the cutest dog ever

he's such a good dog. never complains. get the occasional "talk back" (yes he talks...sort of). and he loves me unconditionally. and he sleeps in between j. and i. i know...intimacy killer, huh? sometimes, i'll find j. sleeping on the floor in the other room, because popo, will somehow scooch one of us to the corner of our queen size bed. 

lately, popo will wake j. up in the middle of the night, bringing a sock to his face, in the hopes of playing fetch. the funny thing is, he never does that to me. i guess because i'm just a heavy sleeper (snorer). 

but he's definitely the apple of my  eye. i know that he will have to get the boot, and get out of our bed if we're going to have any chance of some lil' Spiller Destructo boys. but for now, he's my #1. 

excited

i'm so excited these past few days. i can't sleep. johnny says it's because i'm obsessed. obsessed with the web. email. the computer. but i say...i'm "passionate" about my art. i get so juiced up and inspired when  i read about photography or listen to photographers speak about their craft and their business. it's truly inspiring. and since getting into this business, i've been opened up to a whole new world. it's kind of like an underground or underworld  of sorts, that the common person would never know existed. there's a whole other world, a whole other celebrity, in this industry. it's fascinating. i just can't get enough.

mostly, i get inspired by the photographers that are so generous with their advice, sharing their experience, and expertise with other fellow photographers. there really is a sense of community. and most of the photogs i've met are really cool. i mean, it's like being in a cool, quirky sort of institution (is that a good word to use?).  you can really tell when a photographer still loves what they do, are still passionate about their business and what they do for a client. we really are in the service industry, first and foremost, because we are given the responsibility to capture the subject, in a way that is acceptable, and valuable, and memorable, and unique to them.

see what i mean??? it's 230a, and i'm still typing away. no coffee...mind you. just pure inspiration.  ok, so i'm going to go now. good night.

thank you for the kind thoughts

thank you everyone for giving us much support, love, and positivity, on our road to....wherever God leads us. we feel blessed and feel the love through your emails, thoughts and words. we are taking one day at a time to first and foremost (and everyone should, too) take care of our health. if we are meant to be blessed with a healthy baby(s), it will happen in due time, when we're ready. when God feels we're ready. 

what better way to celebrate the end of summer!

...and it's for a good cause.  

Hawai'i's Daughters Guild is hosting a fundraising event to raise funds for scholarships. The scholarship funds help further the education for women of Polynesian background. 

Their annual luau is: 

Sat., Sept. 6, at  

Nakaoka Community Center, 

1670 W. 162^nd St., in the city of Gardena. If anyone has been to a luau, you know there's going to be good company, good food, and great entertainment. Come, if you're looking for a way to say "goodbye" to summer. It's $25/person. 

For tickets and more info, please contact: Adele Tipon @ 310-597-6525 or email her at koa_tipon@hotmail.com. They would appreciate your support. And I'll be there, taking photos! Hope to see you there!

this one for the old skool

some pix of us...back in the day! my, my, my....we've changed! hahaa

thank you, Starr Design

thank you, jessica, for working with me and creating my new banner for my website. it is modern, simple, clean lines, with a touch of femininity, and incorporated our logo and colors. 

i highly recommend jessica, if you want help with your branding. she does it all. check out her site! she's so talented. and...she was very patient with my revisions. i know what i want, unfortunately, when i see it. haahaha...she's the true professional. 

and...we will be in touch again, because i will probably be changing my whole site by the end of the year, so i'll need help!!! 

check her out, especially those with their own small businesses. tell her Guen from GJ Spiller Photography, sent ya!

living with diabetes

in our journey to have our "miracle baby," doc tells me that i have diabetes. the funny thing was that he thought i already knew i had it. he tells me that diet, exercise, and medication will lower my blood sugar, so i don't worry. when i put my mind on something, i stick to it. so getting over the initial shock, i pull myself up by the boot straps, and move forward and make an appointment with a regular doctor to be treated for diabetes. 

well, that was last week. 

i saw my regular doctor to be prescribed for these meds they are talking about, which apparently i will be taking for approximately 14 days. why only 14 days? well, because she is prescribing that i go on insulin. yikes.

now, everyone that knows me, knows that i'm such a scaredy cat for pain. i've avoided needles, as much as i can, that i really think i need professional hypnotizing or acupuncture to get over. needless to say, i push myself through the whole needle thing, especially since i have to prick myself and check my blood sugar 2 times a day. but insulin injections, 4 times a day? sigh. i know. 

the explanation is this. the meds, diet and exercise will help lower my blood sugar to normal range, most definitely. doc says that once it's down and i test out as such, he will start my treatment for fertility. the problem is, once i get pregnant, everything goes up, meaning: blood sugar, blood pressure. in the event that i am pregnant, i cannot take diabetic medicine. it's gotta be insulin. so....regular doctor says it doesn't make sense to do meds when i'm trying to get pregnant. double sigh.

so...

what's my feeling on all this change?well...i have to be an adult about it. i want to be healthy. i want to have a good quality of life. i love what i get to do now, like live my life's passion to be an educator and a photographer, that if i want to continue what i've got, i need to take care of my health. with or without baby. and....well, if it's with baby, i want my baby to be healthy, as well. 

i feel pretty young, considering i'm in my mid-30's (yes, 36 is still MID). with no children of my own, i feel pretty youthful. there are only a few regular moments in my life when i "feel" adult: 1)paying mortgage, 2)paying property taxes, 3)paying taxes, and...now, 4)managing my diabetes (hey, at least it's not another bill, right?). 

so the journey continues...

