys were allowed in after about an hour and a half.

I’m not a sweets lover, but there were about 40 women at this party and if there were no desserts, there probably would have been a riot.

Laura, Penni and my mom. I love this photo, because at the time it was taken, Laura had no idea that Penni was soon to become her future mother-in-law.

My Aunt Kathy and cousin Tina seemed to be having a good time!

Ben and I spent the rest of the week hanging out with the family and enjoying Thanksgiving. We paid a visit to our great friend Carl, who is dubbed the “Wine Wizard,” and for good reason. He must have opened at least six bottles at the tasting room while we were there. We happened to mention that our motorhome was currently parked near Oregon’s Willamette Valley, so he reaches into his bag and pulls out a wine that was made in the Willamette Valley! His knowledge of wine is mind-blowing and he’s such a great guy to talk to and hang out with. I first met Carl five or six years ago when I started touring South Jersey’s wineries. Carl works at Heritage, and that’s the one I ended up sticking to, and visiting repeatedly. They have the best wine and the coolest people. After Ben and I got together, I started bringing him there too.

An iPhone shot of me, Carl and Ben at the tasting room

Now here’s a great story. Speaking of Heritage, during my visits there I also got to know Rich Heritage. He does all the winery’s marketing and was often in the tasting room when I was there. Over the course of a long period of time, I started to get the inkling that he and my sister, Laura, would make a pretty great couple. I knew Laura was ready for a relationship, and considering I’d seen Rich show up in a “most eligible bachelor” event, I figured that was the case for him too. To make a long story short, they started talking… then spending time together… then dating. Woohoo! I got to play cupid.

Little did I know…. they hit it off so well that they eventually bought a house together. My whole family adores Rich, so he pretty much became a member of the family. During me and Ben’s visit to NJ, he proposed and now they’re engaged! I could not be happier for them. I have never seen Laura as happy as she’s been the past couple years and they make such a great couple. (I also get the added bonus of security in knowing Laura wont embarrass me in her maid of honor speech, because guess who gets to go next? hehe *evil laugh*) Rich and his parents will be joining us in Hawaii for our wedding, so we’ll have LOTS to celebrate!

Rich and Laura, shortly after getting engaged. I just love these two so much!

When Thanksgiving rolled around, we all had a lot to be thankful for. It was a little bitter sweet, because my grandmother was sorely missed. I know she was there in spirit though, and extremely happy to see two great men about to become part of the family.

Last but not least, I also paid a visit to Amanda (same Amanda who threw me the most awesome shower ever) and photographed her daughter, Madison. I’ve been photographing this girl since she was born, and it’s crazy to see how much she’s grown, physically and mentally. It’s also a little strange because she is literally a mini Amanda. When Amanda and I were little, we were into all kinds of crafts and creative things and now Madison is the exact same way!

One of my Madison shots. She’s going to be the flower girl in our wedding in January!

How’s this for comparison? This is one of my shots of Madison from June, 2007.

Ben and I flew back to the bus on Black Friday. We were glad to be in the air during most of the shopping frenzy. (We do our holiday shopping on our computers) So now we’re back in the Portland area and will be hanging out between here and Eugene, which is about two hours south of Portland. More to come!