guest book

we got married about 2 years ago. it seems like yesterday. i still feel like a newlywed. at times, i feel i haven't quite stepped into my wifely duties, but it's on my list of to-do's, for sure. 

when we got married, since it was a big affair, (i was the only girl, and first child to get married in my family) i wanted to make sure that i remembered everyone that attended. so i had a few things in place. on our RSVP postcards, we had everyone write their best marital advice. from there, we chose the most memorable, unique, funny, etc., and printed them on candles, which were to be 1 of 2 favors we were handing out. i saved all the postcards and kept them in a keepsake box, so we can reminisce later by reading all our well wishes. another way to remember all our guests, was having assigned photographers (my bridesmaids, and maids of honor) to take fun, informal pictures of each family. i like these instead of the table group pictures or whole group formals because you can actually see everyone. the last thing we did was to hire an awesome videographer. we asked our videographer to take some time before dinner to walk around and ask our guests to record their well wishes. we watch our wedding DVD at least once a year and we are still touched by the sentiments and laugh at some funny moments. 

another cute idea, which we did not incorporate in our wedding, but wish i did, was having a personalized, custom guest book. instead of having your guests sign a picture framed mat, guests can sign your guest book with all the wonderful engagement images from our session. you can leave some pages blank, put personalized questions on the pages, or simply have lines drawn and have a traditional guest book (for addresses). here is ronald and kathy's sample guest book. this is a rough sample, but it will give you an idea. click here to view on a separate window.

i love cute ideas that incorporate photos! if you have a cute idea, leave a comment and let us know! 

cool film

if i feature other photographers on my blog, it is because i respect and admire what they are doing. in this line of work, you have to continue to be inspired, and push yourself to improve as an artist. my passion is photography, since i picked up my parents' 110mm viewfinder at 12 years old. so, even if i was not in the business, i was still be experimenting with my photography, learning techniques, and striving to do better.

below is a cool film shot entirely with a camera, by Engaged Films. the new digital SLR cameras are coming out with high quality video. so it's an exciting time for photography. i thought i'd share with you a cool concept for an engagement session. i thought the idea was inspiring. not to mention the setting and couple are very sexy...oh, by the way, the song, "show you my love" was written and performed by our wedding videographer, Mike Schmid, who has moved on to bigger and better things, like playing on tour with Miley Cyrus and producing his own albums. you can find more of his tunes on iTunes! i love his music and i'm so proud to say that i "knew him when."

life lesson #3: most fears are in your head (i mean, MY head)

had my first insulin appointment today. well, it was a training on how to inject myself with insulin. if you've read enough of these posts, you know that i'm the biggest scaredy cat/biggest baby when it comes to any type of discomfort. that discomfort translates to pain with me. i think it all started with my oral surgeon and his mission to pull my wisdom teeth with hardly any anesthesia and a jackhammer.please read this post to update you on my phobia of dentists, needles, and the hospital, in general.

anyway, i woke up, with courage, and a positive outlook, knowing that i would have to be injecting a 2 inch needle in me. j. went to my appointment with me, assuring me that it was going to be ok. well, more like giving me the "coach pep talk," like "don't be a baby," and " it's no big deal" kind of motivational talk. nope. didn't work. but i kept thinking, it's for your own health, possibly for your own baby. God willing. 

so the training went ok. we watched a video, and then the nurse showed us how to prepare the syringe and inject the site (aka, my belly). the good thing was that i didn't have to inject it right then and there. the pharmacist ordered me to have one dose, before bedtime. the bad thing was, was that all day i was thinking about that syringe. this skinny, long needle, to be poked into me at an approximate 90 degree angle. it didn't help that j. kept making these pokes to my stomach, with a closed fist, like he was an ER doctor, injecting a dose of adrenaline. not encouraging. 

right after watching "Dancing with the Stars," j. suggested i inject the insulin now, before he goes to sleep. he agreed to do it for the first couple times, until i was used to it, and ready to inject myself. he looked nervous, too. not good. i said, "let's wait until after we watch Heroes, yeah?" he looked at me, seeing right through my stalling tactics, but let me watch my favorite t.v. show, anyway. 

soon it was over. we prepared the syringe, just like the nurse taught us. reading and rereading the directions. i started to get more nervous, and could feel the tears come, but i held back, because well...i felt so dumb crying about something that i have to do. everyday. for a while. i decided to not think anymore, and trust in j. to do it correctly. i trusted the nurses when they told me that it wasn't going to hurt as much as my daily blood sugar finger pricking. i took a deep breath.

j. told me to lay down on the sofa, and relax. popo, my 2 year old chihuahua, immediately jumped on my stomach. j. scolded him and popo quickly jumped off, with me, feeling myself, let go, and thinking, "it's all in your head." i lay there, looking at the t.v., not remembering what i was watching. anticipating the pinch of the needle. i squeezed a section of my abdomen, and closed my eyes. i peered my eyes open, waiting for j. to just "do it already," and he had already walked to the kitchen to dispose of the syringe. he had already injected me. i felt like i had run a marathon and won the gold medal (well, without the sore muscles and achy feet). i was so proud of myself for going through it. then, i felt dumb for worrying about that stupid needle all day. maybe there's hope for me, yet.

so, if you know someone that's going through this, rest assured, take it from me, i wouldn't lie about it. injecting insulin is not as painful as  you might think. i'm glad that i made the right decision for me, taking care of my health, and possibly for my future baby (God willing).

