I’m psyched!  This year I was recognized by Wedding Wire as part of the top 5% of Wedding Professionals nationwide.  Thank you to all the brides who left me amazing reviews and trusted me to photograph your weddings!!  I’m so lucky to have such great clients.

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards ™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. Awards are determined by a combination of four factors: Overall rating (quality), total number of reviews (quantity), review performance from 2011 (recency), and consistency of reviews from year to year (consistency). This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of WeddingWire’s vendor community, across all service categories and all regions throughout the US and Canada.

It’s a new year.  It’s a good time to think about our goals and where we are headed, both personally and professionally.  It’s also a good time to be thankful for what we have.

Every year about this time I write down new business goals for myself.  But before I plan for the future, I first take a look back at the year I just wrapped up.  Taking a look back helps me figure out what goals I did achieve, what goals I surpassed, and what goals I have yet to accomplish.  And every time I take a look back, I am extremely grateful for all my amazing clients.  Because without them, I would not be able to achieve any goals at all.

I’d love to highlight ever family, child, and couple I’ve spent time with this past year.  I love them all!!  But that would make this post unbearably long, so I thought I’d recap the amazing couples who trusted me to capture their weddings in 2011.  Thank you all who invited me into your lives to photograph your memories!!  I am grateful.

2011 weddings…

Heather and Bryan‘s at Valley Garden Center in Phoenix

Irene and Jesse’s wedding at Bella Giardino in Phoneix

Cheryl and Doug’s wedding at home in Ahwatukee

Sara and John’s wedding at Tre Bella in Mesa

Robyn and Josh’s wedding at Reflections at the Buttes in Tucson

Theresa and Mark’s wedding at Sagauro Lake Ranch in Mesa

Sara and Jake’s wedding at The Rim Golf Club in Payson

Alyssa and Eric’s wedding at Reflections at the Buttes in Tucson

Erica and Peter’s wedding at The Stillwell House in Tucson

Norma and Adam’s wedding at Aldea in Phoenix

How was everyone’s Christmas?  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and getting ready for the new year!  It’s almost 2012!!

I don’t collect anything.  I don’t have knickknacks around my house.  It’s not really my thing.  BUT, I do have a bit of an obsession with the ornaments from Starbucks.  Every year, I find myself buying their newest little coffee mugs to hang on the tree.  I realized this year, all those little mugs I keep buying have blossomed into my one and only “collection”.

Speaking of Christmas trees, last year’s tree was such a disaster, I decided to buy a cheap $20 tree from Target instead of messing with a real one this year.  Yeah… it looks fake and small, but it’s better than dead needles everywhere.   I put the tree in a wooden box to “dress it up” a bit.

I threw up a few reindeer around the house, and called it done.  I’ve been so busy this year, it’s all the decorating I could handle.  But sometimes keeping things simple is just enough.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!  Merry Christmas!!

This year’s mini sessions started off a little bumpy.  Day 1 was scheduled at Phoenix’s Heritage Square, but it was raining.  So after some rescheduling, Day 1 finally got going.  Day 2 of this year’s minis took place at Scottdale’s DC Ranch Marketplace, and thankfully, that day was sunny.

All of my families that came out this year are clients I’ve worked with in the past.  I absolutely LOVED seeing everyone again, especially all the kids.  It’s amazing how fast children grow!!  I am so grateful for everyone that came out.  Every one of these folks are awesome and I’m excited I had an opportunity to photograph them again!!

Here are the results…

Robyn and Josh were so much fun to work with, that when their wedding was over I think I went into a mini depression.   But I had a chance to relive all the happy memories when I found out their wedding was featured on DIY Bride today!!  Yay!

Norma and Adam celebrated their wedding on 11.11.11.   It was a beautiful, festive, and lively event and I couldn’t be happier for this super sweet couple.   I have tons more photos on the slideshow here… but below are just a few from their wedding.

Norma made a BEAUTIFUL bride!!  Adam, you’re one lucky man!!

Norma and Adam opted to do a First Look.  I’m so glad they did (I love it when couples decide to do this).  It allows for lots more time to get amazing photos AND I think it helps the bride and groom relax and enjoy a piece of the day before things get crazy.

Sarah from Fazzi Photography and Susan from A Dog’s Life Photography were working with me that day.  I don’t always have three shooters with me at weddings, but when I do, I love how the different perspectives of all the photographers really complete the experience of a First Look.

Below is Sarah’s perspective.

And my perspective.

And Susan’s perspective.

Right after a First Look, I like to go into the bride and groom portraits to keep the momentum going.

