PABM

Happy Birthday, Sissy!

2008-10-14T06:27:27Z

Three short years ago, a little girl came into my life that would change me forever. Her name is Erin but we call her Sissy. Sissy is my younger sister’s little girl and she honored me by entrusting me to be her Godmother. I don’t know how it is in other cultures but for Hispanics, being somebody’s godmother/godfather is a big deal. She calls me “Tia Mama” which translates to Auntie Momma, a name which we made up letting her know that even though I’m not her momma, I’m the next best thing. I adore her, just like I do the rest of my nieces and nephews but it is quite nice being almost as good as her momma:) Happy Birthday, my darling. Thank you for blessing me with you!

Erin Isabella….even her name is BEAUTIFUL!

Sissy, Dora, and Tia Mama. Say Cheese!

Sissy and her real Momma…isn’t she wonderful!

Ok, so part of my duties are to bake a cake for Sissy’s B-day. This year, I bought the cake mold as usual except it was missing the cute little photo that showed what the cake is supposed to look like when it’s done. All I can say is that Dora the Explorer got into something she shouldn’t have! Kids, don’t let this happen to you!

Erin’s brother, Aiden. He calls me Tia Mama too! It’s good to be loved:)

The Usual Suspects.

IEWC

2008-10-04T07:56:14Z

While it is good to have friends, it is even better to have friends who are involved in their community and who feel strongly about making a difference. I have such a friend; her name is Jan Stephens. She works for the Inland Empire Labor Management Cooperation Committee, a job that keeps her uber busy though that didn’t stop her from volunteering to chair the Inland Empire Women’s Conference for this year! The event took place at the magnificent Mission Inn in Riverside, Ca. The IEWC ’s motto is “Today’s Strength, Tommorow’s Legacy” and is geared toward empowering women financially, spiritually, and healthwise-ally(!). I’m the committees official photographer plus I also sat on the logistics committee. I have to say that I have never sat with a more impressive group of women before and often found myself wondering if I had walked into the wrong meeting! Thank you ladies for the pleasure of your company. It was a lot of work but I think the conference was amazing! And Jan, you are a Rock Star!!

Here is a photo of my vendors booth. My wonderful friend Lisa and my awesome son Peter helped me thought the day since I had to shoot the event. Good thing I wore flat shoes!

I took quite a few shots of the event and have compiled a couple of the highlights from the day. Not only was it fun and informative, it was also a great opportunity to make new friends. My new best friend is the guy at the registration desk who was kind enough to give me a band aid for my blistered heel. Thank you, whatever your name was, you’re my hero!

Aren’t these a great looking group of women? Rock and roll ladies, you inspire me:)

Aside from the speakers, breakout sessions, awards ceremony, raffle, and expo, there was also a fashion show featuring Coldwater Creek clothing plus a Zumba exercise dance demonstration. If that wasn’t enough, we had cream brule for desert! All in all, a very good day:)

Babies, Babies Everywhere Continued….

2008-10-04T03:20:47Z

I finally got the slideshow of my adorable babies up and running! Check it out and bring a tissue……so sweet!

Here is the link: www.photoartbymarie.com/stewartbabies

Morgan and Cory

2008-09-30T07:36:39Z

You can tell a lot about a couple by how easily they laugh together, especially when asked to do something silly just to make their partner smile. Morgan and Cory are such a couple. The love they feel for one another is obvious; you can see it in their gaze and in their touch, and of course in their shared laughter which accompanied us though most of our time together. Though their wedding is almost a year away, they are anxious to announce to the world their upcoming union, as if to exclaim, “Here we are, come share our joy!” Having someone love us for who we are, exactly as we are, is nothing short of miraculous and should not be taken for granted. Thank you Morgan and Cory for reminding all of us that love is grand and really does make the world go ’round:)

Here is the link to their slideshow: www.photoartbymarie.com/morganandcory

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

2008-09-27T19:43:08Z

The other day I got a phone call from a client whose baby I had photographed when she was only 7-weeks old. Sosie had just celebrated her first birthday and her mom thought it would be fun if we photographed her and her two best baby girl friends, who were only weeks apart. Sounds like a party, I said. And a party is was! We chose a sunny and bright Saturday morning, made sure everyone had a full belly and clean diapers and let the fun begin! I have to tell you that it was one of the hardest shoot I have ever had to do, only because they were soooo-ohhh adorable that I would forget that I was supposed to be shooting and not playing with them! After an hour and a half of non-stop activity, it was nap time…for me! The babies kept playing;-)

Megan

2008-09-26T22:24:40Z

This is Megan. She will be graduating next summer and hopes to become a vetenarian one day. She is as extraordinary on the inside as she is on the outside: she loves animals (she has several fish tanks in her room!), adores her younger brother Wyatt, is best friends with her mother, is an awesome student, loves her community…and is as sweet as the day is long! For Megan’s senior shoot, we selected three different outfits to wear and photographed her both outside as well as inside of her home. She and her mom had laid out several wardrobe choices, complete with shoes and jewelry, which made our session more fun since we did not have to worry about what she was going to wear!

