Event:: Uncommon 2013

I've been doing recreation for the middle school summer camp at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for 9 years....

9??? 9????? WOW!!!!!

God has been so good, He really has.  Every year, about 1 1/2 months before we leave for camp I go into panic mode. Complete. Panic. I begin listing all the things I have to get done and get so overwhelmed that I shut down, shove my notepad aside, and go to sleep. Because if you know anything about me you know that when I get thrown too many things as once I just kind of look at them and walk away, not wanting to do it and not knowing where to start. And then every year I get to camp and am in awe of God and what He has done. For some reason He's chosen me to do this job and I love it. I mean absolutely love it. I get to experience Him using me in such a simple way to bring an environment to these kids where they can have fun and learn how to love Jesus more.

That's why I come back every year. I want to be used by God and He uses me at camp so show me how good He is. It's crazy.

It's been a crazy ride, honestly. The pictures I take each year bring me back to where I was in life during that time and it just brings me back. I've been through the mountain and the valleys but each year I come back to camp. Camp Geneva. Good Lord, Camp Geneva...

I pray for the team I'll have with me each year and am constantly provided with some of the best people I'll ever meet.  They're heart to serve-I love it.

Here's a couple of pictures from this year- Uncommon 2013.

Family Shoot:: The Maurilus Family

She's like my sister from another mother. My Haitian twin. The peanut butter to my jelly. Emmy my love, you are amazing. And your family is hilarious. I think I knew the instant your father peered at me over his sunglasses and said "I make this look good." I hope you guys enjoyed yourself and the pictures even more!

Engagement: Jose + Sheena

College has its ups and down. You go to class, take some tests, pull a couple of all nighters and eventually you earn a degree. Something you can be proud of. One of the best things about college is the chance to meet new people and form new relationships. Occasionally those relationships can turn into more than friendship; as is the case with Jose and Sheena.

These two met working at the college book store together. Just friends of course. I feel like sometimes that's how some of the best stories begin. Side by side they worked together, enjoying each other's company and learning more and more about one another's character. Fast forward some time to a road trip to West Virginia for a community service project called Alternative Breaks. It was here that their friendship blossomed into something more and they eventually fell in love.

I asked both Jose and Sheena what they love most about each other and their responses were the kind you hear in books (can you tell how much I'm loving this couple?!). Sheena told me that the thing she loves most about Jose is his presence (swoon). She said that even if things are crazy and hectic its as if nothing else matters. Best. Line. Ever.

Jose told me that he loves Sheena's heart. "She has a good heart. She makes me want to be a better person because of her dreams." Family is important to Jose and he loves that both of their families go well together and get along. You're loving this groom too, right?!
Jose and Sheena, I adore you. I'm super excited to help you prepare for forever with each other this March!

Personal: Not a Natural

She hates to be in front of the camera. Anytime you go to take her picture, she looks like she's in physical pain. In reality, the only way to get a natural picture out of her is to tickle her until she is no longer paying attention to the placement of her eyebrow. It yields for the best photos. However someone this beautiful, in so many ways, needs to be photographed all the time. Her wisdom is evident in her stature and I respect it. Always. "These photos are for me mom, for practice. Honest."


I lied.

The Hunger Games: It's impact.

If you knew anything about me you know that I don't do fads. I don't do gossip magazines, reality tv, or trends. I won't wear my cowboy boots just because I'm going to a western place. For me, scarves are meant to be worn when it's cold out, not 72 degrees. The idea of being told that I only wear my hair in a braid because Katniss Everdeen dons one in the books makes me angry. Unless instructed to, I rarely wear pink/red on Valentines day or green on St. Patrick's day. It's just not in me. Someone told me once that I march to the beat of my own drum and I told them, no, if I like the music, I'll dance.