The ceremony was held at night and it was beautiful with all the twinkle lights!!

Their wedding was at Aldea here in Phoenix, Arizona.  Norma decked this location out with her amazing style and awesome decor.  She didn’t miss a thing.  Every detail was thought of.  I could probably do a blog post on just the decorations alone!!

The reception was kicked off with a fabulous mariachi band.  The dance floor was rockin most of the night.  Everyone was getting their groove on.  Adams ninety-one year old grandmother was probably the fiercest on the dance floor.  When she busted out her best moves to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”, I decided she is the coolest grandma on the planet and I can only hope to have  her energy when I’m her age (if I’m blessed enough to get there).  She rocks!

Adam’s amazing grandma!

Norma and Adam, I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon!  Congratulations!!!

I loved Erica and Peter’s wedding!  So I’m naturally psyched that Borrowed and Blue decided to feature it today on their website.  Yay!!

Tanya and Patrick’s engagement session is one of my favorite, and I’m psyched Becoming the Mrs. decided to feature it on their blog today!  Whoohoo!!

Things have been nuts lately.  Not only is November my busiest time of year, but I also feel like life around me is unraveling and the road before me is not yet known.  I see similar uncertainties creeping into my friends and family’s lives too.  2011 has definitely been a year of change for everyone!

Everything we once knew is no longer.  Everything that we once felt certain and confident in, now seems to be the unknown.  Everything seems to be changing, and even though change is good, it is scary to be in the middle of it.  We are no longer the old version of ourselves… but we haven’t yet moved into the new.  Being in the middle is like being without our identity.  Questions start to pop up….   Who am I?  Is this what I want?  Is this the direction I want to go?  How will I get by?  How do I stop worrying?  How do I not over react?  How do I have faith it will all turn out for the best?

The only way through times like this for me, is to remember I’m not alone.  There’s some larger force out there working for me.  But it’s hard to always come from that place of knowing when life gets nutty and starts to turn into distracting noise inside my head.

Recently, I was reminded of this when I was walking to my car after an engagement session.  I had a lot of noise in my head that day, and was unable to shut it off.  As I crossed the street, I looked up at the church on the other side and admired the cross that reached way up into the sky.  I felt that moment served as a reminder for me.  It’s OK to stop.  It’s OK to be quiet.  It’s OK to not have all the answers.  In simplicity, it’s easy to understand we already have everything we need in this moment and that’s enough.

I was so happy to see Sara and Jake’s beautiful wedding featured on Delightfully Engaged yesterday!  I absolutely loved photographing their wedding and I am delighted it was noticed by other professionals in the wedding industry.

And I want to give a quick shout out to Sarah from Fazzi Photography who was my second shooter for this wedding.  She’s an awesome teammate!

“The spiritual meaning of number eleven is quite diverse. The number 11 is thought of as a “master” number in numerology because it is a double digit of the same number. When this occurs – the vibrational frequency of the prime number doubles in power. Meaning, the attributes of the Number One are doubled. Therefore, the very basic and primaryunderstanding of the Number One is that of new beginnings and purity. When we see this digit doubled as with the 11 – then these attributes double in strength.”

You can read more here about the meaning of “11″.

It’s going to be one of those days!  I’ve been running around like crazy the last few weeks…  family has been in town, photographing weddings, and working on other projects…  busy, busy!  Which is why I haven’t blogged recently.  I’m off to photograph Norma and Adam’s wedding in a few moments.  I’m excited to get back into a normal grove!  More posts coming soon.  Happy 11.11.11 (and Veterans’s Day!!

I have been in love with Loktah products forever.  Their products are all eco friendly, which is fabulous!  Everything they create is a renewable source and all natural.  But their products are also beautiful and unique, on top of being friendly to the environment. I’ve been wanting to migrate to their package for a long time now, and I finally made the jump with my CD cases.  I absolutely LOVE them!!

Below are some photos of Tanya and Patrick‘s engagement CD.  I will be using this CD case for all engagement and wedding clients moving forward.  They’re so pretty!!

I photographed Tanya and Patrick’s engagement session the other week at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  The location was Tanya’s suggestion, and I love this place, so I felt like we were on the same page right from the start.  Then she asks me, “is it OK if I bring our dog to the engagement session?”  Well… of course it is!!  I LOVE photographing dogs, and it’s so much fun incorporating pets during engagement shoots.  At this point, I feel like Tanya and I are sharing vibes.  Then during the session she changed into the prettiest sun dress (which is exactly my style and fav color) and at this point I’m convinced her and I could hang out over coffee and chat all day long like two friends who haven’t seen each other in ages.  I love her!  And Patrick?  Well, he’s super sweet, polite and truly compliments Tanya.  A perfect pair!