introducing the newest member of my family...

here she is, just 2 days old!! JAYLYN.if you haven't seen her slideshow (with cameos of her older cousins), click here!

more fave pix (mira & eddie)

just some of my favorite pix!!!

saturday in the park

check out their slideshow!



parks always remind me of happy memories in my childhood, when my parents used to take us to the park. i remember running to the swings (my personal fave) and swinging as high as i could, closest thing to feeling like you could fly, as a child. the slides, are a close 2nd--riding 2 by 2, making a mini train down to the bottom of the slide. i remember my dad taking out the ball and bat and playing baseball, and the infamous race to the farthest tree and back. my mom reading her book, laying down on a plastic mat, trying to get relief, from us, apparently.

last sat., was reminiscent of such a time. we spent the morning with mira and eddie, and their beautiful children. mira and eddie are so down-to-earth and such good sports, even taking pictures in the hot sun! joey, their son, was ready to take pictures, and not shy at all. katie was so precious and had the brightest smile. we had a great day at the park, capturing a family day, at its best, with blue skies, ducks, and of course, swings!! 

i think it's so important to have these family days with your children. i think back, and feel fortunate that i have memories to last me a lifetime, and hopefully, create those memories for my children, one day.

thank you, mira, eddie, joey, and katie, for a great day!

Check out their slideshow!!

another TTC update

well, went to the follow up consultation with the fertility dr., whom which, i'm starting to grow an "admiration" for, (i don't know why...he's very blunt, honest, straight forward, and doesn't sugar coat anything), and we had some good news and some...not great news.

i always start w/ the "not so great" news, first. i tested diabetic. my glucose reading was at 173 and my hemoglobin is 9 (normal ranges, respectively are 80-120, 5-7). so i have to be treated for diabetes before he treats me for fertility. reason is there is higher risk and chance of the baby(ies) having birth defects.

the good news is that all my other tests, (well, blood pressure is questionable, it's been recording as high) were good. the ultrasound, the xrays, and the other blood work. johnny, too. i'm kinda happy about that.

i know i can manage my diabetes. i'm not too worried about it. i know i can bring it down. i have to go back to meet w/ a diabetic specialist to prescribe meds. once my blood sugar and hemoglobin go down to at least 127, and less than 7 (hemoglobin), the doctor will see us again and prescribe treatment(s).

i told j. that i noticed my blood pressure and sugar levels have gone up since i got married. hmmm...he thinks it's not a correlation at all.

so i'm hoping in about 4 months we'll be able to go back to my fertility dr. and be ready to "do this." (holding my breath).

my new cousin!

my new cousin was born on a lucky day, 08-08-08. she is truly the miracle baby that we all prayed for. 

here's a slideshow of some of the upcoming women in our family. 

talani's slideshow

i am so jazzed about this new slideshow program i have! so i made one for several shoots. here's talani's!! you'll see how many happy expressions this child has. just at 7 months. 4 months ago, he was a newborn, with 2 expressions! 

please check out his slideshow to see what type of shoot we do for babies! 

Bernie Mac: 1957-2008

i remember watching "Kings of Comedy" in the movie theatre with my husband, j. and hearing this man for the first time. at first i was admittedly, shell shocked in my seat, really not knowing what to think of this bold, and outspoken comedian. i was quickly engaged because he had such an original personality, character, unlike any other comedian that i've seen, at least. his comedy was very straightforward....a lot of cursing....but undeniably, had me "rollin' in the aisles" with laughter. to this day, j. and i are quoting his jokes, word for word (okay, we "try" to repeat it word for word).

Bernie Mac, 50, passed away this morning from pneumonia, in Chicago. he had a condition called sarcoidosis, according to Associated Press. the  sad thing , is that he was going to retire soon because he wanted to enjoy the rest of his life, since he's been a street performer since the 70's and been hustlin' ever since. you hear the cliché, but it's a cliché that rings true. life is too short. live it.  i hope bernie felt like he "lived" at least most of it while he was here.

conversely, i think bernie mac's comedy will live on, in his body of work, such as his t.v. show, "The Bernie Mac Show," his movies, like "Guess Who?"( remake of Sidney Poitier's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" and the "Ocean's 11" series, and of course, his signature cadence and delivery of his comedy.  rent "Kings of Comedy." you'll understand what i'm talking about.

with that said, live your life's passion now. love your people. now.

new blog look!

check me out!!!! this is the first blog i "designed" myself. i am very proud of myself. although i was up until 430a doing it (started at 1230a) and trying to figure out how to copy/paste code. 

i have to rave about this site that gave me these cool blog "elements" to dress up my blog. it's called  Shabby Miss Jenn Designs. if you're a scrapbooker type, which i used to be, before i had this business,  you'll love her designs. AND the cool thing, is they have video tutorials on how to add these cute elements to your blog site. it's so easy. well, once you get the hang of it. but if you already have a blog or site, you'll pick up quickly. i bought this package of files for about $6. 

this is great for people that also like to change up their blog look. i get bored with my blog and is constantly changing the look. i change my blog regularly, rather than my homepage, because it's more interactive and gets more traffic. plus...it's purrrr-ty.

have a go at it!

Wedding Day Sample Video

check out our wedding sample video. our fave wedding pix! 

7 months old

updated pictures of talani who is 7 months old. it was "good fun" taking pix of lil' talani, who loves to laugh, play the drums, sing with grandma and learn the ukelele with grandpa. 

so adorable.

if you want to view talani's newborn pix, click here! you'll see how big he's grown already! this is a sample of the photo book in our First Year in Pictures Portrait Package.