And in this case I did. With The Hunger Games trilogy. And when I refer to the Hunger Games, I mean the book series, not the movie. These are separate things and don't try to analyze them as one unit. Because they aren't. But anyway, not the point of this post. The point of this post is to speak about the impact of a book, story, or series.

I first heard about The Hunger Games about 1 1/2 years ago from my friend Vanessa. She explained to me the premise of the story and I rolled my eyes because again, if you know anything about me, I hate futuristic anythings. But I respected her opinion and told myself I would give it a try because I can't resist a good book (or for that matter, a good trilogy.) Fast forward 2 years and I still hadn't gotten around to reading it. Crap. Now the movie is coming out and I'll belong to that meme that people will no doubt be creating about reading a book just because a movie is coming out. Like this one:

But whatever, I really don't care because when it comes to books, I'll jump on a bandwagon. As long as they're worth my time. And they were. Completely. In all reality it didn't take much of my time because it took me a total of 4 days to read the whole trilogy. By the end of it, I was sobbing. No, not watery eyes and a lump in my throat. Full. On. Sobs. It's been a long time since a series, or even a single book for that matter has elicited such a response out of me. Throughout the series I went through a full gamut of emotions. Excitement. Pain. Intensity. Remorse. Grief. Delight. Sorrow. At times they stressed me out; sometimes I felt like a teenage girl giddy over romance; and at others I felt intense mourning because I knew the feeling of losing someone loved. Regrettably.

I haven't felt some of those feelings in a while so while it was refreshing to revisit, I'm sad it's over. I'm sad that I won't have something exciting to come home to. A place to lose myself in. To get away from responsibility and just enjoy a good story. This is what a good book does to me. Moments spent on the hammock in my back yard, straining to find a comfortable position to read in all, all the while knowing I'll just move in a few minutes anyway because a story this good can't keep me still for long...

Its pretty obvious from my ranting that I recommend the books. Whole heartedly. Do yourself a favor and take the time to read them. Not because it's popular. Not because a movie just came out. But because when you find a gem, one that makes you think "Crap, I can't put this thing down" at the end of every chapter, where you were in life will be forever etched into that book and it's those memories that sustain us.

Baby:: Lydia Rust

I remember when Judith told me that she didn't think her and Mike would ever have their own child...and she was ok with that; because the Lord brought them Kyle and he's been a blessing to their life. But obviously God wasn't done with them yet because He gave them Lydia. Judith called me up and we were quickly able to put together a time for me to photograph Lydia because she wanted to get her in her newborn stage. Just a precious 9 days old. I'm so glad I was able to do it for them and have the experience of shooting a newborn! Enjoy!

Engagement: David + Devin

David jokes "Well where to I start?" "At the beginning..." I say


And he did. He went through his relationship with Devin like a timeline while she sat in the front seat of the car, fixing her makeup. He went through carpool stories, mutemath concerts, New York city travel guides, and Star Wars brownie points before he got to this point, the engagement. If you go up and ask Devin where her favorite place on earth is, she won't just tell you Disney World, she'll most likely break into song. So much so that her and David have a "going to Disney" song. The morning her life would change, David woke her up with that song, took her to Disney, and under the castle fireworks, he asked Devin to marry him; and she said yes. So now we prepare for their May wedding under a big tree, surrounded by friends. I can't wait for the day where you two get to start your lives together.

When we started the engagement shoot, I automatically knew that this was going to be fun. Mainly because of this picture. She couldn't stop laughing. I think that's important.

And making funny faces...

 And sweet moments like these make things so much better

There was this wonderful carousel where we were shooting so naturally we had to pay to ride. And naturally I had to make them try to kiss. While moving. And spinning. So. much. nausea.

There was a Bar Mitzvah happening nearby so we snuck in to take a peak. We found this R and since David's last name is Rodriguez, well, it was only natural that we use it...

 Yep, they're a little quirky

 But they're also sweet

  And maybe just a little bit nerdy

David and Devin, it was wonderful shooting with you! Looking forward to May!