Below are some of my favorite photos from their session, but you can view lots more on their slideshow here.

Enjoy!!

When Stephanie and Stephen contacted me to photograph their wedding (coming up in May of 2012), I felt like it was Christmas and I finally got to unwrap that gift I was waiting for all year.

I already met both of them back in December of 2010 when I photographed Stephanie’s brother’s wedding.  I instantly fell in love with their family, and I was sad when the wedding was almost over because I would no longer be working with them.  But before the wedding was over, I overheard a tiny rumor that Stephen was going to ask Stephanie’s hand in marriage in the upcoming year.  A glimmer of hope!!  Maybe I’d be lucky enough to see everyone again and work with this awesome couple!  Fast forward to now… Stephanie and Stephen are engaged and I get to photograph their wedding!  Yeah!!

I met up with Stephanie and Stephen the other weekend at DC Market Place in Scottsdale for their engagement session.  I have to say, their e-session didn’t feel like a typical photo shoot to me.  Instead, I felt like I was hanging out with old friends.  These two are so easy to be around!!

Below are some of my favorites from their session, but you can view more of their engagement session on their slideshow.

Congrats Stephanie and Stephen!!  I’m truly excited for you and cannot wait for your wedding next year!!

I’ve known this little kiddo back when she was still in her mommy’s tummy.  I love getting to see her every year and watching her grow.  It’s one of my favorite things about being a photographer.  I love getting to know families, see them year after year, and document how they evolve over time.

The other weekend I met this family at the park in Scottsdale to take their yearly photos.  Below are a few of my favorites that I wanted to share.  Hope you enjoy!

I wanted to share a few photos I took of these two kiddos the other week.  I did a quick little mini session for this family and snagged a few good ones!!  I love big brother’s smile, and little brother’s bubbles.  Such cuties!!

It’s time for mini sessions!!  Last year’s mini session was such a success, so I decided to do another one this year.  Since this is the second annual mini session, I decided to celebrate and do 2 days this year!  This is a great way to get those family portraits in time for your holiday cards!  Last year’s mini session booked up fast, so if you are interested, please email me right away.  What is on my blog is what’s available.

The times currently available are (20 minute sessions):

Sunday, November 13, 2011 – Heritage Square

8:00 am (booked)

8:30 am (booked)

9:00 am (booked)

9:30 am (booked)

10:00 am (booked)

10:30 am (booked)

Sunday, November 26, 2011 – DC Ranch Market Place

8:00 am

8:30 am

9:00 am

9:30 am (booked)

10:00 am (booked)

10:30 am (booked)

I thought it was going to be different this year.  I had so many plans for you and me.  Maybe my expectations were too high, but you really let me down.

I was hoping we would have time to get to know each other.  I envisioned lazy days…  Sleeping in late, wearing pajamas all day long while catching up on the Housewives episodes.  Maybe I would feel productive and complete my miscellaneous “to do” list (organize the files, start designing new holiday templates, submit some wedding photos to publications, develop more efficient work processes, order new wedding sample albums, and update the website).  Maybe I’d finish unpacking and finally settle into my new house.  Or maybe I’d take a nap, because thinking about my “to do” list is exhausting.

But the point is, we were suppose to have time.  Lots of time.  To do whatever we wanted to do.  But is that what you gave me?  Oh no!!!  With one quick blink of the eyes, you took off.  Gone.  Just up and left.  I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to make 31 days feel like 2.   Do you know how that makes me feel?   Like a crazy tired person!

So I’m saying goodbye August, but not as friends.  I’m over you.  And next year when you come around again, I’ll be smarter… I wont fall for your empty promises.  And if September knows what’s good for him, he’ll be a little more generous and stick around for a while!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been blogging about a get together I had with Sarah Shaw, Kathryn Crouse, and Julia Romano.  At our fun photo gathering, Sarah and Kathy brought some amazing models for us to practice on.  Now that I’m done blogging Part 1 and Part 2, I thought I’d finish up this series with Part 3.

I was lucky enough to work with Brianna and Logan last, just as the most perfect end of day light glowed in the sky.  (Brianna and Logan actually just got married and Sarah just photographed their wedding).  They were willing to come hang out with us and be our amazing models for a mock engagement shoot.  Love them!!  They are beautiful and sweet people, and I’m totally digging how their photos came out.

Hopefully, there will be more get togethers in the future.  This one was definitely fun for me!