here's a pic of my beloved popo. the apple of my eye....the cutest dog ever (who is also receiving his shot tomorrow...shhhhhhh, it's our secret!)

thank you for the prayers

as some of you may know, my father was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer). he has been undergoing chemotherapy since dec. and it has been a struggle for him, as well as for my mom, and family. we prayed hard, asked others to pray, too, and hoped for a strong recovery. we also did not expect him to be eligible to get on the transplant list. it was a surprise, a good one, at first. until my father decided that he did not want to receive a transplant. he had his reasons. i feel that i have to respect his reasons. but that's me. i hate to see him suffer. 

last night, i was happy to hear that his doctor reported that his test results have been improving. he doesn't have to go through chemo, at least for now. that is good news. i have to think that our prayers (and yours) have helped him endure and improve his health.

so...thank you.

here's a fave pic of my parents. 

life lesson #2: be prepared

ask any of my good friends, who have gone on a trip with me, it is always an adventure. it's never a dull moment. this includes local driving trips. 

last night, coming back from bingo (yes, i love playing me some bingo), i felt like passing out, and/or puking in my cousin's pretty-darn-new car. and no, dear blog readers, not from a night of drinking (remember...bingo). i did not realize that we were in the casino for 5 1/2 hours. since i'm diabetic, i should be eating or snacking every 3-4 hours to prevent my blood sugar from dropping. my husband, j., had packed me a bento (box lunch) for bingo earlier that day, but i had forgotten to bring it with me, and thought i would get something at the casino. but if you've ever been at a casino (no clocks, no windows), or ever played bingo, you lose track of time. and obviously, a sense of hunger. 

i did not feel hunger until we hit the slots, and it wasn't until my third penny slot, and last ten dollars, my stomach started growling. i listened to the cue, and my cousin agreed that we head home. i thought we would at least make it home to eat, but about fifteen minutes on the road, i started to feel awful. the worst feeling i'd felt in a long time (at least, without being intoxicated). we were on the road in Boony Ville (because that's where most of these casinos are), late at night. 

i regretted not eating at the casino. i regretted not packing at least my glucose tablets or even gum in my purse. most of all, i could hear j.'s "i told you so" comment ringing in my ear. 

we got off the closest off-ramp, after five to ten minutes of trying to ignore the sick feeling. afraid of puking in my cousin's car, i strongly suggested we get off the freeway and find a drive through. i thought of the diabetes class, and how low blood sugar could cause a seizure or a coma. i'm sure my sugars were not that low, but my paranoia and hypochondria kicked into gear, and i found myself pleading and praying to God to not have any of the above happen to me. well, getting off the freeway into Boony Ville was not helping the situation. it was all darkness, and a long stretch of houses for miles. no 7-11. no McDonald's. no nothing. nothing but a whole bunch of houses and parks. a lot of parks. then we started driving up this winding road. now, i started to panic. i'm never moving to the 'burbs, thoughts screaming in my head. 

we proceed back down the mountain, for fear of getting lost, and get back on the freeway, with my eyes rolled to the back of my head. the fun that i just had playing bingo and winning on the slots were fading away fast. like the light at the end of a tunnel, we saw something from a distance. a red, white, and yellow neon sign, "In-N-Out." and heard angels singing....

quickly got off the ramp, and searched for the place called "In-N-Out." worried that the late night rush would delay my order and prolong my suffering, i was tempted to pay double for my order to come out next, or even beg them to throw a potato at me. when i got out of the car to walk towards the bright lights, my toe had a blister from my slipper sandal. so i'm limping towards the bright lights....man down...

to make this long story shorter, we had our burgers and fries (in silence, because both of us were scarfing down our food), and headed back on the freeway. four exits away was home. we had not realized home was that close. but seriously, i don't think i could have survived the four exits. the funny thing is, after eating the meal, my stomach was still growling, i still felt nauseated, and i was still light-headed. so once i got home, after my husband's "i told you so's," i went to bed. 

what have  i learned?

• always pack a snack, candy, and definitely, glucose tablets for emergencies.
• carry my GPS with me at all times.
• listen to my husband.
• oh, and keep my stories short.

i'm happy now and it's all good. we're planning another trip to play bingo soon. this time, i'll be prepared. 

special shout-out to In-N-Out! thank you so much for being there!! 

resolution update

ok...ok...i have not been doing well in keeping up with my resolutions. not even worth listing the excuses, because they're just excuses. but i'm someone who perseveres, and sometimes i'm more of a 4th quarter kind of player, i bring it hard at the end. 

haven't met at any of my meet ups because, well, i've been too busy to meet up (isn't that how it usually goes?) 

exercise has definitely been replaced with napping in front of the t.v. and then sleeping more. 

my doctor agrees to put me on insulin, so we'll see how that works out. yay. more needles. 

i predict that the tide is turning for me, in a more positive direction. so my future's bright. hope you're sticking to you goals this year so far! tell me all about it!  

our lil' neighbor

kylee is about 7 months old, and she already has everyone wrapped around her little finger. our neighbors, eric and denise, who can be seen featured under our Maternity section in our website, invited us to spend a day at the park with their family. we enjoyed playing on the swings on that bright, sunny, almost-spring-day. ahhhh...this is the life!

i made her a mini slideshow, check it out.