Thank you for the privilege of hanging out with you for a couple of hours, Miss Megan. It was a lot of fun:)

To view Megan’s slideshow, please click on this link: www.photoartbymarie.com/megan

Chausa and Daniel

2008-09-26T04:34:24Z

When you want to have fun outdoors and take some cool photos in the process, a great place to go is the beach. I recently spent an afternoon with Chausa and Daniel at Balboa Beach celebrating their engagement. They are going to be married in January ‘09 and could not wait to have images capturing their love for one another! I really love engagement shoots, it’s a great way for me to get to know couples such that by the time we get to the ceremony, we are old friends!

Here is the link to their engagement slideshow: www.photoartbymarie.com/danielandchausa

Falkner Winery

2008-09-26T00:10:35Z

I love the wine country, it is one of the most scenic and romantic areas of the Inland Empire. I’m not sure how many wineries are here, but there are quite a few in the Temecula/Fallbrook area. There are wine tasting tours for those wanting to sample the local vintages and the Temecula Valley hot air balloon and wine festival in June is always a big draw. I must confess that I don’t know too much about wine but I do enjoy a good glass of cabernet with dinner:) My last visit to the wine country was a business trip, I was second shooting for my friend April who invited me to the gorgeous wedding of Heather and Jason at the Faulkner Winery. It sits atop a hill so the view is extraordinary. The food was excellent and the staff very professional, I would recommend it highly. Thank you Heather and Jason for the honor of sharing your day awesome day with you!

You Give Me Something

2008-09-26T03:22:25Z

I have a beautiful, talented friend, her name is Jean. Jean recently married a wonderful man named John. Each has been married before, their children grown, both bring a lifetime of experiences and expectations to the table. There are probably lots of good reasons why people who have been married before do not want to do it again. It seems that the older we get, the list grows longer. Then something wonderful happens……we fall in love! Jean and John were married on 08/08/08 the luckiest date of the year, perhaps of a lifetime. I was not able to attend their wedding though I know it was beautiful. A couple of weeks ago, they found themselves in my part of the world–they live in Wisconsin–so we went out to the beach and played. And played! Seeing their love for one another warmed my heart–Congratulations you two. You are truly an inspiration!

Here is a link to their slideshow: www.photoartbymarie.com/jeanandjohn

Neither Jean nor John enjoy having their photo taken. I hope I changed their mind!

I usually have a lot of fun with my clients but I have to admit that none of them have ever tried to pick me up—literally! My crazy friend Jean thought she could do it, but found out she was wrong! LOL She is so silly!

My Hero

2008-09-23T06:57:08Z

There is a lot of talk these days about heroes. Usually, it’s a sports personality who hit the winning home run or someone with a noble profession such as a fireman, who risk their lives on a daily basis to save the lives of others. My hero is not flashy and not too many people have ever heard of him but to many of us, he is the greatest man on earth. He is my father. Today, we celebrated my daddy’s 82nd birthday in a quiet unassuming way which defines him. Yes, I am a daddy’s girl, but then, so are my other two sisters. Unlike the traditional daddy’s girl, we were not spoiled with lavish gift and allowed to get away with murder, though we tried! No, his way of spoiling us was to give us the most precious and scarce of commodities; his time. My dad has always been there for us, no matter what. I have never heard him say that he would rather be somewhere else, or be something else other than what he was, the head of five rambunctious kids and husband to a beautiful but high maintenance wife.

My father came from nothing, growing up in a house with dirt floors. With the help of the GI Bill, he was able to go to college, the only member of his family to do so, and became a chemical engineer. Through his guidance and abundant love and support, all of my five brothers and sisters have college degrees, three of us have masters degrees. Although he is the biological father of only five of us, he has mentored countless others, teaching them his gentle and thoughtful ways of solving problems.

These days find my daddy taking care of my mother who suffered a stroke last October. It would be easier for him to have others take care of her but he refuses, insisting on doing it himself, a physically and emotionally draining job for someone half his age. Every morning he goes for a walk with his faithful dog “Patches” and once a week or so you can find him out on the golf course teaching young whipper snappers the meaning of the word respect! He is truly the embodiment of Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation.

So on this first day of Fall, my sisters and I and our families gathered together for a quiet celebration to commemorate the passing of yet another year of this remarkable man’s life. Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you so much, so very very much….

This is a photo of Sarah, Grandpa, me and Peter. Doesn’t he look great for 82????!!!

Three of grandpa’s seven grandkids let him know how much they love him.

Aiden and Peter having fun with the birthday boy…grandpa started it!

Peter and Sarah having a fun moment trying on Aiden’s Halloween costume.

Sissy says, “Happy Birthday Grandpa! See you next